THE WEEK’S RUGBY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 23 June 1926, Page 4

THE WEEK’S RUGBY

Notes and Comments. THE PREMIERSHIP.

A Wellington writer says Hint the Sontli Island throw-in men in the inter-island g.'ime were directed. to give it to Stewart. A tally taken shows that ill "35" line-nuts during tlm game, South secured 22 times to -13.

Timnru is not the only place where there is .smouldering jealousy among referees in connection with appointments to important matches. Things are waxing so warm over this matter in Wellington that it is alleged there, is a possibility of a split in the ranks of, the Association.

One weakness disclosed by last Saturday’s game was the lack of fast following forwards in the homo team. Bennett showed up well in this respect in the first half, but in the second spell Gerard was too often left to carry on on his own. Ritchie would have, been invaluable.

T. Manning (Temukal has been selected to represent “South” in the Maori match for the Te Mori Row]; to be played at Palmerston North today. The final selection of 28 players for the French trip will be made after the game.

Had the day been wet, the Maori team’s visit would probably hnvo mulcted the S.C.R.U. in a Joss. The usual expenses on top of a grant of £55 to the visitors would have swamped a wet-dav gate. As it Was the big crowd paid in the region of £l9O, and tho Union will be nblo to show a credit balance on tho transaction.

Probably nine players in every ten are right-handed, and pass better with the right. .If a count were taken, it would very likely be found that two out of every three passing rushes go to tho left, yet it seems to bo a habit of selectors all over tho Dominion to play their speedy threequartets on the right wing. * * *

Play in tho Maori match was hard, but no harder than is usual in games of interpro- standard, and there was very little “dirt” discernible. In the home team were a couple of players whose exploits in club matches have earned them unenviable notoriety, but a close watch failed to detect anything questionable in their work last week. The moral scarcely needs stressing.

I First five-eighths may be Strang’s 'natural position, but until South ; Canterbury develops an .interprovineinl half the Old Boys' niigget ‘ Will have to bo kept where ho can get the . ball. _ After last week’s game the question was heard on all sides, “Why ; was Sirring not nominated for Smith : Island?” lie was more deserving of I the honour than one or two of the ' players who were.

| The visit of the South Island Maori i team provided a pleasant break in the | run of club fixtures, and the big attendance furnished convincing ; evidence that our brown brethren are ■popular with the public. The crowd was about the most impartial that has watched a match in Timaru for years, and gave tho Native players a great reception. Tt is quite safe to say that nothing like the same amount of tolerance will be extended to any other visiting side this winter. If any ordinary provincial team had been treated with the same leniency in regard to offside plav the onlookers would have been decidedly on their toes.

Generalship is not a feature in South Canterbury football ju.st now. It is not unusual to see club captains, after winning the toss, elect to open against- wind and sun, and last week we bad an illustration of the homo tmm making practically no attempt to exploit the main advantage secured bv the captain’s luck with the coin. Tricky little drop-outs which eomo off in club games are seldom worth while in interprovincial play, and stab kicks and grubbers are waste of time when a few sky-scrapers can be depended upon to rattle tile opposing hue!.-; who are blinded by the bright light.

The very cordial relations that exist in South Canterbury between the Rugby and hockey fraternities seem to be spreading. An ninienldo arrangement wa« reached in Wellington to avoid a clash of big fixtures, and in. Christchurch the Indian -Army'-team played at Lancaster Dark- in conjunction with the Rugbyites. The Canterbury Rugby Union lias decided to play no competition games on .Tune 20. +,, '> date sot down for the first hockov test.

Tini. tho little Maori full-back, pleased the public"'last week by bis clever fielding and fits unorthodoxy, which soon gained for him the appellation “Nepia..” Apart fmm hi.s fine handling, however, I l '- did not display much headings*, "'"iiy, in fact the. mnioritv of lii.s wore more love taps which usually '"'ml, out on the full. Tt is very diverting', no doubt, to kick out from the goal-line, instead of feeing, but the team is much mo'-e likely in benefit from a drop-out from the 25.

The programme distributed last Saturday was worse than useless so far as identification of the Maoris wn-s concerned. Nearly half the Native team wa.s composed of men whose names were not on the card, and the numbers were specially misleading. Few, of the players wore the correct numeral, and there were two number 3 jerseys on tile side.

- It is apparent that tho stand at Fraser Park will have to be enlarged as -soon as the Union is able to finance the undertaking. Hundreds were turned away on tournament day, and the’sale of tickets had to be stopped before the-big game commenced last week." ‘ Tt will i’e surprising if the move central -situation of the ground does ' not result in much larger attendances than were customary at the Caledonian ground, and the northerly aspect of the -stand i.s likely to make it more popular in winter than tho fine structure at Patiti Point, where the sun was lost soon after mid-day.

