CANTERBURY NOTES.

NZ Truth, Issue 327, 30 September 1911, Page 3

CANTERBURY NOTES.

The curtain was rung down on Canterbury football last Saturday, when the local men handed m their jerseys with sadness. Some people thought that Canterbury had a chance against Wellington, but they were mistaken ; nevertheless the magnitude of the figures (26 to 9) was not anticipated. Nor was the Wellington play sensationally brilliant ]/ it was plain, ordinary smartness opposed to a team ignorant -of the rudiments of defence, and whose sole qualification lies m attack, suggested that before next season the Rugby Union should open a school for the teaching of tackling, sometimes- called collaring, practised by by-gone footballers, jfeut unknown to the present generation. As soon as Wellington made the surprising j discovery that there was nobody $o stop the backs, they butted m with J great enthusiasm and success. Canterbury seemed to be under the influence of a hypnotic spell m the first half. So much was expected of them by the assembled thousands that they suffered badly from nerves, and Wellington piled up fifteen points before lemon time. The second spell found Canterbury e'esperate, and judicious handling enabled them to cross the line three times m twenty-five minutes ; then something snapped under the strain. It might be mentioned that the whole of the backs who toured South, with the exception of Tosswill, were hurled out of the team, and Burns discovered where the weaknesses lay m the_ first spell. Tosswill, though he played a sound game, is not brilliant, and Fuller, at centre three-quarter, had been so long out of action that he was next to useless. So* Burns wcrVed the blind side with Gray and Pyle, and completely fooled Roberts, McKenzie and Kinvig. Gray can usually be counted to dodge ofie man, and Pyle another, and it came off twice Pyle scoring two brilliant

tries by this means. Although picked wing-forward, "Ranji" Wilson played m the pack, his proper place, and Fred. Roberts, won the match. Roberts made some magnificent openings — from line out, from loose scrambles, from, the scrum, and from the veryfeet of the opposing forwards ; he got his backs iijf motion incessantly. I In the second spell, however, Carjroll. and Hassell beat the Wellington hookers for the ball, but Burns was afraid to trust all bis back supporters most of the time, and sometimes kicked up-Held on the off chance of a fast man like Millar scoring. . Roberts took his time once and 'dropped a beautiful goal from half wayThe first hour of the second spell witnessed some of the fastest play •ever seen m the Dominion, and it bore as much resemblance to the eventless game m the first spell as a New Zealand Gup finish does to a funeral. Canterbury played themselves to a standstill, and towards

the end, when Roberts picked up and transferred to Mitchinson and th e latter placed it m the hands of Grace, the tall Old. Boys' player ran jerkily through five of the- Canterbury team without anybody lifting a finger. He looked astonished as he touched down behind the posts. Roberts scored a remarkable try m the corner. He got away and was pursued by three forwards, including Murray, who touched him three times on the way to the line. They were beaten forwards, and Rob;erts ran with his face to them and with his hand out till he- made a last precipitate rush and fell over the line. He probably put the "pass" over his pursuers and hypnotised them. He didn't break ten seconds j for the 100 yards. I Kinvig did some magnificent 'linekicking, which Wellington found very helpful. Mitchinson . played five-eighths with McKenzie, . but when -flattened out on one occasion went out to wing three-quarter, his place being taken by Grace, who played a dashing gam e m the new position. "Mitch" then came . m five-eighths- again, but Grace had been such a success infield, that he was left there, and McKenzie went three-quarter, and made no, mistakes, although his habit of running back excited comment. Evenson didn't have a great deal to do. Cunningham played a fine game at wing-forward), but it is difficult to particularise the forwards, of whom "Ranji" Wilson and Gillespie wei'e the most prominent. Gillespie has an unpleasant little ■trick on the line-out of shoving away the man immediately m front •of him when the ball is coming. It is a wonder referee , Evans didn't drop to it. Henry, Christchurch full, was fat, i somewhat slow, and disappointing m !his kicks. , j Millar displayed occasional slabs of brilliance. Once he intercepted, a i pass, broke right away, and reached Kinvig, over whose head he punt- ' ed the ball and sprinted after it. The speedy Grace, however, got tnere m the nick of time. It was Pyle's day out, and his corkscrew wriggles were the joy of the multitude. Paddy Burns played a fir.c game at half, his old place, and fooled his opponents on occasions m the manner already described. Also, he frequently got right away up-lield entirely on his own. Gray ably assisted, on several occasions intercepting the opposition ■passes and finding the line with judicious ikiclcs. Wellington's line-kicking was superior to Canterbury's. The local forwards did tXelr best, and heM their end up fairly well against the visiting vanguard, the score being ,an inaccurate indication of the actual game, some of Wellington's scores being obtained m that pss'cholbgical intevval which, succeeds a period of hard even play amongst the forwards. As a curtain-raiser to the Cantei'-bury-Wellington disaster, Porirua. winners of the Wellington SecondJunior Championship, drew wni Linwood, winners of the Canterbury Presidents' Cup competition. Porirua "juniors" had more baklheads amongst them than any football team within the memory of the oldest Cbristchurch individual. Pitting youthful vigor against a<?e and experience, Linwood had somewhat I the better of a sluggish game.