RUGBY OPENS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 185, 4 May 1936, Page 11

RUGBY OPENS

Senior Games Played In Strong Gale BACK PLAY SPOILED Fine Forward Work On Heavy Grounds DIAMOND SCRUM USED In the strong gale of Saturday players had little chance to show anything like their best form when the opening games were played in the senior competition of tho Wellington Rugby Union. A tempestuous wind, often accompanied by driving rain and sometimes by thick hail, made conditions most unpleasant for both players and spectators. In the Petone-Athletic game play was abandoned before the call of time liecause of the onset of a hailstorm, and Wellington had considerable difficulty in keeping the engagement with Eastbourne because of the slips which almost blocked the road round the harbour, almost preventing the team reaching its destination. , The feature of the day wns the action of some clubs in using the two-three-two scrum with a wing-forward, opening up the whole question of whether the decision of the majority of delegates to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union is to be binding on all unions. and their clubs. In the first division of the senior grade Poneke beat Wellington College Old Boys 15-6 at Athletic Park. Eastbourne beat Wellington 6-0 at Eastbourne. Hutt beat Marist 9-5 at Hutt, and Athletic drew with Petone at Petone, neither side scoring. . . The second division results were: —Bt. Patrick’s Old Boys 21 beat Pirates, o, Johnsonville 3 beat University 0. United 3 beat Oriental 0, Athletic 15 beat Miramar 9. , , Because of the storm-many lower-grade matches were abandoned, and no curtainraiser was played at A.tli)etic Park, the early game set down for that ground being transferred to Lyall Bay. Solid Forward Play by Poneke. Goal-kicking secured most of the points for Poneko against Old Boys at Athletic Park, but the winding team i* cd much to -the earnest work of a solid forward pack and the clever defensive covering play of J. L. Griffiths, and the solid display at full-back of J. 1 artan, the former Hawke’s Bay full-back. Poneke, with the wind, did not command nearly the territorial advantage that might have been expected, the Old Boys forwards, spurred on by .1. R. Lamason, who has been persuaded to don the jersey again after announcing that he was retiring, controlling the ball well in loose rucks and keeping close to it in the open, as well as spoiling quickly on to the opposing backs, who enjoyed the feast of the ball from the set scrums but made little use of this advantage. Jn the second half,, against the wind, the Poneke forwards played grand football, keeping together well and frequently taking the ball half the length of the field by well-controlled dribbling and kick-and-follow rushes. They kept the play as tight as they could, and, by retaining possession, gave Old Boys few opportunities to use the wind to any effect. R. Hull, the Wellington representative, especially in the first half of the second spell, played grandly, frequently leading rushes out of "his own territory to past half-way. R. Ongley, another Wellington representative, was not «o brilliant, but he was consistently industrious, and Poneke produced a most active young loose forward in J. Caleinai. Considering tho relatively small lead that the team bad at half-time Poneke did well to prevent Old Boys winning with the help of such a gale. Probably, however, the Old Boys forwards wore themselves down by their great work in the first half against the wind, and could not call up the extra effort required for victory in the second. Nevertheless, full credit must be given the Poneke' backs for their defensive work. Vartan, though the heavy ground did not suit-such a big man. hardly made a mistake at full-back, his kicking against the wind being very strong. He contributed the highlight of the match in the first half with a grand potted goal from nearly half-way and well out toward the sideline. With tine judgment he aimed his kick for the corner flag, and the wind took the ball in its flight mid carried it dead between the posts. With such a heavy ball and in such a wind it was a fine effort. Griffiths, both in marking his man and in doubling round to help the other backs in defence, was invaluable. L. Martyn, the former West Coast and South Canterbury wing three-quarter, hardly .saw the ball in attack, but he demonstrated his all-round usefulness by kicking two penalty goals. Old Boys had a much more effective combination near the scrum, where B. S. Sadler and H. Baldwin combined well for the most part, but back attacks were of little avail on such a day, when the percentage of dropped passes was high. Sadler took considerable ‘‘treatment” from the opposing forwards, but eluded their vigilance once, scoring a solo try with a bright dash from a scrum near rhe line. Both sides used the two-three-two scrum with the wing-forward, and there was much less trouble than usual in getting the ball into the scrums. Playing in the Hail at Petone. - Enthusiastically battling against the vile conditions, Petone and Athletic players strove manfully against each other at Petone till a hailstorm drove the players to shelter late in“the second half. In the conditions the players did well, though it was not attractive football, play being almost necessarily confined to forward battles. Petone, using the three-four-one scrum, held a commanding advantage in securing possession, but this was of help only in shaping the territorial run of the play, because the ball soon became eo greasy that only men witli bewitched fingers could have made much use of it in passing bouts, Athletic used the two-tbree-two scrum. Athletic started in great style, having the advantage for the first quarter of gn hour, but the Petone backs were better in orthodox attack and twice passing bouts nearly let E. McGurk in on the wing, the handling of the wet ball being very good indeed in the first half, the Petone backs eeveral times sending it from half to wing. C. O’Halloran and H. R. Pollock gave fine service to their side, the übiquity of the latter being invaluable in defence, and A. Lambourn certainly performed his task in securing the ball from the scrums. No interval was taken at half-time, the players simply turning round, and from then on it was mainly a forward struggle, with the advantage slightly with Petime, fine work in gathering the ball and snapkicking it to tho line in the face of forward rushes being done for Athletic by E. W. Tindill. . The Athletic backs several times attempted passing rushes, but the ball seldom went past the five-eighth line, and the movements lacked thrust. Athletic had some big men in the forwards, including N. Bowling, from North Auckland, and A. Guy, the shot putter, as well no N. Edwards, formerly of Nelson. N. Wales was uncommonly fast and active in the loose. The Athletic forwards played sterling football in repelling attacks in the second half of the game, and it seemed that some of the big men were just becoming thoroughly worked up to their tawk when the game was abandoned. Hutt Goes Strongly in Second Half. Had Hutt not found n certain measure of cohesion, both in forwards and backs, in the second spell of the game againet

