MANAWATU’S TOUR.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 226, 24 August 1936, Page 10

MANAWATU’S TOUR.

GAMES REVIEWED. The following notes on the Alanawatu Rugby Union team’s tour of the South Island have been supplied by a Rugby enthusiast: A review of the four games played shows definitely that Manawatu has a team that can give any major union strong opposition. Their defeats in three matches could be put down to lack of finish, as in all the games when i:hey were about to score someone would either drop the ball or hang cn to it, and this was seen more especially in the .Canterbury match. In the game at Oamaru, against North Otago, Manawatu were very lucky i:o win, and on their display nobody .would have been surprised had Otago later beaten them by 30 points. The forwards played fairly well, but the backs were a failure. In a passing rush it was most unusual should the ball reach the centre three-quarter without being dropped. Tries were thrown away by players hanging on just a fraction too long. Ail the three-quarters (Waugh, Gillespie and Fletcher) played well but had had few chances, while Waldin played an All Black’s game at full-back. On reaching Dunedin, Manawatu found the Otago team thought they had an easy task on, and a 20 points’ margin was being spoken of everywhere. The game started rather fast, with Manawatu being penalised frequently. Our forwards were well over Otago, but our backs could not make much headway against solid tackling and fast breaking forwards. We had heard quite a lot about Otago’s forwards, six or seven of whom should have been in the South Island team. They played very well as a pack, but the Manawatu vanguard were beating them both in the lineouts and the scrums; but our chief weakness was in heeling from the loose rucks. Otago’s first points came from a good penalty kick by Taylor and then Manawatu took the lead when Gillespie scored from a good cross-kick by Fletcher, Rowell adding Ihe other points with a magnificent kick. From then on Manawatu were right over Otago, but were driven back bv penalties and marks taken by Saxton from the line-outs. The finishing try of the game was the result of good anticipation by Watt, who just had to run over and score from a mis-direct-ed clearing kick. For Manawatu all played well, Williams, Powell and Sullivan exceptionally so, while McKenzie played an All Black’s game. All the backs played well, but got tew chances, and had the wingers, Gillespie and Waugh, seen more of the ball, they would have made Watt and Black appear less prominent. The game against Southland was played on a sodden ground with mud 4 inches deep. Manawatu were more or less suffering from the reaction of the Otago game, and appeared to be rather sluggish. The forwards could just hold their opponents and were not the devastating force 'that had nearly brought the Ranfurly Shield home. It could be seen that had our backs got the ball the score could easily have been in our favour. The game was nearly pulled out of the first just alter the final hell had sounded. Dernier being pushed out at the corner a yard from the line. Waugh, on the few occasions he got the ball, thrilled the spectators, once running right through the Southland team. Tries were scored by Waugh and Bramwell, while Thuiston scored a try and kicked a very good goal. The long train journey from Invercargill to Christchurch was most tiresome and it was easy to realise how Auckland had been beaten by Canterbury. For the first twenty minutes of the Canterbury game Manawatu did everything but score. Once Crawford scored under the posts but was brought back for a forward pass. Waugh scored in the corner, but was brought back for a knock-on. The second half was entirely in Manawatu’s favour. Time and time again half a dozen players would handle the ball and would just be on the fringe of scoring when the movement would break down. On the day, Manawatu were ten points better than Canterbury, who scored three runaway tries. The Manawatu forwards again outplayed their opponents, but the combination amongst the backs just was not quite finished. Crawford, in the forwards, played a great game. Points wore scored by Finlay (two penalty goals) and Waugh (a try). Throughout the trip Manawatu 'earned a reputation ns a well behaved and sporting team, both on and off the field, and it was often that we were spoken of as the best behaved _ team that had stayed where we had visited. EveryboJ.v gave of his best and the team were a happy group. The backs, on defence, all shone out, while Fletcher and Bramwell always played very good football. It can be expected after the experience of the trip that Manawatu will draw big crowds for the rest of the representative season, and few will be surprised should they be unbeaten on their home ground.