RUGBY FOOTBALL REVIEW

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 180, 28 April 1931, Page 7

RUGBY FOOTBALL REVIEW

Twenty-four Senior Teams in Action CLUB COMPETITIONS START SATURDAY

(By

“Five-eighths.”)

With the open grades system again in operation ■ this year, 24 senior teams will take the field when the club competitions start on Saturday, divided equally into senior “A” and senior “B.” Altogether there will be 218 teams in all grades—--3270 players donning jerseys and shorts each Saturday. That number would have been greater but for the decision to suspend the eighth grade, as the City Council has ruled that boys under 13 years of age shall not be allowed to play on city reserves’ on Saturday afternoons.

The Club “Gym.” Matches. The season was well started on April 18 with the club “gym.” matches, after a postponement the previous Saturday, which in turn has necessitated the postponement of the seven-a-side tourney. The matches attracted a good deal of public interest, which augurs well for the financial side of the game during the season. All the clubs gave more than the allotted fifteen a try-out—in some cases practically fresh fifteens came on after half-time and though in most cases the Rugby was hardly spectacular, it was noticeable that in many cases the sides were inclined to make the games as open as possible. There were the beginnings, at any rate, of fast, open, spectacular play, and if the same ideas are retained the. club football in Wellington should be brighter and more interesting for the spectators than it was last year. The new team, Miramar, did reasonably well in its match against Eastbourne, and at half-time was leading. The second spell saw a big change in the Bay’s game, however, and the Miramar men could not cope w-ith it. It is hardly to be expected that the team will do anything sensational in its new grade, but at least it should be able to give a satisfactory account of itself against some of the teams that finished well down on the senior “A” ladder last year. Club Matches on Saturday.

Perhaps the most interesting of the opening matches next Saturday will be that between Wellington and Poneke, at Athletic Park. The backs in the “promoted” team showed glimpses of a “good time coming” in the gym. match against Old Boys; the inside men, Page and Hay, got in some very useful work. The general impression was that while the personnel in the backs is not as famous as it was last year the combination will be a formidable one.

The Old Boys team played a rugged game against last year’s “B” champions and if the backs produce good form the side ought to be well in at the finish. Its match against Eastbourne in the opening club games should be well worth watching.

University showed all the old desire to open up the game in its match against Athletic, but there was some weakness in the inside positions. On Saturday next it should be able to make a successful start on the championship ladder against Oriental. The latter side had to acknowledge ignominious defeat against. Hutt when the season opened.. On its showing against Berhampore the Marist team seems to have deteriorated a little from what it was last year. Its forwards were unable to withstand the rugged but undirected play of the Berhampore pack, and its backs were too slow in getting going—the opposing men were round and tackling before the Green rearguard seemed to realise that they had the ball. The other two matches in senior A on Saturday are Hutt v. Athletic, and Berhampore v. Miramar. The latter should give the new team a chance to show what

it is worth. More on the Banks? It is too soon yet to gauge what the effect of the depression will be on attendances, but it is significant that unions generally are anticipating reduced gate money. The New Zealand Union has advocated a reduction in the number of representative games .this season, and it seems on the cards that broadcasting will not bc.allowed. This latter question will

be one of many to be discussed at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Union i to-morrow.. In spite of a lot of pessii mism, however, it is more than likely that ■ the only effect of the depression will be ■ to increase the attendances on the banks at the expense of those in the stands. N.Z. Union To-morrow. The New - Zealand Union meeting this year promises to be one of the most interesting and one most liable to provoke prolonged and diverse debate that has been held for a long time. Chief of the qoestions coming forward is the distribution of the profits from the British tour last year, and this will be a big bone of contention —there are two proposals before the meeting, one from Wellington and one from Southland, and prospect of agreement or compromise between the two is almost impossible. The meeting is scheduled to start at 10 a.m., and probably it will be that time, or later, at night, before it is finished. Australian Team Coming. The New South Wales Union has definitely advised that an Australian fifteen will leave for New Zealand about August 14. Late this afternoon the New Zealand Union’s management committee is meeting to draw up an itinerary for the tour, to submit to the annual meeting. A limit of eight matches is set by an agreement between New Zealand and Australia, so there ft not much chance of more than one Test match being played. With four matches in each of the big centres, and one against the Maoris, only one game is left to be filled—assuming the four centres each get a match —and it is here that Nelson will probably advance claims which will be the more forcible because it did not get a game against the British team last year. The itinerary will be published in Wednesday’s “Dominion” if it is available. lan Harvey Retiring. Among the well-known All Blacks who will not be turning out this year are lan Harvey, the burly Wairarapa lock, and T. Corkill, ex Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa five-eighths. Harvey was married recently, and has given up active participation in the game, but Corkill will still be interested in the Star Club, Masterton. J. Mill, famous 1924 half-back, will be taking the field again this year, it is understood. Cooke Off Form. Cooke turned out for Hastings on April 18, but his display was far from bis best. His line-kicking, so it is reported, was very mediocre indeed, and though he was well marked; he failed to produce anything in the way of form that would justify his inclusion in a really good senior club fifteen. Apparently it was his day off. Cooke’s game in Hastings seems to put an end to all argument as to which team he is playing for this season. Charges of Rough Play. Charges of rough play, claimed to come from a “bank critic,” made against one of the teams in the Wairarapa senior competitions last year, were refuted at a meeting of the Wairarapa Union recently. Certain games, it was stated, had produced hard play, due entirely to a strong team meeting opponents who were not physically fit. The team against whom the charges were made was not mentioned in the newspaper report.