RUGBY SEASON OPENED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23026, 2 May 1938, Page 13

RUGBY SEASON OPENED

SENIOR MATCHES SOME KEEN CONTESTS ATTRACTIONS AT EDEN PARK GRAFTON DEFEATS PONSONBY iEX-INTERNATIONAL, KICKS OFF The Auckland Rugby Union's senior {championship for 1938 was - jcommenred on Saturday afternoon in fine weather and,with the grounds in splendid order after rain earlier in the |week. There were good attendances at ' Eden Park, Devonport and Sturgos Park, Otahuhu, where the senior first division matches were decided. The principal attraction at Eden Park (ivas the meeting of Ponsonby, winner tof the Jubilee 'Trophy and Gallaher Shield competitions last year, and Graffton. The latter won a very exciting • game by the margin of one point. Grammar defeated Manukau in another ikeen contest on No. 2 ground by 14 ipoints to 8. North Shore scored a comfortable victory over University at Pevonpcrt, but' the surprise of the afternoon was the large total registered by Marist in accounting for Otahuhu on the latter's home ground. Mr. Harald Baker, a former Australian Rugby representative, and an international "Blue" in four sports— Rugby, boxing, swimming and water polo—kicked off in the match on the Eden Park oval between Grafton and Ponsonby and was accorded an ovation. Prior to the commencement of the senior Rugby contest on the oval, a squad of 500 pupils of the Auckland .Training College gave a display of drill, folk dancing and physical exercises. Tlie Thyth«a and precision of all their movements evoked hearty applause. The [principal of the college, Mr. D. M. ®ae, and the pupils were thanked for ;the'ir assistance by Mr. H. Frost, president of the Auckland Rugby "Union. Following were the results of the fcenior matches: — Grafton, 12; Ponsonby, 11. Grammar, 14; Manukau, 8. North Shore,' 17; University, 4. Marist, 28; Otahuhu, 6. AN EXCITING FINISH GRAFTON'S SLENDER MARGIN Considering it was tho first championship match of the season the standard of play In the meeting between Grafton and Ponsonby was most encouraging, and this early It would appear that from these two teams Blone the sole selector will find valuable material for the building up of a representative side. One pleasing feature of the game was .its freccess from stoppages for Injuries to players. By reason of the ability of the forwardsBond, the hooker, in particular—to obtain possession of the ball in the majority of the set scrums, Ponsonby was able to claim a territorial advantage throughout the first spell. Fairly frequent penalties against the Grafton pr.ck also contributed to Ponsonby ® advantage in this respect, while still another factor was the high and ineffective tackling sometimes indulged in by Grafton s inside ; * It was early apparent that the coaches fed paid special attention to scrum work, as both sides packfd low, with the result that Ihere was some really tfine scrummaging in evidence. The Grafton forwards played splendid bustling football, with Anderson the outstanding man on the field. He did his full 'share of work in the tight and on the , line-out. and was also very much to the fore in the majority of the open movements. His all-round work showed him to . e in the pink of condition, as he was playing just as strongly at the finish as at the fcommencement ... Anderson was responsible for Grafton s first trv. which was scored seven minutes after 'he start. He handled the ball twice before it reached Prentice who finished off the movoment with a try. Anderson showed speed, determination and handling ability. Hull was another Grafton forward who Played consistently veil throughout. Ho made the opening: for Grafton's try four minutes after the start of the second spell by throwing out a long pass to his backs. Both packs of forwards deserve praise tor the manner in'which they qpw through a ■trenuous encounter Grafton has a solid pet which will take some holding, provided Its members remain free of injunM. Carson, Knight and Bond worked hard in Ponsonby s front-row division, which was not quite so Solid as the opposition. The line-kicking of the Ponsonby backs <was better than that of their opponents. Solomon used both feet well and kelson, the hewcomer from Hawke's Bay, did well at fullback, getting fair length with duection. Killeen was seen in a new role at fullback for Grafton. He handled the ball well and iricked his opponents cleverly on occasions, but his kicking, while finding the line, lacked power. Both teams fielded new halfbacks, -who showed a good knowledge of the finer points of play. The, handling of the ba by the backs was fairly accurate, taken an 10 The closeness 'of the scoring/ maintained khe interest of the public right to thf very end. Ponsonby finished the first spell with a lead of in which it was rathrt fortunate, as Grafton was within an .ace of scoring fcn two or three occasions in the 3ast five minutes'or so. Two tries within six minutes of the start of the second spell saw Grafton one point ahead. Then a penalty goal to each in turn enabled Grafton to once more obtain a single, point advantage. Seventeen minutes were still left for P'ay -- and the of the respective sides bad some anxious moments. In' true traditional manner. Ponsonby made matters