RUGBY FOOTBALL CLOSING OF TRANSFERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 130, 4 June 1938, Page 23

RUGBY FOOTBALL

CLOSING OF TRANSFERS

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS NEXT WEEK

HOLIDAY EVENTS AND INTER-ISLAND MATCH

There are to be some big Rugby days in Wellington next week. First, of all there are the holiday attractions for Monday, and they* promise to malce up one of the most attractive Rugby afternoons experienced at Athletic Park. The finals of a seven-a-side tournament and a match Air Force teams—representing Hobsonville (Auckland) and Wigram (Canterbury)—will in themselves provide quite a football feast. But they are to be but part of the programme, and will precede a match which is expected to be the most stirring to date, in this season's contest for the senior (top division) championship—Athletic v. Poneke. Then, next Saturday there will be the inter-island match, always a notable event on the Rugby calendar. This time it will have the, added importance of being the principal stepping stone to the New Zealand team which is to visit Australia this season. \

SENIOR GRADE

NOTES AND COMMENT

j.*here were splendid performances again in last Saturday's «enior A grade Rugby championship matches in Wellington, some cases the run of play furnisfied • many exciting moments; Athletic's great finishing burst against. Wellington College Old Boys, w)?o had put up a fine flrst spell performance, was one of the most eventful happenings in club football' at Athletic Park for a long. time. Then,..top, there was Hutt's determined bid .to overtake a big, lead by Wellington at the Hutt Recreation Ground, and, again, Poneke had to exert themselves to the full to gain a win over Johnsonville. .......

In notes on play and players, published in "The Post" on Monday, mention was made of the performances of various players, among them: G. Reynolds, A. Wright, Hardie, and V. Gotlieb (Wellington College Old Boys), Wales, Cooper, Tindill, Jones, and Thomson (Athletic), Graham and Holland (Hutti,' Trapp, Veitch, Edwards, and Dixon Wellington, Todd, Roache,

were not at all impressive in their display against Petone, and during the game they were further - . weakened when Vile had. to retire owing to an injury. Ropata was an absentee. \ Butler, Hargreaves, and Ingpen gave yeoman service, the first-named being particularly, outstanding. There was little thrust in the Marist back attack and Robins especially was allowed little scope to show his paces. Cunningham, who replaced at ceritre-three-quarter when Vile retired, performed to much greater advantage in that position than at. full-back, where he played in the first instance. He has plenty of speed and* gave his opponents no-little concern on several' occasions. Wareham was. weak but Gillespie, on the other wing, was. always reliable and his defensive display was deserving of merit. He was responsible for many good saves.

- It ..was unfortunate that the game between Petone and Marist should have been marred, in the latter stages, by undesirable tactics,. In this respect, both sides were at fault. Good solid play is expected but it is disappointing when any player allows his feelings to dominate his actions. W. Barrett came back into the Poneketeas» and, playing at centre, fully

Geary, McCashin, and McDonald. (St. Patrick's College Old Boys), Fleming, King, and the Dellabarca brothers (Eastbourne), tarkin, Bryers, Wild, Eastwood,. Burke, and" Thomas (University), Rowlands and Franklin (Oriental), Lang, McDonald, Wales, Bracken, and Thompson (Wellington seconds). Additional notes are:

had H. Kenny back at full-bacV he having been off for three weeks with ; injuries, but G. Burns and T. Brown were both still absent. M. Kenny, who gave a good display at full-back on the previous Saturday, played at second five-eighth against Poneke. Kenny played at wing-three-quarter last season, and commenced in the forwards.this season. He played well at five-eighth, though the pack could do with his weight. J. Burns gave an improved display.

Both Johnsonville's wings played well, T. Liddle revealing speed, and Ivemey, a Picton senior player of last year, being fast and tricky, A. Kenny, led the pack .well, with Dean and McBride showing up well in the loose play.

Packing low and applying the weight at the critical moment the Petone forwards more than held their own against a heavier and no less experienced Marist pack. Lambourn was in fine form and he gave excellent service in the hooking department. Donoghue, White, Clayton, and Carter were all deserving of mention. O'Halloran played an inspiring type of game for Petone.

