RUGBY

Otago Witness, Issue 3828, 26 July 1927, Page 51

RUGBY

By

FULL BACK.

FIXTURES. Otago v. Southland, at Invercargill July Otago v. Southland, at Dunedin, August 6. Payne Shield match, at Christchurch, 'August 13. Otago v. Maori team, at Dunedin, Au-g-ust 17. Otago v. Taranaki, at Dunedin, August 20. Deacon Cup, Otago v. Southland premier teams (at Dunedin), October 1. Otago v. Wellington, at Wellington, September 3. Otago v. Bush Union. Septepiber 7. Otago v. Auckland. September 10. Otago v. Manuwhenua, September 14. Otago v. Canterbury, September 17. Trial match.—Otago, Southland, and North Otago v. Canterbury. South Canterbury, and Ashburton, at Dunedin, September 24. GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA WELCOME AWAITS ALL BLACKS. WELLINGTON, July 22. A very keen Rugby football enthusiast, ' Mr R. H. Wood, returned to Wellington this week form South Africa, where he has been residing for the past seven years. With him he brought a letter conveying to New Zealand Rugby enthusiasts a message of fraternal greetings from Mr George S. Vercueil, of Kalk Bay, a former prominent South African player. “As an ex-player who learnt his football in the nursery centre of South African Rugby—the Western Province—l want you to tell all Rugbyites down south,” states Mr Vercueil in the course of his message, “that the welcome which awaits their representatives, when they set foot on South Africa’s sunny shores, will be on a parallel to that accorded the Duke and Duchess of York on their Highnesses’ recent visit to the southern isles. Nevertheless, impress upon them the necessity of bringing out their very best side, as they will have a hard nut to crack when meeting the Springboks on their native heath. Wether' on or off the playing fields the All Blacks will receive a roaring reception, whereever they may find themselves, for without flattery I can give you my assurance that New Zealanders are held in very high esteem out here. The surprise of their lives will be the hospitality which they will receive in the country districts at the hands of the Dutch-speaking community. Let the All Blacks motto be ‘Kerels ons gaan wen,’ which, translated, means, ‘Boys, wo are going to win,’ and in this spirit the Springboks want to meet them. The best of luck to you, and I hope you will always think kindly of South Africa.” Mr Wood has been a very close follower of Rugby in both countries. “What Mr Vercueil says is true,” Mr Wood remarked. “The New Zealanders will have a pretty stiff tussle. New Zealand, I think, will <omo out on top, but it will bo just on top.” When Mr Wood returned to South Africa tome seven years ago a fellow-passenger on the voyage was Mr Jack Stoohr, the well-known New Zealand player.

OTAGO v. SOUTHLAND.

THE SOUTHERN TEAM. INVERCARGILL. July 21. The following players have been selected to represent Southland against Otago at Invercargill on Wednesday:—Backs-—(_'. Nicolson (Eastern), N. MacDonald (Eastern), E. H. Diack (Pirates), B. Geddes (1-irates),. J. M'Aulift'e (Star), L. G. Townsend (Western). C. Johnson (Tn- -r--cargill) : forwards —C. Mills (Invercargill), J. Howden (Star). W. Hazlett (Pirates), L. J. Cock) oft (Star). H. M’Kenzie (Central), M. M’Leod (Eastern), R. Bird (Pirates), W. Johnston (Pirates); emergencies—D. Murray (Star), R. Johnstone (Central), G. Oughton (Star), C. Bu nett (Invercargill), JM’Coy (Western). The team is considered to be strong in both back and forward divisions, ami is certain to put up a good fight against its old rival. Included in the back division are no fewer than four ex-Otago University players, while a fifth (Dick Johnstone) is an emergency back. The backs are a speedy lot. and may cause a surprise. The real strength of the team, however, lies in the forwards, who are made up of big and fast men, all capable ball handlers and clever in lineout and loose play. The game is being looked forward to with great interest, and a record attendance is anticipated. , REFEREES’ TEAM. The following is the Southland referees’ team to play Otago referees as a curtainraiser to the Otago-Southland game:—-J. Darragh, J. Qnghton, R. Cross, W. Wills, F. O’Kane. J. Forde, T. Finnerty, R. Cox, W. M’Stay, E. Budd. W. Pay, H. R. Wilcox, G. A. Withers, D. Leckie, F. Daubner. Emergencies: Burton, Dyer, A. Bull, G. Dennis. DOMINION STANDARD FALLING. OPINION OF ALL BLACK. LONDON, July 21. The Evening News quoted a letter from Jock Richardson (vice-captain of (he 1924 All Blacks) saying that the standard of New Zealand Rugby has fallen a bit during the last year or two, because Munro, J’arker, Porter, Masters, and others have dropped out. THE RANFURLY SHIELD. FULL INQUIRY DEMANDED. AUCKLAND. July 18. Strong exception to the. attitude of the "Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay Rugby Unions toward the decision of the referee who sent two players oil the field in the recent Ranfurly Shield match was taken

