RUGBY FOOTBALL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 233, 14 September 1934, Page 15

RUGBY FOOTBALL

THE SHIELD MATCH Comment on the Play TRADITION OF JUBILEES (By "Omni.”) On McLean Park, Napier, last Saturday the Auckland provincial fifteen won the second game of tho season, but being the most important of the series no doubt northern enthusiasts will forgive all previous shortcomings in the thrill, and one that they not experienced for 21 years, of possession of the Banfurly Shield . Tradition in Jubilee games has been established already and those provincial unions that have yet to celebrate their 50 years of existence should fight shy of playing a cup fixture on their great day. Last winter Auckland chose as their May of celebration the date of their annual game with Wellington and the latter showed their appreciation of the compliment by handing out a terrific, walloping to their hosts’ representatives. Last Saturday was the day of the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union’s Jubilee and again the hosts were defeated.

Many and varied are the excuses that have, during the week, been advanced as the reason for the Bay defeat, but in actual fact the lack of ability of Evans and Bradley on the day as goal-kickers was the primary cause. A contributing factor, too, was the loss of the toss aud Auckland, with a pronounced wind advantage, used it to the utmost for the first 15 minutes of play. During this period the brilliance of Caughey and Hedge was fully exploited- and the excellence of Heazlewood as a goal kicker made the outlook blue for followers of the home side.

Referee R. Paton, who on looks appeared to have wintered well, caused an early sensation by penalising Hadley, the All Black hooker, in the first scrummage and repeated the penalty several times during tho first half. There is no doubt that Haxl'ley employs methods for hooking that are distinctly at variance with the laws of the game. His principal offence is his attempt to hook the ball before it is fairly in the scrum and at times his foot was advanced to -the extreme side of the scrum on which the ball was put in. However, he is a very skilful hooker without breaking the laws of the game.

Great interest was manifested in the appearance of Hedge, the Auckland five-eighth prodigy and first impressions led one to believe that be had not been over-rated. The best of him was seen in the first fifteen minutes’ play and after that he disappeared from prominence. He is reported as being just 18 years of age but "Omni” hazards the view that he is entitled to have his name on the electoral roll. Probably, too, he has finished growing and his diminutive stature will always prove a handicap. Certainly he has speed and in scoring the second try exhibited great elusiveness but he later on revealed' great defensive weaknesses and is further handicapped by his inability to kick with both feet.

Caughey, too, exhibited great speed and this he demonstrated when he scored Auckland’s first try, by running across the Bay rearguard and reaching the goal line. The All Black played very shallow and attempts to get the ball out to Smith and Apsey, on the wings, were effectually stopped 1 by him grabbing Evans ball and all. Auckland’s Weakness.

The great weakness in the Auckland defence was close to the scrum and it was through here that Hawke’s Bay scored two of their tries. Apsey engineered the first, giving as neat an exhibition of side-stepping as has been seen in the Bay for a long while. Having pierced the defence ho made sure by handing out a perfect pass to Rolls, who, by the way, has scored quite a batch of triers through following the Hastings boy. In the second half Smith making the first in tho line took the ball from Clothier at the base of a scrum and went straight through. There was a stampede by the Auckland backs to get out of Smith’s way; none of them appeared to want anything to do with him in fact. It was surprising that this weakness in the Auckland defence was not more often exploited by the Bay team. Corner handed the ball out well to his supports nnd had one go on his own from which Bush scored Auckland’s third try. Measured "With the All Black halves of previous years he fails to come nn to tho test, however. The other Auckland back to impress was HeazJewood. who kicked four goals in succession and incidentally won the Shield for his Union. Tn 1929 Heazlewood playing for 'Wellington against Hawke's Bay at McLean Bark, performed a similar feat, the only points registered that day for Wellington. In his general play be does everything well unless pressed by the opposition. With a 12 point lead at half-time it was to be expected that Auckland would endeavour to tighten play in the second half, and this they did with fairlv successful results. Tt wns sur-

prising to find Hawke’s Bay assisting Auckland in this direction for long periods. During the last 45 minutes of play Knight did valuable work in closing the play up, and with Pepper, Pearce and Bush were the pick of the Auckland forwards. H. McLean, described in Australia as the best of the All Black forwards, was very subdued. The Bay Players. For Hawke’s Bay Tori Reid appeared to be out to prove to Mr Ned Parata, who was present, the injustice that had been done him in not including him in the New Zealand Maori team. He was the outstanding forward on the ground, and he was unfortunate in not being awarded a try mid-way through the second half, after a verydetermined dash—the referee a long way from the scene awarding a tackle in goal. Steere came next, and I shall bo surprised if both are not included in this year’s North Island fifteen.

