SECOND WIN

Southland Times, Issue 21092, 26 May 1930, Page 8

SECOND WIN

BRITISH TEAM TARANAKI BEATEN BY 23 TO 7 VISITORS’ SUPERIOR BACKS (Per United Press Association.) New Plymouth, May 24. The British Rugby team defeated Taranaki by twenty-three points to seven. It was a gruelling but not particularly spectacular struggle in which the open back tactics of the British team triumphed. The whole of the British score was compiled in the second half during the period when the Taranaki play deteriorated and the visitors were quick to seize, opportunities. At the interval, Taranaki led by four points to nil, the home team having a slight advantage. The score consisted of a magnificent field goal by Handley Brown. The standard of play generally was not very high and one could not escape the conviction that the British team will need to improve very considerably to win the test matches. Certainly their back play was much superior to Taranaki’s and the backs had to contend with the deliberate tactics of the Taranaki forwards in smashing inside back movements, while the Taranaki backs concentrated on giving the ball to their forwards, thus spoiling the spectacular aspect of the game to some extent. Taranaki’s forwards were definitely superior in the first part of the game and frequently crushed back movements of the visitors, but their superiority did not last long. Generally the scrums favoured the Britishers. The match was played in fine weather in the presence of about 17,000 people. The gate takings amounted to £1550. The teams were as follows: Britain. Full-back.—R. Jennings. Threequarters.—J. Reeve, C. D. Aarvold, T. Murray, J. Morley. Halves.—R. S. Spong, N. Poole. Forwards.- —D. E. Knowles, D. Parker, H. O’Neil; B. H. Black, J. McD. Hodgson; W. B. Welsh, G. R. Beamish, H. Wilkinson. Taranaki. Full-back: C. Hunt. Three-quarters: 11. Fookes, 11. W. Brown, N. Hunter. Five-eighths: D. Johnston, E. Owen. Half back: C. Brown. Forwards: A. Guy, C. Wills, R. Clarke, P. Ward, I. and A. Kivell, W. Robinson, J. Young. The visitors opened with the sun in their faces. Soon, Taranaki vigorously attacked, the Britishers getting the ball away from the scrum, but the Taranaki men charged down on them. Jennings, the British full back, was early bustled to find the line. The Britishers were passing effectively and Brown stopped a dangerous rush by forcing Reeve into touch. Tarainfringed in a scrum and Parker narrowly missed a goal. O’Neil kicked over the line and Taranaki forced. Hum, the Taranaki full back, tried a pot, bui missed very narrowly. Twice Owen kicked too hard apd found the dead ball line. Taranaki kept the British team fighting desperately on the line. Clarke brought the ball away from a scrummage and sent out to Brown who potted a fine goal. Taranaki 4 Britain 0 Spong, Murray, Aarvold and Reeve were doing good work for the Britishers, but the Taranaki tackling was deadly. Brown took a penalty ball, striking the post a little low. Morley broke away and dashed down the line attended by Wilkinson who dodged his way over the line and touched down, but was brought back because Morley hadstepped out. Black was away for Britain but Robinson jumped on his back. The score was still four to nil at half-time. Britain opened the second spell with bright passing, but Taranaki continued to tackle, well. Wilkinson broke away down the side-line and had just sufficient pace to reach the line and score a good try. Black converted from the angle. Britain 5 Taranaki 4 Morley was playing a great game on the British wing. A lucky rebound fell into Black’s hands and he dashed over under the post and converted his own try. Britain 10 Taranaki 4 The British forwards were now smashing through and the backs were getting the ball from the scrums. Clarke had a chance when the visitors infringed, but the kick failed. Guy, the Taranaki rover, failed badly to tackle his man and Morley and Murray broke away after some pretty passing, Murray scoring a great try which Black converted. Black’s place kicking was excellent. Britain 15 Taranaki .. /. .4 Taranaki commenced a long sustained attack in the corner, scrum following scrum with the advantage continuallj- with the home team, but desperate defence prevented a score. Brown narrowly missed with a penalty kick. Ward and Wills were nearly over. Fookes and Robinson were also prominent. After a long siege, the soene suddenly changed, Britain raking the whole field with a back and forward rush which ended in an exciting scramble on the Taranaki line. Morley failed in attempting to pot. Wilkinson and Welsh) made a spectacular dash half the length of the field and Welsh touched down amid a scene of great excitement, but it was alh after the whistle had sounded and a scrunii was put down at half-way. The British I backs were now getting out of hand. Hodgson sent a pass to Wilkinson who scored with little opposition. Black again converted. Britain 20 Taranaki 4 Immediately after, Wilkinson received a pass which was sent off the ground unnoticed by the referee, Mr 11. Rowe, and scored in the corner. Black's kick struck the top of the post and fell back. Britain 23 Taranaki 4 Guy brilliantly intercepted and opened a movement that led to a try for Taranaki. The ball was bustled over the line in a flurry of men and Wills touched down. Brown’s kick failed and the final score was: Britain 23 Taranaki 7 INVINCIBLE BACKS HOME DEFENCE ROUTED. OPENING ATTACKS WITHSTOOD. (Special Representative—Copyright.) New Plymouth, May 25. Taranaki traditions for invincibility in matches against overseas teams were rudely shattered—when the British team showed ability to wear down bustling forwards and triumph over most determined tackling. Taranaki entered the field with two predominant ideas: to confine the game to the forwards and to grass the British backs man for man every time they got the ball. Playing rightly to instructions, they began by exploiting touch kicks at every opportunity. Usually the amber and black pack took the ball with it in massed attacks. On rare occasions when the ball was permitted to see daylight, Owen, first five-eighths, dutifully • playing to instructions, found touch rather than send out. In following this policy during the first 20 minutes Taranaki were assisted by the phenomenal opening vigour of the forwards who swept aside the opposition in ruthless drives which sometimes covered 40 or 50 yards. When the

