BRITISH RUGBY TEAM

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 119, 22 May 1930, Page 7

BRITISH RUGBY TEAM

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF PLAY

.WAMANUI BEATER

(By "The Post's" Special Reporter.) In the first match of their New Zealand tour, at Wanganui yesterday afternoon, the British Rugby football representatives played a game which appealed to keen students as being of a very sporting character. Labelled as a side with its greatest strength in the pack, the British team relied mainly upon its backs to bring success in" the opening fixture, and Wanganiii'ss representatives' were beaten decisively by 19 points to 3, It was a good . beginning, but as the tour progresses the visitors will no doubt find it necessary to vary the tactics employed in yesterday's game. Especially _in those contests in which the opposition will be much stronger than that encountered yesterday will it be necessary for the visitors to use to the full the undoubted strength and weight that there is in the pack. They had a good gallop yesterday, but there are many harder games ahead. Speaking.to the writer after the match, F. 1). Prentice, the 'captain of the team, who acted as one of the lino umpires, said that ho considered the performance of his meu in the first game very satisfactory. This was the, first opportunity that the team had had of match play, and it came only a week after the long voyage from England. With these facts taken into consideration, and not forgetting that the team was handicapped through injuries in the second spell, he was pleased with the showing, and was confident that the side would settle down to even better performances. The vice-captain, W. H. Sobey, mentioned that the team was somewhat nervous in taking the field against an unknown quantity, but the game had been thoroughly enjoyed, though from his point of view not so much in the second spell as in the first spell. Sobey was suffering from an injury throughout the second spell, but he stuck gamely to his duties, and carried them out efficiently. It was gathered from other members of the team that many of the players were not yet in proper playing condition, this being especially the case with the forwards. , NOT A RELIABLE GUIDE. Without taking into account the fact that the team was not by any means moulded into proper shape, the performance yesterday would leave considerable doubt as to the visitors' prospects in the more important games of the. tour. The team, however, must surely improve t6 a considerable extent, and it would he a mistake to accept yesterday's showing as a reliable line on what to expect of the British team in future matches. By the time they reach Wellington for the game here on the 3rd June the visitors should be in much better shape. The side fielded against Wanganui was • not • the touring party's best fifteen, although quite a number of them will most .certainly be in the Test team.' For instance, Bassett is No. 1 full-back, and he was not • playing, nor was Reeve, an outstanding three-quarter, while Knowles, usually an out-half (first five-eighths), was placed in the three-quai> ter line yesterday, and Bowcott played in place of Spongj so that the' Sobey-Spong combination, of which so much has ■ been heard, was broken. Among the forwards on the bank were Wilkinson, said to be a great winger,, and Dai Parker. FORWARDS LACK FORM. The opposition yesterday was by no means strong, and the visitors accomplished nothing startling in winning by 19 points (three converted tries and a goal from the field) to 3 (an unconverted try). Much of their play was open to improvement. The forwards wore distinctly disappointing on. the day, mainly because they were not1 in form. The best of them was Rew, who grafted solidly and was going well at the finish. Jones was always conspicuous, playing a wincing game—much like that of the New Zealand wing-for-ward,, except that he is attached to the scrummage. Beamish played quite well, and looks like being one of the most powerful men in the pack. Black and Martindale shaded the rest, and both should be seen ,to advantage during the tour; in fact, big things are expected of the former. The, application of weight in, the scrummages enabled the visitors to get jplenty of the ball;. they easily outweighed the Wanganui pack, but the weight was not always there, and on occasions when Wanganui packed down quickly the' visitors were beaten for the ball, as they often were on the line-out. They will have to improve line-out play to a great extent if they hope to have any measure of success in this department against players of the "Bunny" Finlayson type. The scrummaging yesterday did not appeal, and it seemed that some experimenting was going on, as the forwards were not always packed 3-2-3. Now and again the formation was 34-1, with Beamish the back-ranker. The forwards tried the passing game, and showed that they can handle quite well, and it was noticed that they did a fair amount o£ backing up when the backs were in motion. One of the practices of the wing-three-quarters is to cut infield to keep the attack going with the ball in possession instead of making a kick to the .centre. BACKS MAKEJHE PLAY. The side will be welk.served by, Sobey at the base of the scrum. He not only feeds his backs. well, but is capable of .making good openings. The lob pass, however, was much in evidence, and this would have provided a rare feast for such players as Porter and Cooke. The passing was much more crisp when the wing-three-quarter on the blind Bide shifted into a position immediately behind Sobey, and it was this move by Novis and Morley that helped largely to make the back play attractive. Jones, the wing-forward, also provided a link at times. Bowcott, as out-half, was somewhat uncertain in starting, but he improved with the progress of play and shaped well, his speed also being an asset. In the matter of speed Morley and Novis, on the wings, gave fine service, and both unfolded a swerve which made their efforts all the better. Aarvold, too,' was much in the picture, but the other centre-three-quar-ter, Knowles, was uncertain. Speed and clean handling were the main features of the play of the backs, while accurate and hefty kicking was another good feature, and in this the forwards played a part. These players know how to place-kick, drop-kick,.^ and', punt, and. s<Sme. qf : them are capable of landing goals from outside half-way. Bonner served his side well in the full-back position until he was compelled to retire owing to a cut over the eye, which required some stitches. The pack was then 'reduced to seven, Welsh filling the role of full-back and doing so without letting the opposition through. The game, piayed on Cook's Gardens, attracted great interest. , . The attendance was estimated at about: ten thousand, a large number of .Wellington enthusiasts being among the spectators. The rain held off during the matdh, and the ground was in good order. THE TEAMS. The teams were:— Great Britain.—Full-back, G. M. Bonner; three-quarter.s, v J. 0. Morley, 0. I). Aarvold, '!.'. C. Knowles, A. L. Novis; outhalf, IT.■ M. Bowcott; scrum-half, W. H. Sobey (captain); forwards, W. B. Welsh, G. K. Beamish, I. Jones, J. L. Farrell, B. H. Black, H. Rew, S. A. Martindale, and D. A. Kendrew. Wanganui.—F.ull-back, D. Thompson; three-quarters, L. Tilley, S. Ambrose, P. Prince; five-eighths, D. M'Leunan, K. Gibbons (captain);'half-back, J. Duncan; wing-forward, G. Walden; forwards, F. Leahy, li. Oxley, G. Lockett, L. Stewart, F. Heise, 11. Lumsden, and R. Lowry. On taking the field the visitors looked well in their blue jerseys and white pants, which were wide at the hips. This uniform was worn by the British teams to Argentine and to South Africa. Sobey, the vicecaptain of_ the touring party, led the British team in the opening game of the tour, and he was successful in winning the toss. The visitors played with the assistance of a strong wind in .the' first spell. THE RUN OF PLAY. There was a thrill at tne outset when Britain's full-back fumbled , the kick-off, the ball rolling into touch near thg yisi-