at a meeting of the Auckland Rugby Referees’ Association to-night. The following resolution was unanimously carried: —“That this association desires that the New Zealand Rugby Referees’ Association investigate to the full the reports appearing in the press reflecting on the ability’ of Mr H. J. M’Kenzie, the referee in the Hawke’s Bay-Wairarapa Ranfurly Shield match, played at Masterton on July 9, as in its opinion a grave injustice has been done by the two unions concerned to a brother official, who is recognised as a capable and conscientious referee.” It was pointed out in discussion that the referee, who had been mutually selected, suffered ignominy for fearlessly carrying out his duty. It was further stressed that a referee is at all times the sole judge of fact, and his decision is final. Therefore, the unions greatly exceeded their powers in openly condemning him.

ORDERING-OFF INCIDENT. WELLINGTON, July 23. The New Zealand Rugby Referees’ Association Executive met to-day to consider the ordering off the field of Q. llonald and M. Brownlie in the Ranfurly Shield match between Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa on July 9. Mr D. M’Kenzie occupied the chair. Mr 11. J. M’Kenzie, the referee, in a report on the incident, stated that before taking actio)) he had previously’ cautioned both players. The following resolutions wer.e then carried: — 1. That this association, on behalf of Mr H. J. M’Kenzie, the referee in the Hawke's Bay-Wairarapa Ranfurly Shield match, appeals against the decisions of the Rugbv Unions concerned in the matter of the ordering off the field of M. Brownlie and Q. Donald. 2. That the referee is the sole judge of ft -t. 3. That Air M’Kenzie's statement that these players were guilty’ of misconduct (. the field was sufficient to warrant him in ordering them off should have been accepted as a question of fact, and adjudicated upon accordingly’ by’ the Rugby Unions interested. 4. That the players were guilty of the offences for which they were ordered off on the referee’s plain statement of fact, a that the only evidence that . could have been accepted by’ the Hawke’s bay and Wairarapa Rugby Unions respectively was designed to prove that the players named had received provocat)on. 5. That the findings of these unions — that Brownlie and Donald were free from blame, when they were specifically found guilty by the referee —places referees generally in the position of considering whether it would not be best in their own interests to overlook any’ illegal acts of play’ in the matches in which they are officiating. . G That a referee, after ordering a player off the field, fulfils the whole of his" duty in fullv reporting the occurrence, and should not be called upon to amplify his statement in any way, or to submit to cross-examination by the members qt a Rugby Union; and, further, that this association is of opinion that in all where players are ordered oft the held by the referee in an interprovincial or a'Ranfurly Shield match the facts should be considered by the New Zealand Rugby Union. That body would not be concerned with the endeavour to ailow the player to go scot free, nor would it by its findings heap ridicule on the referee by treatin’’ his report as so much “waste paper.” 7. —This association also feels that an

apology IS line to Air ivi rvenz.ie num the Wairarapa and the Hawke’s Bay Rugbv Unions in their endeavour to whitewash their respective players. Things were said, according to the newspaper reports, about the referee that were insulting, as well as uncalled for. 8. —That the New Zealand RugbyReferees’ Association commends Air 11. J. M'Kenzie in his determination to see that the methods employed by’ the players in the recent Ranfurly Shield match between Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa did not go beyond the bounds of fair play, and expresses its regret at the manner in which his report regarding the ordering off of Brownlie and Donald was dealt with by the respective Rugby unions, and at the implied suggestion that he had committed an error of judgment. 9. —That the letters received by the New Zealand Rugby Referees’ Association from the various referees’ associations be forwarded to the New Zealand Rugby’ Union, together with a suggestion that, in the best interests of the Rugby game and its control, all unions should be required to submit to the New Zealand Rugby’ Union full particulars, including the referees’ reports, of all cases in which players have bee)) ordered off in Ranfurly Shield and other representative matches; and that the sentences imposed by the local controlling authorities be reviewed by the governing body, if this )s considered necessary.