Handicapped by enforced changes In their team. Marist Bros. Old Boys

justified his inclusion. Another-new player was Burgess, a wing-three-quar-ter from Grafton, who had a game with the senior B team on the previous SatI urday.

Crisp gave another fine display for Poneke, fielding and kicking perfectly, and stopping the Johnsonville rushes well. Griffiths played a sound defensive game in the first spell against Johnsonville, and then when the opposition had been worn down he gave a fine display of the attacking game. The Victory Poneke secured was largely due to him.

, Poneke's forwards were successful in their scrummaging, playing a solid game. They were not nearly so effective in the loose. Hegglun and O'Brien were the best forwards.

Johnsonville packed 3-4 on Saturday, Hall playing as a wing-forward and proving a real thorn to the Poneke inside backs.

In securing such a convincing win over Marist Bros. 0.8. Petone left 110 doubt that they have now moulded themselves into a combination that promises really well. In the process of finding , their positions several changes have been made in the backs, and it seems that the best combination has now been decided on. O'Hallorarl, of course, is at half. Posselt is undoubtedly in his correct place at second five-eighth. He gave an outstanding display, and with Edwards at centre-three-quarter, and Jones at first five-eighths, Petone possess a dangerous attacking weapon.

Hutt often brought up their fullback, Graham, to make an extra back

in the second spell against Welling-j ton, thus copying Wellington tactics earlier in the match. The move, did I not accomplish much on attack, but was often effective in bottling up the opposition. Fulton, at centre for Wellington against Hutt, without making any serious mistakes, was not quite up to his previous week's form. Early in the game he sparkled once or twice, leading to expectations that he would give the Hutt defence a torrid time, but he was paid a good deal of attention and, except for an occasional neat break through, he was obliged to confine much pf his energies to stopping opposition advances. His speed slackened later in the match, and sore feet from the hard grounds may have caused this. One of the best forwards for Wellington against Hutt was McLean, who played at the back of the scrum. McLean was very unlucky not to get a try in the first spell when he broke clean away supported by Coupland, the referee ruling a pass forward. Apart from this,-however. McLean was of great service in thef line-outs, and he worked well in the tight. Cooper, Morrissey, and Coupland were outstanding on occasions. Frasgr-Smitn was of service in line-out play. The 'absence of Climo appeared to upset the balance of the Wellington scrum. Kilmister and Sargisson again played with good understanding against Wellington.and this Hutt pair , engineered most of the moves on attack. Sargisson was sound' all through without being brilliant. Williams, at second five-eighths, had his hands lull dealing with Trapp, and his defence improved after the change-over. He gave Burton some indifferent passes. Burton himself has played better, tackled Fulton splendidly in the later stages. Kyle was starved. The ex-Hawke's Bay forward, Gnffen. "is ah honest toiler and he used his weight to advantage in the rucks and scrums for Hutt against Wellington He went particularly well in the first spell, but faded a little afterwards. The game should set him for future matches. Blair was noticeable more than tisual and Foley played one of his best games. Foley seldom seeks the limelight but gets through more than his fair share of the hard rucking. Whenever the play broke loose, ,Cassidy and Kemp were the usual leaders. . Field goals are quite plentiful in club competition matches this season. Many attempts are made each Saturday, and out at the Hutt practically every game has produced successful "pots." Sargisson landed one for Hutt against Wellington in the first spell, and he only just failed with another

RUGBY LEAGUE

AUSTRALIAN TOUR

LOCAL ITEMS

The New Zealand Rugby League team, which is due to arrive in Sydney today, will play Us opening match next Saturday, when it will be opposed by New South Wales. Possibly the Australian authorities have been rather severe in making this match the opening one of the tour, for in many respects New Soutn Wales provide harder opposition than an all-Australian side. The New Zealanders, however, are aware of this fact and will undergo a solid week's preparation for the game. The New Zealand managers have re-

effort from the side-line near halfway in the second spell, to be immediately followed by full-back Graham, wb «e,attempt from the same spot hit an Jpright. Graham's was a fine leftict i effort. Previously, Fulton had go.je very near registering four points for Wellington from an easier angle. Karsten put Athletic ahead with a field goal against Old Boys at Athletic Park, and there were several other attempts there.

