Rugby Football

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 258, 1 August 1928, Page 8

Rugby Football

By

"Five-Eighths ”

ALL BLACKS’ HARD ROW

CAN WE WIN THE THIRD TEST?

They can play Rugby in South Africa all right. It is abundantly clear that the All Blacks are not engaged upon a picnic excursion. They have to fight, and fight hard for every victory.. The New Zealand team had an easy victory over the Orange Free State at Kroonstad on June 30, when the margin was 20 points, but in the return match at Bloemfontein on Saturday they had to keep going at tbp'liace to snatch victory by four points. While our fellows have learnt not a little about the game on this tour from the South Africans, it goes without say-

ing that the Springboks'have picked up not a few wrinkles from the All Blacks, with the result that by now there will scarcely be a move by either side which is unknown to the other. Though the margin of victory on Saturday was narrow, the All Blacks shaped well in all departments, both forwards and backs* infusing plenty of life into their play. The news tells us that the game was marked by much faulty handling by the backs on both sides. This may be accounted for by the fact that the game was played upon a ground which had just been ploughed, and then watered. This probably led to the ball coming off the ground at a different pace to that at which it

/usually does, and may also have hobbled the players sufficiently to make it difficult to judge their pace. This mishandling was common on noth sides. It is pleasing to see that H. Lilburne, the Canterbury five-eighths, 'who was selected as full-back for the team, did well in this position at Bloemfontein. He was. particularly sound on defence, and started some passing movements by running with the ball instead of kicking. t -The failure of Lilburne to make good in the early matches of the South African tour has been a great surprise to me. He proved himself a most versatile player in Christchurch, where he could do his part in any position behind the half-back, and he shaped really well. in the trials last year, showing up particularly well on defence, and kicking with direction and length. The reports state that his chief weakness in South Africa lies in his uncertainty in taking the high kicks. It is evident from the game he played on Saturday that he is finding his feet. Any side which fields Lilburne will never find him a “dud.”

It is also extremely satisfactory, in view of Kilby’s unfortunate accident, that Dailey is standing up to the wear and tear of half-back play so valiantly. The cables tell us that Dailey was brilliant behind the New Zealand scrum nt Bloemfontein. Not only did he feed his backs well, but he often darted round the scrum to start passing movements that way. On one occasion he secured from a line-out, and darted through an opening to go right through the Orange Free State backs for a score. Dally is a great little' half-back, with the heart of a lion. New Zealand ■would have had two of them had Kilby not had the extremely bad luck to have met with his mishap. ' All Uje brilliant passing' movements at Bloemfontein on Saturday appear to have been done by the inside backs, Dailey, Johnson, and Strang were in alb the scoring movements, and the speedy Scrimshaw was as lively as a cricket, hopping over the line for two tries.

Sheen, the youthful Aucklander, appears to be under an unlucky star on the present tour.- He was extremely fortunate to get a place in the team at. all, as he did not show to advantage in the trials last year, and was picked on rcptitation. He has not had many games on the present tour, and on Saturday had to leave the field just after the second'spell opened, with a twisted knee, which necessitated the All Blacks playing practically throughout the spell with fourteen meu.

It was a very close call which our fellows had at Bloemfontein on Saturday. ‘-’Had Tromp not lost possession after crossing the line, and Potgieter not missed that penalty kick right in front of the posts, another defeat would have had to be registered against us. Against this, it has to be remembered that Strang crossed the line for New Zealand, only to have the try disallowed because someone had handled the ball In a scrum. Surely the referee took a long time in inflicting this penalty. However, luck will always play a part in Rugby. One day everything goes right for a side, and the next every shot at goal either rebounds off the crossliar or'strikes an upright and passes outside. Luck ran against the All Blacks in the first few matches of the tour, but is now swinging their way. She is a fickle jade, but is wholly impartial. The AU Blacks will meet North-Eastern Districts at Burghersdorp to-day. and will oppose the Border fifteen at East London on Saturday. ' -The tour is drawing on. Fourteen matches have already been played, and only eight more remain on the list. From the tough tussles the All Blacks are having against the provinces, it is evident that the third Test, which is to be played at Port Elizabeth -oii August 18, will be another battle royal. However, the New Zealanders are improving with every match, and their leading players ’ are standing up to the wear and tear of .a strenuous tour most manfully. By the time the third Test arrives, they should be men of iron, and from present indications they will require to have sinews of steel for the Herculean task before them.

