FROM THE SIDELINE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 100, 1 May 1939, Page 15

FROM THE SIDELINE

NOTES AND COMMENT

Keen interest was taken in the appearance for Wellington against Poneke at Athletic Park of J. M. Taylor the New Zealand representative full-back. He gave a grand all-round display and pleased the crowd particularly by the manner in which he came up when Wellington were on attack to provide an extra and very capable link in the chain of, backs.. Taylor also showed that he has lost none of his ability to score points from his^ boot; in this way he helped himself to eleven points.

Wellington have a lively pack of forwards and they were given able direction by Cooper. .Not only did the Wellington forwards shape well in the loose, but they also did their part in the set scrums, in which Kirschberg, as. the rake, met with good success. In fact, at one stage so well was he doing that Wellington were taking scrums for line-outs., ,

The Poneke forwards were very much the same as those who gave the team good' service last season, but only on occasions did they show the form of which they should be capable. They were fitful, and net only that, lacked the- direction, that distinguished the Wellington pack. Men like Pringle and Ongley did not play nearly as well as they usually do. There was not the same sustained effort, about their game. The Poneke forward who was on his toes more than' anyone else was O'Brien. , He operated to, some effect a^ a fast breakaway.

it wab in the backs, however, thai Poneke's real weakness lay. There was no J. L. Griffiths there to stem tnv tide and hold the backs together. "The Poneke backs as a combination were seldom seen in a passing movement and on deience they were aiso well at sea. A rather astonishing feature about. Crisp's goal-kicking was that he could do nothing profitable with the placed kicks at goal, and yet he pui over two splendid long-range goals with the drop-kick, the second from a penalty, which in itself was something that is not often seen nowadays.

Nothing impressed more than ihe play of the Wellington back line, from the half, Egdell, out. Egdell,, sturdy and well-built, was just a little too eager in going around the scrum a couple oi times, when Poneke hooked, but his general play was gooa. He exploited the dive pass to good effect. L>avidson, a former Otago Boys' High ■School player, at first five-eighths, gave a very good account of himself. He is nippy and quickly into his stride. With Davidson, Veitch, and Fulton (the two last-named revealing excellent form) Wellington has a smart trio oi inside backs, and the wings, Patersori and Ullrich, showed that they are pacy and alert. Given a x-easonable supply of the ball, the Wellington backs are a combination that certainly require watching and call for ability to check.

Pirates \foave an unusually promising full-back in Bowden. He handled splendidly against Marist, his "takes" of high punts were not excelled even by All Black Taylor for Wellington against Poneke, and he showed capacity for getting out of trouble. His kicking was lengthy, and if occasionally he failed to find touch, there was not much to cavil at there. Bowden, who played junior football last season, is well set up, has just the build, in fact, for a full-back, and though he may. be just lacking a shade in pace, and this may be more apparent than actual, he should do very well for himself. Certainly he has started off on the right foot this year.

There were four half-backs in action at Athletic Park, and of these quite the best display; was produced by Bracefield, of Pirates. Bracefield shaped well last year, and there was nothing the matter with his start this season. He made an occasional error on Saturday, but not of sufficient consequence to mar an excellent all-round game. He passed admirably and, without being unorthodox, varied his play just enough to suit the occasion.

Marist, as a team, may not have been especially impressive against Pirates, but the side is a lively one individually, prone rather to spoiling tactics. The forwards kept on, the ball, or did their best, and their activity in this direction was in contrast with the work of the opposing pack. Occasional combined efforts were spoilt by someone booting the ball overhard just when a likely attack was developing. Still, it was the forwards who kept Pirates in check.

Sargisson, who is leading the Hutt team, and who' ran up a formidable tally of field goals last season, got off to a flying start again with a neat "pot." In other respects Sargisson s play was not up to his best. He certainly broke through the defence quickly at times, but after, he had done so he appeared to direct the attack to the wrong quarter. He stab-kicked at times, and this move had the opposition worried,' but better results were indicated if he had served his forwards more, as they were obviously waiting at times for the higher punt through.

