HONOURS EASY.

Wairarapa Age, 27 July 1936, Page 5

HONOURS EASY.

I On the few occasions when Waira- | rapa did gain possession Denbee, at I the base of the scrum, delayed his | passes too long, thus allowing the visitI ing backs ample time to move up on I to the home chain. In the circumstanc- [ es, a short punt was about the only I means by which Wairarapa could have [ penetrated the opposing line. Rarely, I however, was the stab kick used with I discretion. Henson was off his game I again, while Devine was too closely I watched to show up to any great ad- ! vantage. At centre Lang was patchy, I but when shifted to full-back he did [ his job in a thoroughly workmanlike I manner. Peterson starred on the wing, I' while Eastwood, on the other flank, handled Buick in good style. His ability and determination to give every- ! thing a go when in possession stamp Eastwood as a winger of more than average promise. Fitzgerald was solidity personified and he scored one of the finest tries seen at the Showgrounds for many a day. Save for an occasional flash, the Wairarapa forwards were sluggish and their work lacked fire and dash. Individually, they probably played fair games, but rarely did they hunt as a pack, cohesion and understanding being almost completely lacking. Ward, Gillespie and Grantham were prominent at times, while Wilson and Howard toiled in the tight. The visiting pack, led by J. Leeson and Wynyard, outplayed the home paok in the tight and the loose. Chitty, tie visitors’ loose forward, played an outstanding game. Russell, Buick and Griffiths were the pick of the Waikato backs, who played tfound but not very effective football. The weather was fine and the ground was on the heavy side as the result of overnight rain. The gate takings were less than half what they were for the Bay game. With their forwards giving them possession from the scrums with monotonous regularity, the Waikato backs went into action early and they gave the boys at the score board a job when Aitken made an opening to send Buick j racing across. Lisette failed with the kick. Lang made it 3-all a few minutes later, when he landed a fine ' penalty goal. After a spell of Waikato ascendancy, Russell worked the blind side of a scrum and slipped across for a try. Lisette missed the kick. The visitors went further out in froht when Aitken fooled the homesters and cut through for a fine try, which he also converted. Wairarapa then came into the picture and Ward, playing a solid game, made up some of the leeway. He came away from a loose scrummage and dribbled through for a splendid try. Lang missed the kick. A few minutes later Lang made amends by landing a good penalty and Waikato were only two points to the good. Lack of possession was making things difficult for Wairarapa, but even so they hit the front when Peterson received from Lang on the other side of half-way and raced 70 yards for a brilliant try. His pace made the Waikato backs look live a team of draught horses. Lang converted the try. Wairarapa went within an ace of scoring on several occasions but the Waikato forwards bunched and drove off the invaders. Then Leeson sent a long pass out to Griffiths, who grounded the ball as Peterson brought off a flying tackle. Aitken missed the kick and the scores were even at the interval. Wairarapa had all the better of the second session, but it was the same old story—no ball, no tries. They did I get one try, however, and it was a great one. Fitzgerald carved a hole in the Waikato chain and raced 40 yards before he short-punted, and then collected to score. Lang’s kick hit the upright and rebounded. Just on time Aitken kicked a penalty goal for the visitors. Mr. J. Blake was the referee.

WAIRARAPA & WAIKAKTO STAGE 17-ALL DRAW. 9 - ‘ BRIGHT AND OPEN RUGBY AT CARTERTON. BRILLIANT HOOKING BY LEESON. Wai rarape. and the touring Waikato Rugby representatives staged a 17-all draw at the Carterton Showgrounds on Saturday. It was a bright, open game with plenty of colourful incident, but for all that it fell short of expectations and was but a shadow of the Hawke’s Bay-Wairarapa match of the previous week. Wairarapa were a trifle unlucky not to come out on top. They dominated play throughout the second spell and held a 17-14 lead until the last few minutes, when a penalty goal •aw the visitors make it honours •asy. It might be said that the game resolved itself into a contest between Fitzgerald and Peterson, Wairarapa, . and J. Leeson, the 1934 All Black. To , have subdued Leeson would have meant victory for Wairarapa, as the , Waikato front row man, giving a , magnificent exhibition, heeled from nearly 90 per cent, of the set scrums, j in addition to playing a splendid all- { round game. Given a feast of the ball, 1 the Waikato backs went into action . time and again. It was in preventing f those movements from gaining their ( objective that Fitzgerald and Peterson y played such £ great part. The visitors { <Jid their bestlo feed Griffiths, a speedy < tricky flank, but for Peterson’s relentless tackling, supported by his speed and headiness, Griffiths would undoubtedly have raced across on at least four occasions. Moved up from full-back Bo first five-eighth at the interval, Fitzgerald soon remoulded the Wairarapa back line and gave a display that fully justified the claim of his supporters that he should have been up in the firing line right from the start.