Champions in Form. , That Wairarapa is fully entitled to the honour of champion Rugby province of the Dominion is proved by the sterling record they have put up this season. They defeated Hawke’s Bay twice, Bush Districts, V and Jianawhennai before going down to ;• Christchurch and wresting the Raufurly ShiVl from Canterbury. Alter the Shield match, Cooke, Irvine, Q. Donald. Yates, and Roach returned home, and it was with a sadly depleted team that Wairarapa completed their tour of the Sdutli Island. Notwithstanding this fact, the Wairarapa team only lost one out of the four games played in the South Island. Southland f beat them in a heavy-scoring match by one point, but tiie Wairarapa men then rose nobly to the occasion, and beat Otago and South Canterbury in succession. This was a splendid performance for a team which was short of five of its best players.

An Otago writer complained bitterly when the three 1024 All Blacks in tlie Wairarapa team returned home after the Shield game. He apparently was under the impression that it was no earthly use a team without Cooke, Irvine, and Q. Donald attempting to play Otago. He must have received a rude shock when the Wairarapa men beat Otago on Wednesday last. It was just ns well for Otago that the three All Blacks did. go back to work after the Shield match. Wairarapa will be fully tried out to-day, when they will meet Auckland in the Wairarapa. Tim Northern union had an unbeaten record last season, and many people considered they were tlie strongest Rugby province in the Dominion. To-day’s game should show us whether Auckland’s claim to premier honours were justified or not. 'Unfortunately, to-day’s game will not be for the shield, as tlie Wairarapa team only returned from their Southern tour on Monday, which gave them insufficient time to organise for a Shield match. It is understood that Wairarapa have promised to give Auckland a tilt for the Shield later on in the season. Can ’Varsity Depose I’oneke’?

Tlie season is wearing on, and it is now pretty certain that I’oneke and University will light out the senior A championship. I’oneke have won twelve out of the fourteen games played, while ’Varsity have won eleven and drawn one, leaving them only n point behind the leaders. When these teams meet in the deciding match for premier honours, it will be a case of tlie I’oifeke forwards against the University backs, and what a rare tussle it will be. I’oneke. though they defeated Berhampore In- 19 points to (I at Newtown Park on Saturday, did not shape at their best. Tlie Red and Blacks have a splendid set of forwards this season, and they arc quite powerful enough without being unduly rough. There was' a tendency on Saturday to play the man instead of the ball, and Jessup received bis walking ticket from the referee Ulis account. Once or twice lately, I’oneke forwards have

been seen to aim blows at their opponents when the ball has been yards away. Poneke has a long and honourable record, and Jack Shearer should have a quiet chat with some of bis big fellows, and tell them to play as hard as they like, but to cut out the rough stuff, otherwise some more of them will find themselves on the bank. The Poneke forwards carried the day on Saturday, Shearer, Peterson, and Wilson scoring tries, as against two tries notched by the backs, Elliott and H. Tilyard crossing. Elliott, the Poneke winger, is a clever scoring player. He* has notched a try in every match in which he has played this season, except two, and in one of the latter games he potted a goal.