Mataira did good work too, but he committed a great error in allowing Hedge to slip through his arms to score. Rolls at this instant appeared to be missing too. It has been written that Hadley obtained the ball at will for Auckland in the set scrummages, but in actual fact his superiority was not so pronounced, and on two 'occasions the Bay scored tries from feet scrums. Dalton has made pronounced strides in the art of hooking, and although not yet of Hadley’s class as a hooker is far ahead of the Aucklander as a forward. Tho ball, as previously mentioned, never reached the wings, and realising the fact Clothier made many breaks on his own and altogether compared favourably with his vis-a-vis.

Bradley and Evans were not very prominent, the latter not relishing tho close attention of Caughey. For onco Vartan was not his usual reliable self, and an early eye injury did not assist him. This injury appeared to be the result of a blow from a fist; in fact, some of the visitors relied too much on this method of, shall we say, attack. Ono shudders to think of the uproar they would create in Dunedin. Both Apsey and Smith made the most of limited opportunities, aud with Le Quesne were the best of the Bay rearguard. There will be no more Ranfurly Shield games this winter, but signs are not wanting that North Auckland and Waikato will be in very early next season, and Waikato should prove to be redoubtable claimants. Hawke’s Bay, too, tour north next winter, playing Wanganui, Taranaki and Auckland, but due to the All Black trials there will be no prospect of arranging the tour before the end of August. Should Auckland still retain the trophy then, no doubt Hawke’s Bay will enter a challenge.

The American golf professionals are always on the look-out for schemes to interest members. One has been doing quite well with a birdie tournament, the prizes appropriately enough being turkeys and chickens.

The victory celebration ceremony, while customary in Olympic and Empire events, was something new to English spectators at the recent British Empire Games. The first three runners past the tape mount a white platform on which are painted the figures ], 2, 3. Cameras click, and as the band strikes up the runners do a smart right turn toward the Union Jack as it goes soaring up the mast.

L. Hill, one of the best rdad cyclists in New Zealand, arrived in Melbourne last month to prepare for the Centenary Thousand race. Hill won the Australian and New Zealand 100-mile championship in 1932 and he has won all New Zealand championships up to 50 miles. Last year he won the one mile track, championship of New Zealand, Hill will probably join the Prahran-South Yarra Club. Another New Zealand champion, H. Watson, will arrive in Melbourne at the end of September. Watson has some remarkable performances to his credit and he is one of the favourites for the Thousand.

Some of the world’s greatest swimmers will compete in the Centenary Games at Melbourne, the latest to accept the Victorian Amateur Swimming Association’s invitation being the Frenchman Jean Taris. His most important triumphs have been scored at middle distances, and he now holds the world’s records for 300 metres and 500 metres, in addition to having been the holder until last year of the records for 400 metres and 80(1 metres. At the Los Angeles Olympiad in 1932 Taris was beaten for the 400 metres title by fjo American Clarence Crabbe, in a stiiring finish. Taris used a curious stroke at one time, but since the Olympic Games has remodelled his action on the Japanese stylo.

Miss Wanda Morgan is a woman who asserts that the only way for a lefthander to become a golfer is to turn round aud play right-handed. That, demonstrably, is an utterly wrong view to take, ns the case of Percy Lucas, the boy champion, amply proves, comments an Australian writer. If further proof were wanted it is furnished bx the fact that a team could be selected from the 5 per cent of left-handed cricketers which would give tho other 95 almost an even game. Nevertheless, Miss Morgan holds sound views on other important points, upon which the average golf writer is profoundly ignorant.

To recover his love letters and avoid n. breach of promise suit, a multi-mil-lionaire, Harold F. McCormick has paid £50,000 or £lOOO a letter, to Mrs. Rhoda Tanner Doubleday, a New York widow, who threatened to publish his amorous epistles.