HOW HAWKE’S BAY LOST

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1023, 14 July 1930, Page 7

HOW HAWKE’S BAY LOST

PACE AND FITNESS TOLD TALE GREAT STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE FORWARDS M. BROWNLIE PLAYED A GREAT GAME (From THE SUN'S Reporter with tlie British Team.) NAPIER, Saturday. PACE and fitness told their inevitable tale today to the disadvantage of a fine Hawke’s Bay pack that made a magnificent effort, though some of its resurrected veterans rather faded in the second spell. How Britain weathered the terrific onslaughts launched by the Bay forwards in the first spell can be explained only by the heroic quality of its defence.

In his whole Rugby career, Grenade has probably never met with such ;t thunderbolt tackle as the great dive with which Bassett dropped him in his tracks near the British corner flag. Both Poole and Bassett appeared to have a share in stopping him; but the main impetus must have come from Bassett. In the match between Ireland and Wales in the last season at Home, Bassett did precisely the same thing to Eugene Davy, the strong-running Irish six-footer. Until Bassett did it, nobody had ever seen Davy knocked out by a straightout tackle, and the same might be said of Grenside. Without being a Terrific kick. Bassett is one of the soundest fullbacks ever seen in this country. The Bay found him at the top of” his form. To those who have watched Hawke’s Bay Rugby in post-war years, the most interesting feature was the appearance of a. pack which in its tactics, and in the elements of which it was composed, was virtually identical with the great set of forwards who took Hawke’s Bay to so many stirring victories in Ranfurly Shield games a few years ago. Three great Rugby figures who helped to make history in the Ranfurly Shield era were in the pack today—Maurice Brownlie, Cyril Brownlie and S. Gcmmell. Of these, only Maurice showed international class. Cyril did a tremendous amount of work in the lineouts; but in the open and in loose scrummages his waiting tendencies showed that he was sparing himself, and toward the finish he was right out of the picture. His adroit knocking hack of the ball in the line-outs showed a trace of the Bay tactics of three or four years ago. It was the first time on the present tour that the method so typical of New Zealand line-out play has been successfully and consistently exploited. Yet it has its dangers, as was apparent in the second spell, when the ball in its flight to Lambie was sometimes misdirected, so that the British pack, now rising to a command of the situation, was able to swarm through on top of it, initiating dangerous sallies from one of which Welsh nearly scored. BETTER THAN PORTER If neither Cyril Brownlie nor Gemmell (who incidentally made a miraculous save in the first spell when he came from nowhere at a great pace to beat Aarvold for a force-down) lived right through the game as they would have done in other days, the story might have been different. Maurice Brownlie showed sufficient of his old-time robust vigour, energy and pace in the open to suggest that at the present period he would be a very valuable acquisition to the New Zealand test team. His display of wingforward play was much superior to anything that Porter has shown in the test matches. Porter at the present time seems incapable of initiating such attacks as M. Brownlie began several times in this afternoon’s match. Once Brownlie turned his direction to slip past Knowles and start a rush which, but for a forward pass to \\anoa, would certainly have produced a try. Like the other veterans of the Bay team, Maurice Brownlie may not have been tuned to the rigours of such an exacting game; but provided he was in football trim (and the selectors would pick him) his presence would unquestionably strengthen the All ■black side. * s * n reviewing the performance « e Bay backs that one is struck y the contrast with the team as it was a few years ago. McDonald, good club player, was not 55, company * Setford did many an !i Ul iJ hlnss * but has hardly fulnnea his promise of 3 928. ' Vith tbe opportunities they had. and t,® K? Ce,l t nt service given them by ;.£“ b ,!V Vhen the ball was coming R f anly ,°, m tbe scrums and line-outs, oay should have had at least two tries hlol,. e spelL The y failed partly saifoiff 0 tb S tack, ing was of the most gallant and resolute quality it would hLS Slble to see ’ Partly because the \rr!rv! in^ Was at times atrocious (here aW • seernf 'd to be principally at a P d Partly because there was dr!i- SU r - lack of resource. When ortlio‘uV, obai 0 bain-passing was countered by ShnlLi ack !L nir ’ none of tlie insides nowed sufficient thrust or inspiration u - Though Grenside a bis °* d dash, perhaps the u 3 sone from his speed. At any man’ he failed to score when given man* opportunities. Against the defence of the British if straight running is not enough. must be allied with guile, a swerve. ~ a side-step. Grenside had none of these things. fr^K r V, bas been hailed as a great u^ a L ler * Hft is a fine attacking but when it is remembered that tne two tries put on by Jennings in e secon d spell were both registered on his wing, the quality of either his |po-r» ace ? r b * s positional play may be nJn mately < l ues tioned. three men. Poole. Novis and it niPng ' s * handled when Britain scored try * yet their racing movei,, * was allowed to take the defence °y surprise. JENNINGS’S TRIUMPH

Je nnings the match was a per«fnai triumph. in scorimr 12 of Britain’s 14 points.

Re showed great kicking power and splendid determination. The Cornishman has been one of the un",cky men of the British team, but aI though the shoulder injury he suffered at Timaru '\ a *s obviously Riving him trouble there was no lack , spirit about his determined bursts

-n surmounting what was rightly «emed one of tlie stiffest hurdles of «-e tour—for Hawke’s Bay on its own ground is never an easy proposition—>ie British reserve men dispelled the ius ‘°n that the touring party is a one•ani side. The forwards could not £ppe with the whirlwind tactics of the . "y Pack in the first spell, yet several utnes they actually rolled the Bay fori*uS c * ear of their harassed line, and n the second spell they showed pace as well as something more—perhaps indefinable element called vitality Y to obtain a definite grip on the Same.

All the British forwards played well, none better than the front row trio, Kendrew and Jones, who not ", Y redeemed the heavy deficit with clean hooking in the second spell "Pen during,the last 20 minutes Rew ® Placed Kerrarew as centre man. but also were often at the head of thrusts

in the loose. Beamish was seen less than usual in the , open. In that respect Welsh was most prominent, but with Dunne and Martindale he was always buried in the tight. Poole and Knowles proved themselves behind the scrum—Poole by giving good, resourceful service under often difficult conditions, and Knowles by frequently recovering from bad positions. Poole, however, was twice guilty of bad obstruction. Novis made some characteristic dashes. He has come right back to the form he exhibited in the Wanganui match. With only five of its regular test players in its ranks, the British side was not merely playing Hawke’s Bay. It was giving some of the hard-worked regulars a much-needed spell. Thus to supporters of the team its performance was the more gratifying. The final score was: Britain 14 Hawke’s Bay 3 In the remaining matches it should bo possible to use members of today’s team more often. They proved themselves, so to speak, under fire, and deserve the reward of consideration for future important games. *