RUGBY FOOTBALL

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1778, 3 July 1926, Page 4

RUGBY FOOTBALL

FINLAY CUP GAME.

COMMENTS BY “OVAL.”

“Oval” in the Waikato Independent, devotes over a column in Tuesday's issue to comments on the Finlay Cup match at Cambridge last Saturday, when Waipa defeated the holders. A few extracts from the report should prove interesting reading to those enthusiasts who were not fortunate enough to witness the game.

After commenting on the 'Cambridge team’s su,cc.ess during the past two years when they successfully defended the cup, “Oval” says: “The fine record of the local team was broken on ISaturday by Waipa in one of the-most open and sparkling games local enthusiasts have witnessed for a considerable period. It was a delightful game to witness being full of surprises and flashes of individual and combined brilliancy that kept the spectators at a high pitch of excitement from bell to bell. The Cambridge team went under to opponents possessing a greater degree of versatility and to players fired With the determination to win something they ,had previously tried for on several occasions. Good luck to the Waipa Union. For four years it has sent teams in an endeavour to secure the honour, but all previously failed. -If the Waipa team shows the same form in future contests .it will require a particularly good combination to wrest from them the coveted trophy, notwithstanding the fact that Waipa was defeated by Morrinsville the week previously. On the day’s play the, Waipa team were- superior in the rearguard department. They combined better than the locals and maintained their positions. It was a treat in the last quarter of the game to observe their five-eighths and thred-quarten lines sweep into action. The value of this feature of the team’s play was fittingly demonstrated when the • winning try was notched three minutes prior to the final bell. There can be no excuses put forward so far as the actual teams are concerned. On the day’s play Cambridge reps, met a better team and few there are who are not prepared to concede a merited win to Waipa. It lias been said that the points at the final bell should have read 6 all and that one of Waipa’s tries should not have • been allowed on account of a breach of rules. . . Even if a breach had been committed and the try disallowed, it would not have robbed, Waipa of the satisfaction of being the better team. So far as the forward divisions were concerned honours were slightly in favour of the locals, though the visitors certainly held the advantage in the last quarter when the locals failed to maintain the dash that was a characteristic of their play last -season. f> In reviewing the players “Oval’ says: Of the Waipa team, Dare, the winger, was—with iC. Thompson (Cambridge)—the best back on the field. Dare undoubtedly piloted the Waipa team to victory. P. Quin, as full-back, gave an all-roupd sound display and it was a wise move on the part of the Waipa selector to change his position from that in which he played against IMorrinsvil'le. Winter at centre threequarter also played a resourceful game, but like the locals the fiveeighths and half were weak. The pick of the forwards was D. '.Smith, while (Hill also played well.

WAEPA v. MORRINSVILLE.

TEAM FOR NEXT SATURDAY

Next Saturday the Waipa senior reps, will be called upon to defend their claim to the Finlay Cup against the Morrinsville fifteen. The team to represent Waipa is almost the same as that which ‘wrested the Cup from Cambridge last Saturday, the only change being a re-arrangement of the backs owing to C. 'Swartzfager still being on the injuredl list. Bell goes up to half IDare to second fivereighths, while Shepherd is in Dare’s place on the Aving. The forivards are unaltered. It is sincerely hoped that the chosen 'fifteen Avill go into serious training as ‘they have a hard time ahead of them defending the Cup. The follOAving is the team: — Full-back: P. K. Quin. Three-quarters. L. Shepherd, M. Winter and F. Beet. Five-eighths: A. Johnson, H. Dare. (Half: E. Bell. Rover: E. Storey. Forwards: Hookers, R. Smith, lE. Holmes; lock, D. Smith; side toav, G. Hill, G. Walker; back toav, H. Urquhart, L. Crowley. . Emergencies. —Backs: E. R»eichenba.ch and L. Kay. Forwards, G. Thomson and J. McCras.