RUGBY FOOTBALL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16706, 25 July 1928, Page 3

RUGBY FOOTBALL

TEST HONORS EVEN STRANG'S FATEFUL GOAL (Notes by “Onlooker. ) I hl’ouglioiil. New Zealand during Ilia early horn's "I' Sunday t lie re ran I lie thrilling word that the All blanks naif won the .second lest match at Johannesburg by a single point. From the hare score it. was evident that a dropped goal had given the New Zealand team the victory/ and the reports received lor publication on Monday contained I lie interesting information that, neither side bad crossed the other's line, the whole 13 points scored in the course of the match having resulted from goal kicks. All to brief were the condensed reviews of the test game dispatched to New Zealand by cable, but scanty as they were as to details, they contained enough to give all Dominion football enthusiasts a proud sensation that the -111 Blacks had come into (heir own. On Monday we knew tlint, the Springboks had been beaten at their own game, that the New Zealand forwards had unearthed the solid scrummaging tactics which have lain 'buried under the superstructure of new rules and new interpretations of old rules. In scrams ana line-outs the tourists held their own—and a little more than their own—enabling the backs to develop their attacks, and enjoy a fair share of tin' all-import-ant factor, possession of the ball. With Stewart taking his place beside Swain and Hadiev, in the front, row of the New Zealand scrum the tourists were on better terms with their opponents than in any of the earlier matches, and it- is evident, that his post as a spare hooker gave Stewart a much better chance to tout the Springbok inside backs when the ball went the wrong way for New Zealand, 'bwvs has been seep-

ing <m( from South Africa concerning an agreement which the tourists’ committee of maragemeut signed when they In si- arrived at Capetown, and the operation of which has limited the usefulness nf the. w ingforward to the absolute minimum. Saturday's chai gc of formation appears to have been a move to restore to (lie. Wingforwurd some part at least of his roving commission, without infringing the terms of the alleged agreement: ils success is evidenced by till! much improved display of the tourists' forwards. The loose head is an advantage that no team can afford to sacrifice completely. too, and Stewart’s position returned flint advantage to the All Black pack. IMPORTANCE 01? LOOSE HEAD. How important the louse-head can he was indicated on the occasion of the Springboks’ visit to New Zealand m .1921. The captain of the 1921 Springboks, Tlieo Pienaar, noted in his reports of the New Zealand games that the two men of the Dominion serums had placed the tourists at a disadvantage by going down at the last moment and thrusting the heads of the South African front rankers aside to gain the outside position : the disadvantage which the Springboks experienced then, in meeting a. scrum of the diamond formation, probably bail a big influence upon the negotiations leading to the agreement between the South African and New Zealand officials as to the conduct- of the front-rankers on this tour of the 1928 All Blacks. Another exemplification of the advantages of the loose head was given to the writer by Cliff Porter, in a review of the 1924 All Black tour published in due course in the Poverty Bay Herald. One of Mr. Porter’s observations was that the English, Welsh and Irish forwards had proved a great deal more formidable than had been expected, with the result that it was the backs, more than the forwards, who got

the opportunities of shining out on thnv tour. Nevertheless, if the New Zealanders had risked ill-feeling hy lighting for the loose head, they could have disrupted the 3-2-3 scrums almost every time they went down. For the? preservation of good feeling, the- All Blacks had sacrificed that opportunity, and had found it. possible to achieve their ends by the use of their weight and combination. STRANG’S EXPLOIT. Of the Second Test, there is one particular feature to which reference must be made, That is the exploit of Strang, who virtually won the match for New Zealand by his field goal. Strang was described by the official reporter as the weakest man in the New Zealand team on the day. and doubtless he was aware of the hindrance lie was to his side, in .the circumstances, he must bo credited with the highest form of moral courage His attempt at the goal from -the field was the sort of Nelson touch which can only justify itself by a full measure of success; the reward of failure being complete disaster. Had Strang failed in his effort, his name would have been anathema, to thousands. It would have been pointed out that there were men in support of him whose ability was greater than his. on the day, and whose chances of breaking through for a try was reasonably good. The effort succeeded, and Strang became the hero of the match, instead of the villian in the piece. His exploit netted just the points needed to place New Zealand in the lead, and in view of the fact that the Springboks had kept their line inviolate up to that stage, Strang’s field goal was about, the only chance the All Blacks had of snatching success from the very teeth of disaster.

