TOUR OF WALLABIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20965, 31 August 1931, Page 12

TOUR OF WALLABIES.

DEFEAT ,BY CANTERBURY. " MARGIN /OF THREE POINTS. PENALTY DECIDES THE ISSUE. LIGHT RAIN IN SECOND SPELL. [BY TELES.RAPH. —rHESS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH. Saturday. Canterbury' defeated tho Australian Rugby touting team at Lancaster Park today by 16 points to 13. The gamo was started in cold, overcast weather, but the ground and ball were dry. Half way / through a light drizzlo began and continued until the end of the game. The visitors showed excellent form, better than that of Canterbury, but tho luck of the play was against them. The Australian forwards were heavier, man for man, and won most of the scrums. The backs handled better and generally ■were faster than tho Canterbury men. Australia led s—o at half-time and deserved a bigger lead, as the Canterbury team had not'settled down in the first half. After this tho scores see-sawed, the teams being' 13-all until some minutes before the time. Australia was penalised frequently for lifting in the' scrums, and Roberts profited by one of these infringements to put Canterbury ahead with a penalty goal. The teams were as follows: Australia. Ross; threequariers, Hemingway, Cowper, Towers, Palmer; five-eighths, Primrose; halfback, Malcolm; forwards, Cerutti, Bonis, Blair, Judd, White/ Perrin, Palfreyman, Clark. Canterbury.—Roberts, Hart, Innes, Williams, Oliver, Day, Mullan, Andrews, C'otirell, Pease, 'Simpson, Kearney, ManChester, King/ Sweeney. Tho first score came from beyond' half-way. The Australian backs secured from a scrum, Primrose running across the field. He outpaced the opposition and gave Cowper a straight run down the field. When re met Roberts Cowper gave the ball to Towers who scored unopposed. Ross converted. Australia, 5; Canterbury,,o. Canterbury met a stout defence in its efforts at attack and never ! until near half-time did the side look like scoring. It was a fine, dashing rush, but Towers rescued his fullback from a tight comer. The spell ended with the score: Australia, 5; Canterbury, 0. A few nondescript rushes put Canterbury on tht/ attack early and it kept up the pressure. ' A penalty relieved Australia, whose forwards charged after a kick. Tower,s carried on, and a score seemed certain when Hart dashed across

to find the' line. The Canterbury for--wards improved greatly, and at the end of a forward struggle in midfield King broke away and passed to Mullan, who scored. Roberts goaled. Canterbury, 5; , Australia, 5. ' Soon afterwards Mullan passed from a scrum to who drew the defence and passed to Oliver from whom the ball went to Andrews and on to Innes, who scored. Roberts goaled. Canterbury, 10; Australia, 5. In a great scramble Bonis scored for Australia near the corner, 'and a magnificent kick by Ross evened tho score again. Australia, 10; Canterbury, 10. , Again tho visiting backs moved off brilliantly. Towers cut in and passed to Hemingway,' who ran round behind the posts. Ross missed the easiest of kicks. Australia, -13 •/' Canterbury, 10. Canterbury evened with a penalty goal by Roberts, when an Australian forward lifted in a scrum in front of the goal ! posts. Canterbury, 13; Australia, 13. The final score came from a penalty awarded Canterbury in front of Australia's goal. Roberts' kick was safe. Canterbury, 16; Australia, 13. With a few minutes to go Australia attacked fiercely and was almost across several times. The game ended: Cant<y- , bury, 16; Australia, 13.

VISITORS UMjUCKY. // ' GOOD EXHIBITION BY BACKS. BIG ADVANTAGE IN WEIGHT. [r.Y TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] CHKISTCHURCH, Saturday. The Australians were decidedly un- ' lucky not to win against Canterbury today. They/' showed more sureness in handling and were faster all round. Their backs had more resource and were far more daring on attack and defence. Their forwards hac}' such an advantage in weight in ths scram that the backs had the lion's share of the ball. The run of play went against them time and again, otherwise they might have piled up a really big score. //

Canterbury won by the sure kicking of Roberts, who landed goals from two penalties which over-eager Australian forwards gave on each occasion right in front of the goal. i As all Australian teams db, the Wallahies would pass when on defence as readily as on attack. Proof of the effectiveness of this defensive passing was that it got them' out of several corners very effectively, and not once did Canterbury benefit from these tactics, which are considered unorthodox and risky by New Zealand players. The visitors' gave a remarkable exhibition of bright football. Even when hard pressed in their own twenty-five the backs would open up plav, and dangerous attacks often developed from these passing bouts, some of which were not broken down and safely arrested until the ball was carried ''deep into Canterbury territory

Canterbury was outweighed in the scrums by 17st. 131b., which more than represented }.he weight of the extra man which the visitors packed in their three-two-three formation.

The first quarter of an hour of piny was nil in lavorii of the Australians. Their backs combined snappily and Canterbury had to force twice. Malcolm shot the ball out speedily to his backs, who took it on'the move The climax of a series of passing rushes came with Towers' try close to the posts. lL was one of the most skilful pieces of back play seen at Lancaster I'ark for a long time. At the end of it, Roberts, the fullback, was left to oppose three racing Australian Lacks and his position was hopeless.

It was the pace of the Australians, together with swift, accurate passes from the scrums, which had Canterbury puzzled. Two or three Canterbury backs have real speed, but they seldom had a chance to display it, being well bottled Tjp by the fast arid vigorous Australian forwards, arid a set of backs who showed Eurorior tactics on attach and defence

Hart was kept busy watching Palmer, but more than held his own. The difference was that for every chance Ffart was given Palmer had three or four Towers, at 'outside centre, together with Cowper, frequently deranged the Canter bury defence by penetrating runs. Mulb'lii was outshone by Malcolm. Tho New Zealand half hesitated for a fraction of a second in giving passes and often was caught by tho Australian forwards. There was'no doubt about tho visitors' ability to stay out a fast game arid the pace increased rather than diminished as the game ncared an end. Forwards and backs were going as hard, seizing opportunities as quickly in tho last five minutes as in the first-quarter of an hour. It was a' really fast gamo and both sides stood up to tho exhausting struggle reruarkably well. Given dry fiolds and a dry ball, with ft little of the luck it was denied to-day, this Australian sido will certainly extond :tbe best sido New Zealand can field.