RUGBY SIDELIGHTS

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 25 July 1935, Page 2

RUGBY SIDELIGHTS

NORTH TARANAKI GAMES OLD BOYS BACKS FAIL DEFEAT BY OKAIAWA Because their backs handled worse than a primary school team, Old Boys deserved their sound defeat by Okaiawa at Sanders Park, New Plymouth, on Saturday. It was pitiful to see most promising openings thrown away, followed by the defence being pierced without difficulty. Altogether, the back game was a fourth grade ragged display which reached its climax when one Old Boys back deliberately leapt into the air and headed the ball on the most approved soccer lines. All this went on while two packs of forwards strove to give a good Rugby exhibition. $ * ,‘ * * * The troubles of the Old Boys’ backs commenced at the base of the scrum, where Hoskin, who has given many good displays of late, spoilt the chances which his forwards gave him. *****

Galbraith was in one of those brilliant moods which seldom shows in club games, but he was not allowed to take advantage of it. Further, Galbraith was the only member of the line who combined accuracy with snap in passing. His opening in the early stages was brilliant and left the Okaiawa line, on attack up to then, gasping. ***** Although they saw less of the ball from the set scrums, the Okaiawa backs received consistently good service from their half, Hickey, who generally contented himself with accurate and crisp passing. The five-eighths showed pretty combination several times, Robinson handing the ball to P. Toro as their paths crossed, the latter running across the accepted l line of attack. While this move did not result directly in a score on any occasion, it worried the Old Boys backs and Galbraith in particular. ***** Change in Positions. .Scoring nine points for his side> P. Toro showed plenty of speed and a dazzling swerve. In the second 'half Toro went into the scrum as the loose forward and the veteran, Alec Guy, played first five-eighth, Robinson moving out to second. The wisdom of the move was doubtful, for while it gave Robinson more room for moving it robbed the attacking line of the services of Toro. * * * * *

At. centre, Awahou played a dashing game when he got the ball, which was not very often. Blair, on. one wing, showed a rare turn of speed, but he was Seldom called upon, to use it. T. Toro, on the other side, did have a run or two, but he gained little ground. Murdoch found most of his work in stopping sudden thrusts and generally he did it well, but he had little hard defensive work.

Of the. two vanguards, the Old Boys pack, although inferior in weight, played definitely better football. They worked both as a pack and. 1 as individuals, and the only department in which they did not hold their own was in the rucking play where Okaiawa had most of the ball. * * * * * The Okaiawa forwards had one advantage which frequently gained them many yards. They tossed the ball about like veterans, with Preston, Heneri, and Tippett prominent. ***** With their superior weight they occasionally pushed Old Boys off the ball ia the set scrums and they got possession from the ruck. They did not work quite so well as a unit, however, and they never packed more than seven men in the ruck. This was explained by the fact that in the first half Alec Guy could not forget the game he used to play. In the second half P. Toro played a blatant wing-forward game until Tippett was injured. Then he went into the pack and veteran Davie Johnston took the field. He put plenty of dash into his game while he was loose forward and he considerably enlivened a sluggish vanguard. ***** Combination and Speed. Tukapa’s defeat of United Old Boys on Saturday was a triumph of speed and combination among the Tear division, supported by splendid work oh the part of the vanguard. In the initial stages the Old Boys gained a slight advantage, but as soon as the blues isettled down the issue of the match never ■appeared in doubt. *****

Wallace and Brown went better together than 1 they have done on. many occasions, and this gave the threequarter line many fine opportunities. They made the most of them, and with two such speedy men in this line as G. and' J. Sullivan, the opposition had a lively time, while Gardner, on one wing, though a trifle slow in getting into his stride, is a fast man and hard to stop when once on the move. There were some smart proves and clever cutting in during the game and the two tries which came to G. Sullivan and that to J. Sullivan were the result of these, while Gardner made a great race of it for the try he scored. ***** The fact that all the four tries came from the three-quarter line men showed that the hall was getting out to them and that) they were ready for every opportunity that came their way. It was only the sound defence of the opposition that prevented them from registering a much bigger score;

On most occasions the forwards got possession of the ball from the scrums and the line-outs and Boswell got it away smartly. As a result of the very aggressive tactics Papps did not have a hard day in the full-back position, but on one occasion when he lost his balance he let the opposition through, as the mishap occurred too close to the line for the fault to be rectified either by Papps himself or any other member of the team. * * * *

Of the forwards O’Dowda and McNeill were, as usual, always in the thick of the game, but one man who came out conspicuously in the match was Kenny, who worked like a Trojan all the time. * * * * *

By No Means Disgraced. The Old Bovs side was by no means disgraced by the defeat. Indeed, they are .entitled to great credit for keeping the Tukapa score down to what might be termed modest dimensions, considering the standard of their opponents’ play on the day. Though they did not see quite so much of the ball as Tukapa, when they did get it from the scrums their heeling was much cleaner than that of the other side. Lash is a very promising half, and when he gets the ball he can. hand it out promptly, but lie had a gruelling clay on (Saturday, and did a great amount of very effective defensive work. McKenzie and Bonner went well in the fiveeighths line and did their best to set the men behind them away, but the weakness in that section was McCready, who was a little off his game, and was neither taking nor giving good passes. Cochrane and Wilmshurst played gamely, and at full-back P. Adlam was a tower of strength to his side, both in his kicking, which was. well judged, and on many occasions he literally took the ball from the toes of the opposing pack as they charged towards the goal line. *****

Among . the forwards O’Keefe, Murphy and Kofoed were the most conspicuous. The pack were up against a superior sot in their opponents, and they did well to hold them as they did. Each side suffered a casualty. Wallace had to leave the Tukapa side and he was replaced by K. Knott, and Jo replace Hughes on the other side Gertton was called upon.