RUGBY FOOTBALL

Grey River Argus, 7 September 1939, Page 5

RUGBY FOOTBALL

FIJIANS PLAY A DRAW Combined Match at Nelson NELSON, September 6. Playing their fourth match in their Dominion tour, the Fijian Rugby footballers met a combined team from Nelson and Golden Bay-Motueka Unions at. Trafalgar Park this afternoon, and the result turned out to be a draw with the honours of the game in favour of the visitors, having beaten undoubtedly stronger teams than this combined team. The general anticipation was that Fiji would prevail by a comfortable margin of points to-day, and the reason they did not do so may be attributed to the weather conditions ruling for the match. Perversely enough, the fine weather of the past two days broke just half an hour before the match was due to commence, and a heavy shower fell lasting till half-time, had arrived. The ground and ball became impossibly slippery and it was obvious during the first spell of the match 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 spell, during the process of which the combined team slipped across in quick succession lor two unconverted tries. McKay an ( ; the Nelson’ captain Karsten, being the scorers. Drier conditions prevailed for the rest of the match, and the Fijians showed renewed zest for the game and 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 for a win. but they vyere unable to finalise many of their dashing movements. Right at the close, Cakabau was given u chance to clinch matters'with a penalty in a good position, but-he misses and the game ended in a draw. , . t ■ A feature of the match was that m the scrum work of the Fijians, they were frequently beaten by the home side who indulged in many nice passing movements, -but in the second half when the ball was drier, the Fijians could not be penetrated to any extent, and whenever the ball came loose, as for instance the result of a Nelson back fumbling, then the visitors were at. their best, attacking siwftly. Vorege played an outstanding game‘o n the left wing, and his speed was terrific. Ralawa, at centre did the spade work for Voregcs try. Speed was a feature of all the Fijians back play, and though , they appeared almost leisurely in their movement, the Nelson team found them anything but that.

SOUTHLAND DEFEAT WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON, September 6. Southland, the holders of the Ranfurly Shield, maintained their unbeaten Rugbv football record this season by decisively- outplaying Wellington this afternoon, by sixteen points to three. , , Among the eight thousand spectators who attended was the GovernorGeneral, Lord Galway, who shook hands with the members of both teams on the field of . play before the game commenced. Southland owed their victory to the tigerish tackling by both their forwards and backs. . Lambourne, the Wellington hooker, secured the ball from the majority of the scrums, and Tindili sent the Wellington backs away time and again, only to see a Southland back come out of the blue to bowl the man with the ball off his feet, with a flying tackle. OTAGO DEFEAT CANTERBURY.

CHRISTCHURCH, September 6. The Otago Rugby team, depleted (after its strenuous tour of the North Island, surprised by beating 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 very 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 fine effort against Southland. Certainly its standard of play was far and away 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 gut the result beyond reasonable doubt with a good penalty goal. The other Otago scorer was B. A. Taylor, who scored a try in the first half. For Canterbury, McAuliffe kicked a penalty goal. The final score was: Otago, 10; Canterbury, 3.