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Evening Star, Issue 21825, 14 September 1934, Page 4

Satisfactory Finish. Otago’s victory over Wellington by 6 points to 5 last Saturday was a satisfactory finish to one of the most successful seasons in interprovincial games that Otago has experienced for some years. In fact, not since the memorable season of 1922 has an Otago team clone so well, a fact which may be attributed to the solid pack of forwards that was fielded and to sound rather than outstandingly brilliant backs. The selectors have made a few alterations during the season, but they have not been of a very radical nature, and despite the criticjsni that is invariably the lot of those who choose teams they did their work well, and have good reason to congratulate themselves on Otago’s record, which is as follows in the interprovincial games:— July 25.—Otago 9 beat Hawke’s Bay 3, at Dunedin. August 11.—Otago 16 beat Canterbury 12. at Dunedin. August 18.—Otago 7 lost to Southland 9, at Invercargill. August 25.—Otago 17 beat Southland 14, at Dunedin. September 6.—Otago 22 beat South Canterbury 9, at Dunedin. September B.—Otago 6 beat 'Wellington 5, at Dunedin. Matches played 6, won s._J.ost 1, points for 77, points against 52. When Silence is Golden. Apparently the comment of the All Blacks’ captain and manager on scrummage interpretations in Australia has been construed as “ squealing, ’ when actually it was nothing of the sort (savs a writer in the ‘ Jsew Zealand Observer’). The All Blacks having conceded that they were fairly and squarely beaten, it should be possible for them to comment on aspects of the matches withou being suspected of poor sportsmanship. It would be a rare thing if a touring team anywhere experienced satisfaction in the local interpretation of the scrummage rules. The All Black tour of South Africa m 1928 and the British tour of New Zealand m 1930 supply cases in point. The harm done by interviews given after the return of touring teams lies chiefly in the inciiscictions of the cable man, who divorces statements from their context and blithely sends them overseas. Then tlie cable man on the other side gets busy, and the fat is iu the fire. Cliff Portei, who was interviewed in Sydney, said lie thought the All Blacks should have kept quiet. But what about himself?

Auckland’s Win. Notwithstanding magnificent battling by the Hawke’s Bay forwards and occasional flashes by the backs, Hawke s Buy lost the Ranfurly Shield to Auckland by 18 points to 14. Piling on a total of 18 points in the first halt, Auckland wave a fine display, and scored two converted tries in the opening stages, almost before the crowd had realised the way the game was swinging (soys the Napier ‘Telegraph’). Thenceforth the Bav held heir own, but the beautiful kicking of Heazlewood, tho Auckland fnil-hack,.sealed the fate of the shield. The Bay forwards were much more than a match for Auckland, but the backs were not allowed much latitude by the challengers. A brilliant dropped goal from a mark by Le Quesne brought the Bay within firing distance m the closing stages, but the game was too old ami the final whistle blew with Auckland winners on their merits and the new holders of the trophy. Praise for Jack Hore. Impressions of the All Blacks may be summed up thus (says the New Zealand ‘Referee’): That Hore is the best front-rank forward in New Zealand; that M‘Kenzie has dulled his prospects of developing into a topnotch forward through having gone cunning fur too ourly in his career; that Bnllock-Douglas has written finish to his international career; that Hart is the best wing three-quarter of those taken to Australia; that the tour did nothing to improve the prospects of Kilby, Page, and Collins; and that Oliver, though the oldest of the New Zealand backs, is the only one with a spark of originality about his play. The Late Jack Ruru. .lack Ruru, who died at Rotorua on Sunday from injuries suffered iu a Prince" of Wales Cup game on Saturday, was only twenty-two. but ho had been in interprovincial Rugby for six seasons (says the Christchurch ‘ Sun ’). Norman M'Kenzic “ lifted ” him from the Te Ante College team into the Hawke’s Bay representative side in 1929, and the youngster had a wonderful season, everything coining the same to him, whether scoring trios, potting goals, or kicking penalty goals. Ruru was a very hard and strong runner, and with the hall in possession was a menace to the opposition from any part of the field. George Ncpia, who had enough experience to bo able to pass a fairjy reliable opinion, reckoned Ruru was "the hardest man he ever tried to stop. In 1930 he scored a iTfcat trv for the New Zealand Maoris against “the British team, breaking through a tackle by J. Bassett, which feat was considered next to impossible. Burn went to Wellington in 1931 and played for Wellington. He played well for the New Zealand University team which visited Australia two years ago, mostly at second five-eighth or centre three-quarter, but it could not be said that lie developed ns ho promised, seeming to become slower as be grew heavier. He did not play for Wellington last season or the season before, but recovered his place this year, playing a week or two back against Hawke’s Bay. Ruru was studying law at Victoria College, and it was no secret that he was being “ groomed ” for tribal leadership, his father being a chief in the Waikato. Notes. A prominent ex-All Black and capable Rugby judge, who saw the OtagoSouth Canterbury and Otago-Welling-ton games, expressed the opinion that Mr U. E. Macassey, the young Otago referee, was tho best referee in tho dominion at the present time, and this is a view that will be subscribed to by many good judges of the game in Dunedin. Varying opinions have been expressed in the north as to the play of H. Simon, tho Otago half-back, for the Rest v. New Zealand at Wellington recently, but one of the soundest

