SPORTS REVIEW: RUGBY FOOTBALL Marlborough’s Pack Strong

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 July 1946, Page 9

SPORTS REVIEW: RUGBY FOOTBALL Marlborough’s Pack Strong

Prospects of Retaining

Seddon Shield

Marlborough retained the Spddon Shield, as T result of the drawn match with West Coast last Saturday,. and the next challenge game will take place at Blenheim on next Satui-day week, when Buller will endeavour to wrest the trophy from the redoubtable holders. On the strength of Buller’s two victories over West Coast this season, Buller w.ould appear to have excellent prospects of winning, but in assessing Buller’s chances the fact that the West Coasters played greatly improved football last week has to be taken into account. It would not be surprising if Buller were to fail where West Cdast failed —in the battle between, the forwards. Marlborough has a splendid pack of forwards, well framed and schooled in all the finer points of the game, and, in addition, big and fast. In the important attributes of speed, devil and size lay the secret of the maroon forwards’ success against the greatly improved West Coast pack. z Confidence Justified

There was much speculation, mixed with a little bewilderment, when the selection of P. Kirby, of South Westland, in the West Coast Seddon Shield team was announced —speculation because he was a “dark horse” as far as Greymouth, and, to a lesser extent, Hokitika were concerned, and bewilderment because he was chosen ahead of one of last year’s South Island representatives, J. Pegley, on the strength of a game at I-lari I-lari, and practices. The confidence of the selectors was, however, not misplaced, for Kirby played a fine game. He is a good type of hard-working forward, with any amount of dash, and he did a fine job in the scrum. Under Difficulties

Several of the West Coast players suffered injuries last Saturday in the Seddon Shield match in the hard play which characterised the game, notably K. Fisher, who received a severe leg injury which affected his hooking in the second spell; D. Dewar, R. Wieblitz, K. Horrack, and J. Lindbom, the last-named being forced to retire with facial injuries. Lindbom’s injuries were received in unusual circumstances. A line-out was being formed on the Marlborough 25 about half-way through the second spell, and the referee walked back to the goal-line to move spectators who were encroaching on the in-goal area. While he was doing this the ball was thrown into play and the Marlborough forwards cleared down as far as Lindbom, who was injured in a mix-up with one of the Marlborough forwards. The referee quickly ordered a return to the original line-out, but was too late to see the melee in which Lindbom was injured.

Better Football The West Coast backs in the Seddon Shield match played their best ■football of the season, and more of its type would be welcomed. Some Marlborough diehards, veterans of Seddon Shield matches in which safety-first tactics have been employed to the exclusion of anything in the nature of risks, were at first pleased, and then apprehensive at the West Coast attempts to get the backs moving near their own goalline, The tactics paid dividends in making the game more open than it might otherwise have been, but there was still a tendency to give possession to the other side by kicking too frequently. The West Coast backs might have secured better results from their kicking if they had concentrated on keeping the ball in play, possibly with high punts, rather than kicking for touch, as Marlborough had an advantage in the line-out play. It is a pity the Kiwis cannot play in every centre, for their type of football would give fresh life and a new angle to the game everywhere, with their concentration on keeping the ball moving and retaining possession.

Kiwi's Guiding Principle In an after-lunch speech at Christchurch on Saturday the captain of the Kiwi’s team, Major C. K. Saxton, said that the guiding principle of the side was to get possession of the ball, keep possession of it, and, by tossing it from one to the other, give the other side the job of trying to find it.

Kiwis v. Otago The Kiwi’s team to play Otago at Dunedin to-day was to be chosen from the following (one back and one forward to be dropped):— Backs: Scott, Argus, Boggs, Sherratt, Dobson, Proctor, Allen, Saxton. Forwards: Finlay, Thornton, Nelson, Arnold, Grant, Johnston, Haigh, Rhind, Simpson. Bigger Share of Major Matches Wanted Lack of interest on the part of the controlling authorities in not providing good matches for outlying unions was claimed by members of the Westland Rugby Football Sub-Union at its meeting this week. It was pointed out that these smaller unions had carried on throughout the difficult war years, but it seemed that they were forgotten now that big matches were being planned. The chairman, Mr. P. S. Moore, said that it was up to the major unions to provide an opportunity for all Rugby players to see such teams as the Kiwis in action, but the major matches, it seemed, were always played in the main centres. He considered that a match with the Kiwis should be played on the West Coast. After further discussion, it was resolved that the West Coast Union be asked to insist that the New Zealand Union give a greater share of the major matches to the province. It was also decided to request the West Coast Union to arrange for an inter-union match to be played at Hokitika. , J .. The following are the fixtures for Saturday:— , 1 _ Senior.—South Westland b v. Westland B, at Hokitika, 1.30 p.m. (J. Bennett); South Westland Av. Westland A, 2.45 (J. McGuinness). Junior.—St. Mary’s v. Ross, at Hokitika, 2.45 (E. Olson); Kokatahi v. Kiwis, at Hokitika, 1.30 (A. Hay). Fourth Grade.— St. Mary’s v. Arahura, at 1.30 (F. Stapleton).

Farewell to Referee. Mr. J. McGuinness, a Rugby Union

referee at Hokitika during the past two seasons, will leave next Tuesday on transfer to Christchurch. He was met by representatives of. the Westland Sub-Union, • the Hokitika Referees’ Association, and other sporting bodies on Monday night, when a presentation of a leather brief case was made by the president of the association, Mr. A. Algar.