NOTES ON THE GAME.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 228, 26 August 1936, Page 14

NOTES ON THE GAME.

PARS ABOUT THE PLAYERS

(By “Half-Back.”)

In its comments on the Manawatu plovers in the Canterbury-Manawatu match, last week, the Christchurch Press savs that McKenzie was always in the thick of the fight, a hard worker in every department of the game. Finlay, Williams, and Findlay also showed great dash in the loose, and it was their swift breaking on to McAuliffe, the Canterbury half-back, which cramped the style of the Canterbury backs for the greater part of the game. Sutton was another toiler from start to finish, and he was unlucky to get a head injury in the movement which gave Manawatu its only try towards the end of the match. Louisson also had to retire, but not before he had shown that lie was an excellent forward, notwithstanding his lack of weight. Crawford, the hooker, won plenty of the bull, and was keen and tireless in liis play. Tho Manawatu backs were not quite as satisfactory, says the Press. They put plenty of dash into their play, every man running fast and straight, but mishandling cost them at least two tries early in the second half. Irvine was an efficient lialf-back, and Thurston, the captain, at first five-eiglitlis, gave the line its greatest thrust. Several times he found a gap in the Canterbury defence close to tlio scrum. Fletcher and Brannvell were generally content to hand the bad on, but tlie

wingers, Waugh and Gillespie, well marked, did not have many real chances of scoring. Waldin, the fullhack, the heaviest man in the team, apart from McKenzie, was safe in all his work, and he tackled surely. Canterbury scored not because lie was beaten, hut because the team had men to spare in the passing rushes. The Manawatu representatives meet Wanganui at Feilding on Saturday in a return match. The first game was played at Wanganui on the King’s Birthday, when Manawatu just scraped home by 21 points to 19 after having a big lead earlier in the game. A strong team will lie presented at Feilding, and in view of Manawatu’s good showing in the South Island a fine game should be witnessed. On September 5 Wellington come to Palmerston North to play Manawatu. Commenting on the Auckland-Aus-tralia game, won by Auckland by 8 points to 5, last Saturday, an Auckland paper says that to the surprise and delight of the spectators no effort at any stage of the game was made by the Australians to close up the play. Throughout the match they retained their traditional spectacular tactics, tlirowing tho hall about with daring abandon, opening up the game in their own twenty-five and taking risks that woukl make All Black selectors sliuddor. Surprise methods were attempted by the Wallabies—the quick drop-out, the long throw-in. But such methods were not meant for a rain-drenched field and a slippery, elusive ball. Even under these conditions, the Wallabies used the long throw-in from inside thenown twenty-five, McLean throwing tar across the field to Hayes, at inside centre. He made no mistake, and on a dry day, with the Australian’s speed, the manoeuvre might have been successful. Although on two occasions Hayes took the ball perfectly, he could not jump into top gear and swerve past Killeen as lie might have done on a dry day. Manoeuvres such as these were typical of Australian Rugby methods and indicative of the spectacular football the team will produce with a dry ball and on a dry day. Otago have two hard games for the "Ranfurly Shield this week. South Canterbury, who are fielding a particularly strong side, are trying conclusions with the shield holders to-day and on Saturday Canterbury make their attempt to wrest the honours from their old rivals. The name of Walter H. Milne, a member of the 1911 New Zealand team which toured Australia, who is now farming in the King Country, cropped up the other day and recalled an interesting incident in Rugby. Mr Milne, who was born in Southland, first represented the southern union in 1906. About this time his club (Britannia) and Pirates refused to meet again in a fixture, because they contended that not only was the ground unplayable, but that it was unnecessary, as the championship had already been decided. All the players being disqualified, a number of them took up Rugby League and had a match against an Otago side. Two of the Southland players gained New Zealand caps against Australia; one of them having previously left for Nelson. Owing to lack of organisation the Southland venture petered out and Air Milne went to Otago and played for Taieri Rovers Club in the Dunedin Rugby Union competition. Mr Milne played for Wanganui against Harding’s Anglo-Welsh team in 1908, and also in the Rangitikei and Taihape districts, while later he represented Taranaki. ITe turned over to League in 1911 and toured Australia with the New Zealand team of that year. He played League in Sydney for a number of years and on his return to the Dominion in 1916 he played a few games of Rugby Union for Opunake. Asked by an Auckland pressman whom he considered the best footballer he had seen or played with, Air Mi ne nominated Sam Cameron, five-eighths, who played his first game as a senior at 16 years of age, and subsequently became a Taranaki representative 1 think that as an inside back lie had no superior—not even Mark Nicholas or Cooke,” declared Air Alii lie. ‘But unfortunately he faded out of big football. He was dazzling.” One man stood out above the others as a potential All Black star —.T. &ulnvan, the young centre from Taranaki (savs the Christchurch Press of the North-South Island game). He showed that the glowing accounts of him from the North Island were justified. Jail and well built, he is exceptionally fast and quick off the mark—a champion sprinter in his province—and lie left tlie opposition standing with a long, raking stride that reminded spectators of T. C. H. Caughcy at Ins best. Sullivan appears to have a great eye for an opening and a keen appreciation of the value of concentrating on the weak link,s of an opposing team. Unfortunatclv for Taranaki, Sullivan is going to Hawke’s Bay shortly, his father, for whom he works, having taken up a contract to build a bridge near A\ airoa. On the other hand, the Hawke s Bay captain, Lc Quesnc, will be lost to Rugby in that district as he has accepted a position in Wellington and leaves this week for the Capital City. The great try scored by full-back H. R. Pollock (Wellington) for the North Island against the South at Christchurch, recalls one secured by Jack O’Brien (Auckland) at Athletic Park (Wellington) on August 18, 1920. After the record-breaking tour of that year s All Blacks, during which in an unbeaten series of seven games, played .within 18 days, they tallied 264 points, the highest ever aggregated in Australia, the side which avenged the Now Zealand Army’s 6—5 defeat at Bradford in 1919 played Wellington. After a strenuous tour tho All Blacks had difficulty in raising a fifteen, A. E. Beiliss (wing-forward) playing centre and Charlie Brown (captain of the New Zealand Army teani in Africa) as hooker instead of'lialf. The Ranfurly Shield holders rather fancied their chances, but New Zealand ran over them by 38 points to 3. Brown scored a try, while full-back Jack O’Brien, of Army and South African fame, waltzed through the opposition like a crack five-eighth for another try. When the famous ‘‘Battle of Solway took place at Masterton on July 9, 1927, the opening try of that hectic contest was scored by Lambert Roach, the Wainivapa full-back, despite which Hawke’s Bav won 21—10. The “magpies” were challenging for the _ Ranfurly Shield, which R. Candy’s kicking had taken away from Napier five weeks earlier. The trophy, however, remained at Masterton, as the Bay had fielded Barclay, the Maori captain in Britain and Fiance, 1926-27, in contravention of the residential clause in the R.nnfurly Shield conditions. If Otago still Hold the Ranfurly Shield after the match with South Canterbury to-day a great game should be seen with Canterbury on Saturday. Canterbury usually play attractive football, and it would not bo surprising if the match were one of tho host of the year. According to the Christchurch Star-Sun, both J. E. Manchester and G. F. Hart will be available for the Canterbury tenm to meet Otago. Manchester will miss the match against Southland at Invercargill to-dav, but will rejoin the team in Dunedin for the Otago match. Hart will join the team in Invercargill. and will be available to play against both Southland and Otago.