RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 229, 23 August 1930, Page 3 (Supplement)

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

(BY “CROSS BAR.”)

A Big Scorer. F. Fuller, the brilliant young Greytown and AVairarapa three-quarter, who has been transferred to Eastbourne, is a goal kicker of no mean merit. To date this season Fuller has registered 247 points in representative and club football —something of a record. A Busy Man. During the course of the British tour of the Dominion, patrons at the Showgrounds had to thank Air R. Ramsay for keeping them posted in the scores in the principal matches wherbin tho tourists were engaged, he having installed a receiving set at tho Showgrounds specially for tho purpose. Air Ramsay filled a very active role on Saturday, although he was not required to listen-in, for he performed tho duties of linesman in the third grade game between Y.M.C.A. and Old Boys and then acted as referee in a pick-up game which followed later. Incidentally, Air Ramsay is coach to Old Boys thirds. Worthy Foes.

In Australia last year the All Blacks lost all three tests —3 —9, 9 —17, 13— 15. The Britishers will be confronted with strong opposition across tho Tasman. Great Record. C. G. Porter, whose retirement from international football has been announced, has worn the All Black jersey in 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1928, 1929 and 1930. S’ong Hits. Two songs likely to be popular in New Zealand in future: “Keep a Corner in A r our Heart for Ale,” and “As Pants the Hart.” Arming for War. The Canterbury Rugby Team is continuing in special training for its representative matches. Outstanding. “New Zealand has never had three better forwards than AIcAA T illiams, AlcLean and Cottrell,” said a goodjudge of Rugby after witnessing the fourth Test in A\ r ellington. Shield in Danger. Southland’s second real risk of losing the Ranfurly Shield will occur on September 3, when Wellington are to challenge possession. Hawke’s Bay gave them the first fright. Important Factor. Two factors considerably helped the All Blacks to register such a decisive win in the fourth Test—forwards properly fit and five-eighths not afraid to cut in. Anxious to Return. Report has it that at least two members of tho British Rugby team, both excellent forwards, intend to return to New Zealand before many months have passed. Improved. One of the most improved young forwards in Canterbury Rugby this season is AV. Pease, of Warsity, formerly of Christchurch Boys’ High School. A Good Record. Of twenty-six Rugby tests played in Now Zealand, the All Blacks, over a period of twenty-seven years, have won eighteen, lost six and drawn two.

The Game And Players.

Topical Comment.

Built Reputations. Beamish —Ivor Jones —Spong. Tho names of those three fine British players will be remembered in New Zealand long after the present generation have given up punting a football. Filled the Role. A. AAL Roberts, in his first serious engagement as full-back for Canterbury, showed twice as much determination as he had previously been given credit for. He stopped scores of hard Hawke’s Bay rushes. —Christchurch Star. Well-known Family. Alec Newman, who played as centre three-quarter for tho Nelson Alarl-borough-Golden Bay Rugby team against the British team, used to play for Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln. AA’lien he was at Nelson College ho played as full-back. He is one of four brothers well-known in Nelson for their prowess in various sports. Becoming Popular. The Rugby. Union game is getting more space m tho Melbourne papers, which can be taken as an encouraging sign of growing popularity. There has been disappointment at the cutting out of the match against England, but two A r ictorian reps., Strutridge, who gained an Australian cap against the All Blacks last year, and Cowper, were invited to play in the Rest of Australia side against tho AVaratalis. Big Men. Some of the Southland forwards are gigantic men. I. Galt, who locks the scrum, is 6ft and 15st 61bs, and not slow in his movements either. AV. E. Hazlett, the 1926-28-30 All Black, is 6ft and 14st 71bs, and his all-round effectiveness is so well known to those who follow New Zealand teams that no enlargement of liis capabilities is required. G. Purdue, tho son of an 'old All Black is 6ft and 14st 81bs. Three forwards in the running for back-row positions in the Southland scrum are H. AlcKenzie (14st 4lbs), J. Southern (13st lOlbs) and H. Aletcalf (13st 61bs). From this it can bo gathered that the heavy artillery will be in action when AVellington and Southland step out on Rugby Park. Steere’s Progress.

E. R. Steere, who locked the New Zealand scrum in all four Tests has had a rapid rise in Rugby. He learned tho game at the Napier High School and jalayed for the school team' in 1925 and 1926. In the following season lxo played in junior grade ltugby in Napier, and in 1927 lie was promoted to the senior ranks of his club, High School Old Boys. He gained representative honours in his first year in senior football, and in the following season, when only 20 years of age, was chosen to play for New Zealand against New South AVales in the Tests. He was in the All Black team that toured Australia last year, and has been chosen this year over tho heads of more experienced and more fancied rivals. Steere is captain of the High School Old Boys team in Napier, and it has not lost a match so far this year. Steere is quite a fair cricketer and a shot-putter of some ability. Past Players.

