RUGBY EXTRAORDINARY

Taranaki Daily News, 25 July 1929, Page 8

RUGBY EXTRAORDINARY

CITY (25) DEFEAT WHAREROA (3)

ELGAR CUP KNOCK-OUT CONTESTS.

Rugby under most atrocious conditions rose to great heights at the Hawera showgrounds yesterday. City (25) defetaed Whareroa (3). A taste of quality was< given by the City fifteen such as is rarely seen nowadays outside of

a representative game. The ground was a quagmire—more like a cattleyard in heavy weather than the customary Rugby field. The ball was as heavy as lead and as slippery as wet soap. Rugby players ran and slipped and slid in slush. Old Taranaki representatives and former All Blacks would have advocated but one policy “Keep the ball at your feet; kick high and follow up.” The City-backs threw such precepts to the. winds and slung the ball about with spectacular abandon. Clean passes, speed and wonderful handling under such conditions surprised the crowd on the stand. It rained steadily for most of the second spell, yet the victors rose steadily to the heights and turned an even game into a “walk-over” victory. City play-

ed a better game under really wintry conditions than they have done this season with dry ground and ball. Whareroa clung to the orthodox wet-day tactics and were beaten only because of the extarordinary success of City’s unorthodox and usually suicidal tactics. Here was a glimpse of Rugby for which spectators of Saturday senior- games have waited long and vainly. A pot by Morrissey swung wide, French secured on Whareroa s left wing and scaled to half-way, Joyce kicking to the City corner flag, where Norris lined. Ritter led the City pack to the attack, out Joyce cleared cleverly. A long crosskick by Ritter from a mark saw trouble in the" corner for Whareroa. F. Brown ran round the blind side of a scrum on his own line, kicked a grubber, and with his forwards carried on with a loose rush the length of - the ground, City forcing post haste. Attempt by the Whareroa half to pass out saw Sutton ■break through. Joyce was unable to pick up and the ball was swept over the line, a force foiling the City men. Sutton dashed out from the tight, ball at toe, and caught Joyce in possession. French luckily forced in a race for the ball over the line. A moment later Barron’s pot just missed. Sutton opened up passing which roused the stand. The ball went to Morrissey, on to Cairncross, who cut in straight. Norris gathered the pass and sent ' a last lob on the wing to Sutton, who ' initiated the movement, crowned it 'with a great try. The kick missed. Murphy equalised a moment later with a good penalty kick arising from holding on by a City man. Kendall sent a good pass from the ruck to Morrissey at half-way. Morrissey ran hard and straight, hurdled a low tackle and outpaced the Whareroa opposition to score beneath the posts. Cairncross, who was with the scorer all the way, converted, making the score B—3.

Kendall scored a lightning try when

I lie secured from a line-out on the ■ Whareroa line. Morrissey’s kick missed. City opened up passing and the backs handled the leaden ball crisply. Whareroa were in hot trouble at the corner, but Joyce cleverly saved. Joyce failed to field a high punt and Sutton scored from the resultant scrummage. Hart’s kick from the touchline narrowly missed. The score was 14 —3. Morrissey scored City’s fifth try, the result of Joyce’s inability to pick up a greasy rolling ball before a loose foot rush in the twenty-five. The kick missed. Major Clarke scored the sixth try under the posts from a loose rush. Morrissey converted, bringing the score to 22 —3. Cairncross scored the seventh try, dashing after a speculator at the corner. The referee could not see and a five yards scrum was ordered. The try that counted came from a scrum under the Whareroa posts, Kendall slinging out to his backs and Norris scoring. The kick failed and the final scores were: — City 25 Whareroa 3 Mr. A. E. Spratt refereed. OHANGAI DEFEAT FRASER ROAD. LOSERS FIGHT AGAINST ODDS. Ohangai (11) defeated Fraser Road (0) in the first round of the Elgar Cup ‘‘knock-out” contest in the Wednesday competition each year. They play off with City for the Elgar Cup (held by City) next Wednesday. The ground was greasy and treacherous. Fraser Road fought a keen contest against odds in that in the first spell they played with 13 men and in the second with 14, one man taking the field with a silk shirt and. shorts as his only garments. Ohangai deserved the victory on the run oi the play. ” 1 J. Poi intercepted for Fraser Road at half-way and kicked over the full-back's head. The ball rolled out but Poi and L. Newall cariied on from the line-out to near the line. Penny was offside but the kick missed. Simon Penny with a solo dash, and J. O'Shea with a pass I near the Fraser Road line almost led to Ohangai scoring, but J. Poi marked. , A force resulcd and Fraser Road cleared. J. O'Shea made a swerving run through the Fraser Road defence, but just on the line his pass was not accepted. A. Newall punted, J. Lee potted and Fraser Road forced.

Mines broke away early in the second spell and the Ohangai forwards battled on. Tho ball came out to P, O’Shea at tho corner, and he dived over to score. The kick failed. The Ohangai forwards pressed on to the Fraser Road line. Jerry Hinrra made an opening and tlie greasy ball passed through the backs to J. O’Shea, who was smothered. P. O’FJhaa. made a slashing run to the

Fraser Road line, and gave the ball to Williams, who scored. The kick missed. Simon held on near tho Ohangai goal, hut Poi’s penalty kick slewed wide. Jerry Hinga scored Ohangai’s third try as the result of passing, commenced by, P. O'Shea near half-way. J. Lee converted. In the closing stages Ohangai were two or three times within an ace of scoring, but could not do so, the game ending; Ohangai 11 Fraser Road 0 Mr. W. Canning was tho referee.