RUGBY SIDELIGHTS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 125, 13 May 1935, Page 8

RUGBY SIDELIGHTS

NOTES AND COMMENTS Points in Saturday’s Games MARISTS TACTICS FAIL Teams were evenly matched for the fourth series of matches in the H.8.8.U. senior club eliauipionship competition played at Hastings and.sapier on Saturday afternoon and the results of the various games continued the levelling process in so far as leadership of the competition is concerned.

Bereft of their Jive-eighth line, Hannan having joined Hie ucnedicis and Brian Maliuney nursing an injured leg, Marists had to re-organise tneir rearguard and the change was not all to Hie good so fur as attack was concerned for the line lacked thrust.

At no stage of the Marist-M.A.C. game did the Napier side ligure prominently on the attack. Having estuolished a lead of one point in toe first few minutes of the game they were content to “sit back’’ and rely entirely upon defensive tactics. They exploited touchfinding to the full and very nearly pulled off the honours.

To use a golling term, a “local rule’’ was introduced to the confusion of the spectators at Nelson Park, Hastings, on Saturday when the captains of M.A.C. and Maiists agreed to use the second ball only when the ball in play was kicked over the grandstand.

“Dropitis” broke out as an epidemic at Neison Park, Hastings, where throughout the afternoon several attempts were made to gather in four points, only two were successful. Edgar Apsey put over the first of the season in the early game to give Hastings Old Boys a goal and on the same area in a later game Benson (Marists) repeated the feat. The failures were by no means confined to backs.

Palmer, ex-Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay representative, has forsaken Hastings, and turned out on Saturday for Hastings Old Boys.

Hat O’Brien failed to secure a point ou Saturday but for all that he gave a demonstration of his tremendous kicking. In the first spell he lacked only direction in a drop-kick taken from well past the quarterway and then opened the second spell by propelling the bull from the kick-o.it so that it landed, on the full, near the dead-ball line.

Tory Reid was again outstanding for M.A.C. and he harrassed Marists in great style. There was no better forward, or pack leader, on the ground than Reid.

It was not a particularly pleasant scene that was enacted during the interval of the Celtic-Hastings game when the Celtic captain and the leferee “bandied’’ words.

With only a quarter of an hour to go there was every likelihood of two hitherto undefeated teams being defeated. However, each side rallied well and M.A.C. surmounted their obstacle to beat Marists and Celtic came to light to share the honours with Hastings.

Despite being placed on the outer area Hastings and Celtic provided a good game. Indeed compared with the previous fixtures on the. same area in the earlier series, the game was easily the best this season.

Nelson, Hastings centre, continues to give a good account of himself. He has been very consistent this season in his displays.

Ten points, all gained per medium of the boot, and all in the first spell, gave Hastings Old Boys victory against the Villagers in the early game at Hastings. In the second spell the Villagers gave a good account of themselves, the forwards developing into a solid pack of worriers.

Havelock North have every reason to bo pleased that Hastings Old Boys, one of the most versatile teams in the competition, failed to cross the Village goal-line, except by way of goals.

The services of Bangi Joll behind the pack were sadly missed by Havelock North against Hastings Old Boys for ho would have welcomed playing behind a winning pack for once.

Vartan played a great game as fullback for Hastings Old Boys and showed no little initiative. He was responsible for the best solo effort of the match when he collected the ball from near his owu goal-line and set off on an excursion that took him right up to the opposing line.

“Leave that boy alone,” shouted a Maori woman supporter in threatening tones to a Marist player when he tackled the M.A.C. full-back just as he kicked the ball. Had the player heard this remark no doubt he would not have gone near the full-back again, for the supporter certainly sounded in earnest.

The time could not go slowly enough for the M.A.C. supporters while their team was one point behind and there were many inquiries as to how much longer there was to go. But when the Maoris were four points up their supporters experienced the same feelings as Hawke’s Bay followers did in the game with Wellington in 1933. The clock could not tick fast enough, and there were still inquiries after, the lime—-but these inquiries were to discover if time was not yet up. Every minute seemed an hour.

Necessity is the mother of invention: Alan Lopdell on Saturday for Pirates gave an excellent display at full-back, scorning to wait for n bouncing ball, he at times took it on the full going at top speed. Previously he has played as a forward.

Tech. Old Boys lost to H. 5.0.8. chiefly through the failure of their rearguard to turn to good account the numerous chances offered tluem.

Kurupo, Eskview, made many piercing runs against Pirates out g-ucrally he was unsupported. Ou one occasion, however, Ivan SmiUi trailed him and got a try for his trouble.

Grace, Pirates, figured in the junior curtain-raiser and then helped the seniors straight utter, proving a reliable centre, and an elusive one, too.

Tech.’s solitary try was worth three points, the leau-up being a forward rush and then a ruck from which issued forth Dalton running like u quarter-back. With the goal-line in sight he was irresistible.

The attendance at McLean Park was definitely pro-Tcch. and the boys in grey could do no wrong—not that they didn’t, but when H. 5.0.8. offended there was uproar. There is a danger of Tech, becoming spoiled darlings.

Loose play at half-way was the pre 1-Jde to the H. 5.0.8 tiy, where Max Miller fielded a bouncing ball and threw out to Bradley, to Palmer who made great headway and then to Brooks who sped down the touch-line evading tackles and so across the line in the corner, from where Shirreffs goale.d. It' was the best five-pointer seen on the Park this season.

Napier Old Boys tried the 2—3—-2 scrum against Tech, but their front rankers were uot provided with fish hooks and the Tech, three, having the loose head always, won the ball all day.

The cares of captaincy weigh heavily on J. Pirates, and it is affecting his effectiveness as forward.

Jack Le Ouesene, Eskview, has struck form and against Pirates he looked for work and for his side we will say there was plenty to do.

Petersen, Tech. Old Boys, first five, could have done with a telephone on Saturday to call up Hauler, the second five, who stood flat footed and too far away from the set scrams.

A high ball and a tearing set of grey forwards was a combination that Hawkins, the Napier Old Boy full-back, would have nothing to do with. Ho missed the lot.

G. Keeble, Pirates, Hutton, Tech., and Craig, Napier Old Boys, were wing forwards on Saturday with Keeble the only one to do effective work, the other two were of no assistance to their sides.

M. Smith, High School, figured on the end of the three-quarter line for Eskview against Pirates and he was the most attractive of the four in the game.

Bob Keeble again hooked the ball regularly for Pirates but by the time the forwards had got their heads out of the scrum anything from 10 to 40 yards of territory had been lost, generally through five-eighths Russell's failure to accept even copper plate passes.

The seven Tech, forwards gave a splendid exhibition of massed attack against H. 5.0.8., at times brushing their heavier opponents aside like straws, but something went wrong repeatedly—it was not their lucky day.