Having won the. Second Test, the New Zealanders may hope, reasonably, to complete, the tour successfully, and to pull off the honors in three out of four Tests. Still, it- will not- do to take the Springboks cheaply. They beat the All Blacks once by 17 points to 0, and given conditions similar to those under which the fust Test, was played, they may repeat the victory, even though their margin of points may be smaller. There was no indication of overwhelming victory for the All Blacks in the score of the Second Test. There are a. number of axioms that one might apply in the situation of the All Blacks. One that occurs to mind immediately is that which warns us against the pride that goes before a fall. New Zealanders have experienced the truth of that adage, for if ever pride presaged a fall, our confidence in the 1928 All Blacks prior to their departure for South Africa earned for them a tumble. It is to be hoped that the fates have been propitiated by a humble acceptance of the rebuff, and that our natural pride in the Second Test victory will not be so offensive as to earn another 'blow. JUNIOR FOOTBALL JUNIOR BARRY CUP MATCH (Notes by “Emergency.” The main attraction at the Oval on Saturday was the return match between the Poverty Bay and Wairoa juniors for the .Junior Barry CupConsiderable interest was expressed by the large number of Rugby enthusiasts who gathered to witness the line contest between two evenly matched teams. The wet, muddy turf favored the cup challengers, however, for had the ground been dry no doubt the result would have been reversed. On the day, the better team won, and Poverty Bay cannot begrudge its defeat. Wairoa's win depended mainly on the backs, whose handling of the slippery ball was a feature of the game. The visitors showed more finished combination than the cup defenders, and appeared to be at liomo in the mud. The Poverty Bay pack worked hard throughout the match, and were often responsible for stemming the shattering rushes of the Wairoa players. The rear-guard was disappointing, being - unable to display their customory tactics and combination on the slippery field. Owen, full-back, was very sound, although at times he was inclined to speculate. His fine kicking saved the home side on several occasions. The wingers, Hepburn and L. Smith, had played a great game, displaying solid defence and took part in every movement. Lowndes, first live-eighth, was good. He handled the ball cleanly, sending fast, accurate passes to his partner; Aircy, at second five-eighth, was brilliant. He penetrated the defence with straight runs, and was responsible for opening up most of the movements. Kennedy played a fine game at centre, being good on attack, while his tackling was sure. Webb, half, was not up to his usual standard. He spoilt several movements by holding on to the ball too long, and failed to get his kick in before being smothered.

E. Smith, .Teune, Lewis, C. Dow and Walker were the pick of the forwards. while 0. Thomas, Hogge, and Tier played a fair game. The home pack was unable to hold its opponents in. the scrums, although the Poverty Bay forwards shone out in the loose rushes, and had the advantage in moat of the line-outs. The Prime Minister, Mr. Coates, yesterday dispatched the following message to the manager of the All Black team, Mr. W. F. Hornig:— “Hearty congratulations to all members of the team on Saturday’s test. The victory result was received here with general satisfaction. Kia Ora.”

