Championship Matches.

NZ Truth, Issue 106, 29 June 1907, Page 2

Championship Matches.

By "Pakeha.")

Ideal Weather indications were m evidence' on Saturday last, and a big crowd assembled at the Athletic Park m anticipation of a stiffish between Melrose and Petone. The going was soft; though m much better order than might have been expected m the light of the ■< week's rainfall. The several senior contests worked out as follows : Poneke 55, Victoria College, nil ; Melrose 3, Petbne nil; Oid Boys 7, St. James 3 ; Athletic 21, Wellington nil. , Poiieke had a rattling good gallop at. the expense of Victoria College, and before lemon time the reds had crossed the line oh several 1 occasions, the try-getters being Instone (2), Wallace (2), Mitchinson (2), and McGhie, whilst Wallace registered the major paints on two occasions, and Instone o*ce. Wallace had 'two resultless shots at the uprights, and Rush was amiss m h>is prestage of. the leather on 1 another occasion. ' After the adjournment the reds continued on .their merry aggressive career, and, notched 28 more points,

making their final tally 55. Dan Toohill came to light m thjs 3ss' with three tries to his cnedit, oSSr scorers being Instonfl (2), WaJJaop, Skinner, and Calcinai, ti© ffoajrwa^ ers were Mitchiiieen **i $H£OL Qilbraitih, «th« trywts feei» X W»Ua<*, Rush, Tilyard, and Instbne. ' The proceedings were somewhat on farcical lines, the reds playing wdtb? the Collegians at all . points. The tackling of the .greens was nervebreaking, Bogle. being a bright exception, and every time the bail came out to the red vanguard the greens Were m the soup — so to speak. Midway through the second spell Ponelce slackened down, and shaped on the "anyhow" system, but the Collegians were so fuddled that they (Couldn't score when m the very best position for doing so. The green backs have no knowledge of r ag.gressive play, thejr defensive tactics .'savor of the biggest rot, and as far as the forwards . are concerned the writer will do them a kindness by giving them credit for trying to do their best. Wallace had great fun at the green's, expense, and his bamboozling antics were productive of much fun a--mpn'gst the spectators. The. ''All ■ Black" representative might, ihowever, have let them down lifter, and not cause them to be a laughing^ stock to the crowd; " f - Seriously speaking, ;it is up" to j the Rugby Union next season to put I a stop to exhibitions, of this kind !by grading the Collegians to junior ; work. There is not a semblance of j collective- skill or- energy to' warrant the greens being?. pitted; against other combinations ■„ m the senior competition. It is -reducing Rugby to the lowest level to carry on senior , contests under, such conditions as prevailed m this mateh 4 - Patron^ of the winter pastime relish a little 5 a- ; musement at times, but Saturday's display, by the Collegians wa,s be- , yotid a joke. They threaten, to suacumb to the inertia disease whioh seized hold of them, rigjht at , the start of the season. „ , . \. ; Wellington and -Athletic met • at Miramar, victory : resting -'with s .: the latter by twenty-one points to, nil —a score that would probably hav^ been much heavier had not ,thq wind interfered with back play and* place kicking. ■ .\ . t • ), Wellington fairly 1 held its own for Ihe first half-hour^ : until the "YellowPeril,". the want of condition, made itself felt, and the ' blues scored four ; tries m quick succession. y . , Playing with the. wind m the sec-* ond spell their supporters considered the yellows would make a bid for , Victory, but all the sting had been . taken out of their forwards, and the blues easily held them, and. as ( the end approached quickly ' placed another three tries to their- credit. „""__ During the second spell Wejling-ton ' tried to let the blues have tlie ballY from the scrum for a time with ; a hope of cutting ofi .passes, but When it did not come off endeavored to secure it fpr themselves, but' foupd that Callum could not hook agaijust : . S.tanden." . . : . .; ' Sellars, the Wellington full •'tfack, played a good game, • fielding and kicking well. He could not he blamed for any of the tries scored a-;.. gainst his side. Richardson: was the best, of the three-quarters." G-ollan has. lost interest m the game, and was. far from his best. ■ . : Hill, at five-eighths, tries -to get rid of the ball as soon as lie possibly can : _ If. .he can.get a Jjopt ,m he kicks ii fCcross .the field lnt^aji opponent's, fends", and runs his' forwards off their feet; If he "cannot kick he passes blindly as a rule, ahd lets the other forwards through* on his own backs: ' ' ; i Abercrombie at half if the:making;sf of a fine player, and with a s|tro|i^ er team would be heard mpre^bx' m the future. • '•••'.- Carey, wing forward, is, ;as>par*nfc-, ly suffering f torn the club failing--want of training, as ; this fine play«r was never conspicuous during th# game. Henrys, the other wing,, will d»* velop into a good player if he keeps on a9 at ! present. The forwards . - were a very even lot, but were outplayed.. | The^blue backs played better ais a whole L thah usual, although Ci'Meara is ' developing" a : taste for playing lone hands. Billy is very, quick atstarting off the mark, and as a consequence, makes some g»pd: openings, which he invariably spoils- jj>y a bad pass or failing to pass at the righ-t momeni;. ' ' : . '. :, Gordon is playing well, at wingthreequarter, and justifies the opip.ibn formed by 'his club's selectors. It's -a pity the Athletics /dp not , grow iiiem Digger. AH th«ir .junipfi baclfs are on the small side,, but there are s»me smart players 'y.sumongst them. '■$ ... . , . Standen scored a, beautiful try; Bernie Gallagher was looking on, so perhaps he might now see that Standen can hook, and outside th* scrum is far. and ,away better thafl, any other hooker .m the competition. The yarn about upsetting the Serum ' formation is one for the marines. The. Athletics have proved that. The other forwards were very evto^ and played' more compinatioa than usual. . - , ■ ' ■ In the St. James v. Old Boy« match the "Jimmies" won the tosft and kicked off with the sun behind them. " . • Quite early St. James' showed their off-side propensities, Moffitt and Bunkenberg being the. chief culprits, and. from one of the free kicks a» warded Old Boys Gardner landed a nice goal.. At this stage the Jim*, mies were showing a lamentable lacK of go, but the. reversal Wound theni up, and they returned vigorously t<> the attack. ' Old Boys, however, were evidently,

