RUGBY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 28 April 1927, Page 6

RUGBY.

MID-WEEK GAME

OPENING) /PRACTICE MATCH,. CITY’S NARROW VICTORY. Supporters of the Hawera district mid-week Rugby competitions were afforded a pleasing indication of the possible form this season when, on the Hawera Show-grounds yesterday, a friendly game between the Fraser Road and City fifteens resulted in a narrow victory to the home club representatives, who compiled 14 points (four tries, one converted) to their opponents’ 12 points (three tries and a jienalty goal). Botii teams showed a good standard of junior Rugby and while City were superior in combination during the earlier stages, the Fraser Road men, whose strength lay in the forward division, appeared to have better condition and were striving with commendable dash for victory when no-side was signalled.

Playing against the ivind in the first spell, City practically dominated the play. The game was only about seven minutes old when a high? punt by Goodwin sent his pack racing with Hart, Young and Cannon in the van, the first named fielding a bounce when near the line and diving over near the corner The scorer failed with the kick —City 3, Fraser Road nil. For the ensuing few moments play hung in neutral territory, but. with aii interception, Cairncross opened up an attack which gave possession, in Fraser Road’s quarter, to the City lock, Hart, who finished a determined run with his second try a few yards from touch. He again failed to 1 convert —City 6, Fraser Road nil. The Blues took the offensive and for a brisk moment kept City on the defence. Eventually Notnian skied a punt which fell close” to the post, and Wlrareitu beat the home full back in the dash for possession and crossed for Fraser Road’s first score. The kick failed— City 6, Fraser Road 3. The visitors’ ascendancy was only temporary and again for a strenuous period they were subjected to a series of battering assaults. Just before the interval Cannon profited by a faulty pass by one of the Blue middle backs and gathered the rolling ball to annex a good try in the corner. Cairneross failed to rise the ball, and -half-time sounded wit the scores: City f> Fraser Road 3 Fraser Road opened the second session with a forward attack which broke at the twenty-five and the City backs made a quick counter with a passing bout which resulted in a score by Cairncross half-way between toueji and the goal. Bryant converted —City 14, Eraser Road 3. The visitors replied Aitli another bustling forward movement and five imrds from the City line a defender handled in the scrum, the penalty allowing Taniwha to notch three points with a good kick —City It. Fraser Road 6. A period of swift exchanges followed without advantage, until Ryan, the home full-back, failed to field a high ball, and the ensuing scramble gave a line-out close to the Fraser Road objective. The throw-in Was followed by another melee, from which Penny charged over to score. Newall’s kick, from a difficult angle, sent the hall outside —City 14, FraseT Road 9. Fraser Road, who in the first spell, had received much the worst of the argument, withstood the pace better than their opponents and showed a surprising renewal of form. Furious forward rushes, well supported bv the rear division, repeatedly menaced the home citadel and eventually a tricky exchange between Taneroa, Whareitu and Notman w-as capped with a dashing try by Notman, who plunged over between two would-be taekhvrs. Again Newall’s kick failed and full-time sounded two minutes later with the scores:

City 34 Fraser Eoad 12 Mr. A. T’. Elgar refereed.

NORTHERN DIVISION. INGLEWOOD v. ELTHAM. COMMENT ON THE GAME, This game was played at Inglewood, and drew a fair attendance of spectators, who were .regaled with a strenuous, if not particularly brilliant, exposition of the code. The season is hardly far enough advanced to .secure accuracy in giving or taking passes, in the. case of even the more practised teams, but the skying and spooning of the ball in transferences, of which tho backs of either team were guilty throughout the game, was inexcusable. Players .should remember that it is no greater hardship to learn a. good method than a bad one, and the advantages accruing are immeasurable. No pass is more' accurate and effective or quicker than the low, two-handed pass from the hip. It reaches the. objective with a high degree; of certainty and can as .snre'y he taken hip-high by a player at top speed. In Saturday’s game, well-meant attacks repeatedly failed through a back having to check his speed and wait for a high pass to descend. Proficiency in this direction may easily be attained by a wliol;e; team if more attention were paid to passing runs instead of the aimless “kickahouts” usually indulged in and erroneously de sign a te d “practi c e s. ’ ’ Since his return from the Maori team’s tour of England and France, Ealwa.sse.i- has given shining examples of the art of correct passing, .'earned, without doubt, in team lessons which form one of the almost daily essentials of a touring team. Eltham and Inglewood backs will learn a lot when they meet Fahvasser, bub there is no mason- why they should not get a bit of practice in the meantime. The- gnme- on Saturday calls for little comment. Inglewood possessed a slightly better scrummaging pack than their opponents, to which fact may be ascribed their two trios —the _ only actual scores of the match. This superiority gave the homo backs the. greater share- of handling# opportunities, and had the passing and taking been in or.-?- accurate so would their scores have been, greater. Cdntts, at full-back, gave a good exhibition of defensive powers. and kicked with judgment. Ross brothers, in the threequarter line, showed surprising pace, and the ability to .see and grasp an eonortnmt” as o”'el.-1v as presented. Fletcher and f>. McKay, in -the fiveeights positions, and Gudgeon at half,

were a good medium of transference from the isar-um, and kept Eltham busy. The forwards were an even lot in loose- and line-out work, and Roberts and S. Chard (hookers) proved their worth by -securing possession in the ratio of about five to three scrummages. A. Chard was a success as rover. Tin.; Eltham team was very little inferior to Inglewood collectively and individually, the only apparent disparity being a dearth of speedy opportunists, such as the Ross brothers in Inglewood’s team. As a matter of fact, the Black and Whites enjoyed quit© as- many bursts of expectancy as did their adversaries, but failed to push home the -advantages to the scoring ,stage. With the single- exception of Gernhoeffer, who was at times inclined to allow his eagerness to assume a suspicion of hard play, tb" mediocrity of the hacks was very marked. Much the same can he said of the forwards, only the two Pepperells and Guy, an acquisition from the Okainwa Club, being consistently prominent. Referee H. C. Johnson, of Stratford, handled a somewhat drab and uneventful contest in a masterly manner.