RUGBY GAME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12067, 24 July 1917, Page 3

RUGBY GAME.

(By QUIDNUNC.) Expectations of a good match and &n Ideal afternoon for football attracted a large crowd to South Park to see the Marists-Mcrivalo game. Perhaps the price at which the spectators gained admission to a free ground had something to do with the fine attendance, for the public does love a freo show. One's mind turns hack to the beggarly array of empty benches at Lancaster Park last year when far more attractive football from players under military age was given Saturday after Saturday. The police made hay with such a shining sun, and those who had come to see an ordinary football match were casually "combed," and asked to produce the necessary military certificate. One well-known Rugby veteran of thirly years ago, but still of youthful appearance, was- flattered when asked for his certificate. Gravely removing his cap he presented a bald head that had defied tho claims of oceans of somebody's regenerator. The representative of justice gravely inspected it as if expecting to see it signed by some brigadier-general and solemnly passed on. To tho delighted onlookers the most attractive part of this Jittlo comedy was the eloquent silence on both sides. The veteran, who has a nice sense of humour, closed the incident by remarking to a friend : " That's not a very reliable lost, for I was as bald as this a quarter of a century ago.

There v:vrc two phases in the Mar-ists-Morivale A match. The weight of Hie diarists' pack kept their opponents mi the defensive for the greater part of. the first ..spell. Belief came in patches, only to drift back into a desperate struggle to keep out what seemed a most insistent enemy. But in the second spell the tables were turned and the lighter but tigerish Merivale forivards had tho opposing forwards so lame that they would almost eat of their oppressors' hands. Neither side has backs with football knowledge that would entitle them to a place in a Rugby kindergarten. "With the exception of one purple patch credited to JVFCormick for a beautifully direct and swervy run, the play of both sets of backs was as stereotyped and as purposeless as tho policy of a NationalGovernment.

Either Maiistr are deteriorating or other teams are making most marked improvement. In the parly part of ihw seascn it locked as if they had a. firs--c!ass chance of heading 'the list for this year bu» thcr record for several matches hack is like the curate's e og—only good in places. They seem to set too great a store on weight in •the forwards. The result is a patient, plodding pack that relies on weight find strength to batter their opponents to a standstill. But if the opposing forwards refuse to he battered, as Morirale did on Saturday last, and actually ppeak out of their turn'' by becoming more and more assertive as the game. proceeds, then Marists n,s a team quickly show signs of disintegration, discernible even to the naked eye. The steamroller type of forwards' are Most formidable only while steam lasts. Marists -will probablv he ready te give Fitzgerald a large .sharo o'f tlio credit for their wins earlier in the season, for his absence from behind tlio scrum reduces tho efficiency of the team's backs to -an alarming Neither scrum half covered himself with glory. Tlio Merivalo player is not deft enough in handling tho ball when coining from the scrum or a forward •scramble, and he has grave lapses of memory that foreo him to ignore the .backs behind him. His opposing half fails in his conception of tho duties of a player in thafc position. On nearly every occasion that ho sent the hall out ]io ran back a yard or two with it before delivering, and then made his transfer -with a. delicacy that would bo quite appropriate when handing round cakes at an afternoon tea.

With th 0 inside five-eighths standing close, a half should gather tho ball and send it on, all in tho one action and without straightening himself white doing it. Speed in tho transfer is an essential, and with a good understanding between him and the back next him there is no need for the. playor receiving the pass, to do so farit-footed or just "toddling." A yard or two gained at the beginning of a movement among the backs is of moro valuo than most players seem to realise. A half would ho perfectly justified in going "solo," if he found thatl it'ho regularity of his passing hail successfully deluded tho opposition with tho idea that having passed out so often ho would ho sure to go on doing so. For a half to take the unexpected course when attacking near the line, often results in success, especially if the defending backs are " on their toes " to smother the passing of tho attackers. Tho Merivale forwards showed much : better style as a team than did CVlarists. They gave away an appreciable amount of weight, but there was mnore cohesion among them than among their opponents. This was not so eviclent in tho early paxt of_j:ho game, !vrhon -they had both hands full in holding Marists, but as tho efforts of the !Green relaxed then they came into their 'own, showing nice compact scrum work land a much better control of the ball in 'the loose. On the line-out they showed commendable promptitude in anticipating the point to which the ball would reach when thrown out, and whether gathered by friend or foe there was always a compact body packed round. Simmers was ono of (tho best forwards on tho ground, and Henry, •who I believe has played Soccer, did some high-grade dribbling that, on account of its variety, showed what a sorry states this important department of the game has arrived at. J/ittle complaint would bo found with the tackling of either team, but much fault could be' found with the monotonous line-kicking. The. majority of the backs seem to know no other move in the game, and if interest had depended' on their efforts, tho onlookers would have been bored to extinction. Fortunately the forwards of berth sides were in good fighting humour and they took turns in entertaining those who were fortunate enough to see the match. Merivale had a shad'o the advantage, and had Penberthy been in the form of pastl matches he would of a certainty have kicked one, at least, of the several penalties that were given within easy distance.