In Bracefield (formerly of Star, Timaru), Pirates have a very,fine halfback. On attack and defence Bracefield's work bears the stamp of quality.

R. Mason, the old Berhampore forward, turned out for Pirates against Athletic, and led his forwards in fine style, whilst he also got a fair share of the ball from the scrums. Though a veteran, h& proved very useful 10 Pirates.,

Pelham maintains his form very well, and he did a lot of useful work for Athletic seconds against Pirates. Boddy, the full-back, is a great kick, and his sure fielding and long touc'nflnding were great assets.

Phelps. Pope, and Todd were a good trio of forwards for Athletic seconds against Pirates, and the first-named ! s an improver. Though they could do with a little more weight, the Athletic pack work well together.

The inside backs of Eastbourne and Miramar failed to benefit from good play by their respective forwards last Saturday.

Greenall and Reeves made several penetrating runs, but good defence kept them in check.

quested that the Australian referees meet and discuss the interpretations of rules with the New Zealanders prior to each match.

The standard of play exhibited in local senior matches last Saturday showed improvement on previous displays. Teams have developed' a better conception of Rugby League football. St. George exploited fine team work in defeating Central 34-13. At North Park, Petone withstood Newtown's challenge and retain second position on the championship ladder.

T. Timmins made a welcome reappearance with St. George last Saturday. It was thought that a knee injury contracted last year had finished Timmins's football career. He displayed speed and dash against Central and is likely to regain the form which made him one of Wellington's best League wingers.

St. George is leading in both the senior and reserve grade championships. Runners-up at present are Petone (senior) and Miramar A (reserve grade).

Some of the local representative for> wards will have to work- hard to retain their positions once G. O'Halloran strikes "football" condition. O'Halloran is leading the Central pack in the absence of J. Cootes, and he is a splendid deputy and all-round forward.

J. Coman scored twenty-one of the thirty-three points Petone registered against Newttfwn. Three tries and six goals made up the tally.

R. Perkinson, former Hutt Rugby Union full-back, made his first appearance in the Rugby League with Petone last Saturday. He shaped quite well.

W; Spencer, St. George's tall fullback, has regained form. He played splendid football against Central and kicked some fine goals. Spencer was last season's representative full-back and on Saturday's form he might regain that position.

The two outstanding centres in the reserve grade are F. Bouzaid (St. George) and T. Webster (Miramar). Both boys have impressed with useful attacking displays.

On Monday afternoon the Rugby League is staging a Town v. Country reserve grade match at Newtown Park. This will enaSle the selectors and officials to see the pick of the younger players in action.

I Miramar's entry into senior Rugby i League seems certain. The new club has grown and strengthened consider-1 ably.

The New Zealand itinerary of the Manavadar team is as follows:—

Saturday, June 11, play Wairarapa at Masterton; Tuesday, June 14, play Bush Union at Pahiatua; Wednesday, June 15, play Manawatu at Palmerston North; Saturday, June 18, play Wanganui at Wanganui; Tuesday, June 21, play North Taranaki at New Plymouth; Thursday, June 23, play South Taranaki at Hawera; Saturday, June 25, play Wellington at Wellington; Monday, June 27, play Nelson at Nelson; Wednesday, June 29, play West Coast at Greymouth; Saturday, July 2, play Canterbury at Christchurch; Tuesday, July 5, play Ashburton at Ashburton; Thursday, July 7, play South Canterbury at Timaru; Saturday, July 9, play New Zealapd Universities at Dunedin; Monday, July 11, play North Otago at Oamaru; Wednesday, July 13, play Eastern at Gore; Saturday, July 16, play Southland at Invercargill; Wednesday, July 20, play Otago at Dunedin; Saturday, July 23, play New Zealand, first Test, at Christchurch; Wednesday, July 27, play Feilding, at Feilding; Saturday, July 30, play New Zealand, second Test, at Wellington; Tuesday, August 2, play Wairoa at Wairoa; Thursday, August 4. play Poverty Bay at Gisborne; Saturday, August 6, play Hawke's Bay at Napier; Tuesday, August 9, play Dannevirke at Dannevirke; Wednesday, August 10, visit Waitomo Caves; Thursday, August 11, play Waipa at Te Awamutu; Saturday, August 13, play Auckland at Auckland; Wednesday, August 17, play Whangarei