The Rugby Union was fortunate in being able to arrange for tho visit of tho South Island Maori team. As a combination, tho visitors were scarcely worthy to tie the shoestrings of. some previous aggregations of Native .talent which have visited Timai'u, but their meeting with South Canterbury provided an enjoyable interlude in the run of club fixtures,, and was played in a much more pleasant atmosphere than often envelops premiership games. There is nothing like rep. football to promote better feeling among players and ultra-enthusiastic club partisans, and it is rather a pity that an outside game of tho.’kind- played last week cannot be arranged" in the middle of each season.

The administration of the offside rule in the Maori match has been the subject 'of considerable adverse comment. From _ the grandstand, which frequently gives an onlooker a much better focus than the referee is able to secure, it certainly looked as if the home team, during the first threequarters of the game, were being pulled up and penalised for the slightest infraction of tho rule, whilst ■ two or three oh the Maori men were given a lot of rope.- In fairness to the referee it should be pointed out that it is much easier to detect offside play by players with whoso colour, build and gait ho is well acquainted, than similar offences on the part of complete strangers who showed no appreciable' variation .in colour and vVhose only distinguishing feature to people not acquainted with them is difference in size. It was not an easy game to handle.

The Maori match brought out some points which should not, and probably will not. be lost on the selectors. Fail-brother was not tho rock we have been accustomed to see, but there is no room for argument about his right to his position. A. Lawson shaped well at wing-threequarter, but was not so satisfactory at centre. If he holds his place it should be on the wing—tho right- wing, too, ns Tate should bo played on the loft if his llcetness of foot i.s to bo turned into points. A new centre must be found, and this at the moment presents a •knotty problem for tho triumvirate to unravel. : Ncutze,.i who, by tho wav, t has played only abqut half a dozen senior games, was 'tut inexplicable' failure, and at preSont lacks either the temperament or the experience for iuterproyiueial matches. There is a lot of good football in the Geraldine youth, but next season may be time enough to give him another trial in a I green and black jersey. . It is, not fair to regard his selectiqn as a- blunder, •as" liis inclusion met with - popular approval, and on his club play Nelitre was entitled to ,a try-out. Another : dilficulty facing Hie selectors is tho choice of Mason was the better of the pair last week, but bis defence was not inspiring, and probably be would be more at home at centre. G. Lawson, if he is worth a place in a rep. team on recent form, should bo played at second “five,” his natural place. This would leave a vacancy inside, and the only man we have who could fill it satisfactorily is Strang. But there i.s no one in sight to do tho work Strang did last week at half, and unless some player develops form before July 24th, the selectors will have some hard thinking to do. If they find themselves reduced to playing A. Lawson at centre, then "Walker seems entitled to the wing position that will become vacant. Of the forwards, "Ward and Mcßride in more ways than one, justified their inclusion, and D. Stewart fills the bill as lock. A noticeable weakness in the park last week was demonstrated in the lack of fast following forwards, and new breakaways are required. Ledingliam does not reach the accepted South Canterburv standard, and Bergin. making allowance" for’ bis damaged knee, which troubled him nil through the second half, is not brilliant enough for a. side row man. Ritchie and Quirko, would almost, certainly he a more satisfactory pair. _ Q-crard" and Bennett were worth their places, so that it will not he. a- matter of supreme difficulty to get together a scrumming division which will he fcTfSjjy representative of the" Union. will- 1 not-: be available for. the North Otago game next month, and iniiv he thought, advisable to plav Ritchie as rover, hut in tho long run it might pav hotter to keep him in the naclc and find another temporary substitute for the All Black.

Hawke's Bay people have been so wrapped up in the business of defending the right to hold the Ranfurly Shield that the following remarks by a. writer in tho Fast C'na.sfc province arc particularly interesting: “Is the possession of the shield doing any good to Rugby, purely and simply as a game, in Hawke’s Bay? Certainly it 7s giving a limited number of men so 'much and isuclr constant practice together that they are becoming almost a team of trained gladiators:

but is it making them into a team i whose play is an example of men playing a sport for its own dear sake? Are their exhibiting fostering a love of unselfish manliness (one of the first lessons pure sport should teach) among our younger players and school-* boys ? I surmise that that was onb" of the main objects of the creation of these shield competitions. You should listen, next time y,ou go to a shield match, to the silly applause when a player converts a sitter, or when one or two players do things that if loft undone, would exclude them from ft midgets’ team. And listen to the applause when a visiting team does something meritorious—-you won't hear much. Perhaps it is because wo are a small people, or more or less isolated from the more populous parts of New Zealand, that we are inclined to be over proud of our one claim to distinction. Never mind beating Auckland’s record—the prolonged possession of the shield did Rugby no good up there. We are a little bit puffed up about ourselves and need a little hot air let out. Any way, did you help to win the shield—or did I? Certainly not. Then let us not be so dashed pleased with ourselves.”

S.C. REPRESENTATIVE FIXTURES. July 24—v. N. Otago, at Oamarn. August I—v. Southland, at Invercargill. August 4—v. Otago, at ,Dunedin. Avgust 11—v. West Coast, nf Timar.i. September 15—v. Canterbury, at Timaru. September. 18—v. Ashburton, at Ashburton. September 22—v. Hawke’s -Bay, at Timaru. September 25—v. North Otago, at Timaru.

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