Marist Old Boys at Hutt, the side could not have hoped to win, with its opponents playing such a rattling good game. Hutt’s vastly improved display in the second half demonstrated in striking manner just what combination means to a team. Under the conditions the game was a good one, punctuated by a number of bright spots. In each spell the team playing into the strong southerly gale had the territorial advantage. The Marist forwards, who were packing the three-four-one formation, were a formidable lot. Their packing was solid in the scrums, and .in the loose they hunted as a unit. R. Leahy, A. Donohue, and K. Ropata, the ex-llorowhenua representative, headed the pack in most of its movements. On the other bund, the ■ Hutt forwanle, wllo also packed three-four-one, could do little right before the interval. They impressed as a solid pacit of individualists, but lacked cohesion. The second half saw a surprising transition, the forwards, led well by E. Barry, M. Devine, the former Wairarapu. ami slanawatu representative, Wilson and Jaggers, settling down to serious business to outplay Marist. The Hutjt rearguard was solid both on attack and defence. Kilminster served his backs well from the base of the scrum. Hansen at centre gave the most impressive exhibition. His run in the first spell which ended in G. Phillips scoring was a beautiful effort. Gathering in the ball from the ruck he ran almost half the length of the field outstripping all, but Ericson at full-back, before handing on to Phillips. He impressoil as a player with a future, having undoubted pace and sure hands. In 51. Quinn, a former South Canterbury junior representative. Marist have a sound half-back. He sent the ball away with workmanlike precision. Langdon was sold at first five-eighth, but E. McGreevy, outside him. was the outstanding back on the field. Quick off the mark, he possesses a deceptive run, and the ability to get rid of the ball at the right moment. Time and again he gained much ground for his side, but only on one occasion was there anyone handy to finish off a movement for him. McLean, a forward, was ’on hand to cap off a brilliant run. Short Spells Played at Eastbourne. Anything approaching good football was entirely out of the question at.East'bourne, when Eastbourne and Wellington teams met, the former winning by six points to nil. The Wellington players, indeed, were lucky in being able to reach Eastbourne at all, vehicles following later than the bus that took the team being unable to get past slips on Hie road to Eastbourne. The recreation ground, owing to the sea encroaching on it earlier in the day, was in no very fit state for play. Due also to the late start, spells of 35 minutes were played, and these in weather conditions that gave no chance for the finer points of Rugby to be displayed. A high •southerly wind and bitterly cold rain squalls were the order. The match, such as it was, was confined mainly to the forwards, and in these tussles Eastbourne had a slight superiority. Eastbourne backs, ed passing rushes. Although Wellington were more often in Eastbourne territory in the first, half, they did not score, so strong was the defence. W. Crisp and D. Plank shone out in the Eastbourne defence. The spell was nearly at an end when N. Dellabarca got the ball out to B. Walling, who scored in the corner. In the second spell . Eastbourne backs started numerous passing rushes, and from one of them N. Waite scored between the posts. Wellington were several time* near to scoring, but Eastbourne defence was sound, and they usually were able to turn defence into attack. Eastbourne’s score would have been larger had not E. Cresswell. Wellington full-back, been so sound on defence.. SECOND DIVISION United Forwards Win Game. If Oriental had kept the ball on the ground in the first 20 minutes, they would ..probably have- been, able to beat United, in the second division match which was transferred from Athletic Park to the exposed Lyall Bay ground. United began the match with 12 men, but Oriental did not take advantage of the weakness. There was too much futile high kicking and no sustained attempt was made to keep the game tight and drive down through the weakened United team, whose seven forwards were quick to seize opportunities provided by windblown passes and kicks. When three more men arrived United played with more cohesion, and a better understanding of the type of game demanded by the conditions.

Neither team, however, played football of a class to be expected from teams in the second division. Each scrambled through the game in a haphazard kind of way, chasing the ball but not making any successful attempt to control it. At no time did either reveal any plan of attack designed to meet the difficulties of ground and weather.

