RUGBY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 112, 13 May 1911, Page 14

RUGBY.

(By "Droplock."! The Wellington-Melrose game at Karon on Saturday last was on© of the poorest games ever played in Wellington. Neither team had any idea of combined play, and good individual efforts were only noticeable on rare occasions. Of tne two teams Wellington played the worst; in fact, the game put up by the yellow and blacks would have disgraced a team of one-legged penc-ioners. Only three players stood out ; they \rero Hill, in the back division, and Slieehan and M'Nab in the forwards. Hill was looking for work all the time, but got very few opportunities. M'Nab and Sheenan, however, were in the thick of it, M'Nab's work in r the tight and Sheehan's footwork being the only bright features of the game. Hunt, tie lock-man, is quite out of place; he has absolutely no idea of the game. He is a big burly man, but his weight is of no use to him, as he does not know how to use it. O'Meara u> another player who should be dropped, say, to the fourth fifteen. He also has weight, which he does not maike use of. Manro, in the front of the scrum, is a fine forward when he pleases, bub on Saturday his display was poor indeed. In the second bpell he was absolutely a passenger. Kirkwood lagged in the first half, but livened up towards the end of the game- He appeared to have done very little "gym work. Murray, on the wing, had little knowledge of the position, and his . vis-a-vis- beat him practically every time. The praise bestowed on L. Bridge for good play in previous matches evidently affected his head, as he was altogether too "flash." To be able to beat a man is no doubt a virtue, but Bridge carried it to extremes on Saturday, and the side paid the penalty on several occasions. Young Hunt, the centre-threequarter, is a player of possibilities, but Christophers gave him no chances. The last-named player let his team down every time. He never took a ball on the full, and not once did ho accept a pass from Gilbert.' His attempts to stop rushes' provided "a heap of amusement for ,the few spectators. Leekie was selected to play half-back, but very seldom was he in 'his position. Tub only good that, I saw him do was to stop a few rushes. Lambert was starved on the wing, but he managed to score his usual try. Pooley, Adams, W. Marshall, and B. Sullivan 'were the outstanding players on the Melrose side. Pooley is a really good half-back on Saturday's form, but the weakness of the opposition was no doubt a factor in his success. W. Marshall was as safe as a house at full-back, and never failed to find the line. His goal-kicking was also above the average. B. Sullivan got all over Murray on the fringe of the scrum, and his bustling tactics were responsible for one of the tries bcored by his side. Adams appears to have obtained a new lease of life as a footballer, as he was quite as active as any man on the field. It is rumoured that "Kiltie" M'Grath, "Colonel" Campbell, "Cocky" .Roberts, aiid Jack Burns will bo assisting Melrose in the team's next engagement. Referee Meredith made on» mistake on Saturday, when he allowed a Melrose player to punt a ball after he had signified his intention of taking a place-kick at goal. He also erred when Lambert scored, as Sheehan Mas quite ten yards off-side when he fielded the ball. The referee, however, can , bo excuse! for any mistakes made, in this game, as the knowledge of the rules displayed by the majority of the players was deplorable. The superiority of the Oriental backs was proved' in the Rencounter with Jfoneke on Saturday. Roberta was easily ttio best back on the field, and it is a great pity that, the injury which he suffered in the second spell will incapacitate him for some time. The occurrence was purely accidental, Judd in no way being to blame. The situation wa6 a desperate one, and Roberts, in tackling the bulky Poneke forward, dived straight and low, with t'ho result that he got the full force of Judd's knee on his jaw. One happening however, which escaped the eye of the referee, was the spectacle of a .red, forward deliberately kicking an , opponent in a scrimmage. ' This incident was noticed by several' of the spectators in the stand, and it would be just as well for the player in question to be more careful in future. A repetition of