RUGBY FOOTBALL

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 September 1939, Page 4

RUGBY FOOTBALL

OTAGO 10, CANTERBURY 3. [PEIi PBEBB ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, September 6. The Otago Rugby team, depleted after its strenuous tour of the North Island, surprised by defeating Canterbury by 10 points to 3, at Lancaster Park to-day. The visiting team was without eight of its leading players, and was reduced to playing a forward in the half-back position, but it still had more dash and spirit than Canterbury. The visitors were depleted, but were far from jaded, and the vigorous loose play of the forwards and dashing thrusts of the backs kept Canterbury on the defensive for long periods of the game. Possibly the home team had suffered a reaction after its line effort against Southland. Certainly its standard of play was far below that of last Saturday. The forwards did their part fairly well, but the handling of the backs was most uncertain, and rush after rush broke down through mistakes. Canterbury had many chances of making up for their lost opportunities with penalty kicks, but the goal-kickers of the side failed. N. A. Mitchell, the All Black captain of 1938, was the outstanding back on the field, but it was D. Trevathan’s kicking that really won the game for Otago. He potted a goal in the second half, and put the result beyond reasonable doubt with a good penalty goal. The othe? Otago scorer was B. A. Taylor, who scored a try in the first half. For Canterbury, McAuliffe kicked a penalty goal. A The best of the Canterbury backs were the wings, J. S. Cartwright and R. L. Roberts, but they did not have many real chances. They were always menacing when thej r did get the ball, although both were uncertain in taking passes.

FIJIANS AT NELSON. NELSON, September 6. Playing the fourth match of the Dominion tour, the Fijian Rugby footballers met a combined team from the Nelson and Golden Bay-Motueka Unions at Trafalgar Park this afternoon, and the result was a draw, with the honours of the game in favour of the visitors. As the Fijians had beaten undoubtedly stronger teams than the combined team, the general anticipation was that Fiji would prevail by a comfortable margin, and the reason they did not do so may be. attributed to the weather. The fine weather of the last two days broke just half an hour before the match was started, and a heavy shower fell, lasting till half-time. The ground and the ball became impossibly slippery.

It was obvious during the first half that the Fijians were not at all a happy combination. The largest crowd that has attended a football match at Nelson this season watched the visitors try to settle down during the first half, during which the combined team, in quick succession, scored two unconverted tries, McKay and the Nelson captain, Karsten, being the scorers. Drier conditions prevailed for the rest of the match. The Fijians showing renewed zest for the game, soon got on top of the combined team. It was. only good tackling that kept them out.

Nalase and Vorege scored tries, which were not converted. With the score at 6 all the Fijians were all out lor a win, but they were unable to complete any of their dashing movements. Right at the close Cakabau was given a chance to clinch matters with a penalty in a good position, but he missed and the game ended in a draw.

A feature of the match was that in scrum work the Fijians were frequently beaten by the home side, who indulged in many good passing movements, but in the second half, when the z ball was drier, the Fijians could not be penetrated to any extent, and the ball came loose, as, for 'instance, because of a Nelson back fumbling, then the visitors were at their best.

Attacking swiftly, Vorege played an outstanding game on the left wing and his speed was surprising. Ralawa, at centre, did the spade work for Vorege’s try. Speed was a feature of all the Fijian backs’ play and though they appeared almost leisurely in their movements, the Nelson team found them anything but that.

SOUTHLAND 16, WELLINGTON 3. WELLINGTON, September 6. Southland, holder of th eßanfurly Shield, maintained its unbeaten Rugby football record this season by decisive- ' ly outplaying Wellington this afternoon by 16 points to 3. Among the B’ooo spectators who attended was the Governor-General (Lord Galway), who shook hands with members of both teams on the field before the game commenced. Southland owed its victory to tigerish tackling by both forwards and backs. Lambourn, the Wellington hooker, secured the ball from the majority of the scrums, and Tindill sent the Wellington backs away time and again, only to see a Southland back come out of the blue to bowl the man J. with the ball off his feet with a flying [tackle. Conditions were ideal for Rugby, the ground and ball being dry, and it was expected that some brilliant back play would be seen. This was not the case, however, as play was often confined to the forwards, and here the Southland pack had the advantage in all but scrum work. The Southland eight used their feet well, and worked Jike tigers in the ruck and loose. Though Wellington had the advantage of a helpful northerly breeze in the first spell. Southland led by 3 points to 0 at half time.

Early in the game Wesney, the Southland centre-three-quarters, picked up a dropped pass and sent on to Sutherland, the winger, who kicked ahead, and Grace, the second fiveeighths, with a rare burst of speed, opened the scoring with a try wide out, which Wesney failed to convert.

Early in the second spell a Southland forward got offside, and Taylor evened the scores with a penalty goal. After this it was all Southland. From a hard fight on the Wellington line, Ward, who was in the thick of everything, scored Southland’s second try, which Wesney converted with a good kick from well out. A little later Tindill was penalised for not putting the ball fairly into the scrum, and Wesney again goaled. Southland with the forwards working like del 'mons, again attacked, and J. Purdue shot the ball out to Saxton, and the .Southland captain was over the line l before a defender could lay a hand on ■ him. Wesney kicked his third goal, and Southland led by 1G points to 3. I