WHAT A SHOCK FOR OLD BOYS!

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18787, 17 June 1929, Page 6

WHAT A SHOCK FOR OLD BOYS!

Desperate Attempt To Avert Defeat Failed.

NOTES ON SATURDAY’S RUGBY.

OLD BCD S lost their position as unbeaten leaders in the senior competition when, on Saturday, they went down to a strong Christchurch fifteen by fourteen points to eleven. The game was full of thrills, fast, and close, and a fairly good exposition of the game. Christchurch deserved their win, though Old Boys staged a magnificent recovery over the second half, and very nearly succeeded in a desperate attempt to snatch the game out of the fire. There was a very large attendance at Lancaster Park, and the game had the big crowd thrilled. Albion beat Linwood 12-3 in a hard game on the south ground, Merivale had a runaway win over Sydenham by thirtytwo to three, and Technical defeated West by eleven to six in a close game at the Show Grounds.

WINNERS OWE THEIR SUCCESS TO FINE PACK.

OLD BOYS JUST FAIL WITH MAGNIFICENT LAST-MINUTE RALLY. The Oval game upset the predictions of many Rugby fans, but bore out the forecasts of the section which emphasised the superiority of the Christchurch forwards, and the fact that Christchurch generally produce their best form when playing on the Oval. Old Boys were without the valuable services of C-arleton, and though Hastie played fairly well, the All Black centre was sadly missed. Christchurch fielded the strongest team available, with the sole exception of A. Robilliard. There were occasions when Robilliard would almost certainly have improved Christchurch s position, so in the matter of absentees things were about even. Right from the start it was apparent that the Christchurch forwards were Koing to be one of the dominating factors of the game. It was equally apparent that Mr William C. Dailey was going to be the other. He early demon strated that he was at top form, and he certainly must have been an inspiration to the men outside him. The weakness shown by the winning team was the lack of thrust by the backs. Mullan (recovered from an injury) was a tower of strength at half, and both M’Gregor and did

invaluable work in the five-eighths, but on few occasions did they combine well enough to set a fast and telling attacking movement in motion. As a result Hart, the most dangerous attacking factor Christchurch possess, was starved right throughout the game Old Boys were troubled similarly, though the position was not exactly the same. Hay and Dailey were playing perfectly, but Innes and Hastie, especially in the first half, were not enjo\-ing a day on. The result was that the issue in the first half lay mainly with the forwards, and there 'hristchurch had the pull. Both Scrimshaw's tries in the first half were made possible by forward onslaughts, and Old Boys had the disadvantage territorially. The Christchurch backs kicked so as to nurse their packmen in the first half, especially the full-back, Meikle, and the dash of the pack lasted long enough for them to gain a substantial lead for the side. Right through the game Old Boys secured a fair share of the ball from the set scrums, but in the first half Dailey was having a lot of attention paid him by the opposing forwards, and Hay was accorded similar treatment. With their style cramped from the base of the scrum, the Old Boys’ backs did not show to any great advantage in the first period of the game. After the interval Christchurch renewed their attack, and neutralised the effect of a penalty goal against them with a try in the corner. In that try Scrimshaw deluded the Old Boys with

the old, old trick of working the gap from a line-out. Soon after that the < 'hristchurch forwards tired a little and Old Boys were able to work with less interference.

Work they did. Led by Dailey, they attacked hotly till the final whistle went. Twice they got over, and only a resolute defence by the Christchurch backs saved the game. Dailey scored a really remarkable try, cutting through a batch of Christchurch players when he seemed to be running into certain tackles from more than one opponent

The fast following-up by the Christchurch men, forwards and backs, was one of the winning factors. The forwards were after a punt like lightning, and several times gained valuable ground by catching an Old Boy in possession J. Robilliard was excellent in this department. It may be stated in passing that there the Old Boys in the first half were more than a little unlucky. for it seemed that the ball had a grievance against them, so often was it' bounce unfavourable. It would be hard to state definitely the best back for the winners. None of them shone in combined movements, for the simple reason that most of the attempts at combination either went astray or failed for want of thrust. On defence they did wonders. Mullan returned to his old place behind, the scrum, and gave of his very best. His passes were snappy and fairly well directed, and his handling and rush-stop-ping commended themselves. Though not up to the standard set by the brilliant Dailey. Mullan showed once more.

