RUGBY FOOTBALL

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 August 1941, Page 9

RUGBY FOOTBALL

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE.

The West Coast Rugby Union's Management Committee continued its adjourned meeting last evening, there being present: Messrs J. Guy (acting-Chairman), T. Mclntosh, A. Dowgray, T. O’Donnell, M. Olsen, A. M. Jamieson, F. W. Baillie, T. P. Ryan, and O. McLean (Secretary). The Cobden third grade team was granted permission to play at Westport on Saturday next. The Westland - Sub-Union wrote complaining of the small allowance made by the Union for travelling expenses for the Kokatahi and Hokitika players in representative matches, and asked that a more liberal allowance be made in future. The SubUnion also asked for an increase in the allowance made for transport for its senior B team last Saturday. The Secretary said that the car driver had previously been satisfied with the petrol allowance made. He pointed out that it was the Union s duty to pay travelling expenses from Hokitika only. It was decided that the Secretary interview the car driver, and also that an additional allowance be made for the senior B team’s travelling expenses. T . The Westland Sub-Union wrote protesting against the playing of the primary school trial, Greymouth v. Hokitika, at Greymouth, and asked that the game be played at Hokitika. Mr. Dowgray said that Reefton and Hokitika had been asked to send their best players to Greymouth. Reefton wanted a game and it was impossible for them to travel to Hokitika and back. The Grey v. Hokitika schools’ match could still be letter was referred to the Schools’ Association. It was decided to request all clubs to nominate teams for the seven-a-side tournament at Hokitika on Saturday next, and that no competition matches be played at Greymouth on Saturday. , TT . , The Westland Sub-Union wrote requesting that the McLean Trophy match, United v. Kokatahi, be played at Hokitika, on August 23.—1 t was pointed out that United were due to play at Kokatahi, and it was decided that the match be a club and McLean Trophy match, if played at Kokatahi. It was decided to forward the bal-ance-sheet of the Seddon Shield match to the Marlborough Union, together with their half share of the gate, £5l/8/4. . Mr. Mclntosh was appointed manager of the team to go to Westport on Saturday, and the selectors were instructed to travel with the team, which is to leave the Greymouth Post Office at 8 a.m It was decided that the West Coast team wear black arm-bands on Saturday, as a mark of respect to the late Mr. J. Steel. NOTES AND COMMENTS. West Coast have successfully defended the Seddon Shield against Marlborough, and the next challenge match will be against Golden Bay at Greymouth on August 16. In the meantime, the West Coast team will have a run against Buller in the return home-and-home match, at Westport, on Saturday. Failed: The West Coast full-back, J. Gillan was credited with playing a game of particular brilliance against Canterbury at Christchurch, but since then he has played in two repiesentative matches, at Greymouth, and has failed to reproduce that brilliance. In fact, on Saturday, he was the surprise of the day, for he was looked upon with confidence, and uisappointed a host of admirers, when he played so badly His main fault, and m a full-back it can be disastrous, was his poor positional play. The result was that when he was called upon to take the ball, he was forced invariably to take it on the bounce or run a long way for it. In addition, his kicking was poor. He will nave to improve considerably on thai performance in the Buller game on Saturday, or the West Coast selectors will be experimenting with another full-back for the remaining Shield games. Croudis might be tried again, and Mason and Lindbom will come into the picture. Lindbom looks the most likely proposition.

Something Wrong: The West Coast forwards played a much-improved game on Saturday, as compared with their game against Buller, but there was still something wrong with me ’scrum, as it did not pack as solidly 01 as compactly as a good scrum should. The trouble may be in the front row, where Godfrey is too big to fit in perfectly with the other members of the pack. The result is that the balance of the whole scrum is upset. The scrum formation will be watched closely at Westport on Saturday, for if the best is to be got out of the pack as far as set scrums are concerned, there will have to be better balance than on Saturday last.

Scott Back: R. Scott is back in the West Coast team for the match with Buller, but the selection can be regarded as an experiment to see if his leg injury has recovered properly. He was not fit to take the field last Saturday, but if he has recovered, he will be a decided asset, if only for his kicking, both for the line, and for the goal. The efforts of the Coast backs in this phase of the game on Saturday were poor, and assisted in a good measure to provide the material for Bentley’s excellent game. Vaughan is unlucky to be dropped, after collecting the potted goal in the Shield game. It is a question whether Scott is a better tackler than Vaughan, but he has a big advantage in his kicking, and this apparently weighed heavily with the selectors, as well it might, after the game on Saturday.

Prices of Admission: The West CoastUnion has come in for some adverse comment as a result of its charging children one shilling for admission to the Seddon Shield match last Saturday. Apparently it was not a matter of age, and tfie case is known of two brothers, the elder of whom is nine years, who arrived at the ground after cycling over two miles to see their first renresentative match. They had only sixpence each, and were consequently refused admission. They went half way home again before they met a member of the family, who came to light with the extra shilling necessary to get the youngsters into the ground. On their arrival with their shillings, they were admitted, but by then the first half was over. That is surely carrying rules too far, and the Union should see that some alteration is made before the next Shield match. It would not be going too far if children in charge of teachers, or in school uniform, were admitted free.