GOOD BACK PLAY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 232, 31 August 1936, Page 9

GOOD BACK PLAY.

MANAWATU BEAT "WANGANUI. HOME FORWARDS CONTROL SCRUMS. A big crowd of Palmerston North Rugby supporters visited Feilding on Saturday to see the return match between Manawatu and AA'anganui and they had the pleasure of seeing the Manawatu backs at> their best, for Manawatu’s score of 27 points came mostly from a series of fine passing rushes. The forwards, too, shared in the honours, for they practically controlled the scrums and gave Brinsden plenty of opportunities to get the ball out to the backs. AVanganui made several dangerous rushes, but generally tlieir play was not convincing. The following were the teams: Manawatu (green and white). —Dernier, AVaugh, Bramwell, Gillespie, Fletcher, Thurston (captain), Brinsden, Findlay, O’Dea, McKenzie. Powell, AA'illiams, Sullivan, Crawford, Finlay. Wanganui (blue and black).—AVelsh, Burgess, Barton, Bullock-Douglas, Williams, Thompson, Brogden, Lockett (captain), James, Davidson, Firmin, Walker, McGregor, Reynolds, Smith. Manawatu kicked off, the ball going out on the full and a scrum being ordered. After an interchange of kicks, Brinsden set his backs off, the ball travelling along the line to AVaugh, who made a great dash, but was well tackled by Burgess a tew yards from the line. The Manawatu backs again got moving and AVaugh all but scored. A penalty to the greens gave Thurston a chance, but his kick was a poor effort. Lockett intercepted a pass from Brinsden, and gained ground, but offside play by Davidson relieved for the greens. Handling of the ball in the scrum by the AA'anganui forwards gave Finlay a chance of putting Manawatu three points up, and tiie Feilding Old Boys representative made no mistake. Lockett, at this stage, received an injury to a leg and retired Dallas taking his place. A penalty to Wanganui removed play to Manawatu s twenty-five, but the green forwards combined in a rush that took play to half-way. Then AVaugh broke away and, zig-zagging his way through the opposition, scored a fine try. Finlay failed with the kick. Manawatu continued to press and AVanganui were compelled to force twice. After n passing rush had broken down through a low pass to AVaugh from Bramwell, AVanganui pressed momentarily, but a line kick by Dermer relieved the greens. Manawatu were delighting the spectators with their splendid passing, and on one occasion Bramwell kicked through for AVaugh to finish the movement off, but the speedy winger was just a second too late for the touch-down. A wonderful piece of work by McKenzie, , in which he took the ball at his toes for half the length of the field, ended in the All Black scoring a wonderful try. despite much obstruction Fletcher converted with a fine kick. The greens were handling the heavy, greasy ball with great accuracy. Gillespie received the leather from Bramwell, but the winger was tackled with it when he should liave passed, and the blues were able to ward off the attack. Half-time-was called with" the score : . Manawatu 11, AA'anganui 0. MANAWATU BACKb SHINE. On resuming, Manawatu were quickly into tlieir stride, and a forward rush initiated by Williams, ended in r inlay passing to Gillespie, wno scored. 1 leteker missed With the kick. Xne AVanganui forwards went through from the : nick-out and dribbled tire ball to the Alauawatu line, where Firnun dived over. Welsh missed with the kick. The Manawatu forwards swept down on the vVanganiii line, where from a scrum the bail went to Thurston, who failed with an attempt at a field goal. Shortly afterwards Brinsden dazzled the spectators with one of his brilliant runs in which he ran through the opposition and, finding his way Mocked, passed to Findlay who ran round and scored between the posts. Findlay liad an easy kick, adding the extra points. The AVanganui forwards, headed by James, attacked, but were unable to get across, and Dermer kicked well down. Thurston and Bramwell had a turn at passing, blit Bramwell failed to take a high pass when a try looked likely. l’lay was transferred to Manawatu territory, where O’Dea eventually relieved with a good kick to the line. AVanganui came again and from a scrum Brogden passed to Thompson, who raced through for a nice try. AVelsh tailed with the kick. AA'anganui returned to the attack, and only a good kick by Dermer saved a try. Bramwell got the ball, dummied past several men, passed to Findlay, who gained further ground and then handed on to Gi’lespie, who outpaced the opposition to score a magnificent try. Fletcher missed with the kick. Play ranged up and down the field for some time, until Thurston broke away and after gaining groiond McKenzie and Sullivan carried on, the latter scoring after McKenzie had missed the touchdown. Finlay converted. There was no further score and time was called with the score : Manawatu 27, AVanganui 6. Mr A. Gordon was the referee. NOTES ON THE GAME. BRINSDEN’S BRILLIANCE. AVanganui wore without the services of three of their original sections, the five-eighth, Jones, and two for-

wards, Hutchinson and Thompson. Early in the first spell they also lost the services of tlieir captain (Lockett), who lip to his retirement with an injured leg had been a tower of strength to his side.

One of the features of the game was the perfect handling of the Manawatu backs. The ball was heavy and greasy, but right through the rearguard the leather passed from hand to hand with almost clock-like precision on almost every occasion a passing rush was attempted. There were a few occasions, of course, when a bad pass would halt proceedings, but these were few and far between. Brinsden was brilliant at half, and he made several of liis spectacular corkscrew runs. The try credited to Findlay was due to a bright piece ot individual play on the part of the half-back. The ball came to him from a scrum and, cutting past the opposition five-eighths, he beat several others with a jinkv run and got to the line, where he might have got across had he desired to, but he passed to Findlay, who had only to run on and score. It was a magnificent piece of play and deserved the applause it received.

AVaugh, as usual, was on his game, and whenever the ball reached him there was something doing. He ran with great determination and was a hard man 'to bring' clown when in his stride. Bramwell and Gillespie served the side well in their respective positions, though the latter lost a certain try when he tried to go too far on his own with two other men waiting tor the ball and with no one to beat.

Fletcher and Thurston, at fiveeighths, gave a good account of themselves, their accurate handling being of tremendous value in the passing rushes. Thurston used the stab kick to advantage and frequently kicked to a gap near the sideline for the wingers to race up and carry on. Dermer, at full-back in the absence of AValdin, who is in hospital, having undergone an operation for appendicitis, was very sound, his handling and kicking leaving nothing to be desired All the Manawatu forwards put every ounce into the game. McKenzie was a tiger for work, his try being the result of a great individual dribbling effort, while he figured prominently in the score by Sullivan. Findlay and Finlay were responsible for some of the points scored, the former with a try and the latter with his conversions.

The AA'anganui backs were handicapped through their forwards’ inability to secure the ball in the scrum, but when they did get it they lacked the polish of the Manawatu backs. AVelsh was sound at full-back, but none of the three-quarters impressed. Bullock-Douglas was only a shadow of bis former self, but lie was playing opposite a deadly tackier in Gillespie, and that no doubt affected his play. Thompson was quite a tricky first five-eighth and showed himself to be the possessor of a fleet foot on several occasions. Brogden, at half-back, passed out smartly and cleanly when his forwards hooked the ball, and lie showed no tear in going down to the forward rushes. The AVanganui forwards did not show the dash or cohesion of their opponents, but good play by James, Firmin and McGregor was noticed.