SHIELD HELD

Southland Times, Issue 21821, 26 September 1932, Page 8

SHIELD HELD

WAIKATO DEFEATED CANTERBURY’S LAST CHALLENGE SEVENTEEN . POINTS TO SIX (Per United Press Association.) Christchurch, September 24. The Canterbury Rugby representatives played their sixth and last match of the season in defence of the Ranfurly Shield to-day when they defeated Waikato by seventeen points to six. This is the first year Canterbury has held the trophy for the whole of the playing season. It was a hard game but seldom brilliant. The only brilliance shown was when Canterbury scored their three tries. Waikato fielded a very rugged though unpolished team of forwards who kept up a good speed and dash for the whole game. They were particularly good at breaking away from line-outs and swarming over the Canterbury inside backs, but the visitors’ backs had not the combination to make them a winning side in big football. In the first half Waikato played with a strong southerly wind behind them and by judicious kicking and fast following up kept Canterbury on the defensive for most of the spell. The first try came nineteen minutes after the opening play when Brown and Roberts, interfering with each other, spoiled the chances of either to field the ball and the Waikato forwards swarmed over in the corner, T. Thompson scoring. Carlson failed to goal. A few minutes later a dropped pass by King and another by Pawson gave the Waikato forwards another opening from which Carlson sent his backs away, Parker scoring at the comer. The spell ended with the scores Waikato 6, Canterbury 0. In the second half Canterbury established complete mastery, scoring in fairly rapid order a penalty goal by Roberts, another penalty goal by Roberts, a try by Manchester, a try by Bowes and a try by Brown. The last one was converted by Roberts. Bowes’s try was the result of a brilliant passing bout in which Canterbury drove from their own twenty-five line to the other goal line, ten men handling the ball in the movement. A few minutes before time Hart retired with an injury to his shoulder. The referee, Mr Empson, who made a mistake about time in the West Coast match made another mistake this match shortening the first spell by five minutes. His explanation, given at the dinner to-night, was that his watch was discovered to be faulty.