RUGBY NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 806, 8 September 1923, Page 2

RUGBY NOTES.

(By "Cross Bar.")

Once again "Cross Bar" extends his congratulations to the Manawatu touring team on its splendid display against Otago. When tho tour was mooted the prospects of winning a match did not bear a very roseate hue and the showing against Southland came as a pleasant surprise. Now the second game has brought a well-earned victory and against such a redoubtable foe as Otago, it is very evident that the tour is providing the tourists with the op-' portunity of studying each other's"tactics and the all desired combination has resulted. In a wide area such as Manawatu. the task of bringing the representative team into practice is attended with no little difficulty, and in consequence the back division has' not been the happy organisation it should have been. The tour has wiped out the obstacle and it is within the bounds of possibility that further successes will attend them. Admitted that Otago were not at full strength, the team which took the field was quite of representative standard and on tho day the visitors fully merited their success. The present season lias provided an excellent example of the inconsistency of form when applied to Rugby/ Wairarapa defeated . Manawatu, was trounced by Otago, South Canterbury and Southland, Manawatu. was defeated by Southland by a Comparatively narrow margin, but defeated Otago, who had previously beaten Southland. Again Manawatu defeated Horowhenua and was in'turn beaten by Taranaki B, who, however, went under to Horowhenua by a substantial margin. As the result of casualties the Manawatu touring team sent a hurried call to the union for assistance and J. O'Keefe was despatched to pick .up the party at Timaru. With Galpjn hojrs. "de r combat, Sly, Murie - and O'Brien on the slightly injured list, the demand for assistance may no doubt be repeated before the Canterbury .game materialises. The New South Wales.team is.not enjoying any great measure of success on the present tour, which is in marked contrast to their previous visit. They have, however, been faced with bigger tasks, several of the minor unions they met before now being strengthened or deleted. The record of the contests to date reads:— t. Wel-lington-Manawatu, lost, 29-16; v. South Canterbury, won 23-16,; v. New Zealand (first test), lost 19-9; v. Southland, lost. 31-9; v. New Zealand (second test), lost, 34-6; v. Hawkes Bay, lost, 32-15. Points, for, 78; against, 161. An Otago Rugby scribe, commenting on the Canterbury-Otago' representative game, writes: "It is hard to single out any Otago • forwards for special mention. Knox and Diedrich had a battle royal at wing-forward. On the day's play honours were ■ about evenly divided between them. Diedrich 'is identical with ■ the Palmerston North High School and Old Boys' representative. Big games to be contested, to-day f Otago v. Wellington, at Wellington: New South Wales v. Auckland and North Auckland, at Auckland; Manawatu v. South Canterbury; Wairarapa v. Canterbury; Otago Returned Soldiers v. Canterbury Returned Soldiers, at Dunedin; Otago B v. North Otago, at Oamaru. ( : A Southern writer, commenting upoli the second test, said it wag a better match to watch than the first. Again" the Black forwards played a big part in the home team's victory. They weretoo heavy for the opposing pack, and towards 'the end of the game their smashing tactics quite broke down or brushed away the defence. It was not what one would call clever forward play. In the loose rushes tho Blaelpacfc uesd all their weight, and their,collaring was very deadly, and the Sydney men could not withstand such assaults. The people were just as disappointed in the game as- the people of Dunedin were with the first test, but the Christchurch people saw the better game. Too much vigour was at times introduced by both sides, and the referee had to speak to the players once or twice, but the All Black pack despite the advantage of weight* and strength, could, not hook tho ball for the Welshmen in the set scrums. The Welshmen formed threefour with a wing forward, and they secured the ball from the scrum far oftener that the Blacks. Sinclair played a very fine game at full back. He pnly made one mistake during the.game, but he got back quickly -and regained possession and found the" line. His place kicking also reached a high standard. Ho looks like a certainty .eveh now for a trip to England next year. The 1 Black three-quarter line was nothing wonderful. Lucas first played at centre and then on the wing, wh'ert Potaka came on in place of Ford. Lucas's play was. not marked by any outstand* lug football ability, but he hardly received a good try out, and he will hare andther opportunity in the third test. Lucas will be the only New Zea'lahder in the. second test who will play in the' third test. The selectors want to gee as many possible All Blacks .as* they can in actual play, and they Will leaa to the younger men. Erasmus', who has been proving self a valuable' member of the New, South Wales team, is ah ex-South African. „.. . : ■ .;• ■

R. B. Loudon,'of the New South Wales team, is a triple colour of Sydney Grammer School—cricket, football, and athletics— and has also held the school championship at boxing. His" elder brother—J. R. Loudon—was a major in the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces, and while still at Christ College represented Canterbury at cricket. He was picked to play with the New Zealand Array football team in* England. He topped the batting average in second gradte cricket in Sydney last season, and made more centuries in doing so than any other New South Wales batsman. Another brother—Dr Derby Loudon—represented New South Wales at Rugby in 1910, 1920, 1921, and 1922 against Queensland, A.1.F., New Zealand, and the Maoris. He captained New South Wales when they defeated the Maoris last year. This trio of brothers were all born in Canterbury, and attended Christ's College, in' Christchurch. The injuries to Brian M'Clearyin'his recent boxing match were more .serious than was generally known. It has noW been definitely announced that he will be unable to play again this season. W. Barclay, the Hawke's Bay wing three-quarter, who was seriously injured ,in the N.Z. Maoris-Southland match some weeks back and had since been in hospital at Invercargill has returned' to Hawke's Bay. Murray, the brilliant University centre three-quarter, has had to undergo an oporation on his knee, Which was badly hurt in Sydney when he was playing with the New!,Zealand University team. This player was considered'by; southern,scribes as a certainty for international honours prior to his meeting: with the mishap. ~'-....' h,!-'.-The death occurred, at Wellington on Monday last of Mr Rogers, the Poneke, Club and Wellington representative' Rugby footballer. Mr Rogers took part in a match last Saturday week, but' was not in the best of health, and shortly, afterwards was operated on for appendicitis. The deceased, who was 23 years i of age, was a footballer of great promise

and represented Wellington in all this year's inter-provincial games—against Hawke's Bay, Canterbury, Southland and Taranak'i, and was chosen as emergency forward in the match against New-South Wales. . . \