RUGBY GLEANINGS

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 13 September 1930, Page 10

RUGBY GLEANINGS

FIELD AND SIDELINE EANFUELY SHIELD WELLINGTON'S .FOURTH TERM Wellington’s victory over Southland I last* week marks" the fourth o-ecasion || on which' the former union has obtain- || od possession of the Ranfurly Shield j and the second on which Wellington | has taken the trophy from Southland. The first win secured by Wellington was by the defeat, of Auckland in 1-904, but the northern team regained the trophy in the following season, and. it was not until 191(4, (when Wellington defeated Taranaki, that it'again went to the capital city. iSix years later, in ]«2O, Wellington took the shield on tour and lost it to Southland, lout regained t, in the following season, only to lose it to Hawke’s 'Bay in, l'OdS. || Commencing the 1)930 season with its | 18 —M victory over Taranaki in: July, | Wellington, which meets Hawke’s Hay | to-day. has so far been unbeaten. Five | notably good- wins—those against the | British team, Auckland, Otago, South- | land, and Canterbury—stand to' the JJ | credit of Wellington, which is on perJ «formanees entitled 1 to hold tlrel ffia,nI furly Shield as the sign of i ßugby su- — (premacy in the 'Dominion.

GAMER SINCE 1904. ■Since the Ranfurly Shield wa awarded to Auckland in 1'902- ther have been 104 matches' played for it The -first was' whom Wellington- dial longed in. 1904. and won o—Well0 —Well in.gton. successfully diefende'tL ag-ains challenging sides from Canterbury am Otago, and in the next year also stave* off challenges from Wairarapa am Hawke’s Ray. Auckland, however, re gained the trophy by .winning its mated by 10 points to 6. For eight years Auckland retainer • possession of the shield, playing in al 26 challenge matches, before losing ii ■l9l-3 to Taranaki in the 27th game During that time several sides cairn near victory. 'Wellington drew '3 l al in. .1910 and Otago drew 5 all in 1912 while Wanganui in 1907 and Taranak: in. 1912 and Wellington in. 1913 were beaten only by scores of 6 to 5. Tara Iraki was the first, .side to. succeed ir breaking the chain of victories, and won a challenge match in 1913 by 11 points to 11. Having successfully defended five challenges in 1914, Taranaki lost tilt shield to Wellington in a game played , at Stratford. Wellington winning bv ] 12 points to 6. I From this* time on to HUP the war j prevented further matchesi 'being playI ed. Iu; that year, however, Wellington beat. Canterbury’- twice- —once- at Christchurch and once at Wellington—Taranaki, Auckland, and 'Wanganui. In 1920 Wellington had -a. big list, of representative fixtures, and played 1.1 shield matches. lit won games against Canterbury, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki (at Hawera), -Hawke’s Bay, Auckland (at Auckland), Taranaki again, Wanganui and Auckland again. Then it. took the shield on tour in the South Island, and boat. South 'Canterbury and ' Otago. Ir, met its Waterloo when it played Southland, however, the .southern. team winning by I'7 points to 0. aiid thus gaining the distinction of being the first South Island team' 'to have the shield. f When Southland brought the. shield on tour in 1/92,1, however, Wellington won its challenge match 'by 28 points' to 13, -and! later beat Auckland and Otago ini the remaining! shield matchesthat year. In 1922, .however, (Hawikelsi ©ay came to light with a splendid! team and won the first shield match of the season. Until T92i7 no team eouldJ be found Jto beat the Bay, though several gave I the holders a good “run for their money.” Wellington challenged in 1923 and lost 6 —lo, in* which game all the Bay’s points came from goal-kick-ing, while Wellington scored two tries. Wellington’s next challenge was in 1925, the match being played on Athletic- Park with Hawke’s IBay’s consent. Again the Bay proved too good, winning by 20 points' to 11, and' in the following year Wellington, was completely “licked” by 58 points to 8. During its four seasons of success prior to its first game of the 1927 season, Hawke’s Bay was successful in 25 i games for the shield and against Wai--1 rarapa in 1926 made the record tally of 77 points to 14. In 1927 Wairarapa won the shield from Hawke’s Bay, which side won a second match In the year, but lost the shield on a protest. The same year, however, Manawhenua played a game out of the box and won the trophy from Wairarapa, only to lose it to Canterbury. The following year Wairarapa went down to Christchurch and again won its match, then holding the trophy against Wellington in a hard match, which Wellington lost 3—9. In 1929 Wairarapa staved off challenges from Hawke’s Bay, Auckland, Manawhenua and Canterbury, but to everyone’s surprise lost it to Southland in the last match of the season. Now the trophy is in Wellington again. TARANAKI TURNED DOWN Taranaki anticipated that Wellington i would have the Ranfurly Shield, and - telegraphed to the New Zealand asking that the match with Wellington on September 27 should be a shield game, if the trophy happened to be in Wellington. It is oift of the rules of the Ranfurly Shield contests, however, that no challenges shall be accepted after August 31 of each year, and while this Title | may be unfortunate from Taranaki’s point of view—and there is little doubt but that Wellington would be agreeable to play for the trophy—it is not diffi- ! cult to see that some definite date must be named after which no challenges may bo accepted. STAR SHIELD PLAYERS Wellington is the fourth team to hold the Ranfurly Shield that A. E. Cooke has played for—first Auckland, then Hawke’s Bay, then Wairarapa, and now Wellington. Cooke was the star player rn the Wairarapa side last year, and he arid Mill, as they did in, the Hawke’s Bay side, formed a very dangerous com-

