THE RUGBY GAME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19415, 25 August 1926, Page 16

THE RUGBY GAME.

RANFURLY SHIELD MATCH. AUCKLAND'S VAIN CHALLENGE. RESULT NOT SURPRISING. Xo bells were tolled 11) Auckland when the news came through that the representative team had failed in its challenge match against Hawke's Bay for the Ranfurlv Shield. No one who had followed the trend of liugby in Auckland this season could possibly have been buoyed up with hope that Auckland would win. It has been a lean year for Auckland, and in spite oi efforts to summon enthusiasm regarding Auckland's prospects in Saturday's match, speculation centred, not on which team would win, but on the margin of Hawke's Bay's victory. Hawke's Bay won by 41 points to 11, s score which indicates the strength oi the holders and the comparative weakness of the challengers. Incidentally, the victory was the greatest secured in any match between Hawke's Bay and Auckland since inferprovmcial football has been played Marches of the Past. These are the records: — 1889_At Napier; Auckland won. 8 to 3. ]s39.i__At Auckland; drawn, no score. 7S95—At Napier; Auckland won, 10 to 3. I.SOS—At Auckland; Auckland won, la to 1903—At Auckland; Auckland won, 20 1905—At Auckland; Auckland won, 23 to 3. 1907 —At Auckland; Auckland won, j2 to 3 1907—At Napier; Hawke a Bay won. 10 1910—-At Auckland; Auckland wen, 11 to 3. 1923—At Napier; Hawke a Bay won, 20 f io 5 192:? At Auckland; Auckland won, 17 to 9. 1924—At Napier; Hawke's. Bay won, 23 to ]925--At Auckland; drawn, 9 all. 1926—At Napier; nawke a Bay won, 41 to 11. . Summary.—Auckland won 8, Eawkos Bay won 4; drawn, 2; Points for Auckland, 155; points for Hawke's Bay, 140. Forwards'- Not Disgraced. Drastic as the defeat was, the game from Auckland's point of view was not wholly disappointing. The forwards played a magnificent game, holding back their formidable opponents in splendid style throughout the first spell and the early stages of the second. But the Hawke's Bay team is so well trained and the players "are in such perfect physical condition that it was inevitable that Auckland should crumblo beneath the onslaught in the final stages, especially as the visiting pack had made the pace at the becinning so hot. Auckland has had unfortunate season as far as casualties are concerned, and this has particularly affected the team-work of the backs.' Players such m Sheen, D. Wright, Matson, Holmes, Goodacre and Meyer were for various reasons, but mainly because of injuries or indisposition, unable to make the tonr. Available and well, all had solid claims for . selection. Their inclusion might not, probably would not, have meant the difference between defeat and victory, but Hawke's Bay would have been , extended, to a, much greater degree and the result- would have reflected more accurately the standard of football in Auckland to-day. Improving the Standard.

That standard is not outstandingly high and suffers somewhfit ib comparison with that of the immediately preceding years. Still, many promising players have been seen in action this season and the prospects for next year are Reasonably bright, always provided that players train regularly and are capably coached. This is a matter the Management Committee of the Auckland Rugby Union might consider at the close of the present season, in order to ensure that nest year the province may make a determined effort to recover its lost glories. ' The Auckland team will play against Wairarapa to-day. Wairarapa recently defeated Wellington by 24 points to 17, an indication that Auckland will not need to hold the opposition too cheaply, A-ack-land will meet. Wellington on Saturday and Manawatn on Monday, returning home on Tuesday. MAORI RUGBY TOUR. DETAILS OF ITINERARY, MATCHES tIN BRITAIN. Arrangements made in connection with the visit of the Maori Rugby team, now on the water, to Franco and are given by the London corresp6ndent of'the Hsiuu>. The team, lie States, will' havo a few days to put 'in before tho Lyons match on September 19. What have been called "easy preliminary games for propaganda purposes" have been arranged for Setpember 12 and September 16, Mr. C. J. Wray will meet , the team at Marseilles, and no doubt he will have some fatherly advice to give them betore they start on their travels in France and England, In France the transport and domestic details of the tour are in the hands of a well-known tourist agency. In England Messrs. T. H. Hamer and Company, who carried out the work in connection with the All Blacks' tour have the matter in hand. • It is interesting to learn that they have had no difficulty in arranging for! accommodation at the Various centres, and that the Maoris will stay at exactly the same hotels, with one exception* as the All ■ Blacks did.. The exception is Swansea, where a change has been made. The impression made by the All Blacks seems to have entirely removed any prejudice which hotel proprietors previously possessed against accommodating football teams. The team will arrive in England on October 13, and will stay in London, probably at Berner's Hotel, for two nights, when they will entrain for Weston-super-Mare to play Somerset County on October 16. From tho cabled itinerary it is probably not quite clear what matches are county and what are club. A slight elaboration of the programme may therefore be enlightening. On Thursday, October 21, the Maoris will play Newport Club at Newport; on October 23, Swansea Club at Swansea; on October 27, the Yorkshire County at Bradford; on October 30, the Harlequins at London; on November 3, the Devon County team at Plymouth;'on November 6, the Cardiff Club at Cardiff. The team will remain at Cardiff for ten days. On November 11 they will piay the Gloucestershire County team at Gloucester, returning to Cardiff after the match, and on November 13 the Llannelly Club at Llanelly. The East Midlands Counties j team will be played at Northampton on November 18; and the London Counties team at Blaekheath grounds on November 20. A match against Hampshire County was arranged for Wednesday, November 24, but this has been cancelled as the guarantee was not large enough. Leicester Club will be played at Leicester on November 27; nnd Lancashire County at Manchester on December 1. From Manchester the team will return to London - and cross to France on December 3, opening the second stage of their French tour at Bordeaux on December 5. It has been suggested that the Dominions Students' Athletic Association should play a match with tho Maori team, and a meeting is to be held to consider whether this can be arranged for the vacant d.-ite, November 24. Such a game with the university students, played at either Oxford or Cambridge, should be. exceedingly interesting, besides attracting a large number of spectators.