NOT BRIGHT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26542, 18 August 1947, Page 6

NOT BRIGHT

AUCKLAND’S SHIELD PROSPECTS POOR GAME AT INVERCARGILL P.A. INVERCARGILL, Aug. 17. In one of the most disappointing displays of Rugby football seen in Southland, Auckland beat Southland by 10 points to 3 at Rugby Park on Saturday afternoon. All the points came from goals—two penalty goals and a dropped goal by Auckland, and a penalty goal by Southland. « The game was played in a perfect setting—a dry ground, a calm and sunny afternoon, and a crowd of 12,500, but the players were unable to take advantage of it. On the contrary, they shaped like novices at times, and by indecision and poor handling they caused the game to deteriorate to a poor standard. Penalties for major infringements and numerous knockoris and passes forward dominated the exchanges. There were as many as three and four breakdowns within a single minute, and the number of penalties awarded must have constituted a record for interprovincial Rugby. There were no fewer than 32 penalty kicks, Auckland being penalised 25 times. Fortunately for Auckland, the Southland goal kickers had. a day off. They took at least 10 shots at goal from varying angles, but only one found the mark. On Saturday’s showing Auckland’s chances of lifting the Ranfurly Shield from Otago on Wednesday are anything but bright, even allowing for the inclusion of R. W. H. Scott and P. L. Tetzlaff. For Auckland two penalty goals were kicked by C. A. Kingstone and a dropped goal was kicked by F. R. Allen. G. F. Smith kicked a penaltygoal for Southland.