There is nothing liko versatility in individuals or Rugby teams. This truth was forced home on the writer as the conversation ebbed and flowed in the Linwood — Old Boys' match. '•Win, tie or wrangle" is a sinister motto, happily nob inscribed beneath many Rugby crests. It has a near relative in the legal maxim, "in a, weak case, abuse the other side." An equivalent Rugby apophthegm might be, ""When in dmihfc., "appeal hoarsely to,the referee," on the ask-and-yc-ghajfo'epe&ve principle. The Linwood anatch was lilof a, wool sale or a, panic Pin the* Stock Exchange. A stranger, MVXt^lk*'Bpan* i <.misht> have imagined BWiH^iHflCgH- 1 MrfnA* '' wa& & fbrce

war-cry, to be shouted in ©very tight cornerj --singly or in unison, like T>, Kooti's famous war cry, "Ako alee, kia kaha!" ("we will fight for ever and ever). Th 0 uproar had its humorous side. Tho referee's dry face wrinkled itself into smiles many a time, 'as tlid appeals smote his ear. He warned the teams generally early in the game; then he warned individuals, and finally, to stem the clamour, ho blew Jus whistle and, like the exasperated conductor of a discordant orchestra., lie said, more in sorrow than in anger, "I don't want? t<» report the Linwood team to the union, but if there is any mora talking I will do so." Tins was effective, and the teams left the gamo thereafter to tho referee. It is only a fortnight or so ago that another resaid to a team, ''You would do a, lot better if you used the boot more, and tho tongue less." The case calls to mind tha old saying, " There :s nothing like leather, - ' and where it ia .most useful in football is in the boot rather than in tho lung. The game itsolf was rather uninteresting. Old Boys started three men short, but made up leeway later in the game. Rhodes, a returned soldier, played full-back in khaki, .and in a. very sporting spirit Linwood spared him the hard knocks that might have come his way in the ordinary rigour of the game. 'he nic-.tm was played without wing-(orw:ii"-l'i, which improved it considerably, but there was not the resultant back play that might have been expected. Although Old Boys got tho ball frequently in the scrum, the passing rushes were usually cut off i>? good tackling, and Linwood had : n extra, man \n tho back department. The, surprise was that Old Boys should have held up so well in the scrum, and it was evidently an off day for Linwood, who never looked like winning easily. Tho referee gave numerous free kicks. With ono of these an old stager on the lino disagreed emphatically. Sparrow, an Old Boys forward, had broken through with the ball, and kicked hard with a chance of getting the Linwood full back into trouble. Watson, of Linwood, was racing for the ball a yard ahead of Sparrow, who put on steam, but either by accident or design could not get past Watson, and finally gave him a healthy push, for which he was penalised. '' The penalty should have been the other way," said the old stager. "AVatson was not trying to get that ball; he wanted his full back to get it and he was taking care that the forward did not get. past him." On the whole, however, the game was well controlled. There was ono laughable incident. In a loose scrum at the Old Boys' twenty-five, an extra ball was booted across the. field, and two Old Bovs Avere on it at once in a desperato dash for the goal. "Bill" Cummings dived into the breach to save tho honour of his side, and there was a little solo game going on at half-way, while Linwood bad swept the proper ball up to the goal line and scored. Tho re force's whistle for the score was the nnlv thine that broke the spell for tilo three soloists who were hai'ing a little game on their own. The Hospital ground was neither flagged nor marked, and if there ' been anything of a crowd the result would have been disastrous. Half way through the came some flags were "dug up." and the game looked a bit more* businesslike. It is understood that in future the grounds will be carefully marked.

