ISLAND MATCH

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25001, 18 September 1944, Page 3

ISLAND MATCH

EASY WIN FOB NOETH FASTER AND FITTER TEAM (P.A.) , CHRISTCHURCH, Sunday Speedier everywhere and frequently bandling like slip fieldsmen the North Island Rugby team beat tho South Island by 28 points to 3 at Lancaster Park yesterday under perfect conditions. For fast, enterprising football the winning team's form was particularly bewildering in the first spoil, when it ran up 18 points to nil. In the second spell South's forwards showed some of tho fire that had been lacking in the first epell. South scored its first try 25 minutes after the interval. Later North swept into action again with most of the crisp and spectacular abandon that had marked the first spell, and added two more converted tries to its tally. North's goal-kicker was the All Black, T. C. Morrison, who converted all flvo of North's tries and, in addition, sent over a penalty goal. Not one of his snots missed. North's superiority lay principally in the fact that they wero pacier and fitter. Often in the first spell five, six, or even eight, men, forwards included, would be racing alongside tho man in possession. Further, the tall and rangy fast-moving North forwards handled like backs when they snapped -a chance to link up. Wales, Gunning, McHugh, White and West were especially to the fore in this department, and the same group, or most of them, harried and hustled South s inside backs who seldom had any room in which to get clear. The work of the North breakaways cramped Hewitt all day and numbers of his passes were cut off, although in the second spell he showed far greater elusiveness. Another factor in North's convincing win was the clever combination maintained virtually all the time by Tetzlaff, Delamore and Rao. Blocked on one side of a scrum or ruck, they flashed away on the biind side without hesitation, and Roberts, the centre, displayed clever Judgment in running his wings, Dunn and Fox, into position. In the second spell South's forwards rose more to the heights expected of thorn and the whole eight, led by Herman. McKenzie, Mcintosh and Birchfield, hurled themselves into the fray with redoubled vim. At the same time they kept the play a good deal lighter. It was this fact that helped to keep North's tally in the second spell down to ten points. McHugh on the right wing for South, began a lot of counter-rushes in the second spell, and both Hewitt and Callanan rose to top heights in off-setting the combined brilliancy of the North .Island hack division. The size of the crowd was disappointing, being between 7000 and 8000. Tries for North Island were scored by Eliott, Dunn, Delamore and Fox (2). Morrison converted five tries and kicked one penalty goal. Hewitt scored a try for South Island. In the curtain-raiser Victoria College (Wellington) beat Canterbury College by 23 points to 0.