RUGBY STRUGGLE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22046, 28 February 1935, Page 14

RUGBY STRUGGLE

—: — : mm ENGLAND AND WALES - ■ ■ • " • •• CONTEST ENDS IN DRAW _ ; •- PENALTY GOAL TO A TRY , SEVENTY THOUSAND ATTEND ■s [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDED] LONDON, Jan. 26 The Duke of Kent was one of 70,000 spectators of one of the most grimlyfought Rugby Internationals within recent memory. A brilliant forward rally saved England from defeat by Wales, the result being three points each side —England a penalty goal, Wales a try. Even if the game was not a great one, it provided many thrills with its ferocity and remarkable tackling. The teams were:— . ~

England.—H. Boughton, L. A. Booth, P. Cranmer, J. Heaton, R. Leyland, P. Candler, J. L. Giles, R. J. Longland, E. S. Nicholson, D. A. Kendreiv (captain), J. Dicks, A. Clarke, W. H. Weston, D. T. Kemp, A. G. Gridlan. Wales. —V. G. J. Jenkins, Lieutenant P. T. Y. Cowey, Claude Darey - (captain), W. Wooller, A. Bassett, Cliff Jones, W. C. Powell, S. C. Murphy, Edgar Jones, H. Truman, J. Lang,. I. Day, D. Thomas, A. Skym, A. M. Rees. The special representative of Sporting Life says a great try by Wooller, in which Cliff Jones had a big hand, scored early in the second half, and a penalty goal kicked by Boughton late in the game, began and ended the scoring—and a draw was a fitting end, England owed almost everything to its pack. It beat its opponents for possession; and gave its backs more oppor- £5 tunities for attacking, but, except in defence, the English outsides were moderate. Superb Tackling The keynote of the struggle was superb tackling. As soon as the ball was out the opposition was up among tho backs. Passing movements were either strangled at birth or not allowed to go far. Regarded from the accepted international standard, the match was disappointing. True, we were kept on tenterhooks of expectation that something big might happen at any moment, but except when Wales got over, the well-laid schemes of both sides went agley. Much of the credit for England's advantage in the tight scrum goes to the new hooker, Nicholson, who will doubtless retain his place. ' There was not a deal in it between the respective eights in the loose, although the home men were perhaps better at backing up. In the line-out play Wales had a bit of e pull, Lang being always conspicuous. Kendrew performed a captain's part, working like a nigger. Dicks played his usual sound game and Longland and Weston were generally in the thick of things. Of the Welsh pack, reference has already been made to Lang, but the pick was Skym, one of the surprise selections. Rees was a live wire, .too lively at times, penalties being the sequel. At half the advantage was definitely with Wales. It was something of an ordeal for the youthful Giles to be pitted against such a hefty and wily warrior as Powell, but the youngster made a great fight of it. More Restrained Powell justified his selecfc'on. He still favours" the unorth'odox," but is more restrained than of old. Jones, although, well looked after by Weston and others, was vastly superior to his opposite number, Candler, whose methods were stereotyped. The task of his threequarters was thus made more difficult than it should have been, Heaton was subdued, Cranmer failed to rise to the occasion and Leyland did by no means badly. Wooller was not only the pick of his own line; he was easily the best three-quarter on the field. He was always threatening the other side. Until he was crocked, Cowey was also well in the picture. Boughton, at fullback, was one of the successes of the England side. "Almost for the first time," says the Times, "one began to realise that Cranmer and Heaton were, indeed, first-class runners and Leyland, for all his lack of the ordinary wing threequarter's equipment, a dashing, elusive spirit, comparable almost with Jones. Kendrew, too, was able to extract from his men something which the Welsh pack had lost, even before they saw Boughton's place-kick sailing like ft streak of doom over the crossbar."