Harold Horder was tlxe most brilliant, most elusive, most successful, and most extraordinary wing threequarter I ever saw (writes “The Cynic,” in the Sydney Referee). He had the speed of an even-timer, and sprang into his speed instantly. Ho had the turn of a hare, swerve of a Colquhoun. His mind was as quickmoving as Alessenger’s, and he had the anticipation of a Burge. New Zealand has produced brilliant wing men, yet not so many as Australia. The greatest of AH Black teams, that of 1903 and 1905, had three hummers in George Smith and Duncan McGregor, and AA r . J. AVallaec. AA’allace was at least equal to anything I have ever seen between the centre and the winger. Mitchinson was about the size of Horder, very fast with perfect hands for catching' and .holding, and he always seemed to know that, though on the wing, his mission was to keep the ball in play on attaching positions. Duncan McGregor was little if .at all inferior to Mitchinson in Australian form. It was he who scored five tries against England in 1905. Barney Armit was a good one. Opie Asher was a fine winger of the jinky. runner type. Next to George Smith I should placo Mitchinson.

Select Company. By bringing liis total of points for New Zealand past the century mark A. E. Cooko has joined select company. Only six other players have attained that distinction. W. J. Wallace, full-back and three-quarter of the 1903 and 1905 All Blacks, easily heads the list. Ho scored 307 points during his career, mostly from goalkicking, but with quite a fair percentage of tries. Mark Nicholls comes noxt. In matches for the 1921-22-24-25-26-28-30 All Blacks Nicholls scored 264 points, including only four tries. Jimmy Hunter, the great little Taranaki five-eighth, scored 141 points in his matches for the 1905-07-08 All Blacks, this total being made up of 47 tries. T. W. Lynch, a South Canterbury three-quarter, scored 107 points for the 1913 and 1914 Now Zealand teams, and E. J. Roberts, who played for New Zealand as half-back m tlxe same years and again in 1920 and 1921, scored 104 points, R. W. Roberts, of Taranaki, scored 101 points during the 1913-14 seasons. The 1913 players, of course, wero in the New Zealand team that toured California and British Columbia and scored the huge total of 610 points in 16 games, so that the path of personal glory was easier for them than it was for Wallace, Nicholls and Hunter, who had to establish their records against stronger opposition. Cooko scored his points in matches with the 1924-26-28-30 All Blacks, and his total is made up of 33 tries and two conversions. Out of Form. Albert I'aTwasser and E. Spillane, tho New Zealanders who went to England to play for tho Wigan Club, have not met with tho success anticipated. Falwasser 1 played most of his football with the reserve team, but nevertheless showed fairly good form. The exMaori representative intends to try again this season, and hopes to produce form which may give him a chance in tho first Wigan team. Spillane was unfortunate to injure an ankle at tho latter end of tho season, and was not in a position to do himself justice. The Christchurch five-eighths intends to remain in England next season. Hors-de-combat. Well-known to many New Zealanders, “Butts” Lamport, the New South Wales and Sydney University scrumhalf, will be seen no more in Australian football for some time. As Rhodes Scholar for the year, he leaves for England and Oxford this month, and will thus miss a game against the British "team. A scrum-half of the first water, he was the first choice of the Waratah selectors for the position. Lamport should easily get his Rugby Blue at Oxford and should be well in the running for an England cap. On the Winning Side. Dick Webb has scored 12 points in Ranfurly Shield games, but only six for Southland. His other six were the result of two tries for Otago against Hawke’s Bay in 1925. Changed Over.

No fewer than six Otago men had a share in Southland’s victory over the dark blues. Diack, Webb, and Holden, have represented Otago; both Porter and Niven played in Dunedin belore going south and one of the coaches, Jock Cuthill, is an old Otago rep. 111-fated. Otago is doomed not to hold the Ranfurly Shield. The Dark Blues have now played eight challenge games without success. The nearest tney got to lifting the Shield was in 1912 when they played a drawn game with Auckland. A Strong Man. The Cardiff Rugby Club lays claim to the strong man of Wales. He is Goff Retter, a forward who migrated to the Welsh Metropolitans from Mountain Ash, and is looked upon as a possible Welsh international. Retter is 25 years of age, and it is claimed for him that he can double a half-inch bar of steel with the hand grip, that he can hold sixteen strong men on the strain in tug-o-war —eight aside, and that he can lift with one hand two men weighing together 29Jst. Such a man among a forward line, given football qualities as well, should be extremely useful, especially when he is a few yards from the goal line! Why? The following interesting paragraph is from the. Athletic News (England), of May 26: What possessed the Rugby Union' to determine that the British Rugby tourists, now in New Zealand, should wear dark blue jerseys, when they knew' perfectly well that the New' Zealanders at all events usually wear black jerseys? When the British tourists went to the Argentine they wore a very pretty jersey, in which red, white and blue were displayed. Why was a departure made for the present tour?

