MATCH AT TIMARU

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22820, 30 August 1937, Page 12

MATCH AT TIMARU

SPRINGBOKS' EASY WIN SO CANTERBURY BEATEN FORTY-THREE ~POINTS TO 6 VISITORS'- OBTAIN TEN TRIES [by TEiroßArn—prhss association] , ''' TIMARU, Sunday In'> .spite' of the aversion of the Springbok'- captain, Nel, for making records'," it' socms that his team is unablo to keep away from* them, for in the jnatcji ,against South' Canterbury yesterday .the visitors won by tho biggest 'margin'of'the "tour pnd'also put up their highest score, the final figure's being, 43 points to-6. In 1921 tho homo side was. defeated by 34 .points to 8j which was tho,best win that the touring s|dq/Had.. ' , . Howeverj tho big score yesterday somewhat' flattered tho visitors, as at least, three' tries, , which incidentally were converted, came from offside. Thivis not meant to detract from the merit, of' tho ,win. of tho, visitors, who .gave'a: polished display, but it serves 'to indicate that the game was hot so one-sided as tho score would . suggest. The Score'of' 15 points, to 3at the interval was a, true reflection of the run of'play'; tip'to'that stage, but' the ' story of ,the' second half was very similar, to that told in matches against the majority of other provincial teams, having taken tho sting out of tho opposing • pack. 'V Ground Jn Good Order When-half an inch of rain fell on Thursday it looked as though the ground would be soft, and tho chances of-the home side making an interesting game of it appeared bright. A drying easterly wind blew all yesterday morning,-: however, and, when the teams took the field, the area was in surprisingly good condition. It was not even greasy and, under tho circumstances, it is not surprising -that tho fast visiting backs had a field day. Form in.their two recent games suggests, that tho Springboks will be favoured for the second encounter with the All Blacks and, on his display yesterday/ Harris will be unlucky if he is not capped. He reached his majority on Frjday and his selection in the tost team would :be a belated, but imost acceptable birthday present. He was the brains practically all the visitor!?;'iback movements, and cut the defencefcto ribbons with tho greatest ease. jf-v Clever Manoeuvring The home backs repeatedlv swung out in the hope of crowding the opposing wing's to touch, but the policy was fatal, $$ Harris swiftly went through the gapiand then sent on. giving tho opposition no chance. His clover manoeuvring would have gone for nought?.' But for the fact that tho outsides handled brilliantly for the most part. There were occasional lapses, but the home team failed to take advantage of them. When the forwards did break through they Van'into a stubborn defence, and a quick pass back would see the ball sailing for touch well down the field. - The game opened sensationally, for inside two minutes a good blind-side movement saw Ryan, the home winger, over in the corner for a fino try. It was reminiscent of the match against the British team here in 1930 when the

combined team opened the scoring in the first few minutes.

A little later Hopkinson intercepted beautifully and raced 1 through to Brand, but threw a poor pass, and a good chance was lost. This was tho closest the home team went to scoring during the remainder of -tho spell. ''Difference Between Packs

The South Canterbury pack was supposed to average 14st. 41b., which was three pounds lightor all round than tho visitors, .but it was obvious from the appearance of the players that there was a much bigger margin. This was confirmed by the ease with which the Springboks "pushed the scrum. They did not have, matters all their own way in this department, iiowevcr, and actually the home side won a greater share of the ball in the .first spell. .. The fast breaking of the Springbok forwards, however, forced the home backs to kick- for touch. While this wa3 a good defensive policy it did not savo the forwards much, and the pack had a gruelling diiv. They did their part well, nicking solidly and tackling resolutely. The forwards did their very best to grab the ball as well as the man, but once it. rolled clear tho forwards found themselves in the midst of swirling legs, the visitors not appearing to care who got trampled on, so long as tho ball came side.""' . Nel paid a tribute to tho play of the homo forwards, particularly in the first half, when they held their own in the tight,and loose. Twice early in tho game the South Canterbury forwards' swept downfield with great loose rushes," which the visiting team did not-appear., too keen -on stopping, but unaccountably the homo pack did lfot repoat the dose, 1 even' when it had the chance. Hadth? forwards done so they might have enjoyed moro success. • "■ ' '

Opposition Fooled ( ; The visitors displayed marked ability to open up play, from thodpose melees and Craven, with long dive passes, sent ■ the backs away on speetaoular moves, fiarris and Loehner frequently changed the direction of the attack, completely fooling the opposition and, when the progress "of the threequarters was barred, the ball would be.swung in to the fast-following forwards or bo centred. Tho forwards often came up too fast apd were glaringly offside, but were not penalised. . •< Next tQ, Harris, Brand and Williams were the star backs. The latter scored • three great tries, powerful running being a feature of his play. Brand, who was playing for the first time since his injury, gave a fine display. He converted five of tho ten tries scored and kicked a penalty goal. Nel was prominent throughout the; wholo of tho second half, leading tho pack in great style. Martin and Strachan also went well in the loose. The homo pack, which included G. Adkins, tho 1935 All Black, and .J. 1 Strang, who played in the All Black trials this year, grafted solidly all day. Saxton, B. Morrison and Cartwright tackled with determination, but the rest of tho backs wore weak. Tries were scored for the visitors by Williams (3), Turner (2), Bab row (2). Van Reenan, Strachan and Craven, five being converted by Brand, who also kicked a penalty goal; Ryan and Adkins scored for the home side. The referee was.N. Eggleton, of tho West Coast. There was an attendance of 8750 and the gato takings were £1075. REMAINING FIXTURES SECOND TEST NEXT SATURDAY The remaining matches of tho Springboks New Zealand tour are as follows: Nest Saturday.—v. New Zealand (second test), at Christchurch. September B—v. Southland, atr Invercargili. September 11—v. Otago, at Duncdin. September 15—v. Ilawke's Bay, at Napier. September 18—v. "Poverty Bav - East Coast-Bay of Plenty, at Gisborne. September 25—v. New Zealand (third .test),..a.fe,. Auckland. s6pt€lnber North Auckland, at