TUKAPA

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 222, 31 August 1936, Page 2

TUKAPA

TARANMI RUGBY CHAMPIONS FOR 1936

3-NIL, ON A SLUSHY GROUND.

UNCONVERTED TRY SCORED BY GEORGE AVERTS , .ANOTHER DRAW.

On Saturday, on a ground virtually a Tukapa, winners of the Northern Division, defeated Kaponga, top of t|ie ladder in the south, for the Taranaki Senior Rugby Championship. The only score in the game was a try by George, .-Tqjcapa" winger. This was not converted. *,i sj ■ fl The last time Tukapa won the Senior Champiojajsffip was in 1926.

During the match drenching rain-showers sweeping from the north-west considerably added to the unpleasantness of conditions, and after a period the players were unrecognisable. VWith monotonous periodicity the showers continued through the match, and t% field in Victoria Park could be likened only to a quagmire.

• Because accurate passing play was altogether out of the question, the game, early c resolved itself into a forward struggle. Tukapa gained a two-thirds majority of the ball from the line-outs, but Kaponga dominated the scrums. Tukapa packed a 2-3-2 formation with a wing forwaiSß;

Until the last five minutes the struggle had produced no score on either side, although both teams were several times compelled' to force down, and a scoreless drawiseemefl* inevitable. The speedy opportunism of th e Tukapa first ffye%:lghths, C. Brown, however, sec|ir«d avtry for the New Plymouth team so late in the day that the Kaponga side 4had; practically mfeopportunity of retaliating? Ytfti?Tsal| was kicked out of a Tuck in the Kaponga and Brown, dp, brushed off two attempts &t ttadkles, ran round the Mind side s>] draw the Kaponga full-back, and passed out to F. George, who handled cleanly and shot over unopposed in the corner. Considering the condition of the ball, Boswell's failure to.convert was'tMbe fXpected.

Kaponga fought desperately during the last four minutes but although they were pressing when the final vihistle went, the Tukapa team held their advantage comfortably enough.

Largely through the play of their forwards the Kaponga team went the southern (division competition unbeaten |hifWa|on and ilj seemed possible on the dorm shown in the match at Bltham on TKursday that conditions such as prevailed on Saturday would prove fatal to t the' Tukapa side. The game had not been in play many minutes before the Tukapa pacfc emphatically demonstrate ed that this was not to* be the case. Kaponga's Scrums.

Although Kaponga, packing eight men to Tukapa's seven, and with P. Gargan hooking, monopolised the ball from the set scrums, Tukapa proven fully equal in loose rushes and considerably superior in the line ; outs.

to the crowd when he made his attempt in fne second spell by the elaborate care with which he endeavoured to get the hall placed satisfactorily in the mud.

Territorial Advantage

Territorially" Kaponga held the advantage in the first gs&ell, out after that Tukapa were most'frequently on| the attack and early;, in the spell came near to scoring from a blind side movement. Rain held off temporarily' from the end of the first spell to near* the end of the second, a large part of which was played in watery sunlight,, faced by the Tukapa players. The ground, however, was so far gone that the temporary cessation of thej rain made little difference and the play was, if anything, tighter than in the first spell. *

For long periods* st a time the ball was out of sigft/ screened by muddy l legs heaving and struggling in a vaini effort to gain an advantage.

I There were several stoppages for injuries to players. Tukapa lost P. ! Knott just before half time, his' place; being taken by S. Andrews, and the, Kaponga full-back, R, .Peterson, retir.ed a few minutes after resumption j His place was taken by M. Kilpatrick. ! The teams were:—

Kaponga: R. Paterson, E. Fleet, C. Paterson, D. Bickford, R. James, D. Walker, P. Arnold, L. McDuthie, W., Thoumine, H. BentomL. West, R. Walker, L. Hodge, dm Ga/gan, T. Williams.

Tukapa: F. B. Mace, W. Courtney, J. Sullivan, F. George, J. Wallace, *C. Eiown, C. N. Boswell, R. Vaullaire, R. Ruakere, C. O'Dowda, R. Bithfill, J. Mace, F. Knott, G. Kenny. Mr C. Evans, of New Plymouth, was referee.

G. Sullivan, the Tukapa wing forward, considerably handicapped Arnold's activities behind the scrum, and wheeling tactics particularly in the second spell, went a long way towards nullifying Kaponga's hooking advantage. r*

Kaponga persisted doggedly in forward onslaughts, Arnold, the halfback, making no. attempt to open up the play, even. w|f : n in the Tukapa twenty-five area; always preferring to, kick high forwards to follovj up. . Tukapa made one or two attempts at paasinfl attacks but the* ball was always dropped without any ■nrne-tration being achieved.

Boswell's iit\e' kicking was often th.2 means of gaining considerable ground and several times brought Tukapa to line outs right On:the Kaponga goal line. Kaponga efways managed to fight clear of these attacks, and by solid dribbling work, made periodic excursions to the Tukapa line. These, however, were fought off with equal effectiveness by the Tukapa side.

Penalties mostly for scrum infringements were awarded fairly often against both sides and both made tried -first within a few minutes of the commencement of the game, ■ 'But B'oswell's kick was caught and blown back by' a gust of wind. Shortly after that >fhe> firstj heavy shower of rain fell and the! ball; already covered in mud, rapidly became so greasy that even" from directly in front of tun-posit; kicking a goal would liaije been a difficult ta?k. As it happened, all penalties! within kicking distancogwere awarded on one side of or the other, and although Most and C. Paterson for Kaponga'. and Boswell and Voullaire for Tukapa made several attempts, no score was secured by this means. Voullaire caused some amusement