judges of a player of all, “ Scrummy ” Mason (famous Otago half-back of the ’eighties), stated that Simon proved himself in the very first flight, and was quite the equal of Kilby. And this view is confirmed by the impressions of “ Touchline,” tho Rugby writer of the New Zealand 1 Free Lance ’ (who is one of the most capable judges of the game in the dominion. He spoke in most praiseworthy terms of tho game played by Simon, who is well in the running for New Zealand honours next season.

The return of .the one-time famous All Black, E. E. (“General”) Booth, to Dunedin from Sydney, whore be has been for a long time' past coincided with the jubilee celebrations of the Kaikorai Football Club, and at tho reunion last Saturday night the “ General ” received a wonderful reception from his old clubniates. Probably no man has scon more of international football in all parts of the world than Mr Ernest Booth, and in spreading the gospel of Rugby wherever he has gone no man could have done more for the game lie loves so well. Heazlewood and Pollock both did well at full-back, and both kicked a fair length and handled well (says a Wellington writer in commenting on tho Wellington-Anckland match). Pollock is not robust enough in dealing with the big forward and gets knocked about too much. Ho had to retire on Saturday. Heazlewood’s place kicking was quite equal to that, of Fuller. Various reasons have been advanced for the relative non-success of the 1934 All Black team in Australia. In considering reasons, it is interesting to glance at the forwards who played in the successful 1932 side, hut for various reasons were not available or not selected this year. They arc five in number —Cottrell, Steere, Solomon, Purdue, and Clarke. All five played in the tests in Australia in 1932, and they are still in the prime of their Rugby careers. Without them, tho 1934 pack was without its backbone.

In Hedge, tho eighteen-ycar-old fiveeighth (says tlve Napier ‘ Telegraph ’), Auckland “possesses a player of groat promise. Almost as fast as Capghey, he showed tho Hawke’s Bay pack a

clean ipair of heels on several occasions, and Bradley had his hands full every time Corner got tho hall away. Hedge's try was an effort worthy of A. E. Cooke at his best. He gathered in tlve ball 15yds from tho line, and, catching his opponents on the wrong foot,/ cut through cleverly to score a try almost before the spectators knew what had happened.

All Black Caughoy gave the lingo crowd of onlookers .several thrills with his spectacular swerving runs, ITis speed making it appear as though the Bay defenders were standing still (says a Napier writer in commenting on Auckland’s win in the Ranfurly Shield match against Hawke’s Bay). Quick off the mark and an exceedingly dangerous man when given room in which to work, Cauglvey gave a -really impressive exhibition, and tbc try which lie scored was a beautiful effort. On defence, too, ho gave very little away, coinpletly overshadowing his vis-a-vis, Evans.

Ron Basil, formerly an Auckland and New Zealand full-back. is anotlvor who is making good as a forward (says a Wellington writer). Several times on Saturday lie broke away at the head of rushes ami jiroved a very serviceable packman with his safe hands, his good tackling and his powerful kicking. It is conceivable that Bush may yet achieve the distinction of representing New Zealand both as a back and a forward. He bus everything in his makc-np that a good forward needs, as ho proved many times on Saturday. (Bush won New Zealand honours as a full-hack while playing for University A in Dunedin in 1931.) Southern Rugby followers who were so impressed with the play of Adkins, the South Canterbury forward, in tho South Island Rugby trial at Oamaru earlier in the season, will agree with tlve following from the ‘ New Zealand Referee The omission of Adkins from tho 1934 All Blacks was one of the unexplained mysteries of the selection. He played a tine game for the South Island team at Auckland iu July, and followed it up with another excellent exhibition against New Zealand last week. He is a tough and nnggety type, with more weight than the usual front ranker, and a tigerish player in his opponents’ twenty-five. Ho has only to go on playing as he has played this season to come strongly into lino for the trip to England next year.”