OLD RUGBY RIVALS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 284, 28 August 1935, Page 16

OLD RUGBY RIVALS

Southland and Wellington

THIRTY-THIRD ENCOUNTER

■The Rugby representatives of Southland and Wellington will take the field on Wednesday for the thirty-third encounter between the unions. Wellington teams have been predominant throughout the series, and have won twenty-two games as against Southland’s six. Four games have been drawn. Fixtures between the unions date back to 1896, and it is remarkable that in all these years Southland has never won a game in Wellington. Their nearest approaches to success have been the drawn games played here in 1900, when the score was 3 points each, and ’in 1902, when the match finished with the score at 6 points all. It is worthy of note also that Southland’s heaviest defeat should have been sustained at Wellington. In the game played here in 1910 they were defeated by 60 points to nil. The Wellington team in this match was: G. J. Kinvig, J. P. Ryan, H. Dawson, J. Ryan, H. McLeod, E. J. Roberts, F. Roberts, H. E. Avery, J. A. Bruce, G. H. McKellar, E, Perry, Leahy, Rapson, C. Hills and Irvine. Tries were scored by E. Roberts (4), H. Dawson (3), H. Avery. (2), McKellar, F. Roberts, Bruce, Hills and Kinvig. Four tries were converted by Kinvig and one each by Avery, Dawson and E. Roberts, and McLeod kicked a field goal. The match played at Invercargill in 1920 marked the first victory for a South Island union in Ranfurty Shield contests, Southland defeating Wellington, the then holders, by 17 points to 6. At Invercargill last year Wellington rather unexpectedly defeated a strong Southland side by 18 points to 12. The Wellington team was: Cresswell, Robins, Dustin, Nees, Langdon, Lilburne, Sadler, Butler, Wells, G. P. Roberts, Reid, McNeile, Hull, Coulston and Donnelly. Butler and Cresswell were injured during the game and were replaced by Stevenson and Upchurch. Tries were scored by Sadler 12), Hull and Lilburne. Lilburne concerted three of the tries. Southland’s team was: Stubbs, Henderson, Mitchell, Geddes, H. Frampton, Wesney, J Purdue, C. George, Mattingly, L. George, Murphy. I. Galt, G. Purdue, Pawson and T. Metcalfe.

Southland representatives did well last season, particularly on their own ground, and the defeat inflicted by Wellington last season was the first sustained by Southland on their home ground in four years. Their record this year has not keen so good as iu former years, but their teams have a reputation for springing surprises, notable examples of this being their victory over Wairarapa in the Ranfiirly Shield match played in 1929, and their victory in 1933 over Hawke’s Bay, who subsequently inflicted on Wellington the only defeat sustained by them in that year.

Southland always field a strong pack of forwards, and are reputed to be strong in that division again this season. They will no doubt be keen to open their winning account in Wellington, and should provide the local fifteen with strong opposition.