RUGBY IN THE RAIN.

Wairarapa Age, 1 August 1936, Page 4

RUGBY IN THE RAIN.

WAIRARAPA HIGH SCHOOL DEFEATED. NAPIER LADS TOO BIG » FAST. ©tit-speeded in the backs and outweighted in the forwards, the Wairarapa High School first fifteen went under to the Napier Boys’ High School, in a match played at Masterton yesterday, by 17 points to nil. Wairarapa, particularly the forwards, battled gamely throughout and in the circumstances put up a remarkably good performance.

The powerful visiting ■ pack must have averaged at least two stone more than the Wairarapa vanguard and their forceful tactics resulted in their speedy set of backs being provided with a feast of the ball. Fortunately for Wairarapa the heavy ground and the greasy ball greatly restricted the activities of the Napier backs, who found the conditions all against their open style of play. The Wairarapa backs were completely overshadowed, their tackling and positional play being particularly weak. Napier had matters all their own way in the first spell and held a 14/0 lead at the interval. Fine play by the Wairarapa forwards, however, resulted in play being kept tighter in the second spell when the visitors only added unconverted try to their tally. A steady drizzle fell throughout the progress of th© game and as a result play did not touch the usual standard of interschool matches. For Napier tries werescored by Brown, McDonald, Wepa, Coutts and Cawston, Bronghton converting one. Mr. F. Dean was the referee.