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j Duirto winy anft came at St. 'James ■ -p again.. From, a scrum near the goal " J the ball came out at the side, and quick as thought Gardner whipped it up, and tttrning potted a smart goal. St. James assumed the aggressive m real, earnest, and several times were within .an ace of scoring. Wilkinson .obtained a mark m Old Boys* twen.tyi'five, and attempted a shot at goal, which, although good, was fruitless. St- James continued to ©p*n up the; game, but half-time came itfith the score unchanged. The second spell was mainly a prolonged attack on the Old Boys' cita--del' by Si. James, but it was not until almost on time that their ■ efforts were rewarded. 'From a scrum about half-way Cozens sent the ball ito Roberts, \7tio punted high. The St. James forwards following up fast - enabled Ferguson to snap up the ball and race for the line, a pretty (try resulting. From then to "no side" the St. ,'James kept up an incessant .attack, but their efforts were unrewarded,, the game ending 7 -to 3. i St. James still has many iaul'ts Which, if eliminated, would add greatly, rto the scoring., powers. I .will name two of the most noticeable —firstly the want of*, complete understanding between the backs, and .the Tiabit of not running straight. The backs do not back one another up as they should. On Saturday Cozens male an opening which if he had been .supported a score ,«- jnight. have resulted. • , ""'-" - v ; 1 jwas Cozens, Tvhen faced by three on- four Old Boys essayed a Hong backward piss, but no one was there to ; take dt. Had Roberts been 1 on the move the opening could jhave been turned fto advantage. . This player is one of the chief culprits m tlie matter of running across the field. Again Roberts and s SPerKUSon- did not work together. Perhaps the experiment jot O'Connor and Ferguson as five-eghihs and Roberts m the centre would be worth Wing. ■'• - O'Connor is undoubtedly the most servicable man m the city, and appears to be wasted where he is employed, viz., on a "roving commission." He was easily the best ; back on Saturday. ; The second -notioDaTaile fault is -m» the- forwards. Admittedly the pack Is light, but there is go reason why • it should be pushed About the »way it is. The vanguard is too fond of •breaking away, but it is not with . the idea of downing the opposing . backs.biyt Vjatlier of shirking ithe :-, heavy work. The whole pack at the commencement of the game gives one the impression that it is suffering ,'from the i tared' f eeline;, and it is not until the ■ other side has scored that it wakes up. \ •Several forwards who have j>re- ; iviously played good games appear -to have relaxed, their efforts, and fe- ; . iy solely N oh past games for their inclusion m the team. It is flbo be hoped that ■ that .dread malady, "sftelled; head," has ?not set m. here: also. 'St. James forwards should also remember ; that the modern referee *s ! too sharp not .tp notice lOfi^side play. : ;To the older players I especially j give this remindci;. .Of Saturdays game \both Wilkin- i son anil. Stewart thoroughly justi- 1 fled their inclusion m the seniors, ' Taking va line, through the .season's | .matches, ft looked tfehei Aifclanitdc. cable i jito -a threld of •cotton .on 'Perbone i xip- 1 .ending melrose. The red and blues, : boweyer, " wexeaiot altogether friend. \ Iless, artd <thliiriba«:-aelcers, xememtoer-' 4ng the two 4^ a 'l*s of %b& subuxtoan 'toen at th-e '■haffa's .