KIWIS AT NEWPORT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXVI, Issue 27, 31 December 1945, Page 5

KIWIS AT NEWPORT

SECOND DRAWN GAME. UNLUCKY NOT TO WIN (N.Z. Press Association. —Copyright.) Official N.Z.E.F. Correspondent. NEWPORT, Dec. 29. The N.Z.E-F. Rugby side played its second drawn game today when it met Newport in the thirteenth match of the tour. Though the team was lucky wdien it drew against Leinster, this time the Kiwis were somewhat unlucky not to get a win. The Kiwis scored a penalty goal and Newport an unconverted try. The home side made a magnificent effort in holding the visitors to a draw as Newport lost one forward half-way through the first spell. However, the chief factor in the Kiwis' inability to score was that the ground was so soft from recent rains that often the ball when kicked, simply stopped where it fell. This and the greasy ball put sufficient brake on the speedy New Zealand backs to enable Newport to succeed with a spoiling game in which: obstruction and offside play were often effective.

Maintaining their recently-shown improvement in scrums and lineout play, the Kiwi pack had to work very hard to hold the seven Welshmen, who played with desperate determination. Twenty thousand spectators filled the ground to capacity. The weather was fine, with sunshine till shortly before the match, but the ground was so heavily soaked with rain that it looked likely to churn up quickly. One bad patch along one flank near half-way was covered with sawdust. The teams were : ZZ*

N.Z.E.F.—Cook; Sherratt, Smith, Boggs; Dobson, King; Proctor; Simpson, Hough, -Bell, Nelson, Johnston, Woolley, Finlay (captain), Young. Newport.—D. R. Morgan; B. R. J. Simpson, A. H. Rowlands, R. R. Johnson, W. E. A. R. Panting; J. E. Hawkins (captain); F. Morris, J. Bale, A. T. Tamplin, G. Rogers, W. G. Jones, R. Taylor, P. Dav-es, W. Talbot. All round the ground a sigh which was almost a moan of regret went up when it was announced over the loudspeaker that W. Travers would be re-, placed by W. Talbot. Travers's father, VV. Travers, sen., who hooked for Wales against the 1905 All Blacks, died on Wednesday. His son has been selected to play for Wales against the Kiwis next Saturday.

FIRST POINTS TO KIWIS. The Kiwis kicked off, the forwards smashing into an immediate attack and, from an infringement, Cook scored in the first minute with a good' penalty goal. Kiwis 3, Newport U. The A'ewport forwards made a loose rusfi, but were stopped with good fast ling. Woolley broke away in a slashing' dribbling run, but Morgan cleared. A penalty helped Newport to change, the scene of play. Simpson was almost across as the result of a passing rush, but was thrown out at the corner, and Talbot almost dived over from a line--out. A scrum five yards out was order-' ed, and Hawkins squeezed his way past the scrum and scored, Morgan's kick failing. Newport 3, Kiwis 3. The;; equalising score came within 10 minutes.

The Kiwis went close to scoring several times before half-time. Proctor, who was getting the ball away excellently, sent the backs away on a, spectacular,move, in which Dobson and Sherratt made runs, Morgan grassing Sherratt. Boggs chased a kick through, and then Smith bustled the defence badly in a dribbling rush. Boggs just missed with an attempted field goal, the ball shaving outside an upright. From a passing rush Smith went through a gap- and sent on to Boggs, whose pass infield went astray after a good run. King flashed into action with a lightning cut-in and his pass to Nelson was knocked-on. The Kiwis continued to attack, the backs throwing the ball round in great style, and at this period Haw- '' kins did fine work in defence with clearing kioks. Bale retired with an injured rib and from that stage the Newport pack put up a great performance in holding the big Kiwi forwards. Knock-ons spoiled three- more Kiwi passing movements. GROUND CHURNED UP. The ground was now thoroughly churned up and some parts were so bad that the players wisely did not attempt to pick up the ball but simply speculated and chased. In the second half the Newport forwards rushed play to the Kiwi line and from a scrum five yards out Haw- • kins passed to Panting, but he drop- • ped the ball as he tried to cut in and' play was pushed back. From a scrum r r the Kiwi backs went away. The move- ~ ment broke down with a dropped pass _ but Smith set it going again. Dobson's pass to Boggs went astray, however, ■ when the defence looked beaten. Haw--kins attempted a pot at goal, but the. ball went wide. " ;*' Almost on time from a lineout "" the Kiwis swept into a dangerous passing rush, Cook racing up to take part, and Boggs jast failed to get over in the corner.

L. A. Grant, who replaced J. Maclean when the latter was injured, damaged a cartilage in the knee in training and can take no further part .in, the tour.

MATCHES IN INDIA (Rec. 10.30 a.m.) BOMBAY, Dec. 30. At the request of servicemen in Bombay, the representative of the National Patriotic Fund Board in India, Mr C. R. C. Gardiner, has recently formed a New Zealand Services football club which plays under the name of Kiwis. Mr Gardiner is president of the club and Lieutenant T. H. Prendergast,. R.N.Z.N.V.R., is club captain. The club cokmrs are black, and their games have attracted considerable interest.. They played a drawn game against the R.A.F., and in their second match beat the Royal Marines by 11 points to 3".