RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VII, Issue 2051, 10 September 1920, Page 10

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

! RANFURLY SHIELD. WELLINGTON DEFEATS SOUTH CANTERBURY. rrtts Asaottntio?.. TIMARC, September 0. ! The Ranfurly Shield match between Wcl- . iington and South Canterbury took place at : the Caledonian Grounds to-day before a large attendance. The ground was in Rood order, and the weather tine. The game provided the best exhibition of Rugby seen in Timaru for many years. Play was always fast and open, the ball travelling freely from end to end of the field. The home team showed the best form of the season, and was unlucky In not scoring two or three more tries. Wellington excelled in h-ck play. Roberts, H. Nieholls and O'Sullivnn made brilliant scoring runs, and Riooke gave a fine exhibition at full-back. Price. .1. Shearer and Harkness stood out among th« visitors' forwards. Except In passing, the home forwards were slightly better than the Wellington pnek, Scott. Shea and Cabot being the most prominent, while Cooke was the cleverest of the South Canterbury backs. The early play favoured South Canterbury, Scott and Cooke just failing to score from a flue rush, and the visitors being forced. Soon after Welling ton opened the scoring, the ball going to Roberts from Price, then to .1. Shearer and Calcinai, who scored tinder the posts, M. Nieholls goaling. Uoull nearly got over for Timaru. Prom a knock back for a lineout H. Nieholls passed to price, who had a clear run in. Roberts failed with the kick. Scott started a loose rush. Doull picked up and ran to the Wellington line, where he passed to Cabot, who scored. Scott con verted. Scott then evened the score by marking and drop-kicking a fine goal. The next score came from a dashing run by O'Sullivnn, Nieholls goaling. Almost immediately Scott placed a goal from a mark, and at half-time the score was: Wellington 1.1, South Canterbury 11. On resuming, Calcinai invaded the southern territory, and Nieholls goaH-d from a penally. Wilson passed to Price, who scored at the posts, Nieholls again adding the major points. South Canterbury just failed to score on two occasions, then from n line-out Wilson got over in a good position for Nieholls to convert. A flue passiifg" rush by South Canterbury ended in Cooke scoring and Scott placing the goal. Another hot attack by South Canterbury ended in a mark alongside the goal, but Scott missed an easy shot. Roberts and Ryan gave O'Sullivnn possession, and the wing outpaced Ids opponents for a corner try. Nieholls failed with the kick. Play was fast but rather rafeged for the remainder of the game. Shea almost scored for the South, and then passing by the Wellington forwards resulted in Shearer crossing near the corner. Nieholls failed with the kick. The home backs made two or three lively efforts, hut tries vre lost by faulty handling. The final scores were: Wellington 32, South Canterbury 16. Mr R. McKenzie (Dunedln) was.the referee.

AUCKLAND BEATS TARANAKI. Press Association. NEW PLYMOUTH, September 0. The match between Auckland and Taranaki, played here to-day in the presence of 1000 spectators, in fine weather and on a dry ground, proved a hard and fast game. There were some fine bouts of passing. Auckland proved victors by 17 points to 11. MAORI TEAM FOR AUSTRALIA. MOASCAR CUP FINALS. Press Association. WELLINGTON, September 9. The New Zealand Rugby Union Management Committee has endorsed the proposal made by Mr Slnde (chairmanl that a Native team should visit New South Wales next year under the union's jurisdiction. It was decided to play the semi-final of the Moascar Cup Competition, Palmerston North High School v. Auckland Grammar School, at Palmerston North on September 18, and the final, between the Christchurch Boys' High School and the winner of the semi-final, at Wellington on Wednesday, September 22. WANGANUI v. CANTERBURY. TO-MORROW'S ATTRACTIONS. There arc only two more representative Rugby matches to be played in Christchurch this season. 'Hie first of these is that between Wanganui and Canterbury, which i to be played at Lancaster Park to-morrov afternoon. Interest in the Wanganui team performances has be, u tyoused by the grea' display which it ffi—e. against Wcllingtu In a recent match i'o ■ the Ranfurly Shield. In its comments on '-'. it game, the "Dominion" said:—"Time and again the Wanganui vanguard swept down on the home team, carrying all before them, and they added 11 points to their tally, while that of the favourites remained stationary. Other tries were missed by Wanganui through sheer hard luck, and a tendency to over-eageriicss and olfside tactics. Wellington appeared hi be a beaten team, but the challengers, instead of playing safe once they obtained the lead,, eschewed all cvuition and continued to make the game open. This gave chance openings to the defenders, who rallied their forces and made the best of a bad job." Wellington was lucky with those chance openings, and managed to score winning points. The leader of the Wanganui forwards Is E. A. Bcllis, who has played tine fotball for the New Zealand Army team and the New Zealand combination which visited Australia recently. As a "curtain-raiser" to the representative match, the Christchurch Hoys' High School's first fifteen will meet Marists in the final match for the Canterbury Rugby Union's third-grade premiership. This game should provide a tine exhibition of Rugby. It is to be started at 1.30 p.m.