INTERNATIONAL RUGBY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20244, 2 May 1929, Page 18

INTERNATIONAL RUGBY

CHAMPIONSHIP TO SCOTLAND EXCITING GAME WITH ENGLAND. RECORD ATTENDANCE AT MATCH. |>KOM our own correspondent. ] LONDON, March 19. Scotland beat England by four tries to two (12 points to 6), and so won the international championship outright for the first time since 1925, when the famous Oxford threequartor line was supreme.

In a desperately close game, which thrilled 80,000 people—a record crowd— Scotland did not take the lead until the second half had only 12 minutes left to run, but it deserved its success because the team was the better together, lasted the belter, and clearly beat England in the loose.

England's slight superiority in scrummaging was thus more than discounted, and with the Scottish outsides throwing tho ball about it was revealed in the second half that Novis arid Smeddle bad not the pace to hold Smith and C. Brown, their rivals on the wings. England's luck was out in one way. A last-minute change had to bo made in the threequarter line. Wilson was unfit, so A. R. Aslett was brought in as right centre, and Novis moved to left wing. Thus, England's experimental back division became still moro experimental, and, well as the halves, Richards and Meiklc, played in flashes, there was no real cohesion anywhere. A Personal Triumph.

" The match was a personal triumph for Greenlees," says one writer, " and Smith, ' tho flying Scotsman,' had recaptured his .former prowess, and was in splendid form. Macpherson nursed Smith well, and did much good individual work. Another who stood out above his fellows was Bannerman, who led his men like a hero, and never tired. Aitchison, the fullback, has improved a lot since the beginning of tho season, and had none tho worse of his duel with Brown. Nelson did all that was asked of him at the base of the scrummage, and also worked the blind side with good effect. C. H. C. Brown scored a lino try, but most of the play was on the other wing. Simmers was good at times, although not the equal of Macpherson. " And now for tho losers. It must bo admitted they fought gallantly until the last 20 minutes, but then they had lost their power of recovery, and could not last tho course. ' The forwards were excellent first and by spasms all through, but they became ragged toward the close, and lost their mastery of the tight scrummages. " To sum up, England was outclassed at all points. Tho team was not well together, and the experiment of wholesale changes on tho occasion of the Calcutta Cup match was not justified. The last stages of tho game was rather distressing, for England was so clearly beaten, and Scotland might well have won even more easily. There was nobody to pull the side together, and tho players had not sufficient knowledge of each other, or confidence, to do it for themselves." England Leads at Interval.

Scotland had a shock when, seven minutes after the start, Sladen sent Novis away on tho left, and the wing man ran right through from half-way, beating both Smith and Aitchison. Tho angle was too wide for Harris to convert, but a three points lead was encouraging to a theoretically disorganised English side. Tho English forwards had tho better of the early scrummaging, but Scotland's pack was beating the white jerseys in the loose, and in turn Richards, Aslett and Sladen had to go down to clear rushes.

England held its lead to the interval, and thus far it was anyone's game, in which promising attacks on both sides were wrecked persistently by keen marking. Ten minutes of pressure by England opened the second half, Sroeddlo being brought down on the line. A dash by Smith set Scotland going, and 14 minutes after the cross-over Nelson slipped over the line from a scrum close in. Allan failed to convert, and four minutes later England went ahead again, Aslett running along the right wing and crosskicking, for Meikle to secure a try. Novis missed the goal kick. Excitement was now frenzied, and amid a deafening uproar the ball was passed beautifully along the line by the Scottish backs from right to left, for Brown to slip Smeddln and run oyer in the corner. So, with Allan failing to convert, the teams were level again, with 21 minutes gone. Initiative With Scotland.

Excitement grew as Scotland became more insistent and incisive. The team still trusted to lan Smith, and he did not fail. Bad English marking at a line-out gave the Scottish backs theii chance, and across the field the, hall was passed to Smith, whose pace beat Novis, and took him through at the corner with Brown clutching at him. Bannerman missed the kick, but Scotland led at last, and only 12 minutes were left for kept it up. The initiative was so clearly with the side that it had all the play, and close on " no-side ' Simmers put Smith in for another try in the cornor. The teams were ; Scotland.—T. G. Aitchison (Gala) fullback- T. S. Smith (Edinburgh University) G. I\ S. Macpherson (Edinburgh Academicals), W. M. Simmers (Glasgow Academicals) and C. H. C. Brown (Dunfermline), threequartcr backs; It. L>. Greenlees (Leicester) and J. B. Nelson (Glasgow Academicals), halfbacks; J. M. Bannerman (Oxford University), captain. H. S. Mackintosh (Glasgow University), J. It. Patorson (Birkenhead Park), J. W Allan (Melrose), R. T. Smith (Kelso), K. M. Wright (London Scottish), W. B. Welsh (Hawick) and J. W. Scott (Bradford), forwards England.—T. W. Brown (Bristol), fullback; R. W. Smeddle (Cambridge University), A. R. Aslett (Army and Richmond ), G. M.' Sladen (Boval Navy and United Services) and A. I. Novis (Army and Blackheath). threequartcr backs; S. 0. C. Meikle (Waterloo) and E. E. Richards (Plymouth Albion), halfbacks; E Stanbury' (Plymouth Albion), R. H. Sparks (Plymouth Albion), R. Webb (Northampton), T. Harris (Northampton). H. Rew (Army and Exeter), IT. Wilkinson (Halifax), D. TurquandYoung (Richmond) and H. G. Periton (Waterloo), captain, forwards. Referee, Dr. J. R. Wheeler (Ireland).