A Rugby Newsletter

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 443, 27 August 1928, Page 6

A Rugby Newsletter

By “The Critic In The Crowd”

Dear Pack, — Went out to Eden Park on Saturday to see the New South AVales team play Auckland, and returned with the impression that the old game still retains its place with the public. I should say the crowd was about 15,000, which was pretty good, considering that the impression got round that the Cornstalks were in for a lacing. Our old friend “Ponty,” who is on one of the papers up here, prophesied the other night that this team would lose most of the big games on this tour, but he must have got a shock on Saturday, because they made no race of Auckland, trooping off with a 19—8 victory. They were as pleased as punch at winning, too. From what I have seen of them, they are a fine crowd of fellows. Sid Malcolm, the skipper, is a very serious little chap, and in their first practice at Victoria Park last Wednesday, he started the crowd off at half-past ten and kept most of them at it until mid-day—a pretty solid work-out that, considering they only got off the boat at Wellington the previous day. VETERAN OF 1923 You won’t know many of this team. Bob Loudon, a brother of “Darby” Loudon, is the only “old# hand” in the side. He was out here with the 1923 team, but you will hardly know him now. He has put on a lot of weight, and is now a great stamp of forward, more solidly built than most of the pack, who are generally of the long, lathy type. They have got over half a dozen six-footers in the team, and I thought line-out work would be their strong point on Saturday. But they hadn’t a forward to touch Cathcart on the line. He sent the Auckland backs away time and again, but the passing was pretty awful at times. In the first spell, the New South Wales backs stood right up on the Auckland fellows, and forced them back into the old “deep” formation, which never gave them a chance to open out. One sighed in vain for a Ces Badeley to open up the game, and drive those fellows back to where they belonged with a few short punts and cross-

kicks, but I’m afraid it’s a lost art these days. Vin Meredith went out on to touch-line in the second half, but he couldn’t do anything with liis crowd, and the last I saw of- him ha was starting on his second box of cigars. Keep an eye open for this chap Towers. He is a real “high-roler” at centre, the best I’ve seen since Morrisey came over with the 1925 team. These fellows have practised and perfected a system of open-field play, which is going to make them a pretty solid proposition for our second best All Black team in Wellington next Wednesday week, that is, if they play as well as they did against Auckland yesterday. Their forwards are “some chop” at getting their backs away on the run from loose rucks, and this little chap Malcolm is about the best type of passing half-back we’ve seen for years. He doesn’t run a yard when he gets the ball, but he sends out a beautiful long, low pass without the semblance of spin on the ball. “Sid” is worth his weight in death adder’s eggs, as the Aussies say. Laurie Knight is back again in the Auckland team, but I’m afraid he’s only a shadow of the great forward we saw in the All Black trials in 1924. Walter Batty is playing great football, and we are all glad to see he’s got his big chance at last. I saw Keene down at the match, and it’s a pity he wasn’t playing. Linton is a solid forward, but Keene would have made- it lively for their inside backs. Angus Finlayson is playing as well as ever he did, but he’s too honest for present-day football, and in any case they tell me he was a sick man in the inter-island match. PRIVATE WAR Meredith and Ted McKenzie and Co. seem to be having a little war on their own about one or two Auckland players. Minns wasn’t nominated for the inter-island match, but Ted McKenzie brought him back from Wellington to sit in the stand and watch the game—rather a silly business, I thought, but anyhow r , Minns was picked for the All Blacks. He’s a fine stamp of player, and when Lou Hook is inside him, he’s a top-notcher. He didn’t get many chances on Saturday. Then there’s Butler and Paewai. Butler is an All Black, but can’t get a game for Auckland when Paewai is about. Paewai is a beautiful kick and takes the ball well, but Butler has got it on him on a dry ground where he has time to manoeuvre for position, and I think Vic is more solid when it comes to tackling, which, after all, is the first essential in a fullback. “ROUGH STUFF” There was a lot of - “dirty” work at the cross roads” in Saturday’s match —at least not “dirty” in the worst sense, but several of the forwards were

letting fists and "boots go in the close stuff, and there was a lot of jerseyholding, which, it # has been my experience, causes more rows on the football field than anything else. Frank Sutherland kept a pretty firm hand on the game, however, although he’s a bit on the slow side, and uses his whistle too much. For all that, however, he knows the game, and now that Bill Meredith is busy on the broadcast, he is undoubtedly our best referee, and a good man, too. I’m sorry irf a way that W.J.M. has given up the whistle. They used to accuse him of playing to the gallery, but he had the rare gift of putting a real touch of inspiration into a game, and his electrical manner and lightning decisions were worth a lot to Auckland. THE AMENDED RULES Vin Meredith as selector, and W.J. with the '•whistle “made” land football in the last few years, and it has got to be remembered that the game has had a hard fight here, what with the League and the hostility that always seems to exist between Auckland and the rest of the North Island. They always say that Auckland’s best friends on the N.Z.R.F.U. are the South Island unions. By the way, I met Jock Richardson at the match in company with- Percy Shaw, another of your South Island Rugby men who is now located in Auckland. Percy did great work for cricket and football down in Southland, and so keen is he that he told me he was going back at Christmas to take a cricket team for a tour through Central Otago. Jock Richardson looks as if he could still play a good game of football, but he has got business interests down in Invercargill to look after, and he seems to have done well down there. Also ran into “Ned” Perry, another real enthusiast, from Wellington, who brought ( the house down when Towers broke away, by observing: “Quick, shut the gate—it’sbolted! ” MORRINSVILLE WINS PEACE CUP MATCH (From, Our Own Correspondent) MORRINSVILLE, Sunday. Morrinsville retained the Peace Cup in a match against Matamata by 11 points to 7 at Morrinsville on Saturday. The game was full of exciting incidents. and roused the spectators to a high point of enthusiasm. The scorers for Morrinsville were S. Thomas and Howard. Thomas also kicked a penalty goal and converted one try. For Matamata Fausett kicked a penalty goal and Stewart put a drop-kick over.