RUGBY SEASON

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 9, 6 October 1941, Page 3

RUGBY SEASON

Success During Difficult Times GOOD STANDARD OF PLAY (By Quidnunc). Taking into consideration the effect of the war on clubs and the large number of wet Saturdays, the 1641 Rugby season in Wellington was surprisingly successful. The players may nave bad to wallow in more, mud than usual, and the coudp tions for the spectators were, lor, the greater part, decidedly unpleasant. Nevertheless, many games were of an excellent standard. Interest was well sustained in the senior ehampionship, with Athletic proving worthy winners.. Though their .contribution -to the armed forces was large, Athletic were fortunate in being able to field the majority of the senior team of the previous season, and the team early settled down to attractive football which was an important factor in maintaining public interest. Further factors were the advent of the Army team in the senior first division after playing four games in the second division, and the impressive form or Marist Bros. Old Boys, who beat both Athletic and Army, and rounded off a good season by winning the. National Mutual Cup. „ " , It will probably be generally admitted that the presence of the Army team was a big contribution to the, interest aroused in the season’s activities. No fewer than seven All Blacks and eight provincial representatives took the field at different stages for Army. The brand of football they produced was always relisned. Had dry conditions ruled there is no saying to what heights the team might have risen. The All Blacks were McLean, Williams. Dalton, Jackson, Bowman, Rankin, Berghan and A. Mahoney. Army had also the services of probably the most brilliant forward of recent years, J. Finlay, who, in normal' conditions, would have been certain to gain All Black honours. . The "Wellington clubs team looked capable of winning the championship. The backs played most attractive football and had great pace, but the forwards ■were not as strong as usual and were beaten for the ball in mpst games. Nevertheless. this team lived up to its Athletic Park reputation of providing bright football Had J. M. Taylor met with a shade more luck with his kicking, some narrow defeats might have been reversed. Marist Bros. Old Boys proved.the surprise packet. With a powerful and enteiprising set of forwards and solid backs, they were always a menace "to the leading teams, but maintained their reputation for inconsistency by failing against teams lower down in the chanijlionship. Promising Young Players. Quite a number of young players of marked promise made substantial progress, during the season. Jamieson, the Athletic winger, attracted most attention. Nuggety, with tons of pace, a safe pair of hands, aud a useful kick, he is one of the smartest three-quarters Wellington has produced for some time, but rarely had many opportunities to show his worth m representative games. The bad weather was also against spectacular threequarter-- play. The same club also produced two other footballers of whom more should be heard in p. Scott and L. Phelps. The latter, a powerful forward •with a fair turn of speed, played mainly as a loose forward, but also locked successfully at times. A feature of his game was his clever appreciation of positional play. . Wellington’s most improved were Cave, Morton and Brown. Old Boys produced a first-ciass hooker m Lindsav, who also excelled in loose play. He scarcely had the opportunity to reveal his hooking ability .in representative games, the scrum being much too loose and giving him little support. I'ox and Norton, of Marist Bros. Old Boys, made good progress during the season, and are likely to go much farther. Potter (Hutt) was 'probably the fastest three-quarter in the senior championship, and scored some spectacular tries. He was also one. ot the youngest senior players. Given time to develop he may reach the (top flight. Representative Matches. The representative team played eight <-ames, winning five, losing t- w 0 an(l drawing one. The results were ; v. Manawatu, won 18-3; v. Taranaki, won 20-6 and 24-16; v. Canterbury, won 11-12 and 14-9; v. Hawke’s Bay. lost 16-13; v. Auckland, lost 13-3; v. New Zealand Universities, drawn 6-6. The Wellington B team’ played three games, beating airarapa 8-5 'and Centurions 16-15, and 'o sla S the return match with M airarapa -1-11. The policy of the representative team was to give the ball “plenty of air. As a consequence the football was always bright. There is room for argument, however, whether the policy of having the forwards playing almost entirely a loose game is far-sighted. Wellington s scrummaging was not up to standard. A s t*- 1® probable that the South African tour will be the first objective after thb war, some effort should be made to encourage hard, rucking forward play in anticipation of this tour. i