Half-Back Play In Local Games Is Outstanding Rugby Feature This Year

Southland Times, Issue 23816, 13 May 1939, Page 15

Half-Back Play In Local Games Is Outstanding Rugby Feature This Year

By

ONLOOKER

If the general play of the inside backs in Southland Rugby could be brought up to the standard produced weekly by the half-backs playing in the Galbraith Shield competition Southland would be able to field probably its “best-ever” team this season. The senior teams in Invercargill are well off for half-backs, and on their form this season it would not be too much to say that they must compare more than favourably with the half-backs of other Rugby centres. In the fourth series of games at Rugby Park last Saturday not one of the six half-backs playing failed to produce a good standard of football. On the contrary all of them played outstanding .games, and some reached brilliancy in their play. In order of merit the half-backs could be placed as follows: —C. K. Saxton (Pirates), J. Purdue (Invercargill), T. Mackie (Old Boys), E. D. Calder (Bluff), A. Shepherd (Marist) and F. Watson (Star). , Saxton’s display of long and accurate passing from the base of the scrum in the match Pirates versus Marist was probably the best performance of its kind seen in Invercargill. He timed

his work almost perfectly and rarely failed to get the ball away cleanly to H. Peddie, Pirates first five-eighths.. A noteworthy feature of Saxton’s passing was his accuracy and smartness when he did not employ the dive-pass. Indeed, he did not use the dive much at all and clearly demonstrated that he could pass just as quickly and as well as from a standing stance. The result of Saxton’s good work was a quick despatch of the Pirates backs who were given plenty of room in which to work, and although their passing rushes did not bring many tries it was not die fault of the way the movement began. His work also made H. Peddie look the ideal link. The pair showed that they had a splendid understanding between them, and for once the spectators saw movement after movement get under way without a suggestion of breakdown. J. PURDUE’S FORM Two of the other half-backs, J. Purdue and T. Mackie, both of whom have represented Southland, played up to their best form. Purdue was not favoured with as much ball as usual, but when he did get it he either got it away well to C. McKenzie (first five-eighths) or made openings for the forwards. Purdue is playing as well as ever. His play is suited to the type of Rugby usually adopted by Southland teams, and it will be interesting to see what

the Southland selectors think of his work this season. He may not be selected as Southland’s No. 1 half-back, but it is highly probable that he will be given the same opportunity as Saxton when the trials (both Southland and All Black) come along. It may be that Southland at the present time is in the fortunate position of having the best two half-backs in New Zealand, and it would be unfortunate if one or die other did not get the chance to which he is entitled. Within the next few weeks the Southland selectors, who incidentally will be the Town team selectors, will require to sort out players who are likely to qualify for the trial teams. At last they will be able to experiment with club combinations. Two which stand out are the Saxton-Peddie and Purdue-Grace pairs. Purdue and Grace have proved themselves in in-ter-provincial football and Saxton and Peddie are fast building up a combination which might be as good as the other. The situation is an interesting one and once more bears out the contention already expressed that the Southland selectors will be in the position this year of finding positions for the players not players for the positions. Old Boys Show Good Form Against Bluff Old Boys showed a return to form in the second half of their game against Bluff on Saturday. In Old Boys favour it may be said that they played the hardest teams in the competition in their first three games, and after the opening game against Star they were not able to field their best side. The team was not up to strength on Saturday but it showed a big improvement on earlier form, and provided it can develop its present combination it might yet be a solid opponent for the leading teams in the later rounds. The improvement of the team coincided with the introduction of R. H. Mackrell to Invercargill senior Rugby. Mackrell was fortunate to start off

