RUGBY NOTES

Northern Advocate, 14 August 1929, Page 7

RUGBY NOTES

(By “Tackier.”) Attracted by the double-barrelled programme, there was the largest attendance of the season at Kensington Park on Saturday. The rain held off! long enough for the crowd to roll up, but later, especially in tl\e Harding Shield match, vain interfered to a large extent with the play. The Rugby Union acted wisely in again transferring the games from Rugby Park, but should have made better arrangements for coping with the people. In fact, after a >vhile the crowd took charge, making it very difficult for the less pushful to obtain a good view.

INTER-COLLEGE

By far the best game from the spectators’ viewpoint was that between iWhangarei High School and Mount Albert Grammar. After a colourless opening both teams settled down to give a display -worthy of secondary school standard. Perhaps the combination was not all that might have been expected from boys who had been so well coached, but there was plenty in the play to hol’d interest. The greatly' improved showing of the local team was a welcome surprise. Sickness and other causes have played- havoc with school football in Whangarei this year, and seldom has the. full fifteen been fielded. Even on Saturday Finlayson was an absentee, and his place had to be taken by Mullins, a very young and light player, who is inexperienced in the position. The visitors were similarly handicapped on Saturday, being without Spence, their captain, and also the regular five-eighths.

All things considered, High School had the better of three-quarters of the game, and should have won comfortably. Their bad lapse was in the second spell, when. Grammar were always in the ascendant, and scored all their points. High School added three to their total in each of the other .quarters.

On an average Whangarei must have been nearly a stone lighter all round, but they threw their best energy into everything they did, and quite overcame this disadvantage. The forwards repeated their showing against Sacred Heart last week, - At first they were badly worsted in the scrums, especially in the fateful second quarter. Then the hookers got on the job, and for the rest of the game the blacks had most of the ball.

It is only recently that Yates was discovered to be a goal-kicker of some promise. He was entrusted with most of the penalties and was very unlucky in not succeeding several times.

The forwards were so even that it is difficult to particularise, except t,o state that Newman and Yates were in -the thick of affairs all the time.

The outstanding player on either side was B. Crawford who, besides negativing innumerable Grammar movements, led his side to attach whenever the slightest opportunity offered. Too many dropped passes made him an ordinary live-eighths in elulh games, but as a rover he has found his true mission, Swinburne -was very reliable on defence, but was often too slow in getting the ball away.\ Brown’s penchant for cutting in spoilt his play, and he was not as good as Kelsall. Williams was solid on his wing, but Georgeson seems to concentrate on style too much. He was by far the speediest back pn tlie day, and when he let himself go gained a lot of ground. Jzzard played a splendid game, his marking being a feature. , The fair head of Chambers was most noticeable in the Grammar team. He was a power of strength and. did some clever things. The same cannot be said of Fletcher, a eubtitutc fiveeighths, who mulled on 'nearly every occasion the ball was given to him. Vivian was not as clever as one had been led to believe, although he was quite sound. The most impressive of the three-quarters was Finlayson, whc twice ran round Georgeson. The fullback, Storey, used to bo the last line of defence for the Whangarei Primary School.

Taken as a whole, the blue forwards did not compare favourably with their lighter opponents. MANGONUI MISFORTUNE. If the score in the secondary school curtain-raiser did not indicate the true position, the fact that points arc by no means infallible was shown even more convincingly in the Harding Shield game. Instead of 14 to nil in Whangarei’s favour, it should have been nine to five. In fact, it would have been if Whangarei had not snatched a lucky try within a couple of minutes of the start, thus gaining five points, and if Anderson had not hung on instead of passing when he broke away, thus losing three points, and possibly five. There were few bright passages in what was an essentially a forward game, fought, out in the rain, Whangaroi’s superiority in weight was not shown to the same advantage in actual play, and in the line-outs particularly they took second place. Over-keenness in breaking up too quickly cost Mangonui most of the scrums. Moses Yates added to a reputation for consistent ability, which he has long held with the Whangarei public, and it is a great pity that neither lie nor Wilkinson can travel with the I North Auckland team. Cooper and ! Richards were always on the job. The ! backs were handicapped at the start by a slow half, who usually had McQueen on the top of him before he had thought out his plan of action.

Although Tommy Bowman was preferred before Anderson in the North Auckland selection, ho did not show up as well. Anderson played a rattling game, and will take Bowman’s place, the latter being unable to make the trip.

The wings both showed speed, and Thompson, although out af his usual position, accpiitted himself well as fullback.

Whangarei did not put up the showing expected of them. Occasionally the backs showed glimpses of brilliancy, b.ut for the most part were on'y moderate. With McDonald on the sick list, Party Morresey went behind the scrum. Although he did not possess the. same anticipation as McDonai .l did the previous Saturday, he acquitted himself well, as did Ryan. Britland again was a weak link, by far too «pt to run straight into the ruck and be submerged, it is not surprisingl to sec that the selector has at last brought .Sligo into the position for tomorrow’s game. While -not as prominent as usual, Nicholls -did everything required well. Playing for the first time since his return from Australia, Waterman, did quite well. The tour has given him that extra determination which he needed, and on -Saturday -the winger had confidence a-plenty, although his handling was weak. Kerr played his usual reliable game at -full-back. The forwards did not show up to any extent. McQueen is rapidly proving himself as a rover. All Black experience has taught W. Rika to throw the ball about like a back, hut his brother Munday was the harder' worker on Saturday.

TO PLAY THE REPS. A prominent footballer submits the following team whichs ho considers vould give the reps, as chosen by the selector, a good shaking;— Full-back.—D. Wilson (Portland). Three-quarters.—Webster, McLennan, Paid. Five-eighths.—Taylor (Mnngakahia), Cotter. Half. —B. Morresey. Rover. —Doug Wilson (City). Forwards. —-P. Morresey, B. Clotworthy, Webber, Linuol, Child, Swair.;on, Bain Finlayson, Emergencies.—-Back: N. Wilson (’Kammea). Forward: Grove. In any other season than this the team reads like the actual reps. . NORTH AUCKLAND REPB. TO PLAY WHANGAREI. ■ The North Auckland team to play, Whangarei tomorrow is announced as follows:—

Kerr (Whangarei)

Hansen (Hokianga), Ferguson (Wairoa), Barrack (Rodney). Davies ('Northern Wairoa). Anderson (Mangonui).

Bartley (Hokianga)

Chemngton (Hay of Islands). Wills (Wairoa), Harmora (Hokianga), Bunny Finlayson ( Whangarei), W. Rika (Whangarei), Donaldson (Otamatea), Gould (Wairoa), M. Morresy (Whangarei),

: Of the North Auckland touring members, Waterman, McDonald, Ryan and Nicholls will be playing for Whangarei.