the conduct complained of will warrant his achievements being given a wider publicity. There was not a great deal to choose between the two packs. It was thought that Oriental would have a difficulty in getting the ball, but they suffered nothing by comparison with Poneke. Forward, the two sides were well matched. It was to the superiority of the backs that Oriental owed their victory. Pyle is still uncertain. He is a speedy run ncr, but he lacks precision in taking the ball. Outdoor practice in passing should work a big improvement in this respect. Pyle is also inclined to "over-run the constable" when taking part in a passing rush. His try on Saturday was a good jne, but M"Leod deserved credit for initiating the movement which made it possible. * Poneke missed Mitchinson. -11 his absence Waishe was the most noticeable player in the Red rearguard. He wae responsible foi some really good footwork in both spells. Cudby, who again played lull-back, aiid who had one of his knees injured towards the end of the second spell, was not brilliant. He is rather slow, and on more than one occasion waited for the ball to bounce boloro taking it. This is a certain method of getting into trouble. E Evan has played better than he did on Saturday. His handling of the ball in a passing rush is still inaccurate. The chief features of the St. JamesSouthern contest, flayed at the Lower Hutt Recreation Ground^ were noted in the Sports Special. It was a fairly monotonous struggle, devoid, in great part, of eiCiting phases. In regard to this game, mythical correspondents aro replied to as appended below. "John Bull."— You are a trifle too hard. The referee was lax enough at tunes. St. Jaineg deserved to win on the, day. . . . "Nemo." — An you remark, that charging down of Donaldthe St., James's follower, was wanton and wicked. Did you see what an opponent (not named Smith, or Jones) did to wing three-quarter Young (St. James), when the latter was on the ground? . . . "X.Y.Z."— Yes, for a well-trained player you should see the hard-working and very vigorous King. For an opposite, see P«rkin§on, the exTramway representative, who did so many foolish things on Saturday, partly through not knowing his men. Agree that ho should be given, further opportunities. . . . "Rawkus."— -So you missed the 5.5 train back to town on Saturday evening? Well, the game did not start until 3.30. . . . "Albert Ernest." — "Hooker" Houlihan and King paid each otlwr home attention h\ the St. Jame.M-Soutb.ern match, but there is no truth in the rumour that they arc* to liavo a "try-out" before? the Wellington Boxing Association. . . . "Follower." (1) i\ T o. (2) Yes. (S) No. Southern had many free-kicks given against them in the first spell, and the St.. James in tho second. We can't pretend to explain it. Southerns played the men toe often in Doth spells. Write on one side of the ftapei in future and condense haicl. . . . "Biddle-Bkldle."— tjouthet'ii's full-back, Dwan, was playing out of his class. He lacks weight experience, and dash. . . . "Git* gor.'"— (l) No. The Libel- Act forbidi v_ou^dogg jinyjiing likg ibsJ- iathag

columns, my gentle friend. (2) No, again. (3) ¥e&, this time. Les Camp, bell, Osborne, Bradley de&ervo your good comment. The 'last named is &, "dasher," sure, but too fa.st for his Kao .- meu. Also, he is a trifle selfish. . . a "John K. Peesingter."— Thomas' (St.James) did, as you aver, line-kick hand- • Bomely when sent back to goal^ but the i Hue-finding all through the second spell B )™r? ,¥?>• • ■ ' " Willy -Wally."— 3 Teddy Roberts hardly deserves all . you say of his form on Saturday ; never- ' theleos, ho played a cool and clever game, ■' and should climb into a, representative i team behind the pack with a little influ- , ence. We had to scrape your "soft soap" s off with a paper-knife. . . . "Jimmy-o-Soblet."—Harry Eoberts is afraid of ' m1??m 1 ?? f< nee uf hk - No , we &haU not. r Tell him so yourself. . . . "Wells - Hewlett."— Hills, Donaldson, Motfalt, King, and Manning arc a "warm" 3 quintette. The first named is fast for f a ., foi ' w l ard ' Donaldson and King especi-' ally showed fine form on Saturday. ... > "P.T.0."