OLD BOVS NOW LEADER

Taranaki Daily News, 23 June 1934, Page 5

OLD BOVS NOW LEADER

RUGBY IN CENTRAL DIVISION COMPLETION OF FIRST ROUND. FORM OF THE TEAMS ANALYSED. The surprise result in Thursday’s junior Rugby competition in the Central Division was Cardiff’s defeat of Pukengahu, which, though it had previously drawn three games, had not had to admit defeat. Old Boys therefore enters the second round with a lead of one point over Toko and Pukengahu. Old Boys is justly entitled to its position by reason of five wins and two drawn games. Tariki is the only other team with five wins, none of the others having more than four. Old Boys has achieved its prominence through possession of a fast and able line of backs with a hard working pack as a spear head There is not a country team that has not heavier metal in its pack, but Old Boys’ forwards make up in energy and initiative what they lack in weight, and, any disadvantage there might be, has always been compensated by a rearguard that is definitely the most polished in the division. Unless the country teams wish to see divisional honours going again to a town team, they will have to evolve backs who can combine penetration and attack with ability on defence. It was the backs that placed Celtic at the. top of the ladder last year, despite the fine packs of Inglewood and Toko, which filled second andthird places respectively. Though Cardiff beat Pukengahu by two penalty goals to a try, Cardiff fully deserved the win. There again the ineffectiveness of Cardiff’s backs prevented the team from scoring a try. The forwards on the day were better than Pukengahu’s, but . the backs were incapable of really driving the advantage home. Except for two men, W. and L. T .ash—it was W. Lash’s fast clearance from a scrum that gave Harris his chance to cut. in and score—Pukengahu was not much better, but generally the components combined better than Cardiff’s, and were more certain in thenhandling. The sooner . Pukengahu has the old line reinstated the more chance the team ■ has of staying on the top rungs of the ladder. W. Lash, good half though he is, is wasted in that position, and should take his proper place among the leading full-backs in the division. L. Lash, who played full-back for Stratford seniors last year, is a versatile performer, and is moulding into a clever second five-eighths. His generalship is worthy of better support from the threequarters. TOKO IN FIRST FLIGHT. Toko, which has been hovering on the outskirts of the leaders, stepped out against Midhirst on Thursday with determination, and alighted among the first flight. The team has been steadily improving, and has what is probably the finest pack in the division. If the basic principles of back-play can be injected into the line, and enhanced with a little improvement in handling, there will not be a fifteen in the division that will be able to meet Toko with confidence. Midhirst is under a cloud, following a series of hard games, including two defeats, but still retains a firm hold on an advantageous position reached by dogged determination. What should be a comparatively easy game against Eltham in the first fixture of the second round followed by a bye, should revitalise the team, and see it up to the top of its form again within the next three weeks. Stratford has been unlucky in two of its games, and ranks with Cardiff, five points behind the leader, but with the whole of the second round to go has every chance to redeem past setbacks. Inglewood, after being runner-up last year, has fallen to the bottom of the table. Eltham, which has been improving fast lately, and which neatly beat Old Boys the previous week, scored its first win by defeating Inglewood. Cardiff third grade made a name for itself by its defeat of Stratford, and evened up the points margin so that Stratord’s lead of four points has been reduced to two. Considering that the Cardiff club is making its debut in the third grade, the team has done remarkably well. School, with one game in hand, is also well in the running. School A and Stratford lead the fourth grade, and, as School is one game behind, Stratford will have difficulty in holding equality. School B entered the competition late, and cannot effect it greatly. Toko, after the first two games, had trouble to raise a team, but rather than pull out, agreed to field as many players as possible every week, any shortage to be made up by the opposing team, and the championship points to go to the other team regardless of the result., The procedure has not only avoided a three ■cornered competition, but has resulted in infusing interest in the grade at Toko, so much so that recently a full fifteen has been fielded, and was good enough on Thursday to beat School B by 16 to nil. The points tables are: —

First Junior.

JUNIOR RUGBY MATCHES.

THIRD AND FOURTH GRADES.

The matches to be played in the third round by third and the fourth grade teams in the Central Division Rugby competitions were drawn by the central committee on Thursday night, and the fixtures to follow those published yesterday are: Third Grade. , July 26: Stratford v. Old Bpys at Stratford, School v. Cardiff at School. August 2: Stratford v. Cardiff at Stratford, School v. Old Boys at School. Fourth Grade. July 12: Stratford v. School B at School, Toko v. School A at Toko. July 19: Stratford v. School A at Stratford, Toko v. School B at Toko.

Pts. Ch. P W D L F A Pts. Old Boys 8 5 2 1 78 56 12 'J’nkn .... 8 4 3 1 79 44 11 Pukengahu 8 4 3 1 56 27 11 Midhirst 8 4 2 2 52 47 10 Tariki ........ 8 5 0 3 44 61 10 Stratford 8 3 1 4 52 49 7 Cardiff 8 3 1 4 51 50 7 Inglewood 8 1 0 7 40 72 2 Eltham 8 1 0 7 50 96 2 Third Grade. Stratford 7 6 0 1 136 40 12 Cardiff 7 5 0 2 70 52 10 6 4 0 2 163 37 8 Old Boys 6 1 1 4 15 105 3 Inglewood 8 0 1 7 15 165 1 Fourth Grade. School A 8 7 0 1 63 20 14 Stratford 9 7 0 2 120 66 14 School B 5 2 0 3 12 124 4 Toko 9 1 0 8 31 56 2