RUGBY SIDELIGHTS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 231, 16 September 1935, Page 8

RUGBY SIDELIGHTS

NOTES AND COMMENT Points in Saturday’s Games NELSON’S FREAK KICK Though territorially Celtic held the advantage against Technical Old Boys, the latter deserved their victory by reason of their better type of play. The ex-collegians played a good all round game, backs and forwards combining excellently, and it was this factor that turned the scales in their favour, for the Celtic forwards certainly were on the job despite the absence of Laurie Hannigan, their star forward.

Peter Smith was the best forward in the Barry Cup game in Wairoa but competition for the honour was keen.

Hastings Old Boys’ decline was continued against Hastings, the ex-students again lacking the vitality to keep up the going for over an hour.

Apart from their kicking, neither Simon or Brown, the full-backs in the < 'eltic-Technical Old Boys game, was impressive, both showing a disinclination to get down to real stop-rushing.

The two leading hookers Skittrup and Kelly, were opposed to each other in the Celtic-Technical Old Boys game and the honours went to the former in the first spell but to the latter after the interval.

All five tries scored in the MaristPirate game were of the kind that one remembers for years and the crowd were vociferous in their approval of each one.

Only one factor kept Hastings from scoring a comfortable victory and that was the tackling of Hastings Old Boys. Hastings proved to be a better all-round team and fully deserved their win.

Wairoa successfully defended the Barry Cup against the onslaught of East Coast last Saturday, the final score being 14 to 5 in the holders favour.

Grace, Pirates five-eighth, threw out execrable passes but as if recognising his weakness he generally managed to back up and retrieve them, still, many good chances were ruined by his failure.

Dreadfully earnest were the Pirate and Marist fifteens on McLean Park last Saturday and the public were just as much engrossed, relieving their feelings with terrific bursts of cheering at the exciting titbits provided.

The Celtic forwards played a splendid game as a pack, their drives up the centre of the field taking a lot of stopping. Had they continued with these instead of handing over the ball to the backs, they might easily have beaten the opposition.

“Tut” Geddis did little to help his side with his free kicks. Instead of punting with the idea of “up and under” he sent the ball too far downfield and so gave the opposition plenty of time to gain possession.

Gross carelessness on the part of Simon in not making sure that he placed the ball opposite the mark was responsible for Referee Graham disallowing the goal kicked late in the second spell.

Undeterred by the fact that there was but a handful of spectators for the early game at Nelson Park, Hastings, the standard of play turned on by Hastings and Hastings Old Boys was good, the game being bright and interesting with plenty of action.

The palm for a “freak” kick will go to Nelson, of Hastings, on the effort against Hastings Old Boys on Saturday. The kick was taken from a difficult angle and the ball struck the f*r upright, bounced on to the cross-bar, and rebounded against the near upright before going behind the posts for a goal.

Maori All Blacks were present in pro. fusion for the Barry Cup dispute in Wairoa, the holders producing Charlie and Peter Smith and H. Mataira. East Coast had Kershaw, Reedy and H. Harrison while George Nepia, still suffering leg and rib injuries, looked on from the side line.

The Rugby championship is becoming hopelessly involved and if the series is continued next Saturday there is a good prospect of Celtic losing again, due to Simon and Townsend being absent with the Colts. Tech, will be embarassed too with three away on taur. Meanwhile Pirates are climbing the ladder fast.

There was a wild yell of appreciation from the crowd at the Lambton road ground, Wairoa, when Charlie Smith broke clear with the ball tucked snugly beneath his arm. Stepping high, he careered along the touch line with opponents bouncing off in all directions and the try was but a natural sequence, later he obliged with an encore.

The packed grandstand handed out a great “hand” to Havelock North as they left the field victorious over Napier Old Boys, even the players in the adjoining game calling a halt for a brief period to add their congratulations to the Villagers on gaining their first win of the season.

The fourth grade final between Hastings and Napier High School played at McLean Park, Napier, proved an even and interesting game. Hastings held the advantage in the forwards and School in the backs, but the latter found the visitors deadly tacklers. In winning Hastings repeated last year’s performance of annexing the fourth grade club championship.

Wright’s right! Both Technical Old Boys and Hastings had a member of the Wright family on one wing and each was responsible for a good performance. The ex-collegian representative gained two tries, and though the first might have been doubtful it was not for the want of dash, a characteristic that was manifested in plenty by both the representatives.

“That’ll be the end of him!” e«i mented a side-line critic when Brow of Technical Old Boys, missed his fir free kiek post’s against Celtic.

few minutes he confounded the critic by a splendid goal from . diflleulf*asgle, following this up with a real gem of a goal close to the usually adopted for the initial kick

and then put over a wonderful conversion—eight points all gained with remarkable kicking before the interval was called

Marist exercised a territorial advantage over Pirates, but just could not finish the job properly.

A fine penalty goal off Webb’s boot was an early epic, but this was forgotten when he missed a sitter a few minutes later.

Jack O’Brien made some great breaks for Marist and from one of these the ball went out to O’Rourke with the opposition all at sea and the try was a foregone conclusion.

Fielding a rolling ball at top speed, Ireland, Marist, passed infield to Exeter, who burst across to put the greens three up in their game with Pirates. The lead up to this try was an overhead kick by Fulton that fell in a wide, open space.

Russell (Pirates) paved the way for a great try by Patchett, who, receiving in midfield, fled goalwards and overcame the threatened opposition of opposing wing three-quarters and fullback by making a detour, a very simple feat if one has pace, and Patchett has it to burn.