exceedingly merry in the dying stages, but just failed to pull the game out of the fire with a succession of whirlwind attacks, varied by a penalty kick and drops at S °Tries for Grafton were scored by Prentice. Dick and Morley, while Pearman kicked a penalty goal. F. Solomon and D. Solomon scored for Ponsonby. Nelson converted one try and kicked a penalty goal. Mr. M. W. Thompson was referee. GRAMMAR TEAM'S WIN SUCCESS OVER MANUKAU Play in the Ifanukau-Graminar encounter on Eden Park No. 2 grouhd was hard and willing, but there were few movements by either set of backs. Orammar Shrew the bnli- around- more and was succcsr- , iul in organised passing movements, which thrilled the crowd. Manukau's attempts more often than not were marred by misdirected passes or bad handling. W. Bmith, a Mum*' Kau forward, was ordered off the field in the second spell. . ... , ' Finlaysou. ill' the Grammar backs, was not available and his place was takeni by Turner, a former third ,Krade player. £hat Turner's promotion was justified .was demonstrated by the sterling manner ln .,^' hlch . Vh acquitted himself in the centre votn on defence and attack. Faultless m. combineti movements he saved his side repeatedly with sound clearing kicks, and scored five points. King, at fullback, was another who was prominent on defence. His kicks were "well directed and they had length. King . . injured with about six minutes to go in tne second spell. . The value of speedy wings was demonstrated by both Flett and Spittal. The jatiter was seen in some brilliant. side-stepping runs, which twice ended in tries, while be gained much ground on his own '"'tianve. The inside backs, Freakes and WagstaJi, were steady. Swain showed penetrative ability and cften took the defence unawares by dodg!ing around tiie side of the scrum. However, i ithere was a general tendency for the back 3 to run across the field. , Honours in tho scrums were fairly evenly* divided. Mcßeath, for Grammar, hooked irlesnly. Evans, in the vansruard. was prominent until he received a knock on the head and was replaced by Bunnntyne. A. Brown was in his element in loose pisty, while others to show up were Bromley and Lock- ■ -r ~A, , u ("luardian of'the Manukau goal Littlejohn exercised his ability io kick in keeping the attack at bay and it was largely through his efforts that Grammar's points were not higher Schubert, on the wing, was starved of opportunities, but when in possession displayed the speed which stamped him last season as being a player of class. The ball seldom passed Whittle and Lund, five-eighths, partly on account of faulty handling and partly because the defence bustled thefil into making mistakes. 4 .. Mannsaus forwards were sound ,{n tne j-tU&t. They took play before them with dribibhng rashes, Lack of thrust. howeTet, ruined

scoring chances. Manukau's forwards were superior in the line-outs, but the effective defence ouickly nullified any advantage obtained. Way and Godfrey were the most outstanding members in the vanguard. Grammar's points came from tries by Spittal CJ) and A. Brown, and a penalty goal and a conversion by Turner. Godfrey scored °ne try converted by Stevens, for Manukau, while Way kicked a penalty goal. Mr. J, G. C. Wales was referee. ! DECISIVE VICTORY NORTH SHORE'S ADVANTAGE The North Shore fifteen again showed improvement by the decisive victory it grained over University at the Devonport Domain. After a comparatively poor showing in the first spell, at the end of which they were unlucky to be one point behind, the' North Shore players settled down and continually pressed the opposition with the result that the final score was 17 to 4 in tha home team's favour. 'V Play in the first spell took place mostly in University territory, but poor finishing resulted in failure to. score. A noticeable feature of the game was the weak standard 51 ,H. lc h[ n i? revealed by both teams. For Shore, only one of four free-kicks from , fairly easy positions was successful, while of ; the four tries only one was converted. G. i Martin, University, missed Mo kicks from ] almost directly in front of the posts. Among the North Shore forwards, W.I Massey was outstanding:, continually going > down on the ball to stem the University ! attacks and leading several dangerous drib- j bung rushes. He also showed himself capable of handling the ball well whenever an opportunity showed. D. Whillans was a willing worker, especially in the line-outs. The hooking of W.. Matheson was poor, there being room for improvement in this department. C. McKinley, on the left wing for North Shore, displayed a considerable turn of speed, several times coming across the field to receive a pass from the right wing, R. Marshall. One of these moves took him to within two feet of the University line, where he was forced out by a solid tackle by ,J. D. Paterson. Playing at second five-eighths for Aorth Shore, C. Jessup showed himself as an opportunist of the first irank, his swerving, cuttmg-in and handling providing many openings for his team-mates, which should have resulted in more points. Of the University players, J. D. Paterson. playing his first game in senior grade, was outstanding, being sound in all departments. i. Edwards, University's halfback, had