opposing pack went down in loose scrums, the Taranaki van would come througn the blue ranks like an avalanche. • The harrassed British backs, trying to get their speedy Outsiders moving, were bowled over like ninepins. Their passes went astray allowing the Taranaki huntsmen to gather a further advantage. Throughout this opening period in which the Bntisn forwards were completely dominated, three gallant British backs stemmed the attacks time and again. They were Jennings, playing in a strange position at full-back, Murray, the curly-headed Irisher threequarter, and Spong. Of all . the attractive performers in this team, Sprong will be the most popular with the New Zealand public. A short india-rubber sort of fellow, he positively bounces, into action again when tackled. Several times yesterday he continued his solo, efforts.. When apparently stopped, he handles the ball beautifully and is a sound tactician as his crafty short punting in the second spell very plainly showed. Though not perhaps the equal of Cooke as a unit in an attacking combination, Spong embodies so many remarkable football virtues that he will give New Zealand sides unlimited trouble. Yesterday, he was feeding a tip-top threequarters line better, than last Wednesday because Murray, both as an attacking link and on the defence, was far superior to Knowles. On two showings to date, it appears that the British selection committee will find it very ’difficult to say exactly which is their best threequarter line. For his pace, screw kicking and delightful handling, Bowcott could hardly be overlooked, yet Novis is another polished player while Jones-Davis, who has shaped very nicely at practices, has yet to be seen in action. Taranaki’s Vigorous Opening. The most remarkable tiling about yesterday’s game was the manner in which Britain, though taken by surprise by Taranaki’s whirlwind opening tactics, gradually settled down to dictate the course of the game. The British forwards

took a long time to accustom themselves to Taranaki’s methods. Without being exactly brutal, there was a particularly vigorous flavour about Taranaki’s tactics. Poole, the little Welsh half-back, playing his first game in New Zealand, rose dazed and shaken after his first attempt to go down on the ball and for the rest of the spell he was voluntarily or otherwise very little use on the defence.

