RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 9 June 1923, Page 3

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Interest lias never "been ' keener ii ■the results of the contests this season smd the meeting of the leading team; iias. been enthusiastically b} large numbers oi the public, wbi> an always keen to see g-ood football. U good' form is consistently s';own th« public will always lend liberal support The meeting of. Hawera and Mtnair ■was confidently expected to be a clost struggle, but iiauam in some ,-respectE .had a day off, i hough, their forwards showed v. keen opposition to the vigorous speedy Hawera •oack. They hardly showed, however, to- the same advan-iao-e os they did against Okaiawa. Mcv Lean who has piavetl such good re .sourceful football m previous matches, • did not. except, ou occasions, show to ■anything Jike the same extent. \*ie "However, did a vas»t amount of saving work. •« McSweeney, lull-back, was moved up to wing three-quarter, but h e is not" built for that position, lhe .other backs showed up at times, but there was a want of cohesion in. most -of their play. They got on one particularly good massing rush, which went T ery close to a score. in the Hawera pack Wylie, West and Murphy were :niost prominent. Wylie is always tirelessly on the ball, and did a lot ot spoiling work. :|e also opened up several fine rushes, having J-he knack ppsrse^sed by most of the well-t.ravnedcity .teams, the ability to .play like an ex- • tra back. His try was a' bijnhant - .-piece of work. West, afe usual, was '£reat on the line arid in loose, rushes His goal-kicking, too, was most useful •and effective. Murohy was one ot the iiest in the loose rushes. Sam Cameron was out on his own amongst the backs. ■ "' In offence, in defence and m spoiling work he was the head and front of the learn. His collaring was remarkably His score from a great dash was :a fine effort. Pum»ll did some very Tieat work; in the first spell, and from - :at least"oite of his dashes a try imfst foave resulted Kad the wing three-quar--1 -ter not failed to take the ball. It was a good pass, but- over-eagerness, and -probably'a ball hard to hold spoilt the •effort. Wills was very safe at full, and -did some defensive work. V? m "' "bined with hi? goal kicking abilities, >' ■ lie is a very useful man in any team. <Kaponga-Patea Match Correspondent). The Kaponga-Patea ' senior football match, was just a mud scramble, it be- * ' i«ff quite imnossibie lor either team to play tootlSalC After the two previous matches " the ground was like a cowyard, and consequently the ball was "like lead and as greasy as an eel. Both teams worked hard, and took play from "' ' end to end of the ground continually, but the defence of Doth teams was so .solid that scoring'was impossible. So far as the play was concerned, -the teams were very evenly matched, .although Patea had slightly the better of the game, they being a little the 1 better in the line-out. On several occasions each team had the other hard pressed for, some minutes at a time, but could not get over, and the game eudod without score.