Canterbury Notes.

NZ Truth, Issue 169, 12 September 1908, Page 3

Canterbury Notes.

The 8-all draw between v Canterbury and Otago 'on Lancaster Park' should; have^ been a win for the visitors frbi% "th^ Scotdh province, which, turns .out Irish footballers, Qtago has a magnificent .. for* ward ieairi, including <f our New. Zealand reps, m Casey, Paton, Patterson and McDonald. With Eckhold (five .eighth) there are five Ail Blacks m $he team, a circumstance, that must make itself felt m a contest with any combination m ;New Zealand, Auckland included. , J J Canterbury's fifteen was . stronger 'than that which visited Wellington on the pre- ■ vious Saturday, weak back substitutes, like Aitken and Mason -.being thrown put!; m fact, Ohristchurch spectators .who saw the match aver that had Deans and .Fun* er been playing against the Empire . City the verdict would have been reversed. Puller wasn't , available against Otagp, but a safe three-quarter,, m., Eathorne'-supr potted Dean's, Fryer and Ob. . ■ 7 1 Otago realised' the danger^ • of an open game with the fast Canterbury backs, and kept it close. ■"■."•' The, magnificent por-ridge-fed forwards; whose weight greatW exceeded that of the locals, carried things before them again ■ and again, and had Canterbury m difficulties most of the time. The hacks, too, contrary to expec* tations, did most of what;, was required of them, and their line-kicking, was supr erior to Canterbury^, There was plenty of j.ower behind the boot; Ishat propelled the leather. Canterbury was beaten lot the ball m the scrums and licraten also 1 on the line-out, so that the local back^ when they were no.t defending, had 'to make their own openings. ■.•„.'. 'i Otagp has mastered . the Anglo?Welsb pointing m putting the .ball. in the scrum, or rather failing to put it- in, for it was bounced against a leg and out again most of th* time. They have a trick also of ' knocking on to each other when the referee isn't looking that -Northerners .ought to learn. However they are a bet? ter lot than Canterbury put m the field,

although the flat province invariably plays its worst' games ' against Otago. The Reds seem to. fall 'into the hypnotic trance that overcame Bill Squires when Burns made him feel tired, Imt later they are apt to beat a "better team than Otago. The hypnotism on Saturday was brute strength, . after colliding with which for twenty minutes Canterbury didn't do much following .up, Canterbury's penalty goal was lucky m piew of the fact that Otago twice crossed the local line, and -should !haye done so oftener on the play. Canterbury's try was • the one superb piece of back play that, has given the character of-brilliance to local back play this seispiv. Bums picked is (up, from the loose, .'and the ball . waSy subsequently handled, at top ' speed, by Gray, Westpn, Deans and Fryer, the lastv named getting round the posts like a streak of .gre&sed' lightning. Ward, and Baxter were new men m the local fptwards who' might with advan* tage have been given' rep. honors earlier m the '.season.

If Otago had one or two scoring backs it would be a tough tussle against Auckland to-day. „