NORTH v. SOUTH

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 2, 3 July 1922, Page 4

NORTH v. SOUTH

GREAT BATTLE IN THE MUD

EXCITING GAME WON BY SOUTH.

(BY TELEGRAPH.)

(FROM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.)

AUCKLAND, Ist July.

Daring the period of nineteen years since the inter-Island match was played in Auckland, play and- players have undergone much change, but even so the most conservative of Rugby follower's to whom the changes have signalled decay, must have felt the thrill had they witnessed the North v. South match to-day, that New.Zealand-still possesses players worthy of their predecessors. The backs as a whole were below the standard of those of former days,- but among the forwards there were men of great stamp and quality. The existing conditions suited those big fellows —dashing in the loose, keen in line-out, and forceful in scrimmages. They played great football, while the backs generally contributed a big share to a display which was little short of remarkable, all things considered.

Auckland, now returning to better days after a hard uphill fight, deserved better weather for the occasion, and had the conditions been favourable there is no doubt that Rugby in the North would have received its best advertisement for many a day.

Steady rain throughout the morning and the playing of a curtain-raiser left the ground in a bad state, the Wellington men finding it even more sticky than Athletic Park at its worst. Handling of the ball was naturally most difficult, but the backs, whenever possible, gathered up the leather and opened up play, .overcoming the difficulty in a commendable manner, and with the dashing forwards made the game keen, fast, and interesting, concluding with a full fifteen minutes of highly excitipff, episodes, during which the South snatched a victory, thus repeating their performance on tho previous occasion in Auckland.

This was the first of big Rugby matches to be played under the amended kick-into-touch rule, and there is no doubt that the speed of tho game on such a slippery surface, first one side and then! the other making the play, was due to the latest change in the laws of. the. -ratae. It pleased the Aucklanders immensely; the only pity was that the day was not fine. There.was naturally an abundance of'kicking., and. to see the forwards dashing after the high punts and carrying on iin attractive loose rushes was one of tho fine features of the game. '; ■■ .

V It was apparent throughout that the players were exerting all their' energy to make an impression on the selectors of tho New Zealand team to tour Australia.. The: majority did their job well, but those who must have made the big impressions were Bellis, North's" captain and winger, who was the best forward on the ground.; Cupples, who was superb in the loose; Dickinson, a youthful ; South Island five-eighth, and W. Fea, fiveeighth, who were an excellent pair—heady playere, dangerous in attack, strong in. defence; Mark Nicholls, who was sound as a bell for , North, a worker all through, and J. Steel, a. fine %ving three-quarter who has lost none of his brilliance. Fitzgerald and Hickey are wing threequarters of much promise. 'The latter is of similar' stamp to Steel, and the former a valuable man on heavy ground. Calcinai, who played with his Usual dash, Brownlee, Masters, Turpin, and Smyth are all . forwards of the right stuff. Richardson, the well-known exAll Black, was as'good as ever. The two halves, H. E. Nicholls and Mathieson, put in a lot of good work, that of the Wellington man revealing glimpses of his best club form, and had the advantage of'being known to Ma,rk Nicholls, who was first five-eighth. Mathieson, however, had a harder pack to face. ■ The full-backs were put through a hard trial, Brook, (the Wellington representative) carrying 6ff tlie honours by agood all-round display. Sirldolls, as centre three-quarter in the first spell and wins in the second, played bettei' than he has done in club football this season. Sid. Shearer was prominent at times, as also was Svenson, who, in the cetttr* three-quarter position, showed that he had benefited by his football on the West Coast' this season. . ■ , All '■ told, the players did their best, some naturally better, than others, who were not class enough for international status. . . ' ■ f During, the. strenuous contest ''some nasty knocks Were rgeeiv&l by the players, Bellis, Whyte, Steel, O'Briehi Mid Borrell having to retire.' They wore replaced by M'Niib, Stoyarb, C. Radelfcy, and V. Badeley. ' BelhVs retirement made a big difference to North, as it was Hot .-until after ho went oft that ScmfcU gained the ascendancy that won them the match -, t North concluding the game with a; man' short. . ■'-.(. In connection with the ihjnriesj it is worthy of nbte that after the teams assembled in Auckland the. selectors found they had no spare backs, and had to call upon Auckland , players.. Two incidents loudly inptatttlod by the crowd wore Steel's.try, in which ho displayed his daeh and powers of fending off, and a tricky back pa.es toy Mark Nicholls to Broolr, when tho fovinev-wa* almost smothered by the forwards. Thero were, however, very many incidents which made up an exceptionally fine game for sncli a day. .

The Southern members of the teams leave Auckland on Sunday night.