INDICATION OF EXCELLENT RUGBY SEASON

Waikato Independent, Volume XLV, Issue 6232, 29 April 1949, Page 5

INDICATION OF EXCELLENT RUGBY SEASON

The 1949 Rugby football season started auspiciously in Cambridge last Saturday when Club games in all grades pro vided interesting fare. The standard of play was not high, but it savoured of the need for match practice rather than lack of physical fitness. Yet sufficient material was on hand- to ensure both a keen Senior Competition and a reasonably strong representative team. The same might well be said of the standard of play in the lower grades. Faults were easy to find among many of the players Avho took the field on Saturday. Yet criticism would be unjust in that few players show their best form until early season rawness wears off. There were several bright features, not the least of these being the highly encouraging performances of players who have risen from last season's junior ranks. Mishandling was frequent among the various back-lines, but another game or two should suffice to add polish in this direction. Much interest centred in the re-appear-ance of I. Paterson in local Rugby. Reports indicate that he was an outstanding member of the 2nd N.Z.E.F. team in

Japan last season, and his first local appearance certainly indicated ijiiat he should prove an acquisition. His lineout work Avas very good indeed, and in this direction he received adequate support from Q. Gray, who also shone in the loose. McCandlish and Fisher were other Leamington forwards who toiled keenly and Dench looked well, gaining the honours in this direction on the day. The Leamington backs did not combine well, but the season is early as yet. Bullick re-appeared for Matangi, playing soundly but without brillance. J. Harper made a good impression at first five-eight, showing speed off the mark and handling well. Rieketts and Peters also came into the picture at times. Among the forwards, none toiled more honestly than the veteran Scott, who played with real dash. Prominent too, was Banks hurtling from the side of the scrum in typical fashion. Hautapu and United fought a keen duel with the drawn result fairly indicating the trend of events. The Hautapu pack held its own for the greater part of the game, A. Arnold, D. Scobie and B. Reese all performing well with E. Newcombe revealing ■ improvement on last season's form. E. Bartlett, G. Bartlettand R. Arnold played soundly in the backs. But the elect of both back-lines on the day was A. Hjorth whose display ( Continued on Page 8.)