Auckland Team Beats Takahiwai Portland

Northern Advocate, 1 August 1949, Page 3

Auckland Team Beats Takahiwai Portland

SPECTATORS at Jubilee Park, Whangarei, saw a fine exhibition of League football on Saturday when Manukau beat Takahiwai 25—5 and Glenora beat Portland 28—2.

Of the home sides, Takahiwai gave the better performance, matching the speed of the Manukau team, but both Northland sides suffered through poor backing up.

In both games the home teams gained most ball, but lack of polish in the backs caused the resulting movements to break down into individual attempts to score.

In the first few minutes of the Manukau game, I. Watene crossed the line for Takahiwai’s only score. The movement was initiated by R. Paki. For 20 minutes, Takahiwai, always the hardest tackling of the Maori sides, held the Mapukau attack and the game was even territorially. T. Butler kicked a penalty and Diamond scored to take .the visitors into a 5—3 lead at halftime.

Portland beat Takahiwai 10—0. Hikurangi schoolboys beat West End 6—o while Portland and West End schoolboys kept the spectators interested in the half-time spells at Jubilee Park. From the standard of play, which has improved out of sight this season, the future of the code in Whangarei appears assured. MAORI REPS The Maori selector (Mr W. Rata) has chosen the following team for the Maori-Pakeha match. Fullback, W. Martin; threequarters. J. Wells, G. Manapere, J. Kcppa: five-eighths, I. Watene, R. Areke: halfback, R. Munn; front row, C. Paki, H. Pirihi, R. Paki; locks, R. Pirihi, R. Herbert; last man, W. Pirihi. Emergencies. Kessell, W. Ratahi, J. Joseph. W. Pene. The Pakeha representative team is: Fullback, B. Latham; three-quarters, J. Stringfellow, D. Brown. S. Rivers; five-eighths, G. Carter, R. Tweedie; halfback, L. Ross; forwards, F. Gabolinscy, K. Smith. Wedge, G. Freer, W. Helleur, F. Cheeseman. Reserve backs, Andrews, Hayward; forwards, R. Nash, Thorburn.

In the second half Manukau’s superior fitness told its story. R. Paratene and T. Butler cut the defence to ribbons.

Paratene was the outstanding forward on the field in rucking and in loose play. His tries were the result of tireless backing up For Takahiwai, R. Pirihi and R. Herbert compared favourably with the best Manukau packmen, but the back?ine failed to match the polish of its opponents.

In spite of the score, Takahiwai was not disgraced but merely shown that team play is the all-important factor in the code. SCORED AT WILL. The Glen Ora-Portland game resulted in an overwhelming win for the visitors, who scored as they wished, maintaining the pace from the first whistle. S. O’Neil was a pleasure to watch as he ran his backs into position and combined in scissor-passing moves. In this game Portland secured 90 per cent of the ball, but could not carry out a scoring move in the face of fast-breaking forwards, I Watene played the best inside back game of the day, but until Andrews came on outside him his ability could not be exploited. These two figured in most of Portland’s offensive moves, but they were allowed to go through on their own too often. As with Manukau, the Glen Ora men were appreciably faster, but they ran harder and. took more stopping. The Portland and Takaiwai sides provided the majority ‘of the players for the Northland Maori team which was so soundly beaten in Auckland, and the lessons learned in that game showed out in a number of the movements. Both teams are willing to throw the ball about more freely, but, in common with the other teams in the code in Northland, they must learn the value of fitness and backing up before they can hope to compete with Auckland club sides. “INDIA-RUBBER MAN" Travelling with the Manukau team was one of the best known of the older players in the League and Rugby codes. He was Mr Opai Asher, one of the few men to achieve All Black status in the League and Union codes. He was known as the “India-rubber Man’’ and was one of the first to sponsor the League code, particularly for Maori tern:; In the junior teams at Hikurangi. Ngunguru beat Hikurangi 13 —0 and