RUGBY FOOTBALL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22543, 7 October 1936, Page 20

RUGBY FOOTBALL

; COMPETITION WINNERS ! SUCCESS OF PONSONBY TEAM j FINE ALi-ROUND COMBINATION ■i Tlio grounds wore very hard and dry i| last Saturday, when another highlyi, successful Auckland Rugby season was !; brought to a close. Repeating its j! Gallaher Shield success in the first I round of the championship, Ponsonby | defeated Marist at Eden Park in the i final of the Jubilee Trophy for the I second rpunil, and in doing so earned ij the right to bo known as the grand ! champion team of 1936. For Ponsonby the season was a most successful one, I and of 16 matches, it lost only two, these being to Grafton in the first ij round and Otahuhu in the second ; round. ij Great credit is due to the Ponsonby pack, which was coached by the former All Black, R. G. McWilliams. Although it was obliged to concede a good deal | of weight to several of the teams it ij met, the forward division was !j never outclassed. The physical fitness I of its members made it possible for I them to put just as much vigour into their play at the end as at the beginning of their matches. One member of the forward division deserving of special praise is H. Bonfl, who hooked consistently well throughout the seaj son, thereby giving the backs plenty j of opportunities. Bond's fast following i| up and his ability to keep near the | ball made him a prominent figure in all |j the team's matches. For his size and weight there is not a better forward ! in Auckland, if in the Dominion. !i The captain of the team, F. Solomon, |j led his side splendidly at all times, and ! his consistent play was an example to ! : j his team-mates. Another first-class allj round forward was Carson, of whom much more should be heard in the | future. .j The halfback, Frankham, performed i! solidly throughout the season, while i Jamieson, first five-eighths, displayed I just as much dash and cleverness on ! attack as in former seasons. It was ;! only his unreliable defence and too I frequent kicking on attack that kept 1 him out of the representative side, j The second five-eighths,' 1). Solomon, was a tower of strength both on defence and attack. The threequarter line was possessed of great speed, good i understanding and ability to handle the ball. The displays of the fullback, Hook, have been consistently good, his handling of the ball being at times brilliant. His kicking has also been of a high standard, and it is anticipated that he will be Auckland's fullback I during the next few seasons. IMPROVEMENT OF MARIST VALUE OF HADLEY'S HOOKING Marist, runner-up in the senior championship, showed a vast improvement this year. Its pack was one of the strongest in Auckland, and it profited greatly from the advice of S. Hadley, a former All Black. An important factor in the team's success was the hooking of W. Hadley, who was able to keep the ball away from opposing teams. Butler, the captain, revealed himself as a fine all-round forward and gained representative honours. McGrory played his best football toward the end of the season. McHugh showed promise of following in the footsteps of his father, who represented Auckland against the Springboks in 1921. I The backs showed improvement as the season progressed. Irvine, a useful halfback, gave Curtayne and Coone.v the opportunities to show what a good combination they were at five-eighths. Both gained a place in the Auckland team. The threequarter line performed with distinction once Logan returned to centre after his shoulder injury. The side was unfortunate in not having its regular fullback, Elliott, in the final and most important match against Ponsonby last Saturday. Last year's champion team, Technical, lost several of its most prominent players, the side this season containing several promoted juniors. One of these, Byerlev. a wing threequarter. gained representative honours and created a favourable impression in the South Island. He should have a good chance of gaining selection in the teams to meet the Springboks next year. The team's best forwards were August and Cooper, both of whom played for Auckland, •

GRAFTON'S ERRATIC PLAY UNTIMELY INJURY TO DICK Due to a large extent to continual changes in the team, Grafton performed erratically throughout the season. Tts outstanding forward was R. Anderson, who gave some clashing exhibitions, while its best backs were Killcen and Dick, who both gained North Island honours, while Killeen played in the first test against the Australians at Wellington. Those who witnessed the inter-island match at Christchurch formed a very good impression of Dick's play. It was unfortunate that an injury put him out of action toward the end of tho season. The Otahuhu team's strength lay in its lively pack of forwards, but the hacks also showed glimpses of good form. Movie again gave splendid service behind the scrum. Pearson did not receive the opportunities to display his true worth at centre, while Brown, on the wing, did not reproduce the form which gained him a place in the All Rlneks the previous vpar. After the Auckland team's southern tour, the club lost the services of its fullback, Beyer, who transferred to another code. Another team which had a powerful forward division was Grammar. Knight played as well as ever and proved very valuable in tho tight, while Lockington also played good football. After acting as emergency in the first test against the Australians, the latter was unlucky not to represent New Zealand in the second test through sustaining a broken hand in the mid-week match at Timaru. Mcßeath hooked consistently well, while A. Brown was very useful in tho loose.

University did not perform ns well as was expected, its rearguard being not quite as strong as in previous seasons. Early in the season the team lost Lewis, who won a Rhodes scholarship, wliilo the absence of Caughev was also felt. Inglis proved himself one of the most promising halfbacks in Auckland, while Cornes, second five-eighth, showed decided promise. Hush was again a mainstay of the team. One of the forwards, Drake, gained representative honours. Manukau was not quite up to its strength of previous seasons, while Training College also finished fairly low down. The latter team's fullback. Hare, is the most serious rival of Hook for the Auckland fullback position and he kicked over a 100 points during the season. College Rifles was a light but virile side and gave some good exhibitions, but North Shore's play did not come up to the expected standard.