Born July 15, 1913. Represented United Provinces in 1936. Toured Afghanistan in 1937. Shahnoor Khan, centre-half. Born December 15, 1914. Since 1932 has represented Manavadar at hockey, football, and cricket. Played for "The Rest" against India in the 1936 Olympic trials. A. Qavi, left-half. Born August 11, 1911. Played for "The Rest" against India in 1932 Olympic trials. Recently joined Manavadar State. Lajpat Rai, left half and centre-half. Born August, 1913. First played for

at Whangarei; Thursday, August 18, play Rodney at Warkworth; Saturday, August 20, play Waikato at Hamilton; Monday, August 22, play Piako at Morrinsville; Saturday, August 27, play third Test, New Zealand, at Auckland. 1 BACKS. S. M. Hussain, left back and vicecaptain. Born October 1, 1911. He is the only player who has represented India in both hockey and Association football in one year. Toured South Africa in , 1934 with Indian Soccer team, and toured New Zealand in 1935 with Indian hockey team. Represented India at hockey in Olympic Games at Berlin in 1936. One of the best backs in the world today. Gurnarian Singh, right back; born December, 1915. Educated Khalsa College, Amritsar, and captained his college hockey eleven. He is a firstclass back, is the only Sikh in the team, and his bewhiskered face will be very prominent and very popular in New Zealand. Fasabat Yar Khan, right back. Born June 15, 1912. Represented Gwalior State in 1934 and Manavadar in 1937. Mohd. Yahya Qurrashi, right half,

North-Western Railway in 1932. Represented Punjab State in 1936. FORWARDS. Shahabuddln, right wing. Has been the best right wing in India since 1934. Toured New Zealand in 1935, and played in all three Tests: Represented India in Olympic Games at Berlin in 1936. Abdul Latif, centre-forward and inside right. Born July, 1918, educated F.C. College, Lahore,' and captained his college in 1932. A brilliant forward with great control of the ball. Represented Punjab State in 1936. Played for "Rest of India" in 1937 against Olympic team. Is a fine all-round sportsman. Fero* Khan, centre-forward. Represented India in 1928 Olympic Games at Amsterdam. He is regarded as the best centre-forward, after the worldfamous Dhyan Chand. Has represented Bombay since 1928, and is a wonderful centre-forward of the highest class, with wonderful ball control and scoring ability.M. Ahmad Khan,, inside-right. Born August 12, 1912. Educated St. Stephen's High School, Delhi. Captained his school hockey team for three successive years. Played for railways in 1930. Has represented Manavadar since 1931. Played for "The Rest" against Indian Olympic team in 1932. Is a versatile forward. M. Saltan Khan, inside-left. 'Born May 12, 1912. Played for Muslim University. Represented Manavadar in 1932 to 1935. Played in Probables v. Possibles match for Olympic Games trials in 1936. S. M. Sulaiman, left wing. Born November 25, 1911. Educated Robertson Anjuman High School. Represented Bhopal State in 1933. Played in exhibition match for "The Rest" against Indian Olympic team in 1936. Played for Manavadar in 1937. Peter Fernandez, left wing. Born 1915. Educated St. Patrick's College, Karachi. Toured New Zealand with Indian team in 1935. Represented India in Olympic Games at Berlin in 1936. Is a popular champion. ALL-ROUNDER. Shafat Khan. Born October 10, 1914. Is fine athlete and cyclist; a very promising hockey player and hard worker. Played with Roop Singh in interprovincial trials in Calcutta this year, to select an Indian team for Western j Asiatic Games. I

