TARANAKI WIN

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4810, 14 July 1939, Page 5

TARANAKI WIN

KING COUNTRY'S VISIT. FIVE TRIES TO TWO. FAST OPEN FOOTBALL. Giving a vastly improved display on the Wellington game, the Taranaki Rugby team beat King Country by 26 points to 15 in a bright game at Stratford on Wednesday, says the Taranaki Daily News. The big attendance was thrilled by the spectacular exchanges, particularly when Killeen and Sullivan moved off at top speed to spreadeagle the defence, as they did twice. The return of O'Dowda to the forwards gave the Taranaki pack much more life, and the backs were a very different combination from which trouble always threatened. At the same time Taranaki won largely because eight points were scored before the King Country team had settled down. After that honours were even and King Country scored almost as many points as Taranaki. Bright movements followed one another throughout the game with bewildering rapidity as first one team then the other launched a spirited attack. Play ranged from one end of the field to the other in a succession of thrills which kept the spectators in a state of excitement throughout the game. It was not always good football, but it was always open and lively.

Great Try Scored. A sample of the fare provided was the great try scored after Sullivan and Killeen had taken the ball from their own 25 in two solo bursts. King Country was no less enterprising, and Crossman was a perpetual thorn in the side of Taranaki. Much of the Taranaki team's success was due to good co-operation between backs and forwards, two tries coming directly from such movements. Taranaki scored five tries, four converted, a field goal and a penalty goal.

The teams were:— Taranaki: Johns; Neilson, Sullivan, Smith; Killeen, Brown; Main; Young; O'Dowda, Benton, Coull, McLean; Walker, Fowler, Dobbin. King Country: Rush; Hardie, Francis, Richards; Crossman, Franich; Mossman, Willison; Hancox, Trustturn, Woods, Powell; Fleming, Davis, Waretini.

In the first half Taranaki had twothirds of the ball from scrums and lineouts, but in the second spell King Country had a bigger advantage there. Where the King Country forwards excelled was in getting their backs going from loose rushes. Taranaki showed an improvement in that respect, but was not as enterprising as the visiting team.

The King Country backs were fast and clever, their chief fault being an inclination to accept Killeen's dummies. Grossman was in top form and his tackling was deadly. He was always flashing into the picture and, though he was less penetrative than Killeen, he was able to make his own play in a way the Taranaki fiveeighth did not. He has only to maintain his form to get a trip to South Africa.

Visiting Backs Sound.

Francis, centre, and Hardie, wing, were two other King Country backs to impress, showing pace and determination. All the visiting backs were sound and resourceful although they lacked that touch of brilliance which Sullivan and Killeen gave to the Taranaki line. Hardie once or twice passed Smith but the Hawera winger had too much pace for him.

Rush had a trying day at full-back. Hunting as a pack the Taranaki forwards presented an insoluble formation and twice he was beaten by sheer speed. In addition the luck of the bounce nearly always seemed against him.

The King Country forwards did not settle down as quickly as Taranaki nor keep as well together but they were big, fast men who played with plenty of devil. For most of the second spell they were playing over Taranaki and were packing tighter. Hancox, a 16-stone giant, caught the public fancy but he was not as consistent a worker as Trusttum, Woods and Fleming. Willison and Powell impressed in the loose. Considering it was not at full strength, King Country gave a good display, showing that football has not slipped back there since last season.

Description of Pfay.

Soon after the start Sullivan found the line in a handy position. Coull went through the line-out, dribbling

20 yards for a fine try well out. The referee was prepared to award a charge but Johns had already lifted the ball clear of charging forwards for a good goal. Taranaki continued to play all over King Country, but the backs did not function smoothly, and Crossman and ; Hancox did fine work on defence. • When King Country was penalised in ,' the scrum Johns kicked an easy goal to increase the lead. •

Franich kept King Country on the attack with well-judged k'cks. A clearance went to Rush, whose drop-kick just missed. Then the bounce of the ball beat Waretini when a half a dozen King Country men had the line at their mercy. To complete the sequence of bad luck Fleming missed an easy goal shot when Killeen was offside.

At last the Taranaki backs did their work properly, Killeen shattering the defence for Sullivan to draw the remnant of it and let Smith over wide out. Johns missed.

A dropped pass by Brown let King Country through and Crossman put in an attractive run before lining. Coull was offside in the line-out and Fleming kicked a goal.

Franich and Crossman penetrated : deep into Taranaki territory, where j Brown infringed in almost the same ' spot, Fleming missing. Immediately Taranaki attacked with O'Dowda : showing the way. Smith made a short tricky run before passing infield to Coull. Coull passed to O'Dowda.; who scored near the posts. Johns 5 converted. ;

Taranaki's Half-time Lead;

The Taranaki defence looked veryweak when there was a scramble in the twenty-five out of which Mossman came to score simply under the posts; Fleming converted and Taranaki led 16—8 at half-time.

King Country started the second spell with increased vigour. Sullivan sparkled in a run to halfway, but Neilson's infield pass to Killeen went astray and the King Country forwards gave Taranaki plenty of hard work. Possibly the best try ever scored on the Stratford ground-came next. With Taranaki attacking Francis intercepted, ran through to Johns and kicked deep. Sullivan sprinted back, picked up the ball in his own twenty-five, ran towards the right wing, leaving two tacklers on the ground, swerved back to the left wing, and at halfway let Killeen have the ball. Killeen brilliantly swerved and dummied right through, to the line, where he passed to O'Dowda, who scored under the post. Johns converted.

King Country again attacked hard. Brown was injured, Meuli taking his place. Crossman seized his chance when King Country won a '-'• scrum under the posts, sending a drop-kick soaring between the uprights. j

Sensationaf Incident.

There was a sensational incident when two King Country men, Hancox and Trusttum, had to be helped' off the field, apparently as the resuli of a collision. King Country had only one emergency forward, Kirton, who went on with Graham, emergency back, Richards going into the scrum.

The bright play of King Country was rewarded when Crossman shot between Meuli and Killeen and made a brilliant run before passing oh to his forwards. They handed out beautifully to Hardie for the winger to finish a great movement in the corner. He took the kick but missed. King Country continued to press hard with vigorous, loose thrusts. Killeen delayed a pass too long and Francis intercepted. It was an anxious moment for Taranaki until King Country lost possession. Rain began as Taranaki worked to enemy territory. Smith started the • next movement when he took a high, long kick and swung a quick pass to Meuli, who had raced up in support, the Okaiawa man putting in a strong run down the line before cross-kicking perfectly into the hands of Mac Lean at the head of the charging Taranaki pack. Mac Lean passed to Fowler, who just reached the posts. Johns converted. <