that on his game he is a really firstclass half in all departments of the game. M’Gregor has not yet settled down to the fine attacking form he used to show. He over-ran several of his passes on Saturday. What did strike one was his clever and game defensive work, for which he had such a high reputation before his temporary retirement. He was a tower of strength in defence. A man cannot hop right into his finest form when he makes a comeback in the middle of a season, but M’Gregor on Saturday’s showing will settle down and play as well as ever before many games have gone. M’Auliffe impressed as a heady and game player who knows the work expected of a second frve-eighths, and carries it out. He is another great man on defence. He should show to better advantage on attack when the Christchurch inside combination settles down a bit. J. Robilliard played a good game as centfe, being always reliable. On the right wing, Hart played a sound game, but he had absolutely no scoring chances, and his work was mainly on defence. Stephenson made one mistake, when he passed instead of going for the line in the first half, but bar that he played a sound game. At fullback, Meikle showed much improved form, and his play in the second spell was an asset. The Old Boys forwards were an even lot, and by outlasting the opposing pack they were of very grea' assistance to their backs in the latter portion of the game. Outstanding were Porterfield. Clark and Burrows. Christchurch were very strong forward. Cottrell was the best forward on the field, dashing in the loose and slogging in the tight, and using his head all the time. Taylor was an excellent front rank partner for Cottrell. Rogers and Manchester also impressed. Dailey was the making of the Old Boys rearguard. He played a characteristically clever and sure game, and earned the plaudits of the crowd right through. Hay was as certain as ever, an ideal first five-eighth. Innes had an off day and was slow, lacking the dash that he had shown in previous games, and Hastie, who did some excellent work on occasions, was prone to hang on a little too long. Merritt went a little better on the right wing, shining in one or two movements, but he was still inclined to give it best when a determined break for the line was indicated. Jacobs was good on the other wing, doing all that was required of him. At full-back, Harris put in some excellent work, but at times he showed less certainty in fielding than is his wont. Though beaten. Old Boys were very nearly even on the day’s play, and the desperate effort they made to turn the tables in the last quarter of an hour almost met with success. It was a noteworthy game. ALBION DEFEAT LINWOOD IN AN EVEN GAME. Albion finally accounted for Linwood by 12 points to 3, but they had a rather difficult passage. Their score consisted of tries by O. Jaggers and A M’Kerrow (the former converted by Lilburne), and Steel potted a goal from near the touch-line. Smart scored an unconverted try for Linwood The play was mostly confined to the forwards, although the Albion backs attempted a number of passing rushes Bad handling at second five-eighths and centre spoiled most of these efforts.

The Linwood forwards played an other good bustling game and they staged many loose rushes which Albion found difficult to stop. Some of these rushes were commenced from line-outs, and the Linwood men displayed ability in this department.

The Albion forwards she .-ed to most advantage in the tight play, and their hookers obtained a big share of the ball from set scrums.

It was a hard game throughout but neither set of backs showed sufficient combination nor handling ability o turn on anything spectacular in the open play. Albion’s win was due in a large measure to the experience of their inside backs, H. Lilburne and Hodgkinson. The Albion forwards were forced to put their weight in to get the ball, and Manning could be seen doing more in the tight than in some recent games Collie and Middleton also worked hard , Jaggers, the Albion front-ranker, sig nalised his return by playinug a rattling good game, and it is significant that his side received a large share

of the ball from set scrums. Polaschek again followed up in fine style and was prominent in the loose. Hodgkinson fed his backs well and go* through a lot of good defensive work.