Both teams played a hard game, but that is all that could be said of the match. United’s forwards won the game. When K., Moniyhan scored, the forwards had swept down upon the ball after an Oriental mistake, and the try came from a clash on the line. Moniyhan played a good game, leading his forwards time after time, after’the Oriental pack had crumpled. Oriental would have been well advised to put its wing-forward into the serum from the start. United’s backs, especially when they were two men short, did. not hold out much danger. The Oriental inside backs, Webster, Hale and Cook, played well, and looked as if they would have been very dangerous in better weather. But the wind beat them. St. Pat.’s Show Good Combination. Better combination by St. Pat.’s Old Boys gave them their victory over Pirates at Wakefield Park. Pirates were at a disadvantage by reason of the fact that their wing three-quarter, Cameron, was unable to play because of an injury to his ankle. A substitute, Eagle, was fielded. There was frequently too big a gap between Eagle and the centre, this weakness being the main factor in the defeat of Pirates. Kerrigan, si Jlanawutu representative player last year, played a sterling game for Pirates. Wareham and K. O’Connor were Old Boys’ players who were never far from the ball. Although it was the opening day ot the season, and driving rain at times added to the difficulties of play, interesting, football was provided. St. Pat.’s Old Boys monopolised the first half, the backs doing some exceptionally good work. Fast play was seen in the second spell, the ball moving from one end of the field to the other in quick succession. Johnsonville Pack in Form. The encounter between Johnsonville and varsity, at Johnsonville, on Saturday, was marred by the weather, which made kicking uncertain and field and ball increasingly greasy throughout the game. The University team contained a number of last vear's juniors, and two newcomers, Burke, a former Canterbury representative. and Ekdulil. For an opening game, their combination was excellent, their handling reliable, and their scrum formidable. At the beginning o. the game they took the offensive for about ten minutes, but for the rest of the game were hard put to keep Johnsonville from their line. The forwards packed down well, and Burke was hooking the ball almost every time. The Johnsonville two-three-two serum, however, had greater weight. Rae was picking up and passing cleanly. The backs were keeping position well, but letting the ball go too qnicklv to the wing, and failing to gain ground. Trieklebank. at full-back, was kept busy; he made several brilliant saves, but his handling was unsure. The Johnsonville pack was distinguished by stamina rind weight. Their play improved greatly toward the close, when the backs were finding footwork slippery. Hall, at wing-forward, seemed to find difficulty in smothering Tlae’s passes. JBurns was playing ti fine game at half, but the backs found the ball too greasy to take advantage. Kelly showed up a good deal, and created the opening through irbich Burns Beared. Trenchard vtm Ie-

jured in the first half, but resumed play at. half-time. Miramar and Athletic Have Hard Battle. With intermittent rain and hail squalls driving across field, line-outs were the order of the day in the match between Miramar and Athletic at the Polo Ground. Good football was out of the question, and the game developed into an uninspiring battle between the forwards, with the backs having little control over the ball. The teams were evenly matched. They were all square at half-time. The second spell play favoured 'Miramar, but inability to finish off their attacks cost them 1 Ingame. Athletic had six points to spare at the finish, wihuing by 15 to 9. Several players gave good individual performances, notably Diekey, Trott and Pelham. The latter was very elusive when in possession, and it was this acquisition which enabled him to score the try which put Athletic in the lead soon after the start of the second spell. _ For Miramar Cook was always prominent, and was responsible for six of the total points secured by his side. Barron, fullback, brought off some good saves.' Both teams should give a good account of themselves when the season is under way. SCRUM FORMATIONS “Clubs Can Play What They Like” .Several clubs played the two-tliree-iwo scrum formation in the opening games of the competitions of the Wellington Rugby Union on Saturday, although the majority of delegates to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union favoured three men in the front row in New Zealand. Others used the three-four-one, and one the three-two-three. Mr J. Prendeville, president ot the Wellington Rugby Union, interviewed on this subject last night, said that elu bs could play what formation they liked within the rules, and the rules. only stipulated not more than three in the front-row. The New Zealand Rugby

Union annual meeting, he said, had decided that there should be three men in the front-row for matches under the control of the national body and recommended unions and clubs to adopt that formation. The Wellington Rugby Union had decided that it would use three men in front in its representative matches, and had recommended clubs to adopt that formation. The clubs, however, were.not bound to do so. Mr. S. S.' Dean, chairman of the management committee of the N.Z.R.U., spoke at the annual meeting of that body in favour of uniformity throughout New Zealand. When asked if he wished to comment on the fact that some clubs had used the diamond scrum, he said he did not desire to say anything at present. Mr Dean is president of the Poneke club, ' which placed the two-three-two scrum on Saturday. Old Boys, who also went back to the old formation, are coached by Mr. A. McDonald, a of the management committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union. IN OTHER CENTRES Bv Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland. — Mount Albert Grammar 4 beat Ponsonby 3; North Shore 3 beat Metro College 2; Thistle 7 beat Comrades 3. Christchurch. — Playing in a high wind and rain storms, Western A 3 beat Technical Old Boys 0; Nomads 3 beat Western 80. .„ Dunedin. — Maori Hill 3 beat Seacliff 0; H.S. Old Boys 5 beat Northern 1; Mornington 5 beat Technical Old Boys 2; Mosgiel 9 beat Roslyn Wakari 1.

(Ollier Sports Results on Page 16.)