Coast Forwards Woke Up

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1026, 17 July 1930, Page 15

Coast Forwards Woke Up

BUT RALLY WAS TOO LATE

Tourists’ Big Half-time Lead

PRENTICE KICKED WELL, NEPIA FAILING

Special, to THE SUN

GISBORNE, Wednesday. AFTER reaping a harvest of tries and penalties in the first spell, Britain, on changing over, found the combined Poverty Bay, East Coast and Bay of plenty team a different side in the second spell, which was dominated by the virile rushes of the Combined forwards. Britain had 22 points up in the first spell, but in the second swell it added only one try, while the Combined team added three. The final score was: Britain 25, Combined Team 11.

The combined team played in Poverty Bay's effective scarlet uniform, which, with its bright red jerseys and stockings, made it the best turned out side Britain has yet met.

Time after time in the second spell the red phalanx brushed the British from its path, storming the British line with aggressive movements which were checked more often by the overeagerness and subsequent infringements of the attackers themselves than by the actual firmness ol! the defence. The outstanding figure among the fine local forwards was Crawford, tho giant Maori lock, who displayed superlative power in opening rushes from the lineouts. Crawford, who #*hails from a remote East Coast district where men are men, and Rugby is red-blooded, infused rather too much vigour into his game, but in other respects he was faultless. McPhail, Reeves and Black lent him splendid support; but though their forwards gave them ample opportunities, the Combined backs showed little penetrative power. Nepia had a very erratic day. He lost chance after chance with reasonably easy shots from penalties, while rarely did his touch-finding reach his usual high standard. Had Nepia capitalised 50 j)er cent, of his chances from penalties, Britain would have been troubled to maintain its lead.

PRENTICE SCORES WELL With Prentice, who took all Britain’s shots at goal, it was a different story. As in tho first spell, when Britain was attacking, he was hoisting goals from all angles and ranges, no less than 13 of Britain’s 22 points in this period

coming off his boot. Two penalties which ho kicked were just on halfway, while two other kicks were from difficult angles. Prentice began dashingly; but like others of the British pack he found the hectic pace set by the Combined forwards in the second spell rather too much. The British pack revealed its old weakness of inability to cope with whirlwind forward attacks, particularly when such attacks originated from the line-outs. In the first spell the British backs had moved with speed and precision, three very pretty tries being scored; but in the second spell the fast-breaking tactics of tho local packmen troubled the backs so severely that rarely coLild they execute .combined movements. IN RARE FORM No vis and Bowcott were in rare attacking form, repeatedly piercing the defence with delightful bursts of speed. In the second spell, however, they for a long period showed a curious reluctance to attack. Instead, they doubled back in their tracks and sought the line. When at length they did open out two minutes from time, Bowcott shot clean through to Nepia, sending Novis away for a classic try which Preptice failed to convert. Much interest centred in Poole’s display behind the scrum. In the first spell he did well, getting the ball away with long, crisp passes and using his reverse pass judiciously. In the second spell he was handicapped by the failure of his forwards to get the ball regularly, and by the bustling tactics of the Combined forwards, who harried him mercilessly. Knowles, too, was subjected to their attentions, and his play in the second spell deteriorated considerably Neither British wing got many 'chances. Wilkinson was not very happy and even the usually infallible Bassett was found wanting when swift attacks saw him fail to get his man. Britain probably suffered through finding things too easy in the first spell, when tries came with almost ridiculous ease. A BEAUTIFUL TRY Prentice paved the way for the first by bursting clear from his own twenty-five. Ivor Jones carried on the attack, passing to Wilkinson, who returned to Jones, Novis and Jennings joining in for a beautiful try. Almost immediately Poole sent his backs away from a scrum at half way, Novis cutting through to send Bowcott over with a reverse pass. The speedy Novis, combining with Jennings, created another opening which brought a try by Dunne. Meanwhile, Prentice was stacking up penalties with monotonous regularity, coming before half time, along with two conversions, which gave Britain a very long lead. After the spell, during which Bassett was given massage on the field, the Combined team set earnestly about its apparently hopeless task. Leech beat Knowles for the ball, passing to Thomas, who scored. Then Bennett came through fast, side-stepped Bassett, and. scored nicely, Nepia converting. Combined continued to attack, Reid scoring from a rapid forward movement initiated by Crawford. Nepia had several shots at goal, one attempted pot from long range grazing the outside of the posts. Generally speaking, however, Nepia’s kicking was far below standard. Finally, Crawford was given a shot from a penalty, but his feeble effort was quite unworthy of his massive bulk. Crawford was always where the fray was thickest, fastening his opponents in an unbreakable grip and pleasingly indifferent as to whether they had the ball or not.

Once Martindale retaliated, to the crowd’s ire, but there was no serious cause for complaint. The referee wisely ignored the incident. BREEZE HELPED BRITISH

At one stage of the game there was a fresh breeze, which Prentice in kicking his goals utilised with almost scientific precision. In the second spell, when the wind would have assisted the Combined team, it capriciously fell away. Despite this, the British team spent most of the spell on its own side of half way. Fed readily by Harrison, who is one of the best halfbacks seen on the tour, the Combined backs had an ample chance to prove themselves; but E. Howell at first five-eighths, who now and then brought off a clever dummy, wass the only one to show a e penetrative capacity. M. Howell, on the wing, was dashy, but Bennett, on the other w r ing, hardly justified his local reputation, though ho scored one fine try. Walters, at wingforward, showed much dash and also a tendency toward offside, which in the second spell cost several penalties. Once he made a sprint for the line, hurdling Bassett, but unluckily losing possession when actually across.

The Gisborne ground is delightfully compact, the touchlines being only a few feet from the crowd, so that the onlookers had a close view of the proceedings. The Combined team simply monopolised the line-outs, Prentice. Welsh and Martindale being the only British forwards to show talent in this phase of play. In the scrums Britain came out finally with a slight advantage, but for a long period in tho second spell Combined got possession regularly, Thomas, who also played well in the open, living up to his reputation as an able hooker. Rew was the centre man in the British front row for most of the game, but in the last 10 minutes Kendrew changed places with him, though without effecting any conspicuous improvement. DISAPPOINTING SCRUM WORK Throughout the tour the British have never been able to gain the advantage which the three-two-three scrum formation has been reported to confer. Rarely have the British hookers been able to gain possession consistently, and in this respect the British scrum work had been disappointing. Kendrew, Rew and Jones again showed that, hooking apart, they are first-class forwards. Welsh was another great worker, while Ivor Jones did invaluable covering work. Novis was the best of the backs, his swerving runs electrifying the crowd. Once he ran clean through to Nepia and attempted to beat him, but went down in possession. The Combined team was drawn from a wide area, C. Farmer coming from as far away as Tauranga. Great interest was shown, a record crowd, including hundreds of enthusiastic Maoris. Mr. G. Madison, of Hastings, refereed capably, though perhaps noticing too many minor infringements.