H. Lilburne was the mainstay of the' Albion rearguard, his linekicking on defence being very fine. He made some nice dashes on attack, but Pres-

ton and M’Kerrow were not handling at all well, and through this some promising movements broke down. M’Kerrow appears to put on the pace before making sure of the ball. Apart from this he gave a promising display. M. Lilburne was tried on the wing in the first spell, but his opportunities were very limited. Steel and Melvin were not impressive, though the potted goal by the former was a very neat effort. Melvin and Preston each played a i spell at full-back, but neither appeared comfortable. The Linwood forwards are conspicuous by their dashing play in loose rushes, and on Saturday, as soon as the ball came out in the open they were on to it at once, and were hard to stop. In the final ten minutes they had the Albion pack pressed on the line, and twice were within an ace of scoring. Thompson, Dawson and Adams were three good workers. Burns showed out with some solo dashes. Though the Linwood backs did not get a great amount of opportunity on attack, they were not very convincing when in possession. They lacked combination and penetrating power to even be really dangerous. Wogan played a very fair game behind the scrum, but Penrose and Sutherland found H. Lilburne a very grim defender. Their tackling was solid. Smart was the best of the threequarters. Dunshea gives promise of developing into a useful player. He had not much chance on attack but showed a solid defence. Edmonds saved Linwood from some tight corners, and gave another fine display. His handling and kicking were of a high order. MERIVALE ALL THE WAY. After a bold but short-lived resistance, Sydenham went to pieces before the fast attack of the Merivale backs on Saturday. The Blue and Whites took control after a quarter of an hour of play, and from then on piled up points, the game ending Merivale 32. Sydenham 3. Flewellyn played a sound game on Merivale left wing, scoring three tries. He has a good burst of speed, is fit and hurdles well. Oliver was always conspicuous in the Merivale attack, but was inclined to cut in too much, and more than one chance was lost on account of this. Norrie and Rhodes were two Merivale backs who were in form. Both played

in attractive style, and were too nippy for Young and Hazelhurst, who marked them. Conspicuous among the hard-working Merivale pack were Clark and Kirkland. Maginness was also outstanding, his work in the loose being praiseworthy. Rimmer played a good game behind the Sydenham pack, getting the ball out to his backs nicely. His defence was sound. W. Brown was again outstanding for Sydenham, but he was too well marked to score tries. Young scored Sydenham’s only try, making a good run before touching down. His effort capped a bright piece of play, Sydenham swinging away from a scrum in fine style. J. Gibbs was a good forward who helped Sydenham, his work bearing the stamp of determination. K. Brown and Thomas were also to the fore in Sydenham’s pack. TECHNICAL WIN AGAINST WEST. Technical Old Boys defeated West Christchurch Old Boys at the Show Grounds by 11 points (a converted try, an unconverted try, and a penalty goal) to 6 (two penalty goals). West were the first to score, Roberts putting over a good kick from a penalty Technical immediately retaliated, and from a forward rush B. Welch forced his way over. A free kick to Technical, which was put over by Miller, put them three points in the lead. Just before half-time Roberts equalised with a good kick from a penalty. The only score in the second spell was a converted try to Technical, secured by Stokes and converted by Miller.

The game, taken all round, was a fairly even one, with the Technical forwards having slightly the better of it. Both sets of backs were only fair, both on attack and defence.

A. W. Roberts was a tower of strength at full-back for West Christchurch. His line- .icking, as usual, was a feature, and he saved his side time and again. He has only one fault—he will not "allow up his kicks.

R. Chinnery. at centre three-quarter, cannot get rid of his tendency to hang on to the ball too long. He would be better on the wing. A. R. Mac Kay and C. D. Stewart, the wings, could not do very much with the ball when they got it. which was not too often.

The five-eighths, R. M’Gregor and P P. Eade. did not gain any ground with the ball when it came to them. They took their passes while moving very slowly. The consequence was that the movement travelled across the ground instead of up the field.