The question for decision was whether it was legal for the player re- 1 placing an injured man to take the field after the start of the second half, and the meeting agreed that it was within the spirit if not the letter of the New Zealand Football Association's replacement rule. It was explained in reference to last Saturday's incident that the referee had examined the injured Seatoun man at half-time, satisfied himself that the man. was injured, and informed the Waterside team that the replacement would be allowed. The replacing player, not being in football uniform, had to change his clothes, and the referee did not think it worth while holding up the start of the second half until he was ready. ' Most people will agree with the common-sense attitude of the referee and of the Wellington Football Ass^

boys have not been allowed to play football as it should be played. I hava had dealings with some wonderful talent, only to see the boys becoma just ordinary kick-and-rush players. "I have no wish to criticise that splendid body of sports, the referees; but if they took advantage of Law 9 and strictly enforced it a coach would be able to see the fruits of his good work,, and in two years at least tha football in Wellington would improve 100 per cent. "I find jumping, pushing, wild tackling, tripping, hacking, and dangerous and needless charging going on week after week. I have been told by my i boys when they come oft the field, | 'What is the use of telling us "to play, the ball" when the other chaps don't I do it?' Under these circumstances tha

ciation. Even though the rule says that the replacement must be made not later than the kick-off in the second half, there can be no natural objection' to a team playing a man short while its ' replacement is changing to take the field a few minutes later than, the start of the half. A team may start a match at less than full strength and have its missing players included when they arrive'in the first half, without unfairness to its opponents. Similarly a reasonable latitude should be given to player's having to get ready to play at short iiotice at half-time. Incidentally; Mr. E. J. McQueen, on behalf of the referees, raised an interesting and important point. He rightly contended that the rule threw the, responsibility upon - the referees that they should not reasonably, be expected to bear—the responsibility of deciding whether a player is injured or, not. A man has only to say he is injured and no referee can deny it. When doctors fail to detect malingering no referee can be expected to refuse to believe a tale of injury from any player who feels *a trifle weary or whose selector or coach decides that there is a better man ready to go on. It is not suggested that such deception has been practised in Wellington, but it could easily be done, and that is one of the arguments against the permitting of replacements.

PLAYING THE MAN

CORRESPONDENT'S

COMPLAINT

"The Wellington Football Association is to be congratulated upon moving in the matter of improving Soccer football in Wellington," writes M. J. Hayward, who adds that he does not wish to make any carping criticism.

"Having been a coach for many years," he writes, "and having taught boys how to play the game as it should be played on the lines and ideas as set forth by Andy .Ducat, W. Hudspeth, Steve Bloomer, Rex Kenneth Hunt, David Jack, and various others, I must confess myself a failure. I have not failed because of the talent I have had at my beck and call, but because these

best coach in the, world will be a failure.

"If anyone doubts my word, let him come with me and see a third grade match on any Saturday afternoon, and I can prove my words to be true. I have met many fine coaches who share my views. I hope that before the W.F.A. wastes its money on a coach it will see that the way is clear to enable his worth to bear fruit."

Players should note that transfer! are. to close at noon next Saturday, June 11, provided that the first round of senior games is completed, as it should be on that day. COACHING BOYSS WELLINGTON* CLUB'S SCHEME The opening day of the Wellington Rugby Club's coaching school for boys proved very satisfactory. Some 45 boys, of ages from 10 to 13. turned up at Hatiaitai Park' last Saturday morning and with'the strong committee of coaches in attendance a very good morning's, tuition was. given.

It is expected that an increasing number of boys will be . - attending each Saturday morning, and, as there is so much of the game that can be taught to the boys, it was decided this week to appoiht a sub-committee to control the school. Messrs. R. Veitch. T. Thornton, and J. Gilmore will now attend to the business of the school, which will start at 9.45 a.m. If the weather is against the school being conducted in the open, the club's gymnasium will be used.

The Central Rugby League team have secured a useful type of scrumhalf in G. Marshall, a player from the West Coast. A very rugged defender, Marshall gets the ball away from the scrum nicely and varies his play with an occasional run.

C. O'Connor is a handy man for th« Petone Rugby League team, as he playi a sound game in any back position.