-of I)he tr^ehvtbowiners i uask-sea^pft, w-ere pretty •' 'pocky" , <ra ! \th« llattci p.ncemoxe' jtivafciog i<Bsiiv-' als 'b*iie : -tlve' sflu'siti- 'Melroae' (did the itrick after . one of ' tjbe fienoest ' ,a-nd -stuttborniy coaitestdd ioiwaid . ;gainesseen $his season, The'saanse was ; fast from start to' no-side, <fche Tdval : vansuards pi;a.otically tatebg a lone; hantl inittve jiroooeii^gs* ■ In the first spell ibje .game was cv- : enly '. conisisted till (the last qirai?ber, I 'When the Pestoue S)adks got sMsngangi Ibhe jball amongst them 4 and the reds | •were sorely pressed, 'tteir sound • de- i fensiye taptics,- howewer, .sucoessittlly : stemming the 'inivasion. The only : score, was a jieat coal Jdclced by Gso. , Spehoer eigjht minutes after the starting- of hostilities, a Mck out by a 'Petone back enaibMng' goo of ' tte otter side to snap tup a mark itti a favorable direction to ttie uprigjrts. Petone toad^'hard cheese" - m not equalising, . if not topping, this score. M. Ryan made a splendid shot from ithe. quarter flag, the ball goin©fairly over the centre of the cross-bar. King sprang) dn tihe air as the leather was sailing to its destioaidon, and just toucbM it wdthiis 3sand> Pietone, m. the t icircumstanoes, losing the Oh anojfcher occasion Micl£ macle a fine, but; 'fruitless, attempt at goal. In n series of fine pass-ing bouts, H&rdham was thrown out at the" cornef flag, and G^ Spencer treated Gr-een similarly at lihe same place a few .minutes later. On the call of breathing time, J. Ryan, Barber, and Reid got going, but McKay, by a -herculean effort, threw himself at Redd as the latter was raoiwg for the. chalk-mark, and bumped him into touch a couple of yards from the chalkmark. Bafore this J. Rvan had a t airly easy task an eluding the Melibse nearffuard, but a timely pass from Tyne. was kftocked on. Knigßrb also bounded across the Melrose line, but was called back for being off-side. There was a ding-dong go m the second half, but the solid and safe 'defence on both sides kept the insistent try-getters at bay. The reds had the best of the deal, and except oh one ox .two occasions, the blues were not really dangerous.. Melroselost three chances of scoring by, , a hair's breadth. The Meiroae packjrnert were very solid m the tight york* and were much brighter than Petone m the loose. fTKeir tackling also was very deadly, an opponent s'ektom eluding their clutches. They Wiere quick off . the mark, showed excellent combination, at' all pojivts, packed cohesively, and wheeled with effecU"venesS and preci-. skm. The screwing was out and out the hfcst seen at the Park, m this season?. 1 ? contests. The Melrose pushers were very strenuous when the heav© began, whilst the. frontrankers 1 did their part splendidly by hooking, the ball o,lm ost every time m the second half, thus putting the Petone rearguard right out of court. Petone's forward brigade Snape'd , w51;1, .. but .m the Melrose vanguard -, met its match. The packing tyas of,"tsn peculiar, an.4 on several occasions: f io^cea that tQ^e blu« for*\ards al- \

