RUGBY FOOTBALL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18203, 26 September 1933, Page 6

RUGBY FOOTBALL

HAWKE’S BAY GAME THRILLS WERE LACKING The annual match between Hawke's Bav and Poverty Bay, played at MacLean Park. Napier, on Saturday, evidently did not thrill the Napier critics in any marked degree. One commentator declared that the standard of play was disappointing, and that the handling and tackling of the teams were weak, the game as a whole failing to come up to the standard seen in most of the club games on Hawke’s Bay grounds during the season. Another critic indicated that the home side was not seriously troubled, and though the visitors scored twice early in the second half, their recovery was short-lived, and they were soon forced back on to the* defen-

sive. In the course of the reports published in Hawke’s Bay papers, however, there is plenty of evidence that the* Magpies did not- have matters all their own way, and that though their forwards had the best of the scrums and line-outs in Lie first half, the Poverty Bay dribbling was troublesome to them; while in iegard to the backs, the visiting team was not outclassed by the Hawke s Bay side by any means. McKinley, Dennis, and Rodgers were frequently mentioned in descriptions of flic game, and Kaua, Haisman and Pohatu seem to have made the best impressions among tho Poverty Bay backs. On Saturday tho Hawke’s Bay team is to meet Wellington, and the match with Poverty Bay was regarded as something iii the nature of a trail tor the more important fixture. Much ot the Hawke’s Bay comment would be made* with the forthcoming match in view, of course, and it now remains to he seen whether the Magpies, formerly the champion team of New Zealand and the object of much hero-worship in their province, can avoid a severe beating by the season's champions. Hawke s Bay probably looks forward to this match with some apprehension of deieat as that with which Poverty Bay regarded last Saturday's game, and the same hope that the score against them will not be too great.