BRIGHT RUGBY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22499, 17 August 1936, Page 12

BRIGHT RUGBY

INTER-ISLAND FIXTURE NORTH DEFEATS THE SOUTH SEVENTEEN POINTS TO SIX WINNING TEAM'S SUPERIORITY | [by telegraph—press association] CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday With marked superiority, both forward and back, North Island defeated' South Island in their annual Rugby match by 17 points to 6 at Lancaster Park yesterday afternoon. For the first half of the game there was little play that held out hopes of a good All Black side, but, after the interval, with their forwards packing better, the North Island rearguard saw plenty of tho ball and brought off some movements that raised the crowd to its feot and shot wide holes in the southerners' defence. The game was played under perfect conditions on a fast field and more than 10,000 people attended. Opening by Killeen North had to force after ten minutes' play, and then a sharp run by Dick, Auckland, carried play past half-way. Killeen darted through a small gap at top speed and made a fine opening by switching the ball inside to his forwards. Jackson took the pass and completed a thrilling movement, Pollock converting from fairly wide out. From 30 yards out Gilbert kicked a splendid penalty goal. South was penalised in front of its own posts from a scrum infringement, and Pollock goaled easily, making the halftime score: —North, S; South, 3. After lively exchanges on resumption Hart made-a brilliant run down tho embankment side before centreing. Gaffaney picked up the ball going at top and was almost clean away when Griffiths took him low. Then came a sensational counter-move in which nearly all the North team joined. Edwards came up fast on tho'wing and threw 'the ball in as Hart went low. Killeen took it and linked up with his forwards. Jackson, Fraset-Smith and Reid handled, and Reid scored about fifteen yards from tho post/-;. Pollock took the kick, but the ball struck a post. Pollock flashed into action with a spectacular solo run on his own a yard from the touch line. He took Hart by surprise and left Gilbert standing to score a magnificent try near the corner flag. He took the kick at goal and just missed. Griffiths Saves Try Tho South forwards were striving desperately and they burst through in a great dribbling rush which took the ball to half-way, and, amid excitement, attack after attack was launched. Gaffanev went through and passed in to three forwards, Green, Wrtrd and King. It looked an almost certain try, but Griffiths came back at great speed to tackle Ward just short of the line. South kept it up, but did not have the thrust and speed of the northern men and a fierce offensive was in vain. Gilbert marked in front of his own posts, but North came hard again. Sullivan took a low pass cleanly just outside the twenty-five, sidestepped McPhail, and went over to score just as Gilbert dived for his heels. Pollock's kick was too low. The South forwards took play to the other end and Simon opened out shrewdly on the blind side for Black to dive over between two opponents. Gilbert's kick failed and the final score was:— North, 17; South, 6. OUTSTANDING BACKS GRIFFITHS AND KILLEEN POLLOCK'S GREAT DISPLAY [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday Play in the first spell of tho North v. South match can almost be summed up by stating that, of 22 scrums, no fewer than 17 led to free kick* because of infringements. North won two scrums decisively, and South won three. As a result, although the forwards worked hard, back attacks started slowly, and the five-eighths were too frequently a prey "to the fast breakaways. In addition, there was a definite lack of co-ordination and far too much lob passing. Really the only outstanding incident was the swift cut through by Killeen when lie switched the attack inward to waiting forwards instead of out to his wing and, as a result, the South players were caught completely on the wrong foot. Jackson then scored an easy try before Gilbert could get to him. Leading at the opening of tho second spell by 8 points to 8, North immediately began playing to a definite and effective plan. The forwards opened up the game from the rucks, even in their own twenty-five, and, when tho backs secured possession, the combination that had been missing before was evident. Russell shot out his passes without trying to do too much on his own, and the five-eighths, Griffiths and Killeen, made opening after opening in brilliant fashion, varying the method with great pace and skill. Their understanding was perfect.. Griffiths frequently ran right past Gaffaney, who. although solid, was i\!ow by comparison. Then Griffiths sent on at once to Killeen, or left Gillies in two minds as to where tho attack was going. Handling faultlessly, Killeen came into all theso movements at top pace, and South could only defend desperately as the ball was passed and repassed, sometimes from the centre to the wing and sometimes back into the forwards. Jt was such a move by Killeen that gave Reid a try. However, it was a try scored by Pollock, North's fullback, that was the sensation of the match. Previously he had made many dashing runs, but had always passed in at one stage or another. This time both Hart and McPhail (now playing in centre instead of Mann), both veered in to watch Sullivan, but Pollock, starting from about half-way, kept on. Realising his mistake, Hart turned to give chase, but it was too late, and Gilbert was easily side-stepped. In every department of the came Pollock was outstanding. Speedy, sure and enterprising, ho definitely played himself into the New Zealand team. Dick, on the right wing of tho North thrcequarter line, made many dashing runs, and often eluded Black, the opposing wing. The breakaway forwards came across very quickly, particularly Rankin and Green, or Dick would have raced across several times. Even when jammed.' however, he kept the play moving forward with clever centring kicks. Dick, Sullivan and Edwards are likely to be the New Zealand thrcequarter line in the first test unless Watt, of Otago, ousts one of the wings. Certainly on the day's play Edwards was superior to Hart, although Hart was handicapped by the weakness of his inside men. Orman beat Hadley bv a narrow marpin for the hooking honours in tho first spell, while in the second spell the margin was even greater. Of 22 scrums in the second half, South won nine and North three, and ten were indecisive. Overkeen scrummaging and feet up by the outside men accounts for some of that difference.