RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20044, 6 September 1920, Page 3

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

THE ’VARSITYMATCH, NEW NZEALAND 17, V, SYDNEY 9. Hard-battliug, bustling forwards upset the bydney team’s back machinery on Saturday. Tho lob pass and the tour three-quarter game have never yet proved able to stand up to the spoiling tactics of any properly trained representative New Zealand pack. The English style of back play needs space before it can become effective. Once* the men are crowded together the, attacking movement, seems to hang fire and burst. Time after time Morgan, Lawton and Raymond jumped away from the serum with great clash and speed, only to find their path blocked bv four, and sometimes five, determined ladders. 'Hu's was after the game had settled down. At the start, Sydney had all the best of it from a, combination point of view, varying their movements') with a hint of the unorthodox and baffling ihe opposition with, feints and side-steps. Onco a try seemed certain, when Lawton made a swift opening and then threw tho ball past Stanley and Raymond right on to Farquhar. A fumble let New Zealand out. The first try came through the splendid co-operation of tho Sydney backs and forwards. Hiiigst. who had actually been in the scrum a- few seconds before, took a, pass from his half-back and went over. New Zealand, for a while, did not seem to iiavc a "host of a chance of drawing even. The forwards straggled and the backs tripped over each other. Begg was playing a raw kind of a game at half-back and Fea was often outmanoeuvred. Only Aitken, in the centre of tho three-quarter line, appeared to be at all sure of himself. M’Leod did thrill the'crowd once with a wild run down the tonch-lino. When ho kicked instead of going on, the grandstand almost groaned with disappointment., It looked.like a black day for New Zealand. Tb© first suspicion of a revival ram© about ten minutes before half-time. Three of the New 1 Zealand forwards led by.Harty, burst through from, halfway, smothered the opposing backs, and gave their own men possession inside Sydney’s twenty-fire. t Aitken, M’Leod ■ and Fea did the rest. Campbell converting Fea’s try. When the second spoil had_ hee.ll going two minutes, it was obvious ihat tlie New Zeajanders had tossed in the wait-and-ses policy. Tlie tackling grew more deadly, and tlie fol!owiug-up was immense. Sydney obtained another try lifter a typical slowpass, across-the-groimd back movement, and then took a back seat. New Zealand’s victory was duo mainly (a vigorous forward work. T. Millikeu, now of Auckland ’Varsity, and formerly, of the Christchurch Boys’ High School team, led numerous rushes, dribbling cleverly and keeping at. it through both spells. Munro was conspicuous because of his determined tackling, at a time when tho backs were floundering. iiarty and Jackson were big assets in line-outs and loose rushes. Jackson put more life than usual into his play, and kept in the van. using his weight and reach with, judgment. 'The other forwards were not far behind when the team wanped to its work. Jl’Jlenzie was going splendidly until a collision mad© him a casualty. Graven came, on and immediately jumped into the business with par'ticula'iT vhu. Ills try was one of the best examples of unconscious trickery seen on a Hngby field for many a day. Puzzled himself a.s to whom he should best pass the bail, he set the opposing backs on to the problem he couldn’t solve himself. Everyone looked round expectantly. But Graven was alone and unsupported in the midst of the enemy. He was just coming to realise the hopelessness of the situation when ho saw the line at his feet. It was a welldeserved try all the same. Aitken was the best of the backs. He was safe when t lie others'were shaky. When the others were going at top form he outshone them ° all. Without him the New Zen [and hack lino would have been knocked about in the first haff more than, it was. Phillips co-operated with Aitken, and tho unir got away with some rattling rushes. M’Leod. on the lett wing, scored the try that put New Zealand definitely ahead. If. was a fine effort, and a. great improvement on his earlier venture. H 0 had throe, men to beat in his race for tho corner, and very little space to work in. Begg’s idea of half-back plav i s to grab the ball and dive with it into the scrum again. At least, that was his favourite stunt on Saturday. Fe,a was disappointing most of the time. Siddells played full-back. Ho was lucky now and again. Too Sydney pack, though it contains some jfast, well-built forwards, wa,s thoroughly beaten. Only about two of vliem lasted the journey. Hingst and M’Horen kept at it steadily, but, like the others, they had a tendency to pick up at the wrong time. The ihreo-two-threo scrum formation succeeded until New Zealand found its weak point. Then it crumpled. Lav ton was the pick of the Svdnev bucks, tho only man who ran straight. The other half, Morgan, was surprisingly quick with his transfers, and a good tackier. The three-quarter lino was powertnl and speedy. Raymond is a beautiful kick. Goldsmith's try camo at the end of a magnificent rush- He simply throw himself at the line, and boat a couple of men bv hard running Nothlmg, at full back, was novel* bustled. .One mistake he made was to continue to leave the lino severely alone and punt towards midfield when his forwards were tiring. Sydney’s nest match against New Zealand ’Varsity, at Wellington, on Wednesday, should bo a game worth seeing if the ground is dry. For laflnenra talcs ■Wood*’ Groat Peppermint Cure, Is 3d,3, nj.