CHAMPIONS AGAIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 15, 17 July 1937, Page 23

CHAMPIONS AGAIN

ST. GEORGE'S SUCCESS

RUGBY LEAGUE TOPICS

The Wellington Rugby League's first grade premiership competition concluded last Saturday, and by defeating Petcme by 33 to 11, St. George again took the honours. St. George are worthy premiers; they have always shown a keen desire to play football along well-developed offensive lines. Even in the face of strong opposition, Ponsonby for instance, * St. George have rigidly adhered to the principle that attack is the best means of defence.

In the forwards the prwnicrs have been good all round; sound scrummagers and ruckers, they quickly gel the ball away to the backs and then concentrate on intensively backing up the rearguard movements. A team with forwards successfully exploiting these phases of the game will always be a difficult proposition to subdue. The St. George backs aia fast and adept handlers, and often 1 rovide the more spectacular touch to the play. Frequently unorthodox methods are employed to cheat the opposing defence. Particularly is this tried by the centres. In the play-the-.ball St. George excel and perhaps this and the method employed have led to the scoring of many tries. Usually players favour heeling the ball back, but St. George always play the ball in a sideways direction, and to the open side. The open side forwards are then ready to snap the ball up and open up a movement for the backs. If the forwards overrun the ball the backs are directly behind to make the vital recovery, and when they move forward on attack the forwards trail in support. This method not only opens up play before the defence can converge, but is | a sound precautionary measure.

The reserve grade premiership was won by Randwick with an unbeaten record. It was a popular achievement.

With the two major competitions completed, the special round for the Walmsley Shield in the first grade and Buckland Cup in the reserve grade, were to have begun today. The knockout competition for both grades will follow.

Owing to the date offered by the New South Wales Rugby League not meeting with their approval, Richmond Rovers have cancelled their proposed visit to Sydney. The Auckland team has now offered to play matches in Wellington and Christchurch.

New Zealand should be able to field a first-class Maori thirteen against the Kangaroos at Auckland on August 11. It is stated that George Nepia will be the full-back. The team will be selected by the New Zealand Maori Board of Control.

Eddie Holder, who recently returned for a brief holiday after two seasons in England with Streatham and Mitcham and Wigan. is playing in New Zealand. Holder played for Inangahua, West Coast, last week, when they were defeated by Canterbury.

When West Coast, the holders, defeated Canterbury by 20 to 13 in the Northern Union Cup challenge match last Saturday, conditions were all in favour of the rugged West Coast forwards. Canterbury's defeat was a blow to Wellington, who had lodged a provisional challenge with Canterbury.

Jack Hemi is still kicking goals from all angles of the field. Last Saturday in the Manukau-Marist match at.Auckland, Hemi kicked off and sent the ball sailing over the cross-bar, forcing Marist to drop-out from their twenty-five. Hemi has done this on previous occasions at Carlaw Park.

One of the reasons why the Rugby League game has not made the progress it should , have done in the South Island is due to the fact that players get so few trips. The North.v. South Island fixture at Carlaw Park has, no doubt, helped to keep a number of prominent southerners in the game,' but this year there will be no such incentive, as, much to the astonishment of those connected with the code, the New Zealand Council has decided to abandon the .fixture this season.

The reason given is that Carlaw Park is not available, but is it vital to the game that all the inter-Island contests should be staged in Auckland? In view of the Test games against the Kangaroos next month, it is unfortunate that the South Islanders will not be afforded an opportunity of playing before the New Zealand selectors; every effort should have been made to have staged the match, even if this had to be done at Wellington or Christchurch. Great progress has been made in some northern districts this season, largely to the initia-

tive and missionary spirit of a few Auckland League clubs, who send teams on tour, sometimes at financial loss, but these efforts have not always been followed up by action on the part of the controlling body.

The abandonment of this year's inter-Island match may be interpreted as an example of official indifference to the claims of the struggling Rugby League centres in the South Island.