RUGBY FOOTBALL

Grey River Argus, 27 July 1940, Page 9

RUGBY FOOTBALL

To-day’s Games New interest will be given to West Coast rugby to-day when the new on e round competition will be opened with three games. The principal match at Rugby Park will be between Cobden the championship winners, and Blaketown, who, if able’to reproduce their best form, will give the champions a likely time. In the second game, also at Rugby Park at 3 p.m. Celtic and Stars will meet. Celtic have lost one or two players recently, whilst the Star team will be at full strength, and a good game should result. United and. Bell Hill will’ play the curtainraiser on No. 1 ground at 1,30. Junior games will take place at Camerons. Kumara and Te Kinga, and lower grade matches at Rugby Park, Victoria Park and Camerons. NOTES AND COMMENTS. Saturday’s fine exhibition gav e patrons something of representative football at its best. Superior all round tactics won the day for West Coast who might have added more points had some of the players not been | over anxious. However, the game I was bright and open throughout, and speculation on Buller’s chance of retaining the Seddon Shield will now be keen. Although, in common with other centres, Marlborough have lost a number of players through enlistments, the numbers who have left both Buller and the West Coast are greater than those from any of the three northern districts. Marlborough, on the other hand, has th e advantage of the services of a large number of new players who are stationed at the Air Force station at Woodburne. These players, several of whom are certain to be in the Marlborough team, should enable that district to lift the Seddon Shield, if Buller’s best form was shown at Greymouth 4.ast Saturday. Whether the team, if it is successful, will be able to hold the Shield for the rest of the season, is even more open to speculation

Too Much Solo:

An interesting exhibition of football was shown in the third grade fixture between Hokitika and Greymouth

played as a curtain-raiser on Saturday. Hokitika had in its team som'e boys who showed distinct promise, but the whole team lacked co-ordinatioTi, and too many of the players indulged in solo efforts. It Is stated that they had not previously practised together, and this would no doubt account for their failure to hold the Grey side. Brothers: Interesting, if not unique, was the fact that. t;vo brothers cap’tained representative sides on Saturday—Ron King* the West Coast representative, and his youngest brother Arthur, the Hokitika thirds. The latter, playing at centre, did not get many chances to show his form, but he did not appear to be speedy enough in the few chances h e had. He would have had more opportunities if the inside backs had done their job better.

Side-Stepping: Students of the form of Malcolm Davidson, detected in his younger brother. George Davidson, Hokitika thirds’ five-eighth, a characteristic which has always distinguished theelder brother, a marked ability to side step. This and the selling of “dummies” made G. Davidson’s game a bright exhibition, but he would have helped his side more had he not kept the ball to himself as much a s he did.

Clever Half: ■’ In Haglund, the Greymouth thirds had a clever and nippy half back. He played a brilliant game, and got the ball away from the scrum splendidly in face of the heavy Hokitika forwards who broke round him. His short kicks were a feature of the game

Judgment: J. Lindbom’s record in third grade club games this season, has been an excellent one, and his game on Saturday wa s no exception. H e was always in position, and his great kicking ability was demonstrated on many occasions. Great coolness also was a marked feature.

Forwards;

J. Jeffries and K. Fisher (Grey), and R. Mitchell (Hokitika) all played fine games, Jefferies, who is particular'u fast in line outs, being probably the nest. The Hokitika forwards lacked dash,’ but Mitchell,was rarely far away from the scene , of play, and gives promise of developing into a good class of player.

Trio of Backs:

Three Grey backs impressed. They were J. Bendall, whose handling needs a bit of a brush up, K. Horrack. whose play throughout was heady and T. Parsonage who opened some good movements. • 1 ■ :

Finances Strained: The two Home and Home representative Rugby matches at Nelson this year hav e not resulted in any outstanding contributions to the Rugby Union’s coffers, and in reporting to this week’s meeting that last Saturday’s gate had amounted to £lO 9s 3d, the treasurer (Mr D. Johnson) remarked that th e union was still living on its: capital.

Th e president said that other unions throughout New Zealand were all in the same boat.

Economy Measure:

Later, during the course of his report to the Nelson Union on his management of th e representative team at Blenheim, Mr. H. M. Richardson said he did not quite know how the Union could effect economies, unless it were to send the selector or coach as manager of th e team. Another wartime measure that the Union might feel justified in introducing at the start of next season, he said, would 1 , be to discontinue the practice of sending referees in connection with these Home and Home games. Th e practice was, of course, for Nelson to send a referee to Blenheim when Nelson was playing at Blenheim; and for a Marlborough referee to officiate when their team .was playing here.