'Varsity’s Brilliance. University this season have a really firstclass fifteen. The students ’have always had good backs, but lacked sufficient weight in the vanguard. This weakness has been rectified, and the ’Varsity vanguard are now a husky set, who take some stopping when they get going. Petone, when playing against ’Varsity last Saturday week, ’had three men knocked out, and Old Boys last Saturday had a man carried off on a stretcher, another victim to the hammering footrushes by the 'Varsity forwards. There Is no suggestion of rough play in this statement; it only shows that University this season have some hustling forwards, who take a deal of stopping when they get under way. The University backs on Saturday gave the 5000 spectators a glimpse of Rugby at Its best. The forwards got their share of the ball, and Leys was at his best behind. the scrum. It is a treat to watch the celerity with which Leys shoots the leather out to Mackenzie. He appears, to have Freddie Roberts's knack of passing with one hand, which enables much more force to be given to the transfer. Mackenzie, the ’Varsity captain, gave another finished display at first five-eighths. He took his passes on the move, and make clear openings before sending the leather on. On one occasion he ran over thirty yards, and beat man after man, but spoilt a great run by hanging on too long. Ransom again showed that he is the most brilliant centre-three-quarter in the competition. The tall hurdler was in his element against Old Boys. He left the opposition standing several times by sheer pace, and had a hand in most of the passing movements. Ransom should again get 'his rep. cap this season, as he is a powerful kick in addition to being a brilliant attacking player. .There are no better wing-tlirec-quarters in the city than Mackay and Brown, the ’Varsity pair. Both can travel like the wind, and they make their finishing dashes with great resolution. When either gets a yard or two to manoeuvre in, it is a case of “Good night, nurse.” Griffin, a promoted junior made quite a good substitute at full-back for NobleAdams, who was down with a touch of " ’flu.” / Of a hard-working pack. O'Regan stood out for consistent battling. This player keeps Iris wits about him, and never loses a chance of getting the leather out to his backs.

ofd Boys’ Bad Luck. Old Boys, who had such a great season last year, appear to be but of touch with fortune at present. They had decidedly bad luck in losing their captain, Grenfell, about a month ago, through a touch of concussion while playing against Masterton Old Boys. Grenfell played -brilliantly early in the season, and promised to develop into a real top-notch -centre-three-quarter.. Last Saturday, four of Old Boys’ best forwards—Emerson, Meadows, Burn, and Jones—were unavailable, owing to casualties and intiuenza. In addition to this, Du Chateau had not yet recovered from the injured shoulder he received a few weeks back, and was nursing the tender limb on Saturday. Notwithstanding all these disadvantages. Old Boys put up a gallant fight, and would have won had they.been better served by their inside backs;' Dustin (five-eighths) and Aitchison (centre three-quarter) appeared timorous, and robbed Old Boys of possession almost as soon as they received the leather by punting ahead, and their passing was so sudden that they occasionally threw the ball into space. Had these positions been adequately filled, Old Boys would have scored two more tries in the dying stages, and might easily have won the match. Claridge had bad luck in being laid out twice in the game, as he was unquestionably the best forward on the side. His footwork was excellent, and he was in the thickest of the fray until borne off the field with a touch of concussion.. McDonald played well at five-eighths, both on attack and defence, running strongly and doing his share of defence. Lack-Lustre Showing.

There was nothing about the display given by Oriental in their match against Petoue on Saturday to justify the high position the team occupies on the championship table. The Magpies have a solid set of scruminagcrs, who proved their weight and worth, but anything iu the nature of back brillance was conspicuous by its absence. It was only due to the fact that Pinkerton converted botli tries scored by the Black and Whites that the try-getting superiority of the Blues was not more obvious.

For the villagers. Coman played his usual sound game behind the scrum, although the little half-back's boot was not as deadly as usual. Peterson, at centre for the home team, twice inaugurated successful attacks from behind his own goalline, anti was also prominent in a movement from which Ward crossed. A feature of the Petone play was the accurate and powerful touch-finding, which time and again nullified the' hard work of the opposing forwards. Of the Blue pack, Carr showed the most dash, breaking through frequently on his own.

Athletic Sparkle Up. Athletic proved themselves too good for Wellington at Prince of Wales Park over the week-end. Although they only scored three points in the first spell, they had much the better of the game throughout. Heazelwood resumed the full-back position, after a two months’ spell. He played a sterling game, but just before the end of the first spell he was injured, and had to leave the field. This flue player appears to be brittle, as he lost his chance of a trip to Africa through being injured in a trial game last season. Pelham showed once again what a dangerous scoring, man he is by crossing the line twice. This player makes the best of opportunities, and Is not afraid to take his man low. He had an able assistant in Sutcliffe. All the backs played well, and helped their side to victory. Tlie pick of the pack were Pope and Edgar, who played both witli determination and dash. Wellington were by no means an easy proposition, for Hill lost two golden opportunities of scoring. Johansen was not in form, as he fumbled the ball repeatedly. McLean, w'ho is ail inspiring leader, set his men a shining example throughout. A Mighty Drop-kick.

