TWO UPSETS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21091, 18 July 1938, Page 8

TWO UPSETS

Temuka Beaten by Old Boys WAIMATE DEFEAT STAR Good Games on Heavy Grounds There were two upsets in the South Canterbury Rugby Union’s senior competition on Saturday, the championship leaders, Temuka, suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of Old Boys by eight points to six, while Waimate defeated Star by 13 points to three. Temuka and Waimate are now level at the head of the championship ladder, but Temuka have played one game less than Waimate. The points of the leading teams now are: Waimate 10, Temuka 10, Star 7, Old Boys 7. Like Temuka, Star also have played one game less than the others. In the third senior match Celtic defeated Zingari by 13 points to three. IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY WAIMATE TOO GOOD FOR STAR The marked improvement in the Waimate team since the commence--1 ment of the season was shown very I forcibly in their defeat of Star on I Fraser Park on Saturday by 13 points to three. When the teams met early in ths season at Waimate, Star won 1 by a narrow margin, but since that . date the country fifteen have been moulded into a compact unit, and when they meet Temuka next week on their own ground, the championship leaders will need to give of their very best to win. Both these teams were seen in action in Timaru on Saturday, and on their displays, had they been • matched, Waimate would probably

have won. The main strength of! Waimate lies in the forwards, although I the backs are capable of providing bright football. They were consider- I ably handicapped by a greasy ball, but I they made every effort to open up the game, and all three of their tries j were scored by the backs. Strong as i the Temuka pack is, it falls below the I Waimate eight for compact scrummaging, and throughout the game on Saturday Star were shaded in almost all departments. During few seasons has Adkins proved such a consistently good leader, but all his hard work failed to inspire his fellow packmen. I ■Waimate worked throughout as a team I and therein lay their success. Their 1 scrummaging, as has been the case j during all their matches, was well- j nigh perfect, and the forwards paved I the way for all the tries. Twice only | during the first half were Star able to | cross the half-way mark, and even then they failed to get within striking distance, being driven back by ac- | curate kicking by R. Lundy and Me- : Kenzie. Outstanding in the Waimate pack was E. Allnutt, who gave a tireless display. H. Allnutt also was prominent, while J. Bryce figured in a number of bright loose rushes. Columb and Chamberlain did their share of the tight work. Behind the pack W. Lundy gave good service, varying his tactics nicely. R. Lundy beat the opposition badly early in the game to score a pretty try under the posts, but thereafter he was given close attention. Bartlett’s strong running at centre was a feature of the game, and he should do well on the wing at Oamaru on Saturday. Wright had few chances on the wing, but Murphy played a sound game. McKenzie was safe at full-back. Star gave a much improved display in the second half and gained heart I following a good try by Grayburn, but the backs were unable to pierce the solid defence of the Waimate line. Adkins and Ivey made several good breaks, but they lacked support. This has been a feature of the Star pack this season, and is one of the reasons why they have not met with more success. Vucetich was not a success at I first five-eighth. He made one or two good runs, but does not appear to have sufficient idea of the requirements of a five-eighth. None of the other backs was impressive. Tries were scored for the winners by R. Lundy, Bartlett and Murphy, Lundy converting his own try, while Murphy also converted one. Grayburn scored for Star. Mr H. G. Carter was referee. TEMUKA DEFEATED THRILLING SECOND SPELL With thrilling bursts of back play in the second spell, Old Boys raised an I otherwise mediocre game to a fairly j high standard to cause a major upset lin the Skinner Cup competition by defeating Temuka, last year’s winners and leaders at the end of the first round, by eight points to six. In the first spell play was confined chiefly to the forwards, who gave a display which was, in the main, drab and unenterprising. It was only in the last halfhour that the Old Boys’ backs took the situation in hand and, throwing the ball about, put on two tries, one converted, to change the complexion of the game. Apparently realising that their superiority lay in the forwards, Temuka kept the ball fairly tight in the first spell, but while they had a territorial advantage for the first 45 ■ minutes, they by no means controlled I the ball. Taken right through the i game, Old Boys had a greater share i of possession than Temuka, but in the early stages, the backs were unable to do much with it, chiefly due to good spoiling by the Temuka breakaways and inside backs. The speed with which Dawson and Polhill left the