Meanwhile, Taranaki did everything but score. For 20 minutes they camped in British territory. Hunt sent a glorious leftfoot pot soaring within three feet of the posts. Two minutes later Handley Brown, dead in front, steadied himself and dropkicked a beauty.

With four points up against them and the Taranaki forwards still calling a tune, the defeat of Britain seemed not merely possibly, but inevitable. Yet, within a few minutes a subtle change began to come over the game. The British forwards began to have a say in the line-outs, Beamish frequently beating'Ward for the ball, though sometimes his passes back were misdirected. In the loose the Blue scrummagers became as robust as Taranaki.

There were some purple patches which the referee checked in the early stages, very wisely, as two such packs might easily have got out of hand. Coupled with the recovery of the British forwards came opportunities for the banks. Spong figured in breezy individual efforts in which he was inclined to become stranded from his supports. Morley made a great dash up the line, but swung a fo'ot out in eluding the full-back. Before half-time Taranaki took hold again, but close observers had been shown that the British were by no means spent. In the scrums Taranaki had managed to secure a good share of possession and in the line-outs they simply dominated for nearly all the first spell.

Weak Goal Kicking.

Many free kicks went against Taranaki, mainly for off-side in close work, though once or twice for obstruction. The crowd took strong exception to these penalties, but had no real cause for dissatisfaction as on the whole run of the game Taranaki actually got more free kicks than Britain and, with decent goal-kicking, might have turned at least three to account. Towards the end Ward, the captain, was unable to decide who to give the kick to. H. W. Brown had failed with several efforts and apparently the skipper never -thought of Ike, a burly Maori, whose record as a goal-kicker

in club matches is very impressive. Ike was never very conspicuous yesterday, but he did an immense amount of work. The Taranaki fgrwards all deserve tremendous credit for their magnificent effort. They started the second spell as they had started the first with a crushing onset carrying them to the visitors’ corner. This time, however, the British did not stay there on the defensive. Jennings took them out of it with a colossal line kick to halfway, whence to the dumb surprise of the Taranaki barrackers the British pack simply took charge and rolled Taranaki back to its own line. From this period Britain began to dominate the game. It was one of the most remarkable reversals ever witnessed. As soon as the ball started to fly about among the British backs, Taranaki’s inferiority in speed and cleverness became painfully apparent. Time after time desperate tackles floored man after man, but with continuous attacks it was inevitable that the defence should crumble. Points Come Freely. The British team have shown remarkable capacity for turning attacks in the field either with in-passing or a icentre kick. It was from an in-pass that Aarvold was held up on the touchline after a dash from half-way. He got Murray moving inside him. Racing in support of Murray on the inside came Wilkinson who, taking a perfectly timed pass, outpaced the Taranaki backs to score. Black lacked .a • nice jjpaL-frpm jite jaigie s

