RUGBY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1509, 3 August 1912, Page 12

RUGBY.

8 [Br Aiiistobulus 1 MATCHES AGAIN-AT LAST. Arrived on Thursday—Spring. Good old spring! True to the calendar's forecast she arrived on Thursday. How long will she stay? On August 1, snycth the calendar, spring enters; but the calendar frequently imagines that summer will appear in the middle of winter, and suffers from tho delusion (hat thero are four distinct seasons when thero is often only one—winter. However, as the calendar said More, spring arrived on August 1 this year. Ou tho two last Saturdays football has had to be put oft' on account of wintry weather, so wo now want all tho spring wo can get in order to got through, the season's programme, in good time. A List of Trouble. So far the South Island country representative team has met with no success and much defeat. At Auckland their colours were lowered by 29 points to 3; Taranaki piled up 31 points against them, to which they roplied with 3 points; Wanganui defeated them by 20 points to 10, and at Wellington on Wednesday they succumbed at the rate of 27 to 18. So, to date, they huvo had 107 points scored against them, and they have scored 44 against their opponents. Wellington's Back Attack. The Wellington-South Island, match, which was ployed at Athletic Park on Wednesday afternoon was more interesting than a good many of the club matches which have been turned on at the chief ground this season. It started badly. Wellington opened indifferently, and the southern forwards, playing a hard, willing game, turned tho situation to good account, The result was that Wellington were only dangerous on one occasion during the whole of the first spell, On that occasion they scored, and incidentally displayed the fine quality of their back attack. Scoring In Quantity, The second spell was somewhat remarkable for the quautity of scoring done. Of tho forty-five points scored in tho came, twenty-seven were put on in this spell. Of the twenty-seven, twenty-two were obtained by Wellington. It was probably expected by most of the spectators that Wellington would run over the southerners in tho second spell. South had opened by registering points rapidly, but it was obvious that they were scoring more through Wellington's very bad pin'- than through any particularly good work of their own. Flashes of Wellington at Work. Tho few flashes of Wellington at work in earnest were enough to convince anyone that South was by some stray chance piling up its points against a superior team. That was a slate of affairs which, of course, could not endure. However, it hung out until the end pf tho first spell. Wellington added to its score at tho rate of n point every two minutes, and South were only once in evidence in this half. The most critical period of tho game was about three minutes before its close. At that stage South had 18 points on, and Wellington 22. South then put in their last spurt. It was a big effort, and was almost pressed home. A converted try at that stage might hove allowed South to run out winners by one point. However, Wellington fought with the greatest determination, stalled off the big challenge, turned defence into attack, scored, and converted the try—ana thus won with eight points to spare. The City Three-quarters. The most interesting phase of the match to the writer was the play of the threequarters. Most observers of the men at tho selectors' disposal have satisfied themselves as to who should fill most of the hack positions. Thero is little doubt that F. Roberts is our half-back, and that when he is not available E. Hoherls should fill his ehoes. Ramsden and M'Kenzie are on their own among our five-eighths. Murray can hardly be displaced from centre-thTce-qunrter. But who are our wing-three-quarters? The Array Available. , . : Young, Grace, Cook, Kinvig, and others are eligible. Young is probably the best three-quarter in tho city, but who for the other wing? Grace was played on Wednesday. In some respects he' played a good game, and his great lonehand run was an effort which few threequarters could equal. Grace was not at his best, however. And Grace at his best, and the other Grace, are two different people—strangers to one another. It is very questionable if Grace is always ns good as Cook. The point is worth obtaining certainty about, and that is a matter for the selector. Kinvig does not appear to be the equal of either Cook or Grace as a wing-three-quarter.

The tast Ditch. i There are several Rood full-backs about,' and in choosing a full-back tho best tiling is to chooso one who is accustomed to tho position, not to pick up somo person of reputation who chances to get squeezed out of the other positions. Carrad, of Oriental, is tho best full-back seen out this year. Interprovinclal Fixtures. ■ ' WELLINGTON. August 24.—Play Auckland at Auckland. August 29.—Play Taranaki at New Ply. mouth. August 31—Play Wanganui at Wanganui. September 14.—Play Otago at Wellington. TAItANAKI. August 17—Play Auckland at Auckland. August 22.—Play Southland. • August 29.—Play Wellington. September 4.—Play Otago. September 12.—Play Canterbury. CANTERBURY. August 31.—Play Otago at Christchureh. September 7.—Play Wellington at Wellington. September 12.—Play Taranaki at Taranaki. September 14.—Play Wanganui ot Wanganui. , OTAGO. August 7.—Ploy Southland at Invorcargill. Auguet 17.—Play West Coast at Dunedin. August 28.—Play South Canterbury at Timaru. August 31.—Play Canterbury at Christchurch. September 4.—Play Taronf ki at Hawera. September 7.—Play Auckland at Auckkvjd. September 11.—Play Wanganui at Wanganui. September 14.—Play Wellington at Wellington.

SOUTHLAND. August 7.—Play Otago at Invercargill. August 10.—Play Canterbury at Christchurch, August 14—Play Wellington at Wellington. August 17.-Play Auckland at Auckland.