SECOND GRADK. A large croud of interested spectators gathered at Christ's Colleen Ground to witness tlio return match between Christ's Cofleg<> and Old Boys. Those -who saw those trains in tlwir first meeting this season remembered the splendid .game it was, and all looked forward to seeing as good, if not a. hotter game. In this respect they ■wore somewhat disappointed. College ])ossihly had recollections of the I'iie display of the Old Hoys' hacks, and did ad in their power to keep ihe. game away from them. The forwards werri very evenly matched, bnt College, if anything, could claim an advantage. 'l'ho! play of their forwards, part'icularly in the loose, was really good, and To thill never slackened his energies to keep his forwards mi'tho ball. In tho tight work College were slightly tlul hotter, as they showed superior eoinhination, and tho scrums held tighter. It was soon apparent that Col lego intended to. rely on their forwards to avert defeat. They hooked the hall in five ou,t of every six serums. It seldom canto out, however, the forwards screwing the serums, but the smart work of tho Old Boys' inside backs rendered tho tactics of minor importance. "Whenever the College were in difficulties their forwards were generally successful in extricating the sido from its troubles. Both packs were keen, the tackling was s:ire, and tho linc-outi work good. Old Boys backs wei'o certainly letter than College, and there is no donbt that Old Boys owe their win to the .splendid play of the rearguard. They handled well, and thoir pace and straight running were more than College could successfully oopci wit.li. Old .Boys followed up particularly well, and whenever the ball was kicked down to Cooke, tho College fullback, it was generally closely followed by a bunch of Old Boys, and Cooke often was in sore straits, but; ho in* variably got in his kick. The College backs made several good passing rushes, but the passing was slow, and not too well directed. The passing from the scrum was poor, and, in addition, the first five-eighths was often too far away for successful passing movements. College backs put in a iow splendid efforts, and it was only the solid tackling and good smothering of the Old Boys backs that moro than once prevented a possible score. Tho game was fairly fast, and, taking itall round, was fairly even. Old Boys came out winners by a similar score to that registered in th u previous game, viz., S points (a goal and a try) to nil.

For Old Hoys, Tripgs at full-back was safe. Ho fielded and kicked well, bub wa. s not too certain on getting the line. OorbetD on the wing .showed up well at time* and put in one, or two good runs, and his last pace enabled him to score liis try. Scott, on the other wing, was weak. He hung on to the ball too much instead of passing or kicking. Jio tackled well. Carrick, at centre, was conspicuous for his fine kicking and following up, while his tackling was very sure. lie did not field the ball too well, and he seems inclined to watch his opponent too much instead of endeavouring to get the ball. Parker did not play up to his ÜBtial standard. Tie mulled the ball once or twice. when the chances of a score looked certain ; but the try scored by Corbet t was the outcome of a splendid straight run by Parker. Thompson, at five-eighths, was the best back en the ground. His straight running and cutting in were first-class, and he was several times applauded for his splendid play. He wn.s always on the spot and saved hh> side many times by hi.4 brilliant dash.. His tackling was of the best. Blackmore, at half-back, played a fine game. His rush stopping was good, while he never lost it chance, to set his backs' in motion, and ho was instrumental in getting his sido nut Of peroral tight corners by his dash to the blind side, and good lii#i

kirking. Tho forwards played up well and wore keen throughout. Otley, Williamson and Hunt were perhaps the best.

For College, Cooke at full-bank was very safe. He had a good deal to do and ho never made a mistake. His kicking wa.s good hut, like Trigga. he missed the lino too often. He tackled and saved well. Sugden, on the wing, did not have a great lot to do. Ho showed good pace but was never given a chance to ho really dangerous. Hargraves, on the other wing, put! in a lot of good work. He was kept busy stopping the Old Boys' barks, but be was always able to cope with the position. Bat ley, at centre, ha<l a good deal to do. 'He handled well, but his passing at tiincs was not too good. Cowlishaw, at five-eighths, put in a few good runs, and was very dangerous on more than one occasion. Ho ran straight and more than once got through his foremost opponents. Hindmarsh, at fiveeighths, had a solid task to stop the many hot rushes that came his way. He played too far away from tho scrum, though, and lost chances of setting the backs going. Watson, the half-back, was good in defence. He I went down to the rushes in fine style, and proved to bo a hard lad to handle when he got the ball in the bunch. ' His passing from tho Hcnrm was weak, and he clear! v showed that his defence is better than attack. The forwards played a splendid gome. To thill stood out on his own and was easily the best forward on the ground. His footwork was particularly good, while his following up and tackling were of the best order. "Reeves and Burdon also played well throughout. As was expected, Boys' High School had an easy win over Lin wood B, wini ning by 14 points to nil. The game was not uninteresting, inasmuch as School made it fairly open. Of course tho gamo did'not go along without its mistakes, such as an occasional slow lob pass and a weak tackle, but taking the play all through tho form was decidedly good. There were few dull moments, a strong pace being maintained throughout. The kicking, on both sides was good, and the ball was thrown about freely, especially by School, whose win was due to their superior combination, especially in the haclc division. Tn the scrums Linwood although superior in weight, were outclassed, as School got the ball nine times out of ten, and once the ball came out Dalley was just the one to know what to do with it. The tackling of both teams was sound, and all the players worked hard from start to finish.

