BOOM IN RUGBY GAME

Taranaki Daily News, 18 July 1929, Page 4

BOOM IN RUGBY GAME

ALL BLACKS IN AUSTRALIA AUCKLANDER'S IMPRESSION S. Comments on the players. Football at its best is being played by the All Blacks in Australia, according to Mr. W. Endcan, the well-known sportsman and business man, of Auckland, who returned by the Marama a ter spending six weeks in Sydney. Mr. Endean, who was visiting Australia for the first time in seven years, had ie pleasure of witnessing the Maorilanders two matches with New South Males and the first Test against the pick oi the Commonwealth’s Rugby talent. A keen critic of the Rugby game and a competent jud o in view of bis performances on the football field in his youth for the Grammar Old Boys’ Club, M . Endean had a wealth of chatty information to impart to an interviewei concerning the games he had witnesse and how various players were shaping. Questioned as to how George Nepia, t ie New Zealand full-back, compared with the idol of Australia, Ross, Mr. Endean said the latter played a wonderful game in the All Blacks’ first encounter with New South Wales. . His defence was sound, and his kicking of good range and judgment. NEPIA’S FINE PLAY. Nepia also made no mistakes, but one incident demonstrated his supeiiouty over his opponent. With three men charging down upon him in possession, Nepia seemed to mesmerise Towers, the New South Welshmen’s three-quarter, who tossed an untimely pass to a support, for the latter to be collared ball and all by the Maori full-back. .A. sure trv was thus prevented. “That incident made me wonder just how Ross would handle a similar situation,” added Mr. Endean. “On the day there was not much to pick and choose between the two men, but Nepia’s kicking was not as good as I have seen it. Gundy, the Wairarapa five-eighths, was a failure at wing-forward, but L. Hook, the Ponsonby man, filled the position - with success in both the Test and the second match with New South Wales. The latter was brilliant on attack, but .he did not watch T. Lawton, Australia’s brilliant five-eighths, as much as he might have done. Perhaps he was afraid of prejudice by the referee and .the public against the wing-forward game. The Auckland forward, McWilliams, played as splendid football as one could wish to see him play, but his clubmate, Palmer, was not outstanding, though a hard battler?” THE BRILLIANT LAWTON. Referring to Lawton, who is hailed as the most brilliant five-eighths in either the Rugby or League codes the world has seen in recent years, Mr. Endean said undoubtedly he was a great player, but' he had not the same facility for concerted play that was displayed by Ifwersen, Cooke, or Hunter and Mynott. He was essentially a solo player, though he ran straight. This was not a characteristic of the Australian play. In the games he saw, Mr. Endean said, the Australians won the ball from a big proportion of the scrums, and he thought the All Blacks would have been well advised to have played _ their opponents at their own game, instead of relying on the 2—3 —2 pack. Mentioning Hook’s disputed try in the first Test, Mr. Endean thought there was no doubt' that the Aucklander scored. Though the ball bounced off Hook’s chest when he received from a passing movement, it did not touch the ground. He was in a good position to see the incident,, being on the cricket stand right opposite.

The All Blacks were working up excellent combination, and that they weie superior to the Australians was veiy effectively demonstrated in the second game with New South Wales, when they won by a decisive margin. Lilburne and Oliver were two backs who impressed him very much. They were conspicuous for straight running and co-operated beautifully with their chain. Rugby was booming in Australia, and unquestionably coming into its own again.