SOUTH TARANAKI RUGBY

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 28 July 1932, Page 3

SOUTH TARANAKI RUGBY

LEADERSHIP IN COMPETITION TWO SERIES OF GAMES REMAIN PROBABILITY OF PLAY-OFF. With Pa tea and Okaiawa now on level terms in the South Taranaki senior Rugby championship the competition has reached its most interesting stage this season, and with only two more games to be decided a playoff will most likely be necessary to decide the southern honours. Judging from the standard of the other fixtures on Saturday neither team is likely to again be beaten, but the possibility of a surprise win is always likely.

WAIMATE v. OPUNAKE TEAMS BELOW FORM. DISPLAY LACKS INTEREST. In a slow, uninteresting game at Opunake, Waimate emerged the winners by six points to three. Neither team put much dash into its play, and very little back play was attempted. Whenever the. 'bLue and black backs did. start a passing rush Hill never seemed to be able to take a pass, dropping the ball and thus spoiling what might have been a good movement. The remaining backV all played soundly, but never got properly warmed up. The Opunake team lacks good backs, especially the second fiveeighth line and centre. Spence and Malcolm, on the wings, put a bit more dash into their play than their inside mates. Murfit and Harvey, who are both forwards, played well considering they were not in their right positions. Casey, at half, was . the best of the green, hacks. The two packs were evenly matched, both getting an equal share of the ball in the lineouts and scrums. In the loose Opunake were slightly ahead of their opponents.

SPECTACULAR DISPLAY PA TEA VERSUS OKAIAWA. CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERS BEATEN. Intense excitement prevailed at Patea on Saturday during the game against Okaiawa and the crowd was easily the largest that has attended the Domain this Season. Spectacular Rugby was played by both teams, but the margin of seven points in favour of Patea (winners by 11 points to 4) was regarded as a fair estimate of one team’s superiority over the other. Cautiousness on the part of the visitors was overdone in the opening stages, when their opponents rushed away to the line and maintained a vigorous attack. Murdoch (the Okaiawa full-back) was depended upon 'largely for his sound judgment and safe kicking and stopped each offensive until Okaiawa took stock of their aggressors. The "forwards went to work with a will and the backs gave every 'support, but there was not the same co-ordination as between the Patea forwards and backs. The pack men were the driving force and covered considerable territory in line-out work, the backs providing the finishing touches with clever footwork. Taken all round, the passing was weak and only one really good movement in which the ball travelled along the whole line was staged. Penalties were awarded freely, but the kicking at goal, usually at difficult angles, was fruitless, the ball either passing to right or left of the uprights and falling short. The ball was shared with equal success in set serums, although the 'Okaiawa formation of 3-3-2 did not meet with a great deal of approval. Patea played 3-4-1 in the scrum and the back man, Richards, played a dashing game, as did Wills, Baldwin and Robinson. Gudgeon, at half, provided an effective link with the five-eighths, J. Crawford and P. Bourke, who repeated their previous week’s performance, at Manaia in playing right up to form. Petersen, full-back, was a stone wall on defence, while Paterson, Edwards and Grotty all played well and with perfect understanding of one another’s movements. Petersen did not have much success with his goal kicking. As usual, the Okaiawa vanguard made considerably more use of their opportunities and solid tackling was responsible for the stopping .of a number of fash rushes initiated suddenly by Patea. The quickness with which defence was turned to attack was surprising, the venue of the game changing rapidly from one end of the field to the other. Edwards (half) initiated the visitors’ only score (a field goal) when he passed to Ngaia, who dropped the ball over the crossbar with a great kick. The five-eighths, Johnston and T. Robinson, were well smothered by their opponents. The win for Patea places both teams on an equal footing for the championship, with Kaponga one point behind.

ATHLETIC v. ELTHAM

NEITHER TEAM AT STRENGTH

DISAPPOINTING GAME RESULTS

The Atliletic-Eltham game was by no means an inspiring exhibition and, particularly in the first spell, it was decidedly ragged. The main feature of the match was Athletic’s second spell recovery after being five points down, 21 points being run up after the change-over. Neither team was at full strength and both combinations were unsettled. On the run of the play Eltham, having the territorial advantage for the major portion of the match, should have compiled a larger score, hut hesitancy and uncertain last minute handling nullified repeated efforts. . The Eltham forwards secured their share of the hall and made numerous openings for the hacks, but the rearguard, through erratic and loose passing. lost chances time and again. Athletic’s win was largely due to the enternrising ability of Morrissey. Dowdle and Smith, who capitalised the mistakes of their onponents to score several tries, and to the kicking ability of Morrissey and Tuki. Morrissey took full advantage of the fact that, the magpie back line played too openly and made two spectacular in-

terceptions, both resulting in tries, while Dowdle and Smith adopted similar tactics. Athletic’s opportunism was the deciding factor of the game rather than a standard of play, which at times was well below senior form.

KAPONGA’S EASY WIN

POOR GOAL KICKING

TEN, UNCONVERTED TRIES

The Kaponga-Hawera match was probably one of the most peculiar played in the southern division this season.' There is no doubt that the smashing attacks of the Kaponga, forwards, the confident handling of the hacks and the advantage of a particularly glaring sun in the; first half combined to bring about the defeat of Hlawera by 30 points) to 8. The astonishing part of the game was that of the ten tries scored by Ka.ponga none was converted, although several were in easy positions and, of those ten tries, only three were the result of combined play. The remainder resulted from individual opportunism and an unaccountable lethargy on the part of the Haiwera defence. Tries tried for were not. scored, while points came from most unexpected movements.

The igem of the day was the only try by Hlawera, and was the result of clever play by_ Brown, Ekdahl and West and a splendid straight run by Clement. Williams was not called upon often during the game O. Paterson, Hall and M. Paterson made, a dashing threequarter line, (but the best back was, Undoubtedly, Ormiston, who made many openings and Showed plenty of initiative. Whalen played a good, solid game, hut Chlf was often "slow behind the scrum. Off the forwards I<\ Gargon, Sutton, Gardner and G. Cliff shone individually at times, hut it would be unfair to otherwise discriminate in this redoubtable pack. Bishop again had to retire at halftime and the reshuffling of the Hawera backs Was to the team’s advantage in consequence. The junior player, Campbell , was no match for C. Paterson, and was happier playing behind Hunter. The latter played one of his best games to date and was often noticeable in sparkling isolo efforts, but lie was only indifferently supported, with the effect that the good openings lie made wore lost. West stood up to the hard forward work surprisingly well and quite retrieved Inis apimrent weakness shown against Patea. The rest of the backs, with the exception of Hammond, gave a mediocre display and their tackling in the first spell was deplorable. Clement was easily the best of the’ Hawera pa'ck. Murphy, Hines and Holloway also put in some good work.