THE RUGBY GAME

Wairarapa Age, 24 May 1928, Page 2

THE RUGBY GAME

NOTES ON PLAY AND PLAYERS, i (BY “KICKER.”) For the winners in the Old BoysGreytown match, Cormack is to bo congratulated on playing a game right up to rep. full-back standard. His tackling was correct and most determined, and he grounded his man good and hearty on each occasion. His consistently welljudged and lengthy line-kicking earned him merited applause, and has not been excelled on a Masterton ground this season. His clean taking and fielding stamp him with the hall-mark of sureness. Should an extra rep. fullback be needed during the season for any games, thea Cormack may get his turn. Bill Yates must have left his kicking boot at home, as he missed shots which at other times would have meant sure goals. His handling was also much below the usual standard, several knocks-on and dropped passes spoiling scoring chances which appeared almost certainties. As compensation, however, he tackled hard, opened up the game on every possible occasion, ran straight and swift, and stint along clean sharp passes. Les Smith works well with A. E. Cooke, and while the crowd are thrilled by the brilliant attacks of the latter, few realise the percentage of openings and chances that eminato from this determined young five-eighths. Old Boys’ forwards excelled themselves as a pack, and if they can maintain the standard of keenness and combination shown last Saturday, will have done much to redeem any poor opinions based on their curlier play. MeCnlmont played a particularly vigorous game right to the final bell, and seems ■to have an excellent chance of .-'gain donning a rep. jersey this season, jack Le Quosne, although he has played back most of his football career, is steadily settling down to his new vanguard position. He gravitated out amongst the backs on occasion, but certainly at other times used his weight and strength to good purpose in lineout and in tight play. Amongst others who showed notable improvement were Fraser-Smith, McAllister and Buckley. Possibly no other team in the competition could stand the loss of its three leading backs in as many Saturdays, and still maintain the high standard of open play shown by Greytown on Saturday. With Trevor Petersen, fullback, lan Brunton, three-quarter, nnd Riki Jury, five-eighth, on the sick and injured list at the same time, the tricolours have had somewhat of a run of ill-luck, and therefore have no reason to feel downcast over Saturday’s showing against the formidable play of Old Boys. Barney, the Native full-back from Hastings, who comes with good credentials, impressed in the first spell with his side-step, clean taking an 1 well-judged kicking. But with the Old Boys backs and forwards tearing down on him more in the second spell, his defence weakened. Clin. Stringfellow was well looked over by Yates, but nevertheless got in some splendid attacking runs, one of which brought well-merited reward. Bob Fuller scored II out of Greytown's 14 points, mostly with his place-kicking. His solitarv try was the culmination of a splendidly executed piece of handling by Greytowy’s chain of backs, and the dummypass handed put near the line was a beauty. After Cooke and Riki Jury, H. Fuller and L. Smith appear to bo amongst WaLwrapa’s best five-eighths on form and play up to the present. Jack Hiroti, Wairarapa rep. half, battled gamely behind the Greytown pack but was handicapped by an injured ankle and foot sustained in the guno against Carterton the previous week. Martin Parker, as rover, is as fit as ever, and fed his backs and opened un play on every possible occasion. In loose footwork he was ever in the van bhould Jim Donald not be fit enough by June 3, the selector will not have to look far for a wiug-forward, although Martin will probably finish up. again in the pack. Greathead is one of the fast est loose forwards in Wairarapa, nnd continually broke through with foothe does not relish thc tight stuff. 1 etcr and Chas. Jury and Bnizendale were the best of the others in Greytown’s pack. In the backs, young Fred Fuller had only one opportunity to demonstrate his side-stepping ability, which he did with a sice run of 25 lZ S \v H /,. Cooke overhauled him. W. Clark is fast and tackles well, but missed-a big percentage of the high balls and passes, which was dangerous with such opposition. ni? f T> 35 p° ints scored in the GreytownDid Boys match last Saturday, 23 wen notched by two players—A. E. Cooke (12) and Bob Fuller (11). J ac ] c Lo Quesne and W. Yates have also scored points in every game played by Old Boys so far. J A. E,-COOKE— RUGBY WIZARD. The powerful hold and interest which Bert Cooke arouses amongst followers ot Rugby in Wairarapa was never better demonstrated than at the Old BoysGreytown match on Saturday last. To a keen observer, the sight of the large crowd rising and falling, with almost military precision, as it yelled itself hoarse at some lightning thrust or brilliant move by this master of strategy and speed, as he threaded his wav through the opposition, was.a sight not easily forgotten. Sporting writers such as Nat Gould have most faithfully depicted the folings of anxiety and anticipation, joy and sorrow, etc., etc., of the racing crowd. It can be tmthfu.Jy said that almost the whole gamut of human emotion is engendered in a crowd watching the meteoric Cooke. To him more tnan anyone else the Wairarapa Rugby Union is indebted for the great revival of interest in the game and standard of play in this district, with the result that some club games now draw gates equal to rep. takings of a year or two back. To say tha® he is the idol of the male sectian of follownld’eJ i h ° s , ma!leBt toddler to tho oldest greybeard, would be nutting hings mildly. A lady thf porhaps more strikingly illustratn trut ? ° f mattera when she re™”ked on leaving the grandstand on fXitb«n y: rv should J ’ ust lt>ve t 0 b ®' a footballer like Bert Cooke.” An inaftpr a haT<l Ramo on a Ithlet B , aturda y was this world-famous wUe «n CaVlng . the ereund with his q;„T ry, t n ,f. hiB , infaat son his married HA 9et ! ha g down seriously to has train an<l bus,n<! ? 9 - B "t Cooke has trained more consistently than at ZKo ? eri °\ w ‘t b the resiSt that to-day he is probably at the verv his 1 B "/ b F career, is the th ° Wd ’ thc host-known Wairarapa personage, and one of its most rem P a e in e so. },HSineaS mCa ‘