Tries now began to come thick and fast. The British team showed that like all speedy teams, they launch their most dangerous attacks from’ mid-field. Danger to the opposition is hinted not when they are gathered in .the opposing twenty-five, but when their backs, set in deep echelon formation, get moving from half-way, or beyond it. Every man is so fast that one second’s hesitation will leave the would-be-tacklers hopelessly out of it. . Morley’s short bursts to-day caught Eric Hunter, nephew of the famous Jimmy, napping. Time and again from one such run, Morley played a centre kick nicely for Black coining up like a racehorse to gather and score under the posts. Another try came when Reeve, accepting the only real chance that came his way all day, left Fookes flat-footed. Hunt took him beautifully, dropping him in a spectacular somersault, but Murray, _ who had slipped unobtrusively alongside, simply picked up and waltzed over. Wilkinson added two more tries, for each of which he had to run from 15 to 20 yards after the defence had been shot to ribbons. The second of these tries came directly from ’ the kick-off after the previous one. The kick-off was gathered by Beamish, now playing a great game, who sent the backs and forwards away in a glorious combined drive wherein the ball only once touched the ground, there being at least half a dozen men in support when Wilkinson finally rounded off the movement. Home Backs In Trouble. /. The Taranaki forwards were still fighting gamely and still getting a good share of the ball from the scrums though they made precious little use of it, largely through the ineptitude of Johnson, who was the weak link throughout. Owen, at first five-eighth, was invaluable, often breaking through solo, while H. Brown did much useful work though he marred it by petty tactics, one instance of which brought him to grips with Murray and earned a warning from the referee. Hunt during the second spell, was bombarded with difficult balls, several directed from, the resourceful foot of Spong, who had begun short-punting with successful results. Jennings, the British full-back, who in the first spell had come through a difficult ordeal with flying colours, in the second had little to do, so made up for it by setting his backs going at every opportunity. Throughout the game the British team showed almost reckless willingness to open up the game from their own territory, sometimes leaving a clearing kick from their own twenty-five to the last possible moment while searching for an opening. The Final Thrill. Towards the end thousands began to leave the packed terraces, making for the gates, but one more thrill was in store, as Taranaki getting away in the loose got to the British twenty-five where Guy, intercepting, seemed clear away until Hodgson, the tall forward came from nowhere to sink him with a flying tackle. As at Wanganui in a parallel instance, the respite was temporary as the Taranaki forwards ewarmed round, Wills scoring. Hodgson hurt himself in tackling Guy, but soon recovered, this being the only Stoppage in an exceedingly hard fought match, highlights of which were Taranaki’s protracted opening assault, Hunt's attempt at goal from a foot inside touch, Jenning’s fine'defensive kicking in the first spell, and Black’s grand kicking when Britain'was piling up tries in the second spell. Unlike Ivor Jones, who stood down at the last minute, making way for Welsh, Black stand-i the ball upright, but get an ideal flight, his kicks going fairly between the posts. Only one missed and by the narrowest margin, the ball hitting the post. Four members of the British team, JonesDavies, Dunne, Prentice and Bassett, have yet to be seen in action. Play to date shows there are few weaknesses and many points of strength. No provincial team -will beat them unless its forwards can absolutely control the game from start to finish. To do so they will have to be hard, fast, heavy and fit. Once the British backs get the ball its a case of, to use a familiar colloquialism, “good night.” Even the crack All Blacks may be outpaced by these overseas fliers. The result yesterday imbues the tour with greater interest than ever.

The keenness of the British team is shown by the fact that non-players yesterday had hard practice in the morning.

“WING FORWARD A CHEAT.” MR BAXTER’S VIEW. TEAMS NOT TO LEAVE FIELD. (Special Representative—Copyright.) New Plymouth, May 25. Before the match against laranaki, the British team manager had intimated that according to the international rules, tne teams would not leave the field at halftime. Just before the start, however, Mr J. McLeod, chairman of the Taranaki Union, insisted that this should not be done. He pointed out that the custom of leaving the field prevailed here. After some discussion, Mr Baxter agreed to defer to his wishes. The teams accordingly left the field. At a subsequent dinner, however, Mr Baxter announced this would be done no more. He said that whether the rule was wise or foolish they must abide by it. He had deferred to’ Taranaki’s wishes, but hence would abide by the international ruling. Mr Baxter also denounced the wing forward asserting that while occasional genius might arise, the ordinary man who tried to play at wing forward was nothing more or less than a cheat. The Taranaki Rugby Union entertained the visitors at Mount Egmont to-day snowballing being the.feature of the occasion. Sobey, the injured half-back, leaves for Wellington to-morrow for treatment. MANAWHENUA TEAM SELECTED. (Per United Press Association.) Palmerston North, May 24. The Manawhenua team to meet Britain next Wednesday is as follows: Full-Back —Johnson. Threequarters—Strange, Fletcher, Page. Five-eighths—Akuira and Riddell. Half-back —U. Parata. Forwards —F. Parata, Henry, Fitzgerald, Miles, Galpin, Conrad, Satherley and Tatana.