DARK FERNS ON TOUR

Evening Star, Issue 19443, 29 December 1926, Page 7

DARK FERNS ON TOUR

MAORIS BEATEN BY HARLEQUINS [By Moko Moko, 1926 All Black.] Twickenham greeted us with fine weather and a ground in good order.. There was an attendance of 25,000 at a game which was controlled by a referee up to standard and remarkably strict on wing forward play. The Maoris had to stand down Mete and Bell through illness. The Harlequins had the better of the game all through. The first try came from their standoff half, who received from the scrum half. The former knocked on well in front, but was permitted to go on and kick hard to Phillips, the ball bouncing over our man’s shoulder, and the Harlequins had scored just fifteen minutes after the opening of the game. Harlequins 3, Maoris 0. Just on half-timo a* penalty was awarded to Harlequins for a breach I was unable to see. Several newspapers were also ignorant of the breach. The converted penalty brought half-time and the score: Harlequins 6, Maoris 0.

The Maoris lost the services of Potaka, who had to retire injured, and, as no replacements are permitted in England, the handicap was felt. Wakefield scored a great try. Ho took the ball on the line and broke clear. With a fine run he scored between the posts, ’the goal making Harlequins 11, Maoris 0.

From a. set scrum King! received the ball from Shorthand. Kingi beat his man with a sharp cut in and feci Fnlwasscr, who swerved out to the side line and then swung in again to beat the full-back, finishing up under the bar. _ Pelham goaled. Harlequins 11, Maoris 5.

Barclay missed a great opportunity. Kingi had centred and Barclay came up to dribble clear of all opposition, but just when the line was within reach he overran the ball.

Thus the game ended with Harlequins 11, Maoris 5. The referee was_ from Wales. Says “ Elmo, 1 ’ a well-known writer:—

“The Harlequins and the run of the game proved too strong for the Maori team. They were defeated by two goals (one from a penalty) and a try to one goal, and the majority of the spectators' must have been satisfied with the justice of the verdict. There could be no doubt that the Harlequins were the better side, the more aggressive, intelligent, and—rather surprising in face of a touring ‘baud of brothers ’ —the more happily together as a team. But, while giving the victors every credit, one must in fairness write that fortune frowned heavily on the invaders. “ Our treacherous climate had sapped the strength of the Maoris, and severe colds accounted for the lastminute absence of W. Mete, R. Bell, and T. Manning, whose names had to be ‘ colored on, the card.’ In the battle, too, the Maoris were unlucky. Play in the second half had run but ten minutes when W. Potaka, their clever centre three-quarter and deadly goalkicker, was so badly injured that he had to leave the field, and took no further part in the game. The Maoris all round were disappointing, even when their disabilities have been taken into consideration. Hurry scurry passing was of no use to their dangerous men.

“The great moment of the game was eighteen minutes after the open, ing of the second spell. There was a line-out near the centre flag, a scramble on the wing, and then Wakefield had the ball. He cut inwards, running strongly and beating man after man, flashed past Pelham, the Maoris’ plucky full-back, and clashed over near the posts for a glorious try—a typical ‘ Walter’s ’ effort. Just when everyone was saying that the Maoris were ‘rattled and beaten,’ they flashed into sparkling life. Kind broke away, and Falwasser flashed through to sedre a capital try, which Pelham converted. Barclay, too, almost scored in a determined rush, but the Harlequins came again, and—fifteen men against fourteen—more than held their own till the finish of a game which could be described as sporting, sparkling, stupid, and scrappy in fact as a Rugby kaleidoscope,”-