FOOTBALL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19584, 8 June 1926, Page 4

FOOTBALL

HONOUR IN DEFEAT ■ q WANGANUI AT HASTINGS. 1 ! < FORWARDS GREAT IN LOOSE. |1 ' I Notes by “Poster.” < To meet what is conceivably, at the ] moment, the world’s greatest Rugby j side, outside of an international team, , a,nd go down by a points margin that . flattered the victors, that was the fate )f Wanganui at Hastings on Saturday. ( That the challengers seriously extend- , ?d the champions, for long holding the