League Rugby

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1031, 23 July 1930, Page 7

League Rugby

No Matches on Saturday As an act courtesy to the touring team of British Rugby Union footballers, the Auckland Rugby League has decided to postpone all matches under its control on Saturday next, the day of the third Test, Britain v. New Zealand. The senior competition will be resumed the week after. Touring Team Improves The news of the narrow defeat of the Zealand touring team by the Queensland State side at Brisbane on Saturday is the most refreshing news the team has been responsible for since it began its tour. It seems to indicate that it is at last getting down to it, and all eyes will await the result of the return match to be played next Saturday. , , , Queensland Beat N.S.W. The Queensland side, captained by the Kangaroo skipper, Tom Gorman, visited Sydney earlier in the season. On the Saturday of its visit it was defeated by the New South Wales side, but on the Monday it recovered to win in brilliant style in the return match. Tt will be seen, therefore, that New Zealand on Saturday was playing a team every bit as strong as New South Wales —it was reported to have included seven Kangaroos—and if New vea'and can win next Saturday it will so back to Sydney in great trim and with a good chance of turning the tables on South Welshmen. AUSTRALIAN TOUR The following: table gives the results of the matches played in Australia to date by the New Zealand touring team: E> AT i Opponents. Result. ‘fiily T N.S.W. (1) Lost 5-16 July 9 West. Dist.(N.S.W.) Won 20-14 July 12 N.S.W. (2) Lost 2-29 July 16 N.W.County .N.S.W. Won 34-19. July 19 Queensland (1) Lost 11-14 Settling Down To It The New Zealanders had a lead on at half-time and they held it till the closing stages of the day. The party should be able to place stronger teams in the field in future, as the men injured early in the tour recover. So far, five of the touring party have played in only one of the five games played. Tittleton and Timms, who were injured in the first, are apparently not yet able to take the field again- Dobbs played in the third and was injured so seriously that he is reported to be leaving Sydney for New Zealand on Friday. Barchard played his first and only game so far. against N.S.W. last Saturday week, and was injured along with Dobbs. The other one-match man is Lar Seagar. He has not been reported injured or indisposed. * * * Played in Every Match Six members of the New Zealand team have played in every match so far. They are Watene, Brisbane, Gregory, Abbott, Eckhoff and Calder. Several others have played in four: Dufty, Stephenson and Trautvetter. Clark and Griffiths have played three matches, and Wetherill, Pearce, Dodds. Jones, Meyer and Amos two each. * * * The Tour to Date Reviewing the tour of the New Zealanders to date, it will be seen that they have won consistently in the country and been defeated consistently in the cities. This indicates pretty clearly that the team has not shown itself to be up to the class of State teams of New South Wales and Queensland so far. The win at Armidale last Wednesday was a most decisive one, although the calibre of the opposing team cannot have been very high.

* * * Individual Scoring Register The following is the scoring register of the members of the New Zealand team in Australia: Gregory (seven conversions, three penalties and one try) .. .. 23 Dufty (four penalties and one conversion) 10 Watene (three tries) ........ 9 Brisbane (two tries) 6 Meyer (two tries) 6 Amos (two tries) 6 Eckhoff (one try) 3 Wetherill (one try) 3 Trautvetter (one try) 3 Dodds (one try) 3 Total 72 • * * Summary of Matches The New Zealand tcAm has now piayed five matches 4n Australia. It has lost three and won two, and has sco»ed a total of 72 points and had 92 points scored against it. * * » No Other Player for Australia The council of the New Zealand wigby Football League has received voluminous reports from the managers the New Zealand team. No request fias been made for another forward to to Australia to take the place t f L P o “^ >B » and thus the council will not age any action in the meantime. * * * Wor# Matches in Queensland # the touring New Zealand , Was to have played a Queensland nrm!! s * < * e * The composition of the PPOsing team had not been defined n L ast advi ces left Australia. ® aturda y the team returns to 32? . e for a return match with the wueengjanders, and next Wednesday it to Pl & y another match NaS % Queensland country team. The ca«*i^ Zeal l inders then P la -y at Newreturn to Sydney for th*> nal matches of the tour. N «w Z.al.nd Team are J otti ngs from Austeam on the New Zealand r. ,* n * 3 first match in Sydney: Bhar. J B .. t ,i mate<i that New Zealand’s New fe-kinprs at the first Would n U * h Wales-New Zealand match, “ not amount to more than £IOO. what mor * could be of Gis'U* '• still Dufty? A rock Praia.) (A Sydney critic’s football* in the hlefery of Kroundo k state have the football dltion „ , en ln such a deplorable conLeaa,, as . last Saturday. Prior to this lnc4«„„;f am 3 arr ival rain had fallen ssantly for two weeks.” 4 , * * * andcnJ’Ji"® has lost none of his ability everythil Veneas ’ This Player was in Nothlr, ' 8 ’ A differ in the back line! opDosit? Paaaed him. He dumped the he fail , ® v 'ery time. Not once did s °meww J?! 56 hls man - Brisbane is hve via* thlnn er in the thatch than of his ; rs a S°, but he has lost none Wa football brains.’’ N a*w y waa “bumped” twice by a Bi.jll’ Player who “shephered” a oJL r acre. Those who know inn ‘a. h a rd| y imagine his bea humped” a second time. ®ack K wi) 1 h t .u an experienced Kangaroo o’Con« exce Ption of one forward, »jOAPi n ° r ’ the New Zealanders were Hev»»Mu r 'i That Is high praise but, v «rtneless, correct. At times they