For School, Lascelles, at full-hack, had an easy afternoon, as his side was mostly attacking, but on one or two occasions he fumbled the ball very badly when trying to take it on the full. Mchrtons, who played five-eighths, put in a splendid afternoon's work, and his kicking was very creditable. Dalley, at half-hack, played his usual tricky game. He takes everything very and handles the hall with precision. One very pleasing feature of his play is that it is free, from the slightest sign of selfishness. Tho forwards all played well, following up in good style, and tackling in the proper manner. Fraser, AYhitc and Page were always prominent.

The Linwood team lacked combination, and their kicking was not as good as it might have been. JM'Oovorin at full-hack, had a strenuous afternoon. His tackling was sound, hut he played too close up. Coo. at five-eighths, played a good game, but had"little chance to show his ability at attacking, rdoore, at half, was behind a beaten pack, and got few chanl'hs of handling the ball from the serums. Ho is sound on defence and kicks i'airlv well. Stewart. Kerr and M'Dougail the best of the forwards, although' the whole front division played an untiring game.

Sydenham and Christchurch played a game on the '• Varsity " Ground, North .Park, on which good football was impossible, f can —.My say that this is about the wor;- paying ground in the North Park, .: ;<'. 1 think it is quite time that this a. :•' --"le other of the Hngby grounds were put in bettor playing condition, it only for safety's sake. The game was not at all interesting. There was an occasional passing rush by the Sydenham backs, but on the whole it was a case of boot hard and trust to luck, and the luck was with Sydenham. The Sydenham forwards worked hard and wore superior to the opposing pack, but the latter cannot be accused of shirking, despite the fact, that they were three men short. In the first, spell neither side held any great advantage, and for fiie greater part play was in mid-field. But after the spell Sydenham got going right from the kick-off and scored a nice try. Tin* attempt at goal failed. From the kick out Christchurch follower! up exceptionally well, and by some goorl footwork gained a lot of ground, anrl Cocks, picking up smartly, scrambled over. From this on Sydenham, however, easily held the upper band, and kept their opponents busily defending, in which department they showed themselves solid tacklers. Sydenham were unusually successful in hooking the ball from the serums, but, although they got possession, they showed very littlo desire to make the play open. Indifferent kicking was far too prominent in the play of both teams, and neither side seemed to take the game very seriously. For Sydenham. Beckett, at wing three-quarters, did a lot, of good work. His following up was very noticeable, anrl the manner in which he picked the ball up on such a rough ground was very creditable. Marshall, at centre, also played well. Ho was sound in defence, and was always well up with the loose rushes. Cunningham, at fiveeighths, was the. means ol losing one or two certain tries through his selfishness, a fault he should endeavour to correct, as otherwise he plays a good game. The forwards were in good form and played a hard game. Clarkson, Thornton and Ashton being the best. Tliie Christchurch team in noted for not being able to muster the necessary fifteen, and as usual the lew that did turn up had to do their very utmost to provent a. big pile of points being scored against- them. Boon, at fullback, played well and saved his side; on many occasions by some goorl kicking. Mait-land, at wino three-quarters, put in a strenuous afternoon's work. He is a sound tackier and puts plenty of dash into his work. Clemens was always a trier, shirking nothing that came his way anrl was safe in tackling. The forwards stoorl up to their work Well, but are .inclined to play the waiting game. Cocks. Spooner and Clarkson deserve special mention.