RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 2729, 23 August 1923, Page 7

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

HOROWHENUA WINS. TARANAKIB DEFEATED 24—0. [Per Press Association.! DEVIN, Last Night. Horowhenua defeated the Taranaki B touring team this afternoon by twenty-four (six tries, three converted) to nil. CORNSTALKS AT TIM ARC. DEFEAT SOUTH CANTERBURY. (Per Press Association.) TIMAKU, Last Night. South Canterbury met New South Wales in dull but favourable weather, before an attendance of four thousand. The visitors were the heavier pack, with backs faster than the home team. The game throughout wa.s exceptionally well contested, resulting in a win for New South Wales by twenty-throe points to sixteen. The local men were eight points to the good before New South Wales opened the scoring, but ’ere half time the visitors led by thirteen to eight. The second spell was chockful of incident, with several spectacular passing moves. The packs were very evenly matched, but the visiting backs were superior to the local men in all departments of the game. HAWKE’S BAY ON TOUR. WIN OVER. KING COUNTRY. [Per Press Association.] TAUMARDNUI, Last Night. Hawke’s Bay defeated King Country to-day by 14 points to S. Irvine, McGregor, Brownlee and Kivell scored and Irvine converted one try for the winners. Young scored and Byrne converted and kicked a penalty for the King Country LEAGUE GAME A CRICKET SCORE. AUCKLAND, Last Night. At the League game, Auckland de. fcatod Wellington by 71 to 12, after a fast game, in which Auckland were superior throughout. Though the play was fast and open, rhe Auckland backs wore behind a poor pack, and initiated frequent passing rushes in the first spell, when Auckland had scored 22 to 7. Had the goal-kicking been good the score would have been, greater. The Wellington backs played poorly, and while their running was straight, the passing was frequently faulty, with flic result that the homo backs intercepted. For the winners, Laing (2), B. Davidson (3), Godwich (3) Bass, Hanlon, Deloroaso (2), Douglas, Thomas, Somers, SUomont, and W. Davidson scored, Laing (2), Poison (3), Somers, Godwich (2), Wilson. Hall, and Bass converted. For the losers, Hedges, and Ryan scored, Whittington converting one, and kicking a penalty, as did also Greer. REPRESENTATIVE R U GBY. .It is obvious that 3,000,000 people will not be able to find accommodation on the grandstand on Saturday next, v/hen Manawatu play Wairarapa but it is quite easy to believe that 3000 will find thorough enjoyment In watch ing this biggest match of the whole season. Both teams are the best the two districts cn n put in the field, and both will be the teams to tour the South Island. This in sufficient evidence to convince the eager public that something like real football will result when these two teams meet. Wairarapa get a few days start of the Manawatu team in tour, and just imagine how proud they will be if they go South with the reputation of having defeated the Manawatu representatives, but —how embarrassing, if the local representatives have to tour, the defeated team. This Is going to make the fight for premiership on Saturday all the more strenuous. Who will win ? This Is the question of the hour. Bo there and see for yourself, one oi the best games played this season. SCHOOL REP. TRIAL. The Manawatu Schools’ representative team met Technical in a trial match at the Showgrounds yesterday. From the first, the rep. team showed itself to have a strong forward line, with decided combination and strength behind it. Once a combined rush started, it was extremely difficult to stop. It showed itself to altogether superior, and the opposing team was too Inferior for a really interesting game. Manawatu opened their account with a pretty passing rush, Hewitt securing a try. Hannah converted. s—o.5 —0. From a throw-in near the corner flag. Strawbrldge broke away, though this time Hannah failed to put the ball between the posts. B—o, within five minutes of play. For the remainder of the half the play was all in Technical’s territory, except on a few infrequent occasions when Technical broke away. ‘Hannah converting a nice try by Pearce, brought the score up to 13—0, making it 1G —0 a few minutes before half-

time by scoring, but failing the convert. Technical woke up a little in the second half, and pressed continually. Besides breaking well into scoring, it prevented the rep. team from raising Its tally. Casey, De Cloene, and Bishop secured tries for Technical, the last-named converting his own. Thus victory rested with the rep. team. 16 —11. The final for the Primary Schools’ Junior Shield will be played between Terraco End and Central at 3 o’clock to-day on the showgrounds. NOTES BY "FOLLOW-UP.” Such has been the luck of the local representatives, (hat most of the fixtures played to date have been played under most adverse, conditions, and it would appear that so accustomed have they become to the quagmire conditions, that when really decent weather, and a solid ground does favour them, they are all at sea. The weather conditions for the past few Saturdays has been practically ideal, but the improvement in the standard of play has been conpicuous by its absence. On Thursday last, when the junior “reps.” met Auckland, the game was anything but brilliant, regardless of the fact that the day was practically ideal, except for the fact that a “choppy” breese was blowing across the field. The visitors come here with a great reputation, taut their showing .was very patchy, and the game dragged terribly until the last twenty minutes, when the Northerners certainly did wake up a little. The visitors were certainly the more aggressive, and their backs outshone ours completely, and Sheehan Singleton, and Gribble, were a complete source of worry to their opposition. Manawatu used their pack most of the time, and prominent among the workers, were Snell and McKay, the former seeming lo thoroughly revel in the thickest of ’t. That the game ended in a draw is no reason to believe that, it was a hard and fast game, for such was not the case, but if the Aucklanders bad “come to light” earlier in the piece, the score would certainly havo. been much bigger—in their favour. Saturday last was even a better day than the previous Thursday, but if one attended the, match with idea of seeing fast and lively football, one was sadly disappointed. It is, of course, true the Manawatu took the field with more or less of a scratch team and amongst, the absentees were Sly, Hansen. Bropby and Galpin, the two latter being away in Wellington upholding Manawatu’s reputation against New South Wales. Without the help of these players, the whole team seemed to have that weak appeara.nce, that might,' collapse at any moment. Murie took the field a sick man. and several of the other players wero off colour too. Taranaki wore in the same box, more or less, for several of their players, were “fluites,” The visitors wore the more aggressive, and got off the. mark like a flash, particularly in the scrums, and Akulra was not. too happy in his position on many -occasions.

Mair played his usual hard game, but did not a.ppear too happy with himself or the teams showing. Perhaps they could have done better. Swainson made several gallant attempts to do things, but a limp retarded hsi actions considerably. Prior to the senior game, the third grn.de match between Wanganui and Manawatu, kept (he spectators interested. The play was hard and fast throughout, and some very fast rearguard movements were, a delight to .watch. On the other ha.nd Wanganui preferred to play a forward game, and appeared to be slightly heavier than the local fifteen. Barrel and Benge played e, great attacking game, particularly the former, He is quick off the mark, and fills his position ns wing forward admirably. The ma.tches set. down for Saturday ought to prove far and above, more interesting than last Saturday, when Manawatu play Wairarapa. The local team will comprise members who are to travel in South.