Woodward, at. half-back, played a lid game on the whole. He put in a few good runs. The West forwards were pushed back a great deal by the heavier Technical pack. They staged one or two good dribbling rushes, but, taken all round their form was not as good as in pre vious games this season. I. Peake and

C. Dawson were perhaps the best on the day’s play. The Technical backs, generally, were little superior to the West backs. They also displayed a tendency to move up too slowly when they received the ball from the scrum. M. E. Collier played a safe game at full-back. W. C. Miller gave a good exhibition at centre threequarter. and W. D. Johnston was conspicuous for good work as fiveeighths. The Technical forwards were superior in the scrums and line-outs, and should have scored more than they did. G. Maxwell was prominent for fast breakaways. lie has plenty of speed.

A. E. COOKE SUFFERING FROM HEAD INJURY, BUT HOPES TO PLAY AGAIN. A. K. Cooke, the well-known Rugby football representative, has been one of the unfortunate players this season. No sooner had he recovered from an injury to a wrist than be had his head injured in the. representative match Hawke’s Bay v. Wairarapa. This is keeping Cooke out of action, but it is reported that he hopes to be playing again shortly.

PENINSULA SUB-UNION.

A meeting of delegates to the Peninsula liugby Sub-Union was held at Duvauchelle on Thursday evening. Present: Messrs V. Craw (president), in the chair, F. G. Armstrong and E. R. Moore (vice-presidents), T. E. M’Kenzie (honorary secretary), and the following delegates—Messrs W. Candy and Ramsay (Akaroa), J. T. Robinson and W. Stephens (Te Kotahitanga), W. R. and C. H. Moore (Le Bons Bay). A letter was read from Mr Steans, referee of the match between. Te Kotahitanga and Little Akaloa, reporting two players in the Te Kotahitanga team, one for striking a player and the other for illegal tactics. The referee was unable to attend, but the two players concerned attended the meeting and denied the alleged offences. It was decided to suspend both players for two playing Saturdays. It was decided to inform clubs participating in the seven-a-side competitions that any team coming late for the competitions was liable to- disqualification. It was decided to confer with the Peninsula Ladies’ Hockey Association regarding the use of their ground for the Blyth Cliff seven-a-side competition and to come to an agreement regarding matches. Arrangements were made for a meeting of referees and players to discuss the general rules of football. Mr Moore gave notice of motion to amend the rule that matches start at 3 p.m. ASHBURTON RUGBY UNION. Matches in the Ashburton Rugby Union's competitions were continued on Saturday. ALLENTON v. METHVEN. Methven attacked with the sun in their eyes and Allenton (Blue) forced. From the kick-off the latter reversed the position with a determined rush and Rakaia were penned in on their line until a free kick to Allenton, taken by Pennall, gave the Blues the lead. Allenton 3, Methven 0 Allenton forwards continued to press, but Dalton and Grubb stemmed the rush. Methven then came away in a smart rush. It was only momentarily, Cartwright heading a counter-attack. Off-side play spoiled the movement and Allenton were quickly on the retreat. Dalton, Kilvvorth and Gillespie were prominent in a good rush. Play was good and open, being first in Methven territory and the next moment on Allenton ground, the advantage territorially being slightly in favour of the Blues. The ground was very sticky, which prevented the game from being fast. From mid-field Pennall essayed a field goal, which went wide and quick following-up saw Allenton strongly attacking until a free kick to Methven relieved. Back came the Blues, but weak handling and uncertainty among the back players spoiled several movements. Headed by A. M'Cormick, Gillespie and Dalton, Methven forced Allenton back to half-way. Running across the field Lamb took the I ball beautifully and raced to the Blue twenty-five. He was well supported and' play continued to the defenders’ line, where Allenton were compelled to force. Methven maintained the pressure, but Lysaght retrieved the position with a nice dribbling effort. Give and take play ensued, the advantage lying with Methven. A free kick to the latter failed to equalise the scores. A few minutes later a penalty to Allenton was taken by Pennall, who made the score: Allenton 6, Methven 0. The forwards predominated throughout the first half, both packs working hard, and little cohesion was noticeable among the backs. Half-time was called with the score unaltered. The second half opened brightly, Methven forwards and backs combining in a great effort which saw the Blues defending stoutly. Well-judged kicking, however, enabled Allenton to leave their territory and advance, and it was Methven who then had hard work to keep the invaders out. Fox (Allenton) made a rush for the line, but just failed to reach it, and play remained in close