SOUTHLAND MATCH

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 61, 9 September 1937, Page 14

SOUTHLAND MATCH

BRILLIANT BACK PLAY

yiSITORS TOO FAST

(By Telegraph-Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, September 8. I Southland could not beat the Spring- | boks today, but the Ranfurly Shield holders achieved the distinction of scoring the most points yet registered against the South Africans on their present tour of New Zealand. The Springboks won a fast and bright game by 30 points to 17. the result being a true indication of the teams' re-| lative strengths and the trend of playConditions suited the tourists admirably. The ground was dry and fairly fast, and the game was played in bright sunshine. A strong wind blew from the south-west Over 12,000 people.saw the. match. Southlanders were greatly pleased !with the show-» ing of their own team, but there must have "been few wtio, after the first 20 minutes, did not realise that only an exceptionally strong i provincial side could hope ■■ to beat the Springboks' magnificent combination of solidity and brilliance. The South Africans had a more than three-to-one advantage in ball possession throughout, and the backs took all of their innumerable opportunities to play attractive football. The Southland defence merited equal praise, but.th,e backs were at a hopeless disadvantage in speed, and all of the Springbok ! tries were scored by the three-quarter-s. Lochner, was a particularly bright star among an alert back line.and.the most penetrating, on attack, but de Villiers was the genius of the Springbok rearguard. . His resourcefulness in opening up play was responsible for much of the South Africans' success. Brand was in • his best form and gave a display as- polished as his great-game in the second Test, and even more convincing because more than once the fast Southland forwards, of-whom Ward, Hamilton, and Irwin played brilliantly, had him bustled but never beaten. Lawton and Lyster, the Springbok wings, thrilled the crowd again and again with swift dashes and outshone the opposing three-quarters. The inside backs' play was a contest between the faster Springboks, almost continually on- attack, and the determined defence of;the less fortunate Southlanders, with the thrustful Lochner aiid* the' itnpassable Wesney outstanding figures. Apart from the 'Springboks' great Superiority in hooking, the forwards shared, honours, the South Africans' advantage in the line-outs being offset by the Southlanders' success in the rucks and vigorous' dribbling. For South Africa. Lochner scored three tries, Lyster two, and Lawton two. Brand converted three tries and kicked a penalty goal. For Southland Sutherland, Grace, and Chesterman scored tries, Wesney converting one and kicking two penalty goals. The teams were:— Springboks.—G. Brand; A. D. Lawton, G. P. Lochner, J. White, P. J. Lyster; D. van der Vyver; P. de Villiers; S. C. Louw,.J..W. Lotz, H. Martin, L. Strachan, P. Nel, M. yan den Berg, G. van.Reenen, B. du-Toit. Southland.^-G. Sylvester; A. G. Sutherland, A. W. Wesney, E. Calvert; G P. -Thomas;,-P.-Grace; J. Purdue; C George, J.; Mattingly, V. L, George, E. R. Chesterman, N. R. Irwin, R. H Ward, J. Haniilton, W. L. Crawford. SOUTHLAND SCORE . FIRST. Southland began well with a strong westerly wind behind them,' and after five minutes' play Wesney opened the scoring with a penalty goal from a sharp angle.- The Springbok forwards won three successive scrums, and treated the crowd to sparkling passing. White varied the attack by kicking through, and Lochner,^ outpacing the defence, dived on the ball in the corner for South Africa's first try. Brand kicked a magnificent goal into the wind. The Springboks were winning every scrum, and the backs set up attack after attack, but the defence held until Lyster sped round Sutherland after Wesney had foiled Lochner's attempt to cut through: Brand again kicked a great goal. South Africa immediately started another passing bout, van der Vyver swerving through, but Lochner ran too far and Southland saved hastily. Calvert, the Southland wing,, made a great break down the touchline, and in-passed to Grace, but the fiveeighth, with only Brand to pass, chose to attempt to pass in, and the South Africans cleared. Ward and Irwin raised Southland hopes when they took the ball over the Springbok line, and bad Brand bustled, but an infringement nullified the-movement. Southland continued on the offensive, and after 25 minutes' play Wesney kicked a second penalty goal from 50 yards out. The shield holders now rose to great heights, and, after a devastating forward rush, Southland won a scrum. Purdue -gave the backs a run, and Wesney, though tackled, was able to pass to Sutherland, who broke two tackles and scored beside the posts. Wesney missed a good chance to put Southland ahead. The South Africans returned to the attack with short passing-by the forwards, which Southland found difficult to check. Three minutes before halftime South Africa, after a steady barrage of forward rushes^ gave the backs two bright runs, from the second of which Lochner scored after a scissors movement in which Lyster co-operated. Brand kicked his third great goal and the half-time score was:— South Africa 15 Southland 9 The Springbok forwards began the second half full of vim, and a long kick by Brand put them on the Southland line. De Villiers sent his backs into action, and Lyster, who was too fast for Sutherland, scored well out. Brand had his first kicking failure of the day. Southland now seemed to have wilted suddenly and the Springboks scored again within two minutes, Lochner cutting inside Sutherland and running across for an easy try. Brand missed again. The South Africans, with 15 points to spare, loosed all their brilliance in a series of scintillating passing rushes in which the backing-up was faultless. The defence was equally worthy of applause until it crumbled before a tricky run by Lochner, who gave Lawton an opening down the touchline. The speedy winger left his marker standing, and scored near the posts. Brand's kick was charged down. THRILLING TO THE LAST. The Southland forwards rallied splendidly, meeting shock,with shock, and for five minutes had South Africa beaten. Van der Vyver missed a pass and Hamilton, a fast Southland forward, was among the Springboks in a flash. He gathered the ball and threw it out to Grace, who dived across for a try to the accompaniment of joyous cheering. Wesney's conversion gave Southland the distinction of the highest score against the Springboks on the present tour. South Africa attacked resolutely, but

were penalised twice, and Southland, whose forwards were now securing a good share of the ball, returned to halfway. Van Reenen broke? away from a line-out and, though iie just failed to score, South Africa gained another three points when Brand kicked a penalty goal. The Springbok forwards temporarily mastered Southland and Lochner was nearly across after a strong run. South Africa penned Southland in their twenty-five for ten minutes and Lawton scored his second try after a dazzling run which completed a passing rush initialed by dv Toit. Southland refused to admit defeat and in the last two minutes of tUa game Ward and Chesterman lad • great forward rush, Chesterman threw, ing himself over the South African line for the final try. Wesney's kick failed, and the game ended:— South Africa 30 Southland 17