RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 4 September 1915, Page 3

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Tne final .for the Junior Championship between Kaponga and Clifton* defended on Thursday at Elthaiu just about j'ung down the curtain. oh Tanmaki' football this season. The- match was well contested and "apparently was in the main decided by Kaponga forwards who generally kept the play close. and took tull advantage of their weight and strength. Clifton were a much lighter team and- had a very fair back team. They were, however, handicapped sorely through being behind a pack who could not hold up against their opponents. On the few occasions on which they got moving they shaped fairly well. Speaking generally the season has been as was expected, not brilliant. Hawera with a better ' back team than .they have had for some years, performed well, and really deserved their championship honors. In their matches with Kaponga the backs were the deciding factor. In the last of the three played, the margin between victory and defeat was extremely narrow. Only the stubbornest of defence by the backs kept the vigorous, dashing forwards of Kaponga from scoring. Hawera forwards' quite evidently had not trained as they might. Enlistments enacted heavy toll among the teams. In the early part of the season Waimate were almost denuded of senior players and had to scratch in several of their matches. \t is fine to think they responded ssto t well ; better still .had they also been able to keep their fixtures. Later oil /the other teams also suffered badly arid the ranks of the recruits have been considerably increased therefrom. ■:■ ' '. ;^' ; ."-. . '■/ • :=--y'■-■'.. />:;;<:\:; .... .. Okaiawa did not enter' a senior /team for the season. It wasj' cher.efore-some-what surprising to find when the teams lined out that quite a number of Okai- I awa seniors - were , playing in other teams. ■ V j The inter-College . tournament was played last week. Wellington, by beating Christ's College and Wanganui, secured the premier position. Wellington have had the very great advantage of the coaching of Mr T. Brodie, a former Wellington rep. and one of the College masters for some years.