“Subscriber” writes: “I should be greatly obliged If you could settle a matter which has been the subject of argument in certain local circles lately. “As everybody knows, the 1921 Springboks played two matches in Wellington (v. Wellington and v. New Zealand). In one of those matches the Springboks had a place-kick at goal from exactly on t’iie half-way line. The kick, which travelled very low, had great power behind it, and it struck the cross-bar, almost breaking it, and rebounded into play. I was of tlie opinion that this Incident happened in the filial Test, which ended nil all, and was quoting it as an example of how close New Zealand went to losing the game, but ot’aers are emphatic that no such thing happened in either match. I am positive it happened in one of the two games. Could you say through the columns of your paper in which match it happened? Thanking you in anticipation.” The incident referred to occurred in the match between the Springboks and Wellington at Athletic Park on July 23. 1921. 'i’owards the end of the game, .1. B. de Villiers. the South African full-back, had a place-kick from the centre of tlie field, and, despite tlie fact that the ball was heavy and the ground heavy and slippery, made the 29.000 spectators gasp by sending the leather whizzing past the uprights. A little later tlie ball was kicked out to do Villiers, who was a big fellow scaling 13st. 121 b. He grabbed the ball about ten yards Inside the centre-mark, and with a prodigious drop-kick hit the crossbar in the very centre, very nearly breaking it. and causing the,goal-posts to oscillate violently. The ball rebounded almost to the quarter mark. The match was won by Soutli Africa by 8 points to 3. Rivals to Rugby.

Mr. .1. Connors, of Sydney, writes as follows: — "In some of the New Zealand papers

dealing with the All Blacks’ tour of South Africa, it has been referred to that Rugby Union is the ‘national game,' and ‘a religion,’ etc., in South Africa. As an exSouth African of many years residence, and a follower of sport in that country, such references fall short of the truth. Cricket is South Africa’s national game, and in the football sphere, two codes are played, viz., Soccer and Rugby Union, and like England and Scotland, Soccer is the most extensively played, and is the popular one from the public’s point of view. Only in one centre of the Union has Rugby a monopoly, i.e., the Western Province districts of Cape Colony. To some extent South Africa's football strength may be attributable to the fact that they play the two codes, compared with the three codes in New Zealand, and four codes in Australia. Tlie lessening of its football strength from an international standpoint by playing so many codes is particularly emphasised in Australia, where four States, comprising half tlie population, play almost solely Australian rules code, and the other two States play Rugby League, Soccer, and Rugby Union. League being tlie predominant code of the three. It is obvious under these conditions that from an international point of view Australia's football strength suffers. New Zealand is, of course, not so bad in this respect, but as J eaid above. South Africa, playing only two codes, is in a better position than even New Zealand. The All Blacks will find tile grounds much faster than those they have played on in Sydney or elsewhere, and the rarified air at Johannesburg will affect them. 1 regret that we get no details whatever of tlie matches iu the Sydney Press.” A Gisborne Query.

“Rugby” sends the following query from Gisborne:—“Could you please lei. me:—(1) The referee of the Wellington (57) v. Auckland (19) Rugby match or 1921 (2) The referee of the Wellington (13) v. Otago (8) match of the same rear? (3) Were these games for tlie Ranfurly Shield? Thanking you in anticipation." Mr. Simpson refereed the WellingtonAuckland match at Wellington in 1921, and Mr. 11. McKenzie, of Wairarapa, carried tlie whistle in the match between Otago and Wellington that year. 'Wellington also played Auckland at Auckland in 1921, the northerners winning the return match by 13 points to 11.