University fielded several new players to senior football in Wellington on Saturday. They included Young (Duntrobn Military College), Adams and Borne (Otago University), McVeagh and Stacey (Auckland University), and Shannon (Hamilton).

Mr J Parker, the University coach, has some splendid material to work on, and it will' be surprising if the fifteen does not weld into one of Wellington's strongest combinations.

Young'was outstanding on the University wing against Eastbourne. He played five-eighths at Duntrbom but the practice matches had revealed him as a likely wing-three-quarter. He is a speedy and an intelligent winger. Adams, at five-eighths for University, also appealed as a player likely to gain prominence. ije • * * * *■

Burke was chosen captain of the University team, and Berry of Eastbourne. Both are hookers, and were splendid on Saturday. # * c *

Eastbourne fielded their last season's forwards, led by Berry. They often beat the University eight in the scrums and rather shaded them in the open, especially during the first half. Berry, Pullan, and N- Dellabarca were outstanding.

Eastbourne greatly missed players of the type of Fleming, Walling, D. Plank, and McMillan among the backs. The new men have ability and with more experience will do much1 better than they did against University. They will certainly have to learn the art of tackling low, if their opponents' score is to be kept within reasonable limits.

With Eastwood in his place in the University team, their three-quarter line will take a lot of beating. Young. Tricklebank, and Eastwood should be a dashing line.

A noticeable feature of the AthleticJohnsonville match was the clever use made of the touch-line by the Johnsonville backs, particularly in the second spell when their forwards were making a bold bid for winning points. H. Kenny, the full-back, set his team mates a great example with long-dis-tance touch-finding that was uncannily sure and his contemporary in this art was the half-back J. Burns who re-

peatedly drove back any Athletic forward break with neat kicks that gained a lot of ground. * * * *

Welsh turned on some great runs playing at centre for Johnsonville. Thurston, at centre for Athletic, displayed plenty of dash whenever the ball reached him. On defence, too, he was a tower of strength and in this department he was well supported by the wing-three-quarters Hattbn and Tulloch, two newcomers to the club.

In the Athletic forwards, a formidable proposition in the tight scrummaging against Johnsonville, Grant (ex-Otago) could often be seen using his weight and strength to great advantage. Gunn, Mollier, and Cooper were always in the thick of the battle and Wales showed up in some fine roving play.

Lewis was the outstanding Johnsonville forward last Saturday. He seemed tireless and was always in the, van of the forwards in their bustling and often devastating rushes. Carrodus, playing his first game for Johnsonville, which incidentally was against his old club, A. Kenny, and H. Kenny were a hard-working trio and were seldom far from the ball.

Tin dill was easily the star of the Athletic back division against Johnsonville, repeatedly setting his backs in motion with clean, swift passes. Although he was carefully watched, at no stage could he. be bustled from a sound and tradesmanlike display at half. And then there was his match-winning boot.

Oriental,, after having done well in the first spell against Petone, struck It unlucky in having their combination upset for the second half by the loss of their five-eighths. Congreve and R. Peterson, who were injured. Congreve went off with a 1 broken nose and Peterson with a damaged thigh muscle, both going off during the first spell.

Both full-backs in the Hutt v. St. Patrick's College Old Boys' match fielded the ball well and little fault could be found with either on defence. Graham's line kicking, however, was more powerful and better directed than that of his vis-a-vis, Dance,

The outstanding performer in the Marist Bros. 0.8. v. Wellington College 0.8. game at Anderson Park wap Marist's first five-eighth, J, Fitzgerald, who, well supplied with the ball by :he versatile Brown, at times employed •actics which gave his opponents many anxious moments. His defensive play was also of a high order and he showed an excellent appreciation of the position during;that period in the second spell when College 0.8. launched many strong attacks. His passing was a little erratic, but he had ah able supoorter in O'Ma^ley,

The change made in College Old Boys' rear division in the second spell against Marist resulted- in a decided sharpening-up in their attack. Baldwin went to the first five-eighth position and with Wright outside him this pair combined to advantage. Alan Wright was on his toes and his form augers well for future engagements.

College Old Boys were without the services of Reynolds, who met with a slight injury during training last week. He should be in harness- next Saturday and his inclusion will no doubt strengthen the back division.