THREE OUTSTANDING

Taranaki Daily News, 3 June 1935, Page 2

THREE OUTSTANDING

ALL BLACK PROSPECTS SADLER’S HALF-BACK EXHIBITION. SPLENDID GAME BY COLLINS.

(By

“Side Row.”)

The main impression left after the Rugby trial at Wanganui on Saturday was that three of those seen in action were reasonably certain of a trip to England, barring accidents. They were Collins, Sadler and Ball. Rarely, if ever, has Collins played his own particular game so well as he did on Saturday. Last line of defence for the inferior team, he was given an ideal opportunity to prove the error of those critics who say that Collins, although a first-rate full-back, is not a suitable man for New Zealand’s representatives. to visit England. His exhibition against Wairarapa-Wellington showed without a doubt that he is. Against quickly breaking and heavy forwards and a brilliant line of speedy backs he did everything that could be expected of a full-back in such company. His handling was sure, he never made the mistake of trying to be too clever and at getting his team out of a tight corner he was as safe as the proverbial house.

On top of all this Collins .was always unobtrusively where he was wanted. What the crowd, desiring thrills, was most interested in, however, was the duel of the boot between the Clifton man and Hemi. The tall young Wairarapa Maori with the hefty loins of his race possessed a mighty kick, long and low, that oftimes covered 80 yards from boot to bounce. Whereas Hemi was inclined always to “hook” the ball with his instep, sending the ball sailing sharply over the line, Collins’ kicks were higher and not quite so long, but almost invariably landed a yard or so over the line. The crowd recognised the magnificence of his accuracy in spontaneous applause time after time, and the finishing touch came when Collins, previously denied the opportunity of offsetting Hemi’s five splendid place-kicks, converted the last-minute try spored by Campbell with a perfect goal. SADLER’S PERFORMANCE. In connection with Sadler it has been recalled that Frank Kilby first began his career by a splendid display at the Hawera ground in 1928. Sadler, the 20-year-old Wellington College Old Boys half-back, played a splendid game at Hawera last year behind the Wellington scrum, and Taranakians who saw him on Saturday were agreed that the atmosphere of inexperience that surrounded his brilliance then has now been dispelled. Sadler looked more youthful thanhis age, and slight into the bargain, but he did not shirk the onslaughts of the burly Clarke and Steere at any stage. Maybe he has not that striking snappiness of Kilby’s play, but it was noticeable that the Wellington-Wairarapa back line was fed quickly and cleanly bn every possible occasion, while the half was always cropping up in the most unexpected places whenever play travelled away from the scrum. On Gudgeon’s sole blind-side breakaway his vis-a-vis overhauled him - quietly but effectively from behind. That was Sadler’s own particular style, of which New Zealand is going to hear more—everything done very effectively but without show. To Sadler also, as well as Stringfellow, must go much of the credit for Ball’s sterling play on the wing. Many times the tall winger’s pace and deceptive side-step gained huge strips of territory once he had room to move, but. it was often only Sadler’s presence alongside him that made possible the neat reverse passing - movements that carved holes in the best defence. BALL’S SUCCESS. Ball was definitely up to All Black wing three-quarter standard. He was marked by Edwards, whose main aim in the match was to bring Ball to .the ground, and whenever the back lines played man to man Edwards’ flying dive with gritted teeth found Ball’s legs and brought him cleanly to the ground. Such would have been the fate of any wing three-quarter opposed to such determined tackling as Edwards produced, but Ball was not an individualist. It must be said for him that in all his meteoric journeys down the sideline he was fed as only Stringfellow could feed him anji had the support of Sadler, the centre/ or a bunch of forwards, but when the defence was not to be beaten solo Ball did not make the mistake of holding on till too late. His clean running and decisiveness, his ability to swerve at top speed and his keen defence against Edwards’ alertness for Opportunity stamped him as a player back to the form of 1932, when he was in Australia with the All Blacks. As for the others with possible chances, perhaps the outstanding man was Stevenson. Formerly a three-quarter for Hutt, he was transferred to a roving position and did great work on Saturday. Playing as a true forward in the first spell he shone in loose work by reason of his superb speed, Collins finding him the most troublesome of all the Wellington-Wairarapa forwards. In the second spell he did little scrum work when it became plain his team would have little hooking difficulty and played as a rover pure and simple, with this difference: his work was not directed at spoiling tactics but was concentrated on attack. As an extra fiv6-eighth he cooperated with the very correct and efficient Langdon and Devine to upset the northern defence badly in the second spell. Stringfellow, who has been playing in big Rugby since 1925, has been described as the best centre in New Zealand when on the peak of his form. He is definitely of the old school, not outstandingly brilliant but thorough and complete in all his work. His long experience added weight and steadiness to a young back line, and he was content to play as a member of a team, while doing excellent solo work in defence.

The young Waverley centre opposed to him, M. Campbell, will have the advantage of youth if equal displays give them well-deserved consideration for future trials. Campbell was certainly worth his place in the West Coast team, making a good job of the defensive work that was his lot almost throughout. Not until Edwards was brought to second fiveeighth did Campbell have any opportunity on attack, and by then his team was fighting against' an inferiority complex. NevOrtheless his was a splendid all-round display capped by an excellent try at the end of the game. Edwards was the man of all work, and he displayed a confidence new for the Patea man this season, in such company at any rate. His tackling of the dangerous Ball was superb and the spectacle of Edwards and Campbell fighting attack with ■ attack against odds was one that must have impressed the “big four.” Regarding the othei- backs, Taranaki has seen Gudgeon and Brown play much better games and pass in much more accurate fashion than they did on Saturday. Starved of opportunity they were worried by the fast-breaking Wellington forwards and failed to connect with passes, as it was plainly difficult to decide whether to stand close or deep. Often Brown could not move more than two or three steps before he had to pass, and with W. Campbell most unreliable Brown resorted to kicking till he realised

that that game was not wanted. His own tackling was good and he had sense | enough not to earn displeasure by attempting to bullock through On his own after Langdon had become wise to that move. Bradley was sound but had not the all-round capabilities of Edwards. In the forwards Steere and Clarke were the solid core of the West Coast pack, and Fowler, handicapped by his injured shoulder, ran them closely. Steere, Clarke and Mclntyre played themselves in as the best three of the West Coast pack, McKenzie’s play being sluggish compared with form he has shown. Fastier was often in the limelight, although he did not have the advantages of the burly Mclntyre. Barry spent most of his time holding the pack together with Ongley, Leahy, Trass and Laing also battlint, hard, Hull and Stevenson being prominent in the loose. Hull looked the very type for a loose his half-caste extraction giving him much the same build as the tall, heavy-thighed Hemi. Apart from Ball, Sadler and Collins, there were 10 others who have distinct claims to a further trial—M. Campbell, Edwards, Mclntyre, Steere, Clarke, Hull, Barry, Stevenson, Stringfellow and Heini. Of these Barry, Steere. and Clarke have proved themselves previously and the most likely of the others seem to be Stevenson, Mclntyre and Edwards.