proximity. Pennall made two unsuccessful thrusts. The defence did not leave an opportunity, however, the tackling being deadly at times. The White backs then went away in a pretty movement, which took play to halfway and the forwards carried on to the twenty-five line, and- Allenton ultimately forced. Dalton broke away, but his pass went astray and play returned to half-way. A hard forward tussle, in which department throughout the match honours had been even, saw Allenton to the fore, but a thrust by the White backs had them on the run, Cates and K. M’Cormick relieved. From the change over, Methven pressed strongly and the Blues were slowly driven back. A free-kick to Methven was not accepted and their backs again returned to the attack, a good movement culminating in Burrows scoring a good try at the corner. The try was not converted. Allenton 6, Methven 3. Play livened up in the last quarter of an hour, each side making great efforts to break away. Methven pressed continually. but were finally repulsed by a loose fast rush by the Blue forwards, and a long kick by Cartwright saw play on the White goal line. A freekick saved. Iv. M’Cormick. by a good run, put his side in scoring position again and a hard tussle ensued near the line. Time was called with the scores:— ALLENTON 6 METHVEN 3 Mr C. Day was referee. HAMPSTEAD v. RAKAIA. Rakaia kicked off against the sun and attacked strongly, Hampstead being compelled to force within a minute of the opening. They saved in the nick of time. A second attack saw Hampstead thrown well back on to their goal line, but they rallied and exchanged some solid work in Rakaia’s territory By throwing the ball round and by fast following-up Rakaia again took the offensive. A passing rush by Hampstead, however, gave them a goodly slice of Rakaia’s ground. From a lineout Rakaia dribbled through past halfway, but they could not hold the gain. Rakaia players were tackling well and using their feet to advantage. After several skirmishes in mid-field Hampstead secured from a scrum and Alexander got over. Muihern’s kick was successful. Hampstead 5, Rakaia 0. Near the goal line Rakaia were awarded a free kick and Waterhouse put the ball over. Hampstead 5, Rakaia 3. A second free kick soon after failed to add to Rakaia’s score. At length Kennedy shot out and passed to Day, who crossed at the corner. Mulhern converted from a difficult angle. Hampstead 10, Rakaia 3. There was some play in the centre of the field before Waterhouse again missed with a free kick. For the work they were doing Rakaia were unlucky not to score. Another free kick took them out of trouble for a while, but Hampstead steadily worked upfield and Day crossed under the posts for Mulhern to convert. Hampstead 15, Rakaia 3. Soon afterwards Waterhouse secured ami, covering half the field, outdistanced his opponents and crossed. He failed to convert. Hampstead 15, Rakaia 6. Intrr*?S'?men,s by Hampstead were giving man ? fre ? . kicks, but Hampstead s sound combination was nullify- ! n » _ n '°st of Rakaia’s efforts. Nearing half-time Hampstead were dangerously near the opposition goal line. Rakaia however, took play over halfway. Rakaia opened the second half of the match with two strong attacks, the second being a spectacular effort extending over half the field and ending in two force-downs by Hampstead in rapid succession. Hampstead retaliated and Rakaia were hotly engaged in their own twenty-five area in keeping their opponents out. Once they broke m'* ay VT anr l were all but over, but Hampstead regained the upper band and Rakaia were compelled to t . )nc ® uiore Rakaia broke through and Waterhouse just missed adding to the score with a free kick. They could not. hold their advantage. Eventually Stephens crossed, Muihern’s kick adding the points. Hampstead 20, Rakaia Jn the ensuing play Hampstead had U 2 e . l ? es . t of Rakaia having lost much or their speed. Rakaia succeeded in making several breaks down into Hampstead s area, but they could not break through the defence. Two stoppages because of injuries saw the closing stages played in a half-light. Waterhouse put over a free kick for Rakaia. Final score: HAMPSTEAD 20 RAKAIA 9 Mr C. Stills was referee. OLD BOYS v. HINDS. Old Boys had rather a decisive victory over Hinds, playing at Hinds, but the game was full of interest and was closely followed by a good attendance of spectators. The Hinds forwards hooked the ball on the majority of occasions, but although they had some good individual players, including B. Brown, who was outstanding, they lacked the combination of Old Boys. The first penalty try gained in Ashburton for many years was awarded to Todd, of Old Boys, who dribbled the ball over the line, but was obstructed by J. M’Cormick. For Old Boys, Pawson and Clark scored. Jordan and Farr each converted, while the latter also kicked a penalty goal. The final score was: OLD BOYS IS HINDS 0 Mr C. Wellman was referee. JUNIOR GRADE. Old Bovs 15, Hampstead 0. Methven 49, Hinds 5.

