RUGBY UNION GAME IN BRITAIN

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 114, 17 May 1938, Page 10

RUGBY UNION GAME IN BRITAIN

WALES DEFEATS IRELAND TRADITIONAL WELSH SETTING. Wales won their second and Ireland lost their third match of the season at Swansea in March and one rather sympathised with both, says the London Times. Wales probably would have won both the game and the championship at Murrayfield but for the loss of a front-row forward. Ireland were making a grand effo- t. and actually leading against Wales, when their stand-off half had to retire hurt. However, what might have be*i does not count, and the fact remained in the last international match but one, Wales beat Ireland by one goal, one penalty goal, and one try (11 points) to one goal (five points). It was glorious, almost too glorious, weather, and West Wales, perhaps for the last time, assembled in their tens of thousands on the historic St. Helen’s ground. It was a sight tc interest even the financiers of the Union, and full of great and moving memories. The writer, for example, could recall the torrential effort of the , Irish forwards of 1901 and the heroic spectacle of Basil Maclear and his fellows vainly contesting the championship with the Wales of Gwyn Nicholls, Teddy Morgan, and Dicky Owen In 1905. Ireland, in fact, have found Wales and the fates too much for them at Swansea ever since 1889. Upon that one date, if the Welsh Unioq have their way, Irishmen will have to concentrate if they want to think of victory. Poorly heralded by the heavy defeats in Dublin and Murrayfield, in

each of which they had scored four tries in vain, Ireland went to Swansea a considerably changed team. The changes, however, worked wonderfully well, and, but for the unfortunate injury to G. E. Cromey, the team might have improved upon a fine performance in the first half. Instead, the sustained pressure of a powerful Welsh pack, whose back row hunted the man and ball like cheetahs on a large scale, gradually wore down the seven Irish forwards, and with them a back division who had had to borrow a forward for use on a wing. Then, and not until jthen, the Welsh backs came into their own, not |at their passing ever was much better than a confused tangle of blind chucka at each other by players who overcrowded and over-ran the man with the ball time after time. Davey and Wooller, two of the most experienced players, were the worst offenders. Wales.—W. G. Legge (Newport); W. H. Clement (Llanelly), C. Davey (London Welsh), W. Wooller (Cardiff), and J. llway Rees (Swansea and Edinburgh); C. W. Jones (captain) (Cardiff) and H. Tanner (Swansea); E. Morgan (Swansea), W. H. Travem (Newport), H. Rees (Cardiff), F. L. Morgan (Llanelly), E. Watlans (Cardiff), A. M. McCarley (Neath), W. Vickery (Aberavon). and A. R. Taylor (Cross Keys). Ireland.—C. G. Craig (Queen'i University); F. Moran (Clontarf), IL j B. McKibben (Queen’s University), C S. Torrens (Limerick Bohemians), and C. V. Boyle (Dublin University; G. E. Cromey (Queen’s University) and G. J. Morgan (Old Beverdere); C. E. Beamish (Royal Air Force), C. R. Graves (Wanderers), H. Kennedy (Bradford), D. Tierney (University College, Cork), R. B. vlayne (Queen's University), H. J. Sayers (The Army), S. Walker (Instonians), and D. # O’Loughlin (University College, Cork), Referee.—J. H. Ireland (Scotland)*