WANGANUI RUGBY UNION.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 7562, 5 May 1919, Page 5

WANGANUI RUGBY UNION.

LOCAL PROSPECTS

The majority of the Clubs competing in the Rugby Union's champion-efc-pa this season have been putting in some strenuous practice, and when the competitions commence on Saturday next the various teams should be pretty fit. The coming of Peace seems to have given the Rugby game a new lease of life, and players generally are possessed with a keenness and enthusiasm for the game that augura well for the future of Wanganui Rugby. The war period has served to bring on the several young promising footballers who in ordinary circumstances would have had to wait a season or two longer before making a debut in the higher grade.

Several practice games were played on the Rec. on Saturday afternoon last, the principal one being that between Old Boys and the recently resuscitated Pirate Club, in. the senior division, A good, hard game resulted in a win for Old Boys by six points to nil, Weokes and Deans being the try-getters. All the several attempts at goal kicking were miserable, but then Wanganui -has never been too fortunate in this branch, at anyrate during recent years. The form of the players was fairly good, the two weak spots in the play being old complaints—hanging on to the ball and high tackling. The ground was pretty hard, and combined with a first-of-the-season softness of the players, the many temporary knock-outs occasioned little surprise. Old Bdys were much the better team, and provided they stick together, have the makings A a brilliant combination.

A pleasing feature last Saturday was the large number of returned soldiers who donned tiie jerecy, conspicuous being a couple of Pirate players, Rod. McGregor (old Pirates Club) and Fred. Faber (Kaierau) while one of the referees was Fred. Meuli, in pre-war days one of our representative three-quarter backs. Others who should soon be seen out again are Clem. Swan, a Wanganui half-back, and F. S. Baddeley. The latter played a lot of football in England for the old brilliant Hornchureli team, in which he, at half or fivoeighth w:i3 the bright star. Since the war Baddeley has improved out of all knowledge, and if he can only reproduce his English form, local patrons will see some good play at the back, cf the scrum.