RUGBY FOOTBALL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22417, 13 May 1936, Page 20

RUGBY FOOTBALL

EVEN SENIOR TEAMS PONSONBY AND MARIST LEAD MATCH COMMITTEE'S TASK The second series of matches in the Auckland Rugby Union's senior championship competition, decided on Saturday last, gave further proof that this season's contest for the honours is going to bo one of the keenest on record. Three very interesting and exciting matches were decided at Eden Park, and all served to demonstrate that the teams appear to bo more even this year than for some time past.

Ponsonby and Marist are the only two teams to have won both games so far, although Otahuhu has had a win, after drawing a bye on opening day. Technical, winner of last season's championship, drew with University in its first match and defeated Grammar last Saturday, so that on actual points the side is now runner-up to the two leaders.

Training College is the only other team to gain a win. University has played two drawn games, and so is equal to Training College in championship points. Grammar and Grafton have each had a draw and a loss, while Manukau has played a draw and had a bye. Consequently, these teams are level in points at the moment. College Rifles and North Shore have each sustained two losses and so have no championship point*. It appears at this stage that, no matter how the draw works out, each successive Saturday will bring together teams which will provide the public with close and interesting matches. Take next Saturday's games, for example. Grammar plays Grafton, Manukau plays Technical, Ponsonby plays Marist, and Otahuhu plays Training College. Anyone who could select the winner in any of those four games would require to have the luck on his side.

Consequently Eden Park patrons are likely to be well satisfied whichever of the four games is given pride of place on the oval, to say nothing of the curtain-raiser. A difficult task certainly confronts the Auckland Rugby Union's match committee. In the fifth game University should prove too good for College Rifles, while North Shore has a bye. UNIVERSITY GAME AUCKLAND AND WELLINGTON CONTEST AT EDEN PARK A match which should prove a big attraction will be the meeting at Eden Park next Wednesday of the Auckland University College and Victoria College, Wellington, fifteens. It is some years since these teams have played, contrary to the practice in the south, \vhere Canterbury College and Otago University play an annual match in the alternate centres.

The Auckland University team is well known to local followers of the game. In Rush, Drake, Lewis, 1 homas, Grant and McVeagh, the side possesses six players who recently toured Japan with the New Zealand University combination. The Wellington team also possesses six University All Blacks in Tricklebank, Chesterman, lOade, Rae, Wild and Burke. Tricklebank plays at fullback, and his sensational potted goal won the match for New Zealand against Meiji University in Japan. Wild, centrethreequarter, successfully exploited the Japanese position of seven-eighths 111 the second match with Hongkong, scoring two tries. This new position is a Japanese creation in which a iorward is taken out of the scrum and given a roving position in the backs, between the five-eighths line and the fullback. Rae, the halfback, has represented Otago, and is very tricky and difficult to stop. Burke, formerly of Canterbury, hooked for the latter province when it took the Ranfurly Shield from Auckland at Eden Park last August. Chesterman stands about 6ft. 2in., and is a young forward who shows great promise, while Eade is a loose forward with a good turn of speed. Blacker, the captain, played lock for the Wellington representatives for some seasons, and had also won his New Zealand University cap. Eckdahl, a dashing wing-threequarter, is a product of New Plymouth Boys' High School. INTER-ISLAND MATCH PRESENCE OF SELECTORS University teams are noted for making their games bright and attractive and so the forthcoming contest is certain to provide the public with some exciting football. Every player will be out to do his best in order to gain a place in the North Island University team which is to meet the South Island later on, either in Wellington or Cbristchurch.

Mr. J. D. Mackav, who represented New Zealand in 1929, and is a selector of the Victoria College team, will be present to confer with Mr. A. Keene, the Auckland University College selector, for the purpose of choosing the North Island team. They may also enlist the services of Mr. J. H. Muir, sole selector to the Auckland Rugby Union.

An attractive curtain-raiser has been arranged, between Army and Navy teams". Both are taking part in the regular mid-week competition and there is keen rivalry between them. HUMOROUS STORIES NEW SOUTH WALES PRESIDENT The Newcastle Rugby Union officials who look to the visits of the president of the New, South Wales Rugby Union, Mr. W. W. Hill, to replenish their stock of football stories did not look in vain when Mr. Hill was in their district at the beginning of this month. Mr. Hill gave thein the Hev. E. M. Mullineux's own account of what happened when lie took ji team to play a match in France. Soon after play began Mr. Muliineux —still remembered among footballers as captain of the greut British side which visited Australia in 1899 —saw one of his men lying in mid field almost unconscious. Ho ran to him, inquired what had happened, and received the reply: "I told Bill it was time we put the boot in, and one of them Frenchies must have understood English." Mr. Hill said that his companion at one of the All Blacks' matches in England last season was Tom Webster, tl>>. cartoonist. Webster, who said that he knew nothing about Rugby, saw the forwards go down for the first scrum of the match, turned to Mr. Hill and asked: "What are they doing? Dividing the gate?"