COAST FOOTBALL SERIES OF CUP GAMES (Herald Correspondent.) Si Being the holders of four different trophies—the K. S. Williams, the Porourangi, the Pctherbridge and the Pepere cups —the Waiapu sub-union (Tikitiki) is finding itself a target for attacks, and so far has proved impregnable. It has Avon the K. S. Williams’ cup for the second year in succession, and has practically secured the Porourangi for this year, having defeated Ruatoria and Tolaga Bay. It is open to Tokomaru and Matakaoa to challenge for the trophy, and for all sub-unions for the Pctherbridge and Pepere, so enthusiasts are to see some good contests. A new trophy, the Lockwood Memorial Cup, has come into existence, and the Waiapu subunion has sent in a challenge for that, and the Tolaga sub-union, being the first holder of the trophy, will defend its possession with all the strength that it can muster. Buatoria Averc the first challengers for the Porourangi cup; and after an exciting game, played at Wai-o-Matatini on July 14, drew Avitli Waiapu, each side scoring (5 points (a try and a penalty goal). For the defenders Te Purei scored a try and G. Nepia 'eked a penalty goal, and for the losers B. Tuhou scored a try and kicked a penalty goal. Ruatoria had the better of the game and Tikitiki Avere lucky to draAv Avith the challengers. On"the other hand, it might be mentioned that four of the Waiapu players, Nepia, Wetini, Raroa and Te Purei, had taken part in the East Coast v. Poverty Bay and Prince of Wales cup trial matches a few days before and Avere feeling stiff. The day Avas all that could be desired, and the attendance Avas largo. Mr. S. Haig controlled the game. Both teams Avere the guests of Lady Ngata at “The BungaloAV.” NEPIA INJURED. Last Saturday Tolaga Bay were, the challengers for the Porourangi Cup, and numerous prophets, predicted a win for Tolaga. The prophets, as usual, proved false, for Tikitiki won by nine points to three, and might have Avon by a larger margin if they had not the misfortune to have two men ordered off the field and G. Nepia injured. After the game had been in progress about 10 minutes, Seymour ran right through the Tolaga Bay backs and scored near the posts. Nepia had no difficulty in converting the try. In the second spell Nepia, from near the half-way line, sent the ball right above and between the posts. ToAvards the finish I. Smith scored a try for Tolaga near the corner aucl a few minutes afterwards nearly repeated his performance. Mr. W. Lambert refereed the game in an efficient manner. One Tolaga Bay player was ordered off, and, on retiring Nepia was replaced by G. Pepere. As on the previous Saturday, Lady Ngata was hostess to both teams at her beautiful home. Mr. G. Neill accompanied the Tolaga Bay team. Nepia, of course, w T as the outstanding player of the day, and is always a thorn in the side of his opponents. It was evident the 'Tolaga Bay forAvards were determined to bafflo him. The Coast possesses some great forwards in J. -Leach and A. Crawford in the Tolaga Bay side, an<| Wetini, B. Tuhoro, Raroa, Te Purei and Green in the local team. Little Rangi dones as half, despite the tremendous onslaughts of the Waiapu forwards, refused to be eliminated, and stood up to his work like a Trojan, THE PRINCE’S CUP.

It is hoped Nepia is not so seriously hurt us to prevent his leading the Tnirawhiti against Tokerau in defence of the Prince of Wales Gup _ oil August. 18. On the other hand, it is feared, after his indisposition, in a Gisborne hospital, G. Mackey may not be sufficiently fit to take part. The latter has been selected as one of the wingers. In the feAV inter-sub union matches he took part ho showed a vast improvement. Added to his weight is speed, and he is a tough problem to stop once lie has gathered Avay. This season he scored seven tries in one match !igainst Matakaoa, and in the Prince of Wales’ trial match at Ruatoria ho scored two. Mackey ’s_ critics say he is not consistent and is thus not reliable. Bo that as it may, he has not shown those faults this season. Provided the weather be fino, many people from the Coast will be going to Gisborne on tho occasion of the first match for the Princo of Wales Cup on August 18. Many natives are already forming their plans for going to witness .the historic contest. Once upon a time the northern tribes, armed Avith the guns of the pakehas, came Avith havoc and slaughter upon the East Coast tribes; noAV they will be mooting their old foes on the friendly field of sport. I haje always held the reason that Maoris lovo Rugby is because it is the nearest approach to war-—their erstwhile national gamp.

Information gathered by the Herald correspondent indicates that among the players representing Tokerau and Tairawhiti in the forthcoming match for the Prince of Wales Cup at Gisborne are many avlio have Avon the coveted silver fern leaf. The Tokerau team will probably include Paewai, Barclay, Rika, Matene, I lata Ruru, and Tarei; among the Tairawhiti players will be G. Nepia, J. Mill, Wilson, S. and J. Gemmet 1, and T. Dennis. J. Blake, another wearer of the national emblem, lives within tlie Tairawhiti district, but will not be available {or the first Prince of Wales Cup match. Nepia, in all probability, will lead the Tairawhiti team, and Barclay the Tokerau. The southerners will don black jerseys, with the sunrise badge indicating that they hail from the oast, or the sunrise. “Tokerau” means the north, and it is from its situation in relation to the rest of Now Zealand that the challenging district derives its name.