RUGBY FOOTBALL Australians Blame Coaching Lack

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 September 1946, Page 4

RUGBY FOOTBALL Australians Blame Coaching Lack

Also Dissatisfied Witii Referee

' SYDNEY, September 16. Lack of proper coaching is blamed by E. W. Kann, “Sydney Sun correspondent with the Australian Rugby football team for the defeat ot the team by New Zealand on Satur“Australia’s backs outshone rivals in attack and if they had naa as much of the ball as the. New £ealand back line Australia would have run up a cricket score,” he said. “The final scores definitely flattered New Zealand, and local exP^ 1 s agree that on the actual play Zealand was not 10 points better than the Australian team. * , “Schulte, Cremin, Johnson, ana Allan were able to pierce the defences, but not a New Zealand back showed a similar penetrative abi Eastes so overshadowed the big ail Black winger, Jack Dunn, that he played the latter out of the second test team. The Australians were dissatisfied with the refereeing of Arthur Fong, whose mistakes cost Australia points. Players said that Windon scored a try,' but the referee's view was obscured and he recalled Windon. Many New Zealanders and Rugoy Union followers who endeavoured to listen in to a broadcast of the m a Jf in Sydney were disappointed at m poor nature of the broadcast. The announcer appeared to become excited as play developed and becaus of his shouting and asides much oi the broadcast was incomprehensible and incapable of being followed.

Australian’s Tribute to Referee Mr. Fong, who returned to Greymouth this morning from Dunedin, declined to comment when the foregoing cable message was referred to him, beyond saying that it was the first intimation he had had of any complaint about his. refereeing of the match. “Mr. Fong kept excellent control of the game and gave his usual intelligent interpretation of the advantage law,” said the special reporter of the Wellington Sports Post in commenting upon the test match between New Zealand and Austialia at Dunedin on Saturday. ' The Dunedin Evening Star, at the conclusion of its report on the test match, said: “Mr Fong capably controlled the game.” The best exhibition of refereeing since the team had arrived in New Zealand was how Mr. A. P. Johnson, of the Australian team, described the performance with . the whistle at the Australia-Combined match at Timaru by Mr. Fong on September 11, when speaking at a dinner after the match, says the Timaru Herald. Referee for Second Test Match Mr. A. M. Matheson, of New Plymouth, has been appointed to referee the second test match. Mr. Matheson is the former Otago and Auckland representative footballer and exNew Zealand representative cricketer. He was the referee of the North-South Island match at Wellington. South Canterbury to Play Buller The team to represent South Canterbury against Buller at Westport on Saturday has been selected as follows: —D. Parsons (captain), W. Pratt, J. Goddard, M. Goddard, E. W. Ryan, K. McPhail, A. Strachan, R. Wills, W. Edgeler, N. Hobbs, J. Bryce, G. O’Hara, D. Stewart, P. Fitzgerald, J. Newall, D. O’Reilly, L. Clark, N. Campbell, and L. Grant. Wellington Team to Play Australia (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 17. The Wellington team to play the Australians at'Wellington on Saturday is:—Wishnowsky, Svensen, Roberts, Mason, Wickham, Colquhoun, Paewai. Todd, White, Elliott, Meads, Beard, Dalton, Burke, O’Donnell.