ACTION BY LOCAL REFEREES. At a fully-attended meeting of the I Otago Referees’ Association, held on ' Saturday’ night, the decisions of the Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa Unions in respect to the two players who were ordered off in the recent shield match were discussed at length, and the following motion was carried: — “ That this association is of the opinion that, in justice to Air H. J. M’Kenzie, the whole position should be reviewed by the New-Zealand Rugby Union: and that the New Zealand Referees’ Association has the full support of this association in whatever steps it takes to bring this about.” TROPHY REVERTS TO WAIRARAPA. WELLINGTON, July 23. By decision of the Alanagcment Committee of the New Zealand Rugby’ Union the Ranfurly jhield. which was recently’ regained bv Hawke’s Bay’ from Wairarava, is to be returned to the latter union, whose protest against the inclusion of Barclay in the Hawke’s Bay’ team for the match on July 9 at Solway was upheld. The Wairarapa Rugby Union mad? its protest on the grounds that Barclay, ac- ; cording to rule 43 of the New" Zealand ' Rugby Union rules, was not a bona fide

resident of Hawke's Bay for the stated period of three weeks before the match at Solway. When the matter was considered last Wednesday it was decided by the New Zealand Union to call evidence from Hawke’s Bay and Auckland, and the union dealt with the case at a special meeting this afternoon. Air Norman ATKenzie, of the Hawke’s Bay Rugby’ Union, attended, this meeting to state the case for Hawke’s Bay. Al)' S. S. Dean pre sided, and there were also present—Messrs A. C. Kitto, E. Wylie, T. A. Fletcher, E. M’Kenzie, H. S. Leith, H. F. Hornig, C. L. Alullany, Kihgi Tahiwi (Maori Advisory Board), and A. E. Neilsen (secretary ).

At the outset of the meeting Air Norman ATKenzie asked that the" matter should be taken in committee. His reason was, he said, that a section of the press had allegedly given distorted accounts of the happenings in recent events. He declared that some of the newspapers had fractured truthfulness and that a section of the Wellington press had a grudge against Hawke’s Bay. Air Alullany moved that the matter be taken in committee. Air Kitto: The press has always given us a fair go. I see no reason why it should be taken in committee. After protracted argument Air A. C. Kitto moved —“That this union is satisfied that in playing Barclay in the Hawke’s BayWairarapa match on July 9 the Hawke’s Bay Union acted under a genuine misapprehension which was shared by Wairarapa. Therefore, this union decides that the result of the game shall stand, but at the same time it warns the Hawke’s BayUnion and other unions that in future the rules will be strictly enforced.” The motion was ruled out of order as it-ignored one of the New Zealand Union’s riules. Following this there was a further general discussion until the following motion by the Chairman was put to the vote: —“That whereas W. Barclay was a bona fide resident of Auckland until June 23, having fulfilled the qualification necessary under the union’s rule No. 28, and whereas Barclay did not fulfil the residental qualification as provided in the New Zealand Rugby Union’s rule 43 to permit him to play for Hawke’s Bay, this committee upholds the protest of the Wairarapa Rugby Union, and the match be awarded to Wairarapa.” The motion was carried, there being onlyone dissentient (Air Alullany).

SATURDAY’S MATCHES. THE SENIOR COMPETITION. The thirteenth Saturday of Dunedin football provided fine conditions overhead, though the grounds were rather heavy. The season has been a rather remarkable one in that on only one occasion has the Flag Committee found it necessary to postpone any matches on account of the state of the grounds. In this particular instance, moreover, it was only the lower grades that were affected. The huge crowd that attended at Carisbrook on Saturday got full value for its money, and though the early match, Alhambra v. Kaikorai, failed to provide many, or any. vivid incidents, play being mainly confined to the forwards, the second game. University A v. Pirates, was packed full of incident, and after a spectacular contest the Blues secured a handsome and well-deserved victory. The Pirates forwards dominated the game in the early stages, but once the Blue forwards had got. into their stride they soon had the measure of the opposing pack, and they proved that —unlike many of the University teams of the past —their strength docs not lie solelv with their backs. Indeed, the Blue pack has proved this season that it is equal to any of the vanguards in the senior competition, and maybe it is no exaggeration to say that it is second to none. So far as the backs are concerned, they quite excelled themselves, and everyone was right on his game, with Holden (half-back) and Stevenson (full-back) the bright particular stars of the Blue firmament—if one can put it- that way. Pirates were unfortunate in losing the services of Niven, as that necessitated Giles (the scrum half) being shifted to five-eighths, and Jaggers going behind the scrum. The change was apparent in the attack of the Blacks, which at once became to a certain extent disorganised. It may be added that the play of Ron Callander and of Stewart will have to show a considerable improvement to justify the Otago selectors in picking them to represent Otago against Southland on Wednesday, and Captain Sonntag will have to see to it that Callander does not starve his backs by his persistent kicking when in the open, and when his supports are handy. Both Mitchell and Ross, on the other hand, gave a good display in which variety was a conspicuous feature. University A now appear to have the senior competition flag well within its grasp.

The gate takings amounted to £405. a record for the season. The takings represent an attendance of 11.000. The members of the Alhambra loan) wore white bands on account of the death of Mr W. Harridge, a former president of (he club, and the referees in both matches wore black bands as a mark of respect to the memory of the late Air Ben Watson, who was a member of the Referees’ Association.