EARLY RUGBY DAYS. USE OF REFEREE’S 'WHISTLE. Tho first referee in New Zealand, and perhaps in the world, to use the whistle for the control of the Rugby game was Mr W. H. Atack, who recently retired from the managership of the New Zealand Press Association, states an exchange. He says that there used to be two umpires and a referee, and the umpires used to quarrel with each other and the referee. Then the referee had charge, but had to uso his voice to stop the game, aaid when both sides were appealing the voice had to be exercised loudly and Mr Atack found it exi hausting. Thinking it over one day, his fingers strayed into a waistcoat

pocket, where they encountered a dog whistle. The inspiration came to him that it would bo a fine thing to use tho whistle to stop the game. The next time he refereed he called the teams together and they to play to the whistle. It was a great success and was speedily adopted all over the country. This, he thinks, was about 1883. “Playing to tho whistle” has become a football maxim. It means that players do not let up even when conscious of a breach, unless the referee signals it. This calls for better referees, and prompt decisions. THE MATCH WITH AUCKLAND. MANAWHENUA’S IMPROVED SHOWING. (By “Cross Bar.”) Local enthusiasts were fast becoming pessimistic as tho result of Manawhenua’s indifferent showings on the Rugby field, but after Wednesday’s display against Auckland matters have now taken a brighter turn. While Auckland did not field a fully representative side, there was a large enough percentage of their “regulars” to make it evident that Manawhenua were facing no mean foe and to run them to a nine points margin can bp viewed as very satisfactory. In the opening spell, the Auckland thrusts found a weakness in the homesters’ inner ranks, and wdien the magpies commenced to throw the ball about they became exceedingly dangerous. However, as the game progressed the loopholes were strengthened and the visitors became much more subdued. On the run of play in the first spell, there should not, have been anything like 16 points between the two teams at the interval, and, although Manawhenua held control in the concluding 45 minutes, they could not make up the leeway, the all important finish being lacking. With Soloman as leader and such members as Hadley, Palmer and Kahu in the pack, the Auckland scrum- , magers were no mean set, yet the blues out-lasted them and were certainly outplaying them in the concluding stages. Auckland’s one try in the second spell came when some of the homesters were engaged in assisting N. Bramwell off the field of play. With such a hooking combination a* Hadley, and Palmer, it was not surprising to find Auckland taking command in the set scrums, and Corner gave his bucks plenty of bail. The All Black haif-back demonstrated that he lias a wonderful pair of hands, yet he never attained the standard of play which is expected of a fern leaf wearer. All too frequently Auckland’s handling bouts went across field without any direct benefit, but in the first spell Jamieson was very enterprising and his cut-ins spelt danger repeatedly. Haslam was always up in support, but Berridge hardly attained the same high standard, although he was valuable where his kicking was concerned. Jones, a burly Maori on the left wing, showed distinct possibilities when in possession of the leather. THE HOMESTERS. Manawhenua have now fielded no less than 36 players in the four representative matches they have participated in to date, but it w*ould now appear that the tide promises to bring an improvement, which was hardly expected. With Johnston, T. and Parata and Tatana dropping out good men were lost from the Horowhenua end, but the substitutes are proving worthy of their places.

While lacking the spectacular touches of Johnston ill the full-back role, S. Bramwell proved himself on Wednesday to be sound and sure in Iris tackling. There were occasions when liis kicking could have had greater length, but liis first aim appeared to be —and rightly so that of finding the line.

Probably the absence from regular play has told against Tilley for the lormer Wanganui representative is not maintaining liis form. Howevei, when in the mood lie is a dangerous man, while a day on would prove his value as a kicker. The in-field pass which brought Fletcher his try was a pretty effort and was a repetition of their splendid effort against >* airarapa.

Fletcher was, without doubt, the outstanding rearguard member, and it is unfortunate that this player cannot see more of the ball in handling bouts. Griffin, the left winger, did not have many opportunities owing to lack of room in winch to work, but his tackling was good.

N. Bramwell did not open too well, but he improved as the game advanced and it was distinctly unfortunate that ho should have met with an injury which will place him out of court for the remainder of-the season. \\ line his defence is not very robust, his attackling qualities are excellent. Robb was very active throughout, but he had the ‘fault of running back into the ruck all too often. Thompson, at half-back, carried out his duties admirably, and it is unfortunate that he cannot figure more regularly for he is solid on defence and can supply the opening when the necessity arises.

Roddick, who was making his first appearance locally as a rover, impressed greatly and the selectors will not require to go further in future. All the forwards worked hard and bore their full share, Henry and K. Fitzgerald being repeatedly, prominent in the open, while Miles, Satherley, Dalziell and Williams worked hard in the tight. RUGBY TO LEAGUE. R. WALKER FOR ENGLAND. Local Rugby enthusiasts will be interested to learn that R. Walker, tho former Manawatu and Manawhenua representative, but who has been associated with tho Petono Club, ton, for the past season, has accepted an engagement to play League football in England. Tire offer it is understood, has como from Huddersfield. During tho course of the present season Walker plaved a prominent role in the ranks of Petone, Wellingtons champion club team.