RUGBY FOOTBALL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4808, 10 July 1939, Page 5

RUGBY FOOTBALL

PIO PIO DEFEATS HANGATIKI MAHOENUI COME TO LIGHT. WAITETE V. COAST. Waitete Senior A de/eated West Coast by 11 points to 8 after a good open match. Packing low against their much heavier opponents the Waitete pack won the majority of the scrums, enabling the backs to swing away in good passing movements. Waitete led 11—3 until the final minutes of the game, when West Coast rallied to gain a converted try. Franich and Wright played well for the Waitete backs and Matthews and Kjestrup for West Coast. PIO PIO v. HANGATIKI. Playing a much improved game, Pio Pio Senior A won by 8 points to nil from Hangatiki on Saturday. The game was again one of the Hangatiki forwards against the Pio Pio backs, but Pio Pio held their own in the set scrums, thus giving their rearguard chance to swing away. With Frerichs playing well as half-back.and B. Smyth very useful in the centre position, the Pio Pio backs played well as a unit, while C. Coffin and Verry were leaders in the forward division. Although he might have been expected to be stale after playing the previous day, Ted Davis was outstanding among the Hangatiki pack.

LODGE MATCH.

DRUIDS BEAT ODDFELLOWS.

In a Le Quesnoy Banner match, played yesterday, Druids defeated Oddfellows by 21 points to 14 in an open and interesting game. Druids were much the stronger side on paper, the team including several Maniapoto reps., but the Oddfellows had called upon a number of former players who gave a good account of themselves, with the result, that the Oddfellows held the Druids well until the final stages of the game. The best player of the Druids team was J. Barlow, well supported by Bob Barlow and M. Richards, while Griffin showed much promise in the halfback position. R. Martin was the pick of the forwards. In the Oddfellows' team J. Evans played the best game, while a newcomer, Martin Byrne, showed much ability as halfback. Of the light pack K. Jackson was probably the best. MAORI TEAM'S MATCH. MANIAPOTO DEFEATS SOUTH AUCKLAND. On Friday the Maniapoto and South Auckland Maoris played a fairly good and fast match on Rugby Park, Maniapoto winning by 21 points to 13. The visiting backs displayed plenty of action, but found difficulty in finishing off their movements, and the superiority of the Maniapoto forwards, led by the Davis brothers, Parker and Gilbert Waretini, proved the deciding factor of the game. Te Kanawa.and Noble were outstanding in the home team's backs.

KING COUNTRY TEAM.

TO PLAY TARANAKI.

The following is the King Country team to play Taranaki on Wednesday. Local players are to assemble at the Te Kuiti railway station on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Fullback: P. Rush (Rua.) Three-quarters: Hardy (Rua.), Francis (Ohura), Richards (M.) Five-eighths: Crossman (Ohura), Franich (M.) Half: Mossman (Ohura). Back row: G. Waretini (Oto.) Middle row: Hancock (Rua.), Trusttrum (Ohura), Woods (Tau.)i Powell (T.) Front row: Fleming (Rua.), B. Davis (M.), Coffin (M.) . Reserves.—Backs: Buech (T.); forward, Willison (M.)