KIWIS COME HOME TO ROOST

NZ Truth, Issue 1290, 28 August 1930, Page 13

KIWIS COME HOME TO ROOST

A LOr OF BEEFY BIRDS ' Returned Leaguers Hammer Auckland In High - scoring Game ABBOTT SHOWS iMPROVEMENT (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special- Auckland Representative.) Wearing a y well-fed and; chubby look, the Enzed Leaguers, who made history of a doubtful m Aussie, ambled home to a 34—27 victory, over Auckland on Saturday. "

"THE Kiwis were as fat as butter, and ■*• the "vlathy Aucklandefs,. m spite of severe injuries m .the-j-backs, showed them a point or two m the' matter of speed and .dash at the finish. \A big crowd turned out. to see if the Kiwis had brought back- any new ideas with them, but they saw mighty little m ■ \the> way of tactics or collective skill.

For the ■: most part, ■ the Fern"- -" leafers ■ j'upt bul- < locked their ; way . to attack .•in'f.r'ont. The pace of Abbott 'and Co. "m. v the backs did the rest. : ; v Auckland were too light m the pack to Hold : the portly geri.tlemen who have been. 9.---touring, and when ■ Riley and . Brady got ■ knocked early . m the game, if looked as though , . the homesters

wouldn't have a - . ■ dOg'S ShOW. ' .' . : . ''; A re-arrangement of the backs In : the second -stanza enabled Aucklandto stave- off a rout long enough to pick up a few crumbs themselves to-

wards tea-time. The venerable O'.Brien piloted half-a-dozen snappy kicks over , the bar when points were badly wanted. . Oh this game, three of the tourists have improved a lot since they last played m Maoriland. Abbott is a little crack-a-jack m the open. If; he were a bit slicker at putting the ball out from the scrum, he would be a world-beater. Calder, the burly West Coaster, has filled out a whole heap on the Aussie tour. He is the makings of a real champion. ; Lar Seagar's corkscrew run, a la Jimmy Hunter was . much m evidence. The lanky Shore crack looks a real footballer, now. Auckland badly wants some heavier forwards. Light skirmishers are all right up to a point, but you can't beat the big chaps who have weight as well as pace. Alan Clarke is ■ good enough for any Enzed team. He is , as- tough as nails. None of the Kiwi dreadnoughts could pace it out with him m the open. . . If the lack of condition shown by the Kiwis against Auckland is any criterion of "what they were like m Aussie, it is no wonder they got tuned up the way they did. Half of them. looked as if they hadn't • done a decent .week's training since they left Maoriland.