scrum was a revelation at times, but on many occasions they arrived at the Blue half-back before he had the ball, the resultant penalties losing them a good deal of the ground they had made up. The Old Boys’ pack showed some of its best form in the first spell and held the heavier and more evenly balanced Temuka eight. With both packs fighting it out at close quarters. , the backs saw comparatively little of the ball, and when half-time was called the only score on the board was a penalty to Temuki kicked by Dawson. Backs Get a Chance Old Boys changed their tactics in the second spell, and Parsons whipped the ball out on every possible occasion. The attempt to open up the game did not meet with great success at first, the Temuka inside backs standing close and nipping most of the manoeuvres i in the bud. As the spell progressed. I however, Old Boys gradually won out. Ryan giving the rearguard an extra man by participating in rushes emanating from his wing. Ryan was the instigator of the rush which brought Old Boys’ first try, ending in a characteristic dash through the Temuka forwards by sending a long pass out to Cameron, who cut in neatly before handing on to Riley. The centre carried on to the 25, where he

I despatched K. Hall for a brilliant try . under the bar. Riley converted, giving Old Boys the lead. It was only a tem- | porary lead, however, for soon after 1 Dawson goaled again with an accurate I kick from a penalty, turning the tables. With only one point separating the teams, the last 15 minutes were played | at a furious pace. Old Boys making 1 determined efforts to pull the game out of the fire. Repeatedly the backs ! swung into line, only for the movement ; to be checked by the accurate tack- | ling of the Temuka backs and the j spoiling of the forwards. Old Boys I I lived up to their reputation for being i | good finishers, Hall showing good op- ’ ! portunism to score after a promising 1 back movement had broken down, i , Coming from a scrum near half-way, ' ! Ryan made an extra link in the chain I | and the ball travelled out smoothly to I Cameron who. instead of passing out, ; tried to reverse the rush, only to be caught. The ball came back to Mahan, ; | who punted high over the line, and i I Hall streaked down touch with two , Temuka men in an exciting race for | the ball. It bounced Hall’s way and he scored the deciding try in the | corner, Riley’s attempt to convert j missing. The final score was:— Old Boys 8 Temuka 6 Mr J. L. Bush was referee. A FORWARD STRUGGLE CELTIC DEFEAT ZINGARI | In a scrappy game, almost com- I pletely devoid of incident, Zingari went down to Celtic by 13 points to three I at Fraser Park on Saturday. Celtic’s I victory could be attributed to their I hard working forwards as neither set j of backs figured in a concerted move- , ment at any stage of the game. | In the first spell, the Zingari pack i were superior, hooking the ball from [ the majority of the sot scrums. In- | different service from the base of the scrum and lack of understanding j among the Zingari inside backs nulli- I fled all the good work done by the ; forwards. This lack of cohesion , enabled B. Cox, the Celtic second five- I eighth, to make two brilliant inter- | ceptions, one from which he scored ] beneath the posts. The Green back ; line were little better than their , opponents, every promising movement | breaking clown through the inside men | running across field and crowding the I wing threequarters, and mishandling I at crucial moments. The second half developed into a < dour forward struggle with the Celtic i pack proving superior. The Greens had a territorial advantage through- ! out the spell and, led by P. Fitzgerald hammered incessantly at the I Zingari line, movements collapsing i through infringements, and faulty | handling. Behind the Celtic scrum. j Macdonald played an excellent game ; figuring in two solo efforts and coming | j through a hard day’s defensive work I with flying colours. I Midway through the first spell B. Cox intercepted a pass from Budd to i Sara, sidestepped James, the Zingari , full-back, and scored beneath the posts. Delury converted. Early in the I second half McPhail kicked through ! for J. O’Connel to follow up fast, I charge down James’s clearing kick, | and touch down beside the posts. Macdonald converted. Zingari retaliated - with a bout of chain passing, G. | Goddard capping off the momevent to | touch down at the corner flag. Thomson’s kick failed. Close on time, I McPhail snapped up from a melee and shot the ball out to J. O’Connel who I scored in the corner. The kick failed, I making the final score—- . Celtic 13 Zingari 3 Mr L. K, Murray was referee.