tors' line. Pressure was applied by Wanganui, and the British representatives had their work cut out in stemming this eaily onslaught, which came as quite .\*™B)™? so early in the game. As the visitmgforwards were getting under way, Duncan whipped the ball out smartly to lilley, and a good run by the wing-three-quartei added interest to the proceedings, lhen came a scrum, and in .this Wangamu hooked the ball. In their eagerness to drive the attack right home Wawoffl committed a breach, and the penalty kick afforded relief for the ■■ visitors, bnoitly afterwards another penalty kick was awarded in midfield, and Black was able to give some idea of his capabilities as a place-kicker. From eight yards inside his own half he made an attempt to land a goal. There was not much lacking m distance, but the direction was a little faulty In subsequent play the British backs endeavoured to work up combination in passing bouts, Bowcott, Aarvoid, and Morley keeping Wanganui busy on defence. Some goodl clearances were ettected, and from one of them Bonner waited for the bounce, an action which attne moment seemed dangerous. He gained possession, however, and neatly _ sidestepped an opponent before essaying a dron-kick at goal from half-way. Jf was an "ambitious attempt, but the visitors gave other evidences of beirig powenul kicks. Rushing play into the Wangamu twenty-five, the visitors tried to complete the movement with a passing bout,, but Novis's'pass infield was,lobbed, and the local players broke in on the movement. A mark gave Welsh a kick at goal without success. - A FINE FIELD GOAL. The opening score, however, was not long in coming. During a scramble Jones gained possession and.quickly manoeuvring foist suitable position he drop-kicked and landed a beautiful field goal. Great Britain 4 Wanganui " There was a fair amount of loose and tight play iv which form was nothing out of the way, although Beamish was showing signs of a hard knock near the eye. The British forwards were doing some pushing, and the Wanganui men were battling gamely to hold the redoubtable opponents. A penalty kick wafc awarded each side, that for the British team being taken by Black, who made a fiiie though unsuccessful effort to' goal from just outside half-way. Some good work was accomplished by Duncan, and when lob passing by the visitors was indulged in again an interception was effected, Walden and Tilley becoming associated in a breakaway which ended with a pass forward. Oii'-side play by Walden gave the British team another penalty kick, Bowcott making a splendid touch-finder. By way of reply, the local backs engaged in a passing bout,' Duncan, Gibbons, M'Lennan, and Andrews doing quite well. When the visitors committed a scrummage infringement Tilley made an unsuccessful attempt to goal. i BACKS IMPROVE. A long- kick by Bonner was fumbled, and a strict application of the knock-on rule gave the visitors a big gain territorially. At about this period of the game Sobey was making somo fine openings, but his work was not supported, the team not yet being in anything like proper working order. Another hefty free-kick, by Bonner placed the tourists in a likely attacking position, and Sobey again sent his men away in open formation, this time with good results. Jones supported Sobey excellently, both beating opponents, and Bowcott and Aarvoid joined in, the lastnamed scoring the first try of the tour, and Jones converting with a fine kick. Great, Britain 9 Wanganui 0 More was now being seen of the visiting backs, but Wanganui's forwards continued to play a hustling game in which opportunities were lost through over-eager-ness. Sobey kept his backs ,well supplied, and this gave them, chances of improving their play.' Strong punting was also carried out to good advantage. Novis and Knowles were conspicuous .in one bout of passing, but another was quickly checked by Tilley and Ambrose, who made almost a clean breakaway, the latter eventually being overtaken. Wanganui pressed on in the loose and finally Oxley and Lumsden dived over the line, only to be recalled for a scrummage. Duncan then tried .to cut his way through, and for a while the visitors -were hard pressed, Bonner being forced-to •■run behind., his goal line*to make a clearing; kick. ' "MORE BACK PLAY. Wanganui.continued to play np in lively mood without nitich, cohesion. During the. keen exchanges Sobey, • who had been of, splendid service, received a nasty kick on the ankle. Good heeling from a scrummage enabled the British backs to move again iv open order