SCHOOL BEATEN EIGHT=NIL

Taranaki Daily News, 7 August 1930, Page 13

SCHOOL BEATEN EIGHT=NIL

WANGANUI BACKS CLEVERER SCHOOL SUPERIOR IN FORWARDS. HARD GAME IN BITTER WEATHER I In bitterly cold weather on a wet and heavy ground, New Plymouth Boys’ High School was defeated by Wanganui Collegiate School at Rugby yesterday. The match was played on tho College ground at Wanganui. Rain threatened strongly all the time, and a little fell towards the end of the game. The first spell ended with Wanganui leading by three to nil, but honours were practically even. In the second spell, however, Wanganui gained a definite superiority, and well deserved its win by a margin of eight points. Taking tlie whole game into consideration, the School forwards, ably led by Dickey and Dallison, were if anything rather better than the Wanganui pack. The School hookers certainly gained the ball from the majority of the scrums, and the visiting pack more than held its own in the loose. In the backs, however, School in the second spell had to take an obvious second place. Not that the backs were weak, for they initiated many passing rushes, but without exception these were rendered futile by the lightning smothering tactics of Wanganui, combined with deadly tackling. The loss of Andrews, the School captain, who injured his knee in a match against Old Boys last Saturday, was a disastrous one. Quite apart from the moral effect in tlie matter of leadership, his absence at centre weakened both attack and defence, and both Wanganui’s tries came as the result of the School defence being pierced through the centre three-quar-ter position. With Andrews in, and also Price in the forwards, School might possibly have held Wanganui to a draw, but it is doubtful. The Wanganui backs were at times brilliant. Their handling and passing were surer than School’s, and Coleman at centre was a jewel of rare worth. Although Buchanan at half was a weakness in the early stages, he more than justified himself later, and in the second spell, except perhaps for its hooking, Wanganui was a team without a weakness, capable of doing big things. School may gain some satisfaction from the fact that the coaching of the Wanganui backs, which resulted in one of the" most uniformly clever and sound displays of inter-collegiate football School has ever been up against, was carried out by Mr. J. T. Shaw, a notable ex-member of the School fifteen. EVEN TERMS IN FIRST SPELL. School. —Bedford; Snell, Peake, Cook; Law, Cato; Maslin; Birch; Curtis, Maunder, Dallison, Cave, Lynch, Dickey (captain), Bryant. Wanganui. —Bunny; Kemp, Coleman, Innes; Allison, Frehner; Buchanan; Hartgill; Kirkcaldie minor; Davidson, Kirkcaldie major, Glendining (captain), Bell, Willock, Canning. Wanganui won the toss and played with an angular wind in its favour. In the opening stages play was very rambling, and the backs of both teams took a long time to settle down to anything like effective or spectacular work. With play still in midfield one of the Wanganui forwards shot a long pass out to Kemp, who gained half the field with a splendid line-kick. School were penalised for offside play, and Glendining found the line in the corner with a great kick, but School forwards broke through the attack from the line-out. Bedford was not kicking as well as usual, and when he failed to find the line on one occasion, Bunny sent School back with a tremendous line-kick. Bedford then redeemed himself by an amazingly powerful and accurate line-kick, and from the line-out School. sprang to the attack, but Davidson broke through with ball at toe, and some anxious moments ensued for the School supporters. The two School five-eighths, Cato and Law, were at this stage doing some fine work. Both cut through in quick suc- • cession, to put School on the attack, but sure tackling brought them down. Cook dribbled through on the wing andburst away, but Bunny was safe. ■Suddenly Law kicked neatly through instead of passing, and the School outside backs raced after the ball in a thrilling dash. Bunny could not pick up the slippery leather, and Wanganui were in danger until their forwards swarmed round and rushed play into touch. School had Wanganui on the run now. From a scrum Maslin sent his backs flying, and a try seemed probable when Peake’s pass to Snell in a winning position went astray. Wanganui broke through, and Snell anxiously recovered and lined. School continued to attack vigorously, the backs operating with vim and precision. Wanganui were penalised, and kicking into the wind Bedford was not far astray from the posts. Again the School -backs drove through towards the goal, but the Wanganui defence was not found wanting, and the defenders suddenly intercepted to burst away sensationally to the other end of the field. Half-time came immediately with no score and honours even. WANGANUI ASSERTS ITSELF. Right from the opening of the second spell the Wanganui fireworks started. The home team immediately staged a vigorous attack, and their passing began to penetrate far more effectively than in the first spell. Both sets of backs were operating splendidly under the trying conditions. Away went Wanganui sweetly from the scrum, and in a perfectly-timed jjassing rush Coleman generalled Innes into a scoring position for the latter to dash over for a try as he was tackled by Bedford. It was a splendid try, well-deserved, and made possible by Coleman’s clever opening. The High School attack was impotent against Wanganui’s certain tackling, and the School handling began to deteriorate. Several times passes were dropped when a try was more than a possibility, and Cato was not going well at first live-eighths. Hartgill was playing an effective spoiling game at wingforward, and every School movement was nipped in the bud. Suddenly from well in his own territory Buchanan sent his backs racing, and repeating his coup of the first spell Coleman made a brilliant opening, showing a fine turn of speed in outstripping the opposition to send Innes over for a try behind the posts. Glendining converted. Undismayed School made frantic efforts to overtake the formidable deficit. Down to the other end they fought their way, not hesitating to

throw the ball about, and from a scrum in front of the goal Cato had an ineffectual pot. It was a dying effort and in the last ten minutes Wanganui had things all their own way, the game ending without further score. Wanganui 8 School • • 0 Mr. Richardson refereed.