RUGBY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 59, 7 September 1914, Page 4

RUGBY

WELLINGTON v. AUCKLAND A DRAWN GAME (IX TELEGRAPH.— PRESS ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND, 6th September. The representative Rugby football match between Wellington and Auckland was played at Eden Park on Saturday in fine Weather, and before an attendance of 10,000 persons, among whom, were about 1000 members of the Auckland section of the Expeditionary Force. The Wellington team was minus the services of Jim Ryan and Francis, and the Auckland team did not include J. O'Brien. L. Weston, Downing, and Bruce, all the players na-med being members of the All Black team which recently toured Australia. The game, which ended in a draw, three points to each side, was not a, good exhibition of football. The first spell was dreary, and the second half, although it was better, never arose above mediocre. The packs were about equal in play, and their dash certainly helped to spoil the back play. Both scrums were badly balanced, and in consequence the ball kept among the feet of the forwards, and stayed there most of the game. The result" was a hard, close, forward game* between two well-condi-tioned snd willing nacks. The half-backs had few opportunities for opening up the game, and the back play in general suffered. The passing of the Wellington backs was smart and clean, but their general handling of th& ball was not good. Their kicking, however, was good. The Auckland system of sending on long passes standing still crumpled up under pressure of Wellington's dashing forwards, and the five-eighths, Ryan, scored an easy try for Wellington a few minutes after, the game opened. M'Kenzie mulled the ball, and Ryan, who had followed up fast, snapped it up and scored. There was no further score in the first half, but early in the second spell Ross got the ball from a scrum, bluffed the Wellington defence by a dummy pass to the open side, and set Stewart and M'Gregor going on the blind side. The last-named, in attempting to hurdle over a defending back, fell, but regained his feet and scored. Either side with a little luck might have won. For instance, Geddes was tackled as he was crossing the line, and from a free kick by Evenson, the ball hit the post and bounceu^back into the field of play. The game' ended— Wellington t>i „, ;,.. 3 Auckland 3 The teams wer© as follow :—: — Wellington — Backs : Twomey, Madden, E. Ryan, Algar, Evenson, Tilyard, E. Roberts ; forwards : Shera (wing), Reidy, Brown, Wilson, Moffitt, Bell, Dpnt. and W. Ryan. Auckland. — Backs: Moffitt, Macky, D.' Stewart, M'Gregor, M'Kenzie. Geddes, Ross; forwards: 0. Stewart (wing), Sellars, Casey, Hall, French, Avery,' Barrett, and Bilkey.