Springburn 27, Lowcliffe 0. Mayfield 15, Allenton 3. THIRD GRADE. Old Boys 3, Allenton 0. High School 3, Hampstead 0. Technical Old Boys 8, Rakaia 7. FOURTH GRADE. High School A. 27, Hampstead 0. IN OTHER PLACES. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, June 16. Senior Rugby games were played on Saturday in fine weather. Results:— University 9, City 3; Ponsonby 22. Training College 8; Manukau 10, Grammar School Old Boys 10; Technical Old Boys 11, Grafton 0; Marist 3, College Rifles 0. Playing for Training College against Ponsonby, G. L. Weir, a representative cricketer, dislocated his right elbow. WELLINGTON, June 15. Old Boys 13, Poneke 6; University 15, Athletic 7; Berhampore 9, Oriental 6; Petone 22, Eastbourne 17; Marist 17, Wellington 3. WANGANUI, June 16. Kaierau 8, Marist 3; Pirates 12, County 3; Old Boys 34, Technical Old Boys 3. PALMERSTON NORTH. June 15. Kia Toa 13, Old Boys 3; Feilding 14, Athletic 5; Feilding Old Boys 13, Woodville 6. MASTERTON, June 15. Carterton 13, Gladstone 6; Red Star 25, Masterton 8; Grey town 14, Old Boys 11. NELSON, June 15. In the first home and home match, Marlborough defeated Nelson by 22 to 11. TIMARU. June 15. Star 21, Temuka 19; Old Boys 16. Zingari 9; Waihi 11, Celtic 7. INVERCARGILL, June 15. Pirates No. 2 6. Invercargill 3; Pirates No. 1 6, Star 6; 'Southern 16, Waikiwi 3. NAPIER, June 15. High School Old Boys 24, Marist 3; Pirates 8, Technical Old Boys 3; Hastings 27, Hastings High School Old Boys 0. WAIROA, June 15. In the first Barry Cup challenge representatitve football match of the season, Wairoa Sub-Union (holders) successfully defended the trophy against an East Coast Union team, winning by 7 points to 0. NEW PLYMOUTH. June 15. Clifton 14, Tukapa 14; Old Boys 41, Okato 9; Inglewood 10. Stratford 3. lIAWERA, June 15. Patea 9. Athletic 5; Opunake 16, Hawera 7; Okaiawa 19, Eltham 15; Kaponga 8, Wairaate 3. DUNEDIN, June 16. As a result of Saturday’s matches, three teams, University A, Pirates and Kaikorai, are now level at the head of the competition, being well clear of the other teams. Results:—Varsity A 8, Pirates 8; Kaikorai 27, Union 3; Alhambra 16, Southern 0; Varsity B 21, Dunedin 14; Taiori 19, Zingari 6.