most screwed round into one another's positions before th 9 shove was under way. The blue vanguard :was more expert than the other division on the line-out, but did not utilise its advantages m this department to t'hc extent it should' have done. The blues' general scrummaging work lacked the soundness and combination of Melrose, and on the break away they were slothful- in comparison to their other exhibitions of the season. One or two of the Petone m<en, judging by the wabbly state of the scrum when on the shoving tack, were not making, full use of their weight. It was not a day for the" backs to shdne, as Melrose played right up to its traditional policy to keep the ball as much to -the forwards as possible. Hamilton and has confrere got possession ,to such good account that Green, m the second half, hardly, had a ohanoe ix) gliog, .the ball out to ; those ibiehind frian. The Melrose scrumhalf had the ball m .the tight every time, though has tactics were several i times (ffuestionaibie. The referee, how- : ever, allowed the illegality. ] Ha-d Petone's rearguard been bless- •; ed with the leather oftener, Melrose ; might possibly Jwuv© been m , street. The Melrose - rearguard played .soundly, and made no mistakes., The stopping and -tackling left no loom for criticism. Th©,biit« back division was also strong on defence. Melrose should havie tried more sky-work, as ■ their quick-moving forward brigade was m the hiumour for ''• 'worrying." Excopt m the later stage's of' the .first spell, Petone's rearguard had'no opportunities for showing their skill m attack. ■ Both the fuM-backs, M. Ryan and'G, Spencer, came out of the afternoon's ordeal with flying honors. Their kicking wafc forceful and accurate m its touch-line aim whilst the ; fielding and catching could not have , been improved upon. Spencer "was; quicker on 'his pins than usual. Behind the Melrose scrum Sinclair was sound and safe, and Church at fiv-e-eiigbth, quite justified his eleva-; tion to senior rank. With more' experience, Ghuroh should develop imto a very useful .player. 'He bas plucky and is ihea/dy— two important qualifi-' cations. HiS' / inastafce on Saturday was getting too close tip to the half when Jhe other side was invading -the Melrose citadel. McKay surprised his friends < by go- ; ing down to th© rough stuff m great style. He brought off several firae pieces of saving play, whalst his lacking was powerful and effective m its results. Wb>en Mac,wen>t for Reid m: •the corner m the first spell, it spoilt : ■a cert try for Petome. Mac was solid' aad sure aJI tlmra'gih, bait >b evinces -too much anxiety to get out of posi- , ttou m order to follow the balL The display of the : wings , calls for no ; comm'snt. They did moEfliing startling and made no serious mistakes. As % matter of fact, they *?ere seldom burdened with wor'V • - . Of the Melrose .cruan'ma'gers, Ban Grilahrist played magnificently, and ; this v t-lreless ©raster .has ne?er been .seen to better advantage. He was aj perfect trojan, both! m the tight and: open, aitd more than" one great Pe^onfc forward rush was nipped m the bud ;by Ms plitfiky stopping. Dv Blois, a -younger, toother of the player of that ilk, was also very -prominent, as were Hamdilfeon: amd J. 'Spencer. All, \ However, .played' right, jp to thehani die. King, on the vrkugi \ras , very ; actiy« and alert/ and the Peiope half ! arid fivened^hith had good cause to te- ; .befl against his persistent attentions, ! J. Ryan did a heap of saving work : on the Pe&mo .side, and Green stood i-.up resolutely to -tine crashing on- ' stafli'gjbjfcs of (the Melrose scrummagers. : .Ryan ds apt to forget thaU the main jaari; m .fiy-e-eagh-th play is to get the ' \l3u©G4Cpiart6r line an action, and that accomplishEidj to toads it up. Had he jrdane&his on Saturday, Petone must .have notched one try. Wagfa. (the ball did come from the ' Peitone pack m the first half, Green got it quickly and smartly pass- : dd it out m %c Tight direction, Wjhen . aktackaaig per medium of the passing : 'bouts m >iihe later stages of the -spell, ; the three^uarters should have made j more openings on their ow-ns and this I remark applies chiefly to Jim Baib- ■ >er- Once or twice I noticed they did 1 not give the comrade at hand Ms ■ chance too smartly, which meant that i the other side had more time to place themselves m an advantageous , position for th© tackling of the man when he did receive the leather. ( The Petone tfaree-Kjaiarters were mostly idle m the second spell, \tbe forwards and the men close up to the scrum bearing the burden of the play. Their handling, of the leather, and kicking, as well as transferring, was reliable wfoen occasion demanded it. Tom Cross, Ready and Phillips' ware the most consistent toilers" m. the blue vanguard. Tynne was con- i spicuous for outbursts on the fringe of the scrum, and Byrne and Knight were <fco the fore m the loose play. Byrne might have used his weight more m the scrum. A little hesitancy on the part of the Petone skipper lost his side a ■ try. Billy got a neat pass from Ryan and sailed for the line at a great bat. G-. Spencer was m his way, but all Billy had to do was to pass the leather to a comrade lying handy. Cr.ught m two minds, the Petoneite sealed his fate by hanging on to the ball and getting pushed into touch, right at the comer flag, by the Melrose custodian of the goal-posts. The passing rushes ' of the Petone backs m the closing stages of the opening spell were wall conceived and nicely executed, and only the sound stopping and agility of the other sjde prevented half-a-dozen points at least beiing piled up. . Referee Laws got so engrossed m the exciting proceedings of the game near half-time that he failed to hear 1 the vigorous clanging of Jack King's bell for "spell oh." The spell had gone 46 minutes when Petone got its last great passing rush into requisition, and Reid just missed "doina the trick by a few feet* The referee, of course, is not ■noii'M to toot the whistle when the .bell proclaims? 1 ''time up," but all the same it would have been "hard nozzle" fof Melrose had the three -points been scored a- '■ gainst it after the regulated peri oil of '■ play. '