-Tho Southern "barrackers are good "sports" all »ight, • but some of their voices lack the refin- ' ing influence of oil. 1 The Victoria College team proved s q^te a surpn S8 packet fol . the Athletics.Except for a few minutes before the • end of the first spell, the Collegians had matters all then- own way. But they fell away miserably in the second essay. Athletic started off good and hard, and y kept at it. They never gave the college F a , io ? 1 5;" 1 \ Th e College followers played pluckily, but they petered out early. In fairness it may be said, that some mem- ' bers of the team were suffering from » colds; Nevertheless, it was still apparent that they were outclassed. Sev- • oral -alterations had been made in the \ team, and altogether the display was an ' \\ m P™ v : emeilfc on that against Oriental. Athletic need not feel flattered with the J win: As a whole the team did not play ' up to reputation. "Ran ji" Wilson, Irvine, and Bell (the latter, was cousoicu- > cms all througn) played good games i n the forward division, whilst Even&on. bun Wdson, and E. M'Donald were \ noticeable in- the backs. Gosling made i ,h, h ! s , n *" st appearance as full-back, and 1 kicked with judgment. Miller, the Col- ■ lege tull, was an improvement on Howie. 1 Poanaiiga, the College five-eighth, played • a solid game. He worked vigorously, - and did some fine tackling. ' Quilliani, ■ the Green winger, distinguished himself I by scoring the first try this season" for ! C ° lle 8 e - I fc was a, good individual > effort. Petone has been fortunate in the last two games played on the Recreation • trroimd. Melrose-St. James was not ; halt bad, and Petone-Old Boys was dis- ; tincily good. Old Boys are the old, old boys, who play a really first-class > game one Saturday, celebrate their re- > «r r ?, tiO form > and P la y like Anglo- . Welshmen the next Saturday— no condition, no heart, no notliing. but talk, ; talk, talk. Old Boya are the greatest - field orators in the competition. As ; football lawyers thej are second to" none. , They are not likely to lose a case for Jack of appealing, if their persistency in football is any criterion. Where they ' learn these fine points of' Rugby law, [ and tins habit of pestering the referee with their claims, the Lord only knows ; ( but, if they had spent on the game the s breath they wasted in a vain clamour to the blue sky last Saturday, they . might have left the field with something \ t better than a minority of fiv« points. . It is certainly not a, characteristic of , school football to be perpetually looking r tor minute breaches of abstruse rules, and noising opinions abroad there and ; then. It sounds bad. and Old Boys ought to stop it, and play the game ms stead. Southern used to vie with Old l for t '" s unenv J n kl e pre-eminence . of the mast garrulous team in the cham- . pionship, but they have evidently learnL ed better this season, for they play the game without unnecessary protestation oi; other language. To give one sample L ot petty appeals is sufficient. Dawson, L whenever a ball went into touch and t was replaced by the snare one, kept calling out, "Wrong ball, referee." It \ may be funny the first time, but it is > a precious stale joke when repeated frequently through two 3pells. Old Boys ' are really too good a team of sports- ' men to indulge in this excessive child. ifihness. [ The game itself was a genuine plea- ( sure to watch. Old Boys had mota , individual brilliance and Petona more [ consistency. In the opinion of several spectators Old Boys, on the form shown on Saturday, have tho makinji of one of the best three-quarter lines m Weilington. Edmunds was really the only . weak sjjot in the defence; Grace and t Poole were exceedingly good; Nelson played a fine, plucky game; Dawson, when, not appealing, was up to the mark; Bernard, at half, svas equal to ' his work; and Picot very fair. The $ forwards, vented too much valuable energy on language in tho scrum— not bad language, btlt all sorts of appeals— , to beat tleir dogged, better-trained opponents. > Petone were a good, . solid, consistb ent lot right through— nobody very bril. , liant, nobydy a passenger. Among the ; forwai-ds, M'Farlane, Dent, Demps^y, L and Ashton impressed one the most. Millar was satisfactory at full-back; . M'Kenzie good at five-eighths; Jim ( Evan first-class; while Daley, Nunn. ( and Mick Ryan did their work on good . standard, hard-grafting lines. It was t the contrast in styles that gave the gamo • its interest.