Southern and University B had a closely contested game, and Taieri comfortably boat Dunedin after a rather ragged forward game. Zingari-Richmond wore down the Union defence in the second spell, and rat) out easy winners. Results: — University A ... 22 Piratsws 6 Kaikorai 3 Alhambra ... 0 Southern ... 5 University B ... 3 Taieri 16 Dunedin 10 ZingariRichmond 14 Union 0 POSITION OF TEAAIS.

The following are the positions of the teams engaged in the First Grade competition :—

IN OTHER CENTRES. • MAORI TOURING TEAM. WAIRARAPA TEAM v. MAORIS. MASTERTON, July 23. The following team will represent Wairarapa against the Maori touring team at Masterton on Wednesday : —Full-back, Roache ; three-quarters—R. Booth, Stringfellow, G. Booth; five-eighths. Cundy and Cooke; half. Hi roti; wing forward, J. Donald (captain); forwards —Q. Donald, Irvine, Parker, Harvey, Reside, Fairbrother, S. Willoughby. A DRAWN GAME. PALMERSTON N, July 24. The Alaori touring team yesterday played a drawn game with a combined Mana-watu-Horowhenua side, the score being 24 points all. Though the game was rather drab in the first spell, it showed a great, improvement in the second half, which was marked by several exciting incidents. MAORIS v. SOUTHLAND. Mr A. J. Haub, of the local Referees’ Association, has been appointed to control the Maoris v. Southland game, to be played at Invercargill. AUCKLAND v. NORTH AUCKLAND. ] WHANGAREI, July 24. i Auckland had no difficulty in defeating North Auckland tit Kensington Park yesterday by 21 points to 3 on a soft ground The Auckland backs played like clockwork, and the three-quarter 'inc, Lucas, Sheen and Hook, proved a formidable combination. The packs were fairly evenly matched, but the North Auckland side was under the disadvantage of not having played together. For Auckland Sheen (2), Lucas and Hook scored, Berridge converting three and adding a penalty goal. Morrissey scored for Nord) Auckland. A WIN FOR WAIKATO. HAMILTON, July 24. The Waikato Rugby representatives de feated an Auckland -epresentative team by 11 points to 5 yesterday. It was a bright game, but the ground was sodden. WAIROA v. EAST COAST. WAIROA, July 23. The Wairoa representative team, minus half its best plavcrs, defeated Fast Coast (Hawke’s Bay) to-day, by 3 points to nd, after an exciting game played >n sbually. weather. THE SEDDON SHIELD. NELSON, July 23. Five thousand spectators witnessed the Sodden Shield match played this afternoon between Nelson (the holders) and V> est Coast. Nelson won by 23 points to 15. The winners gave a fine open display in the back division, quite outclassing their opponents, but toe forwards were more evenly matched, although the Nelson pack was more prominent in the loose play. TUAPEKA DEFEAT’S VINCENT. At Cromwell, on Saturday, Tuapcka defeated Vincent by 4 points to 3. BUSTI UNION v. OROUA. FEILDING, July 23. Tn a representative footljall match at. Kimbolton the Bush Union tourists defeated Oroua by 19 points to 14. HAWKE’S BAY GAMES. Pirates 3. Hastings nil. High School Old Boys 16, Technical Old Boys 5. Celtic 19, Marists 5. I -- MATCHES AT WANGANUI. Matches at Wanganui yesterday resulted as follows: —Taihape 12, Wanganui 11; Wanganui 35, Wairoa Sub-uniou 6. WELLINGTON GAMES. University 21. Old Boys 11. Athletic 13, Poneke 10. Marist 11, Berhampore 3. Wellington 21. Hutt- 3. Petone 43, Oriental 11. CHRISTCHURCH COMPETITION. Old Bdys 13, Albion nil Merivale 26. University 13. Linwood 17, Technical Old Boys 5.

THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEAM. SYDNEY, July 23. The New South Wales team to tour England was accorded an enthusiastic farewell on its departure for Melbourne, where it will play a match to-day, ami then join the steamer Ormonde there on Tuesday for England. VICTORIAN TEAM BEATEN. WAR ATA H’S FIRST GAME. MELBOURNE, July 24. The Waratahs (the New South Wales team en route to England) defeated a "Victorian team by 19 points to 9.

P. W . L. D. Points Flag For Agst. Pts. University A 13 9 3 1 293 63 19 Kaikorai 13 8 3 ?. 146 119 18 Southern 13 7 3 3 133 83 17 Pirates 15 8 4 x 228 130 17 Zingari . 13 8 4 1 133 131 17 Alhambra 13 7 4 2 137 114 16 University 13 13 6 6 1 115 158 13 Taieri ... ... 13 3 10 0 112 195 6 Union . 13 2 10 1 75 206 5 Dun-'.-’.* i . 13 1 12 6 62 235 2