Notes and Comment.

pushed the Blues all over the shop and the manner in which they out-rucked the Kangaroos was excellent to watch.” Auckland Championship Table Saturday’s matches leave the Auckland Rugby League’s senior championship table as follows:—•

Ponsonby’s Revenge Ponsonby’s decisive victory over City on Saturday revenged the "defeat the Red and Blacks inflicted on the western district men when the teams met in the first round. It was clear-cut, there being not the slightest doubt as to which was the better team on the day. Ponsonby, with the exception of Thompson, was at full strength. Pat Skelton and Mclntyre turning out again. Shelton’s injured leg is pretty well right now, and halfback ‘'Shorty” has indicated that he will be available for the rest the season. City Below Strength City, of course, was well below its first round strength. It is hard to estimate the difference the presence of such men as Watene, Len Barchard, Wetherill and S. Clark would have made to the team on Saturday, but there is no doubt that it would have been considerable. These four are now starring in Australia, and tlieir presence would have made the battle a very close one. Keen Fight Ahead Ponsonby will be keen to keep the front rank, and City will be just as keen to regain that position, so that there is promise of some hard battles before the League season closes. Marist, too, if it maintains Saturday’s form will be well in the final allocation of honours. City and Marist will be strengthened again with the return of their representatives from Australia toward the end of next month, but by that time he championship will be well on the way to its conclusion. * * * Ponsonby To Visit Huntly The Ponsonby senior team will take advantage of the spare day next Saturday to get in a trip to Huntly. The team will play the Huntly representatives, and can be assured of a good game and an enjoyable stay in the centre of the Waikato coal-mining area. * * * Bookham Laing Plays Again After a “retirement” of three years or more in duration, Bookham Laing, the former Auckland, New Zealand and Australasian representative, donned the jersey for Shore again on Saturday as captain of the side which Richmond just managed to beat by one point. Bookham was the sole New Zealand representative in the Australasian League team which toured England in 1921, and in 1925 he was captain of the New Zealand team on its Australian tour.

Two Tries For Kingsland List, Kingsland’s centre threequarter, who was solidly supported on the wings by the two Carters, played a strenuous and consistent all-round game on Saturday. Twice, during the second spell, he crossed the Newton line, to give the Maroons a substantial lead which they maintained until the final whistle. Seldom was a Kingsland offensive successful without this concientious centre in the picture, while as a defender he rarely missed his man. * v * Simms at Breakaway Another oustanding player among the Kingslanders was "Snowy” Simms, who, at breakaway, was always on the look-out for an opening. Several times during the game his deceptive tactics baffled the Rangers’ defence, and although he was watched closely in the second half, he made the most of every opportunity, and managed to give his supports their share of the ball. * * * Democracy Well Represented According to the Sydney “Sun” democracy is well represented in the touring New Zealand team. The managers, Messrs. Ferguson and Taylor, are officers in different departments of the Government! Dobbs is an electrical inspector, Meyer a schoolteacher, Amos and Trautvetter are engineers, Gregory a linesman, Watene and Eckhoff are civil servants, Brisbane, a Government carpenter, Calder (bushman), Barchard (carrier), Pearce (boiler-maker), Seagar (storeman), Dufty (driver), Wetherill (plumber), Tittleton (labourer), and six are miners, Griffiths and Dodds from the South Island, and Abbott, Stephenson, Jones and Timms from the North. Clark is a fitter by trade. Ellersiie Unlucky On the varied form that both teams have been showing of late, Ellersiie was rather unlucky to take such a severe beating as the 25-8 defeat inflicted by Marist on Saturday. Ellerslie this season is a much improved team. Marist has deteriorated somewhat and Ellersiie supporters expected it to give a much better display than it did on -Saturday. Monotonous! The regularity with which Drew, Marist’s left wing threequarter, added four tries to the team’s total against Ellersiie on Saturday became rather monotonous to the spectators. His first came before half time, when he picked up in the ruck and dived over in a smother of Red, White and Blue forwards. The other three were scored in quick succession toward the end of the game. Two were due to the assistance of Young, while the last was a solo effort in which he made a spectacular run right through the Ellersiie pack.

Pta. Chp. w. T,. D Ponsonby . 10 8 125 118 16 7 2 Devonport . 10 6 4 Richmond . 10 4 6 Newton .. . 10 8 7 111 156 King-sland . 10 7 Ellerslie . . - 10 2 7 1 98 129 5