until a pass was missed by Morley, who, however, made amends just afterwards. This player gathered up the ball and ran infield where he sent the backs away in a bout of ciasp passing. Bowcott, Aarvoid, Knowles, and Novis air participated, the last-named supply the necessary dash to top off an attractive movement, the best to date. Noyis's try was converted by Jones from a difficult angle. The remaining few minutes of the spell were without much incident, except for some good kicks and a solid forward rush, led by Martiudale and checked by Ambrose and Thompson. The score at half-time was ■Great Britain 14 Wanganui 0 LOCAL TEAM'S TRY. After the interval Wanganui h.d the wind wifji them. In repelling a rush Walden made a hefty punt from his own twenty-five, and the ball travelled to the dead-ball area at the other end of the field. Duncan subsequently worked his way around a scrummage, and iv other ways helped to keep Wanganui on attack for a time. A change was brought about when the British forwards assisted the backs in passing rushes. When these were confined to the backs it was noticed that an extra man was provided by the wing-three-quarter on the, blind side taking up a position as an extra half. Novis on one occasion made a bold bid to add another try, and it was not long after this that Ambrose made a splendid interception which led to Wanganui's only try. Tilley was with Ambrose and covered a lot of ground before being brought down. The ball, however, was sent out, Loekett gathering it up and trying to bustle his way through. He did not succeed, but M'Lennan came up to lend a hand, and he scored. Ambrose took the kick and a goal was signalled, this decision, however, being amended when the local line-umpire stated that the ball had curled just outside the post, . ' Great Britain 14 Wanganui 3 FULL-BACK RETIRES. It .was in trying to stop this rush that Bonner received a nasty cut over the eye and had to retire. There being no replacements Welsh dropped back from the pack to the full-back position. Shortly afterwards Martiudale was injured, but was able to carry on. The British backs figured in some more passing bouts, initiated by Sobey. Most of them were bright, and Novis was on the way to completing one successfully when he slipped. Sobey was now limping as the result of another kick on the leg. The British forwards, not working as well as expected in the tight, indulged in some passing, Black, Beamish, Jones, and Martindale going well before Jones received a reverse pass and then handed ou to Kendrew, The movement, which showed that the forwards can handle the ball, broke down almost on the Wuujfauui liiio. Here there was a mark, and when the kick was charged down, the local team was lucky to get out of trouble. There were occasional/ Hashes of brightness in a period of patchy play, Duncan and Gibbons showing up well for Wanganui and Novis and Morley playing ecuspicuously for the visitors. Morley almost invariably endeavoured to keep the bouts going by running or passing infield. Tilley made a poor attempt to improve his side's account with a goal from the field, and soon afterwards Beamish, a burly forward, made an interception and got away with a forward pass, Kendrew assisting in taking play to the Wanganui twenty-five, where Thompson was temporarily out of action. The trend of play fluctuated, without anything of account occurring for a while, although Wanganui were ; keeping the overseas players busy. " ! A PRETTY EIOUT. At length Rew, Kendrew, and Black gave a taste of solid forward play, and Wanganui had no sooner driven the visitors back to neutral ground than a particularly bright bout of passing was started by Jones from just inside the British half. The winging forward, Bowcott, engaged in in-and-out passing, Aarvoid linked up splendidly, and JVlorley. topped o2 BBeed-

ily with a fine try. Jones converted with another splendid kick. Great Britain 19 Wanganui 3 The local team was not discouraged, although the ability to penetrate successfully was lacking. Novia was the next on the visiting side to initiate a combined movement, and in this Bowcott, Knowles, Aarvoid, and Morley handled well, and exhibited plenty of pace, Morley finally running infield, where Gibbons made an interception. Still the British backs continued to throw the ball about, Sobey, Bowcott, and Novis being attractive, with Beamish lending a hand in one v bout. There was no further storing, however, and the game ended GREAT BRITAIN 19 WANGANUI 3 Mr. H. J, M'Kenzie, of Wairarapa, con- : trolled the game.