with such a good supply of ball. It gave him plenty of opportunities to show his paces and. to size up the strength of the opposing wings. He scored three tries and converted one try. His first try was a first-class effort. Mackie’s service from the scrums enabled the Old Boys backs to get moving. They linked up well, and had their handling been better they probably would have scored more tries. W. Spence and A. W. Wesney made good at five-eighths and N. Polson played fairly well in the centre position. Wesney’s position nearer the scrum played a big part in the success of the combination. On the opposite wing to Mackrell, B. Jackson showed that he is a potential scoring man if given the ball m plenty of time to make use of his pace. He has not much weight but he has pace and above all he handles well. The rugged Bluff pack held Old Boys until the last quarter of the game when the Old Boys backs raced through time after time and put on 13 points. Had Bluff been able to hold Old Boys in that period it would have come out of the game with a fair share of the honours. , , , , ji The Calder brothers played doggedly and shaped well for players whose work is not generally shown off to advantage. SMART FULL-BACK A smart display of full-back play was given by J. Black, the Star five-eighths who was transferred to full-back in the second half of the Star-Invercargill game. The former Christchurch player showed sound judgment in his fielding of the ball and was smart enough to get Star out of trouble when the Invercargill forwards kicked the ball too hard in loose rushes. Black is a player who might do well at centre three-quarters. He has sound hands and can size up an opening but he requires room in which to work. Star’s attempts at combination in the backs were not nearly as good as the play of the forwards. It is a pity to see the good scrummaging and general forward play of this team going begging each week. Individually Star has good backs. They should be able to develop combination. On Saturday their efforts seemed to be concentrated more on spoiling than anything else. • Northern Comment On Saxton’s Election As Pirates Captain The convention that because a man is an All Black he is automatically a tactical giant, apparently still persists, says The Sports Post, Wellington. In Invercargill the other day, C. K. Saxton

the New Zealand half-back, was elected captain of the Pirates’ team in place of T. Metcalfe, former captain, who is now to be second in command.

A player may be everything he is claimed to be. Whether fie is or not, tfie fact that he has played All Black football doesn’t make him a great captain, either in club or representative play. Metcalfe is a good forward who has given long service to Pirates, apparently to the club’s satisfaction. He is also captain of the Southland representative team.

Though the tendency is nowadays for teams to be captained from off tfie field by coaches, and though there are not too many brilliant skippers about, the honour of the position is still tangible. A man who can command the respect of his players and who has, furthermore, a good knowledge of the game, is worth a deal to any side. Saxton undoubtedly would have the respect of the Pirates’ team. Whether, just because he is an All Black, he is entirely suited on the tactical side is another matter.

The point is that if Metcalfe had given good service to the Pirates, he deserved to retain the honour of leadership. The convention, of course, is well established by now. There are plenty of cases where representative players, moving to another district and another club, are elected captains on the strength of their reputations. They are, in fact, welcomed. The reference to Saxton may, of course, be unjust. He has lived in Invercargill, and there may be some very good reason for his appointment. He may have a great effect on the Pirates team. But, on the face of it, Metcalfe would probably have done just as well, and that, having been captain last year, he was not undeserving of another year in the position. N.Z. Rugby Union Is A Wealthy Body Regarded with some warrant as the wealthiest sports body in the Dominion, the New Zealand Rugby Union started the new season with an excess of assets over liabilities of £47,900. These assets include loans to district unions, totalling £33,000. Whether all are worth their face value is another matter. Gilt-edged investments—second item on the assets side—total £13,800; and £375 represents cash in the bank. This information was disclosed in the annual report of the New Zealand Union. It is also shown that the expenditure for the year exceeded revenue by £5520. The heaviest items of expenditure were: Grants made to Unions out of profits, 1937 South African tour £2875 Grants to school football £lOOO Help for Maori football £l5OO All Blacks’ tour of Australia £6OO Rugby followers who criticized the tour of Fiji by a Maori team last year will be interested to note that the debit balance left by this tour amounted to £942. Fares alone totalled £517. Certainly, it was a poor year for receipts as far as the New Zealand Union was concerned. The main item

on this side was £271 from the North v. South match. This looks very small beside the £28,339 that went into the coffers of the union during the previous season from Springbok tour revenue.