HIGH SCHOOL RUGBY

Evening Star, Issue 25565, 18 August 1945, Page 9

HIGH SCHOOL RUGBY

©TAGO BEATS GHRISTGHURCH Another bright and exciting Rugby game by school teams was witnessed yesterday at Hancock Park when the Otago Boys' High School defeated Ohristchurch High School 'by 20 points to 16. The victory was entirely due to the local school'6 superiority in forward play, which was very pronounced and which nullified to a large extent the speed and smartness of the Christchurch backs. The Otago pack played really good football, combining well in the tight and in many effective looso rushes, but .in the line-out play Christchurch was better. In the first spell it looked as though the advantage which Otago enjoyed by a plentiful supply of ball from the scrums was to be discounted by the tendency of the hacks to play too deep and so give the speedy opposing backs room to work. This fault was rectified in the second spell, however, and, although the Christchurch lads broke away occasionally and scored often enough to keep the ultimate issue in doubt. Otago had much the better of the general plav and deserved to win.

Play from the kick-off was fairly even for the first 15 minutes, at which stage B. M. Duncan kicked a nice penalty goal for Otago from near the .side line. Almost immediately 0. O. Jones missed an easy chance to equalise. But Christchurch came again. (R. ißoocock and R. A. Anderson led a dribbling rush from halfway which finished with the latter scoring a try. The kick failed. <' Before half-time K. Muirhead scored another try for the visitors, who led 6-3. In the second spell the pace was maintained. Otago's forwards pressed hard, and. after some desperate work in front of goal, B. R. Smith broke through to score. Duncan converted, to put the locals in the lead But not for long, as Muirhead went over after a burst of passing for Jones to convert. Christchurch 11-8. Once more the Otago forwards prevailed, and prolonged battling on the Christnhurcli line ended in 0. M. Ellis diving round the scrum to score. The kick missed. 11-11. Next, the Christchurch centre, C. F. Robson. outpaced the Otago backs to go round behind the posts to touch down. Jones converted. The game swung back to Christchurch territory, where, from loose play close up. EHis potted a nice goal. Christchurch still led 16-15. but it was not long before the übiquitous Ellis got the ball out to A. C. Sanders, who went over in a handy position, and Douglas converted. Otago had much the better of the play in the closing stages, and the game ended ■ Otago High, School ..-. ... 20

Christchurch High School 16 Mr J. M. Briggs was the referee,

For Otago, Ellis was outstanding among the backs. He played a very fine game at scrum haif, being constantly in evidence with individual dashes (made, perhaps .a little too often) and smart service. Ellis is decidedly a very promising player. But it was the forwards who did the bulk of the'attacking, the whole pack working well, with A. J. Paterson and T. N. Aitken showing up in the loose and A. J. Duke doing solid work in the pack. For Christchurch, G. G. Kitchinham (first five-eighth) and. Robson (centre) showed speed and resource, and O. C. Jones (full-back) was sound. The forwards were not .impressive, but Boocock and J. L. Anderson worked hard.