a busy time looking after work that should have been performed by the breakaways. His dive-pass, adopted from the Springboks, was particularly effective, but, although he fed his backs well, they seldom got into action, usually, being caught flat-footed bv the faster Jsorth Shore backs, or fumbling their passes. IT. Hodge, hooking for the Universify ipnm, was too srood for his opponents in the set scrums, especially in tho earlier stages of the game. Tries for North Shore were scored bv B Marshall. M: Cato, B. Slyfield and C. Jessup. Cocks converting one. and Marshall kicking a penalty goal. Paterson potted a goal for University. Mr. G. Peace was referee. SUPERIOR BACK LINE MARIST'S CLEAR-CUT WIN Marist scored a clear-cut-in over Otahuhu at Sturges Park, although the score, 2S to <>, was flattering on the general run of play. The better side won, the superiority of the Marist back line and the solidity of the pack gradually wearing down the opposition. Otahuhu made a promising opening, but was unfortunate to lose A. Finlay, the winger, in the first few minutes through injuries. The advantage of a breeze enabled the home side to hold territorial sway for some time, but the inside backs of Marist assumed control in a series of bright movements and the weight of the pack also began to influence the trend of play. Otahuhu was leading by G points to 0, three points being from a fine try by Williams, when a lucky chargedown of a clearing kick enabled Marist to score a simple try. Hare then kicked a penalty goal from 10 yards inside the halfway line to give Marist the lead. From then onward Marist dominated play and scored at almost regular intervals. The keystone to success in the Marist side was the fine combination and running of F. Cooney at half, and L. Cooney and Curtayne at five-eighths. They completely overshadowed the opposition, their work at times being brilliant. Hardy, on the right wing, showed determined running.' Molloy. at centre, was ever in the limelight on both attack and defence. until he retired with a slight arm injury, to be replaced by Smith. Hare put in a splendid afternoon's work. He converted five tries and kicked a penalty goal. His line-kicking was safe and sure. All the for- : wards played well, with McHugh and Barry leading the raids in fine style. Halliwell played a good game at fullback for Otahuhu. but was inclined to seek too much distance in his line-kicking. Williams, at centr*. was the only back to show form, the others leaving gape and failing to hold the opposition. Bellis was the outstanding forward on the field. He was in everything and battled hard to get his pack going. Laney hooked well, but the back row persisted in holding the ball. Priest and Grace were other hard-working forwards. Marlst's score came from tries by Barry (2), Hardy, Curtayne and Molloy, all being converted by Hare, who also kicked a penalty goal. Williams scored a try for Otahuhu and Halliwell kicked a penalty goal. Mr. E. G. Cichero was referee. SECOND DIVISION GAMES TRAINING COLLEGE BEATS EDEN In a game lacking in science, but notable for its spectacular play. Training beat Eden by 15 points to 3 on Eden Park No. :5 ground. Tries for the winners were scored by Ekdahl and Rodgers. while Clarke kicked three penalty goals. For Eden Strachan scored ° n Takapiina beat Parnell by 14 points to 3 at Takapuna, and Suburbs drew- with technical ,fi points all. The match between Northcote and College Rifles was unplayed. SOUTHERN CHAMPIONSHIPS .. [BV TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] New , Plymouth—;rhe Taranaki Rugby Union's championship matches resulted: Tukapa, 11. Old Boys, 3; Clifton, 11, Stratford. 3: Inglewood, 6. Eltham, 0; haponga, 3 Okaiawa, 0; Patea, VJ, Hawera, 7; Athletic, 13, Opunake, 3. Palmerston North.—The Manawatn i Rugby Union's matches resulted: United, u, St. Patrick's, 5; Kia Toa, 8, Old Boys, 3; lending, 17, Feilding Old Boys. 3. Maiterton. Wairarapa Rugby Union: Masterton, 9. Gladstone, 8; Carterton, 14. Red Star. 8; Greytown, 23, Martmborough, 0. Wellington.—Athletic, 3, ,Marist, 3; Poneke, 4 Hutt 3; Petone, 1!>, Wellington, 8; Johnsonville. 18, Old Boys, G; Eastbourne. *», St Patrick's Old Boys, 8; Oriental, 10, Athletic, 8; Pirates. 12. Wellington, 9; University, 11, Miramar, G. Chriitehurch— Rugby matches were postponed out of respect for the death of Mr. S- F. Wilson, formerly president or the Canterbury and New Zealand Unions,v Westport.—Football over the week-end was played in showery weather, with Westport, Old Boys and Stars winning in the senior division. It was reported at the end of the Westport-Rangers match that Rangers, captained !>y G. Orrnan, The well-known hooker, had to League, but Oruian and other Ringers placers did not turn out for the League match. " Dunecin.—Southern, 11; Lniversity-A. <>; Pirates, G. Alhambra. Taieri, 3, TTnion, 0; Kalkorai, 4, Zingari. 3; University B, 18, Duriedin, G. Invercargill.—Southland Rugby Union: Star 14. Old Boys, 13; Invercargill, 2J. Marist, 31; Pirates. 21. Bluff, IG.

VICTORY FOR QUEENSLAND (Beceived May 1. 5.5 p.m.) BRISBANE, May 1 In an inl;er-State Rugby union match yesterday Queensland beat New South Wales by 17 points to ». At half-time New South Wales led by li points to 5.