BRIGHT RUGBY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27391, 17 May 1950, Page 8

BRIGHT RUGBY

Trial Matches Sound Back Play PA WELLINGTON, May 16. Much superior football to that of the 1947 trials, which were held early for the tour of Australia, was seen when 71 players were tested today in preparation for the first test against Britain. Generally the back play was of a comparable standard with the trials of 1948, which were held toward the end of the season, a possible exception being on the wing, there being no one to measure up to the brilliant speed of P. Henderson. The tackling all round was particularly good. Contributing to much of the smarter back movements was the quick heeling. Most of the scrummaging was of the South African pattern, and the ball frequently shot out very well. The taking of the- ball in the line outs was disappointing, but in other respects the forward play was of a high standard. As the British team has yet to encounter most of these players, some excellent forward encounters should result.

A possible surprise selection was that of B. Russell (Hawke’s Bay) as one of the emergency forwards. Though in the thick of everything, he did not ‘appear to have the strength for a loose head in the front row, and his choice made it all the more difficult to comprehend the passing over for the trials of R. A. Dalton, vicecaptain of the All Blacks in South Africa.

Though A.. M. Hughes (Auckland) often raked the ball back brilliantly, he actually lost five of his loose heads to N. L. Wilson (Otago), who played under the handicap of a stiff neck. Both players were penalised for falling to the ground on occasions when hooking. Faulty Throwing In Much of the poor line-out play was due to the faulty throwing in of the ball. This was better in the first game, in which Blake (Wairarapa) was outstanding for his clean taking, with D. D. Beard (Wanganui) and T. A. Budd (Southland) also prominent. P. Crowley (Auckland) was the only forward in the second game to take the ball cleanly. Blake and Beard generally dropped the ball to the half, while most of the others preferred to try to drive through or bring the ball to the ground for rucking purposes. Harvey (Otago) and White (Poverty Bay) excelled in this. Crowley varied his play cleverly. H. Wilson (Otago) and R. D. Johnstone (Auckland) were little inferior to Harvey and White as locks. Johnstone broke quickly and did some effective work in the loose. McNab scrummaged as ably as he did in South Africa and was also one of the fittest forwards and one who was always doing something constructive. P. Johnstone also reproduced his excellent form when in South Africa, being always on the ball and cover defending well. One of the best cover defenders was D. L. Christian (Auckland), who was’ on the field for one spell. He showed more pace than R. C. Stuart (Canterbury), who, however, along with Lunn (Otago), Blake (Wairarapa), Henderson (Wairarapa), Rowan (Waikato), and Hardie (Canterbury), shaped well. Competent Back Play

The back play was more competent than brilliant, although there were flashes of brilliance that brought the crowd to its feet. An impressive feature was the tackling, particularly of the three-quarters. The best of the half-backs were Bevan and Savage. Bevan was his usual competent self. He whipped over passes with all his old speed and impressed with his ability to vary his play. Savage was just as impressive, and his passing was always crisp. The best first five-eigth was Beatty. He was faster and inspired more confidence than the others. There was a general tendency in this position to be slow in sending the ball on. Haig, too, was impressive. The Buffer man, Dickson, moved quite well. In the clash of two class footballers, Elvidge and J. B. Smith, at second five-eighths, Smith never put a foot wrong, straightening the attack and covering mistakes. Elvidge made some glorious breaks and made good play for the centre and wingers. He had a few handling lapses.

The best of the centres was Roper, who was always looking for or creating opportunities to show great pace. Gilmour also was impressive, though lacking Roper’s speed. C. Moore and Gotz looked good prospects because of their solid tackling. The wingers had few chances to show their paces. However, B. A. Sweet twice made scintillating dashes after recovering from stumbles in a spectacular fashion. He tackled like a thunderbolt. Mcates Elusive Meates and Cherrington were others who impressed as being better than most. The Maori’s size made him a hard man to tackle, while Meates slipped through nicely at times. After a shaky start, Scott settled down to turn on a grand display. He relieved situations repeatedly while under pressure, and was never flurried in the face of attacking players. J. Phillips delighted the crowd with brilliant carving runs when he went up into the back line. Harkness was a sound full-back.