lunation, as many visiting sides found to their cost. Cooke went to Wellington early this season, too late to be included in the side to play the British ream, and has captained the H'utt side during the season. Kef erring to what he calls the "pre-sent-day tactics of A. E. Cooke," a South African writer says:— "It is 1 reported that lie kicks over the heads of his opponents and by fleet following of ttie ball, secures possession again or else tackles the defender, ball and all, for the forwards to sweep it further downfleld. Cooke is described is ‘uncannily accurate’ in his kicking, and it is said that scientific kicking, combined with fast following forwards, won many matches for Wairarapa during the tune Cooke was there. He has now gone to live in Wellington, where it may ire expected that Ins club team will develop a style of back play of its iwii." . BRITISH. TEACH OOIN-G- STATE ? ‘With one game—that against Victoria to-day-—remaining to complete the itinerary, this British. Rugby team in, Australia has wen. three and lost two games and recorded! 92 points against 74 registered by their opponents. After the decisive win against New South Wales in the. opening game and the defeat of the Australian fifteen last Saturday, the reverse suffered at the hands of New South Wales on Wednesday was totally unexpected. As indicated by the, cabled report, the touring side was much below form and made but feeble attempts to compare with the dash of their quick moving opponents. iStaleness at the close of their memorable tour of New Zealand and Australia, in »which, particularly during their 21 games in the Dominion, the visitors gave many brilliant exhibitions of the code, possibly accounts for their dismal failure against N.S.W. on 'Wednesday. The record of games in Australia is as follows: — Aug. 23—v. N.S.W., won 29—10. Aug. 30 —v. Australia, lost d—6. Sept. 3—v. Queensland, won 26—16. Sept. 6 —v. Australian XV. won 29—14. Sept. TO —v. N.S.W., lost, 3 —28. AUSTRALIA IN SOUTH AFRICA?

According to a writer in a Capo Town paper the South Africans are expecting some hard games if the Australian fifteen accepts the invitation extended to tour South Africa in 193.1. After giving details of the Australian performances against the All Blacks in 192h c lie proceeds:— “Altogether, then, it seems clear enough that the Waratahs are formidable players. Whether we shall see Tommy Lawton is doubtful. The famous fly-half, whom I saw play one or two games for Oxford University in his early playing days, must be. nearing the age of retirement from big football. Rather tall and of stature like T. tt. Ostler, Lawton had a wonderfully accurate pair of hands, and everything ho did bore the mark of a first-class Rugby player and tactician. Individually lie was an exceptionally hard man to tackle and was able to cut through a defence in almost regular fashion. Of some of the other Australian giants, we- may pos sib'ly'see the fine full-back. Ross. Their half-back, too, Malcolm, appeared to be in rare form according to a recent report.”

; EFFICIENT SOLE SELECTOR Wellington lias had the most successful season, of all provinces this year. It is an unbeaten side and there is every prospect of it seeing the remaining three matches through without defeat (states “Five-eighth'’ in the “Dominion”). Included in its victories is the memorable one against the British team at Athletic Park on June o, when every man played as one inspired, and it lias added to its laurels by successively defeating Taranaki at Hawera, Auckland (by one point only, but still a victory and a fully deserved one), Otago, Southland and Canterbury.

Five players were included in various Test teams against the British side — Porter, M. Nicholls, McLean, Oliver and Cooke, the latter two players com- ] ing to this city after the season had been in progress for, some time. There has been a wealth of talent available and it must be admitted that there are quite a number of players who are not in the representative team simply because only fifteen men are required and someone has to be left out. The solo selector, Mr .1. IST. Millard, has done his job well—and Ins work is apt to be over-looked in the excitement that follows the team’s victories. Younger players lidve received chances to show what they could do and in many cases their claims have been recognised, with the result that the final team chosen has been an exceedingly suitable blend of fi’esh blood and experience.

POSTER AVAILABLE AGAIN It is very satisfactory to know that C. G. Porter will be available for some if not all of the remaining representative fixtures (states the “Dominion”). There is no wing-forward in Wellington with such a knowledge of the game and possessing such a sense of anticipation as Porter, though Price, of Eastbourne, is certainly a good wing-for-ward. Porter, Barry and McLean have [formed one of the most dangerous forward combinations that has been seen

in action this season, and their natural aptitude for getting away in swift, unexpected rushes would he a telling asset, against such strong teams as tlTo Wairarapa and Taranaki provinces will he sending to Wellington this month.

UN-LUCKY SOBEY Few happier bands of sportsmen have over been seen here than the British Rugby Union tourists (says a Sydney paper). They are becoming known for their smiles alone. But' there is one member of the party who, although ho .joins in all the fun, has every reason to la; a. bit dejected at times. He is W. H. Sobey, the half-back. In his lirst appearance in New Zealand Sobey injured a cartilege, and that accident has kept him out of all matches since. It is unfortunate, as Sobey and Spong, the live-eighth, have developed what is said to be one of the finest combinations ever seen on a Rugby held. Sobey goes everywhere with the team, md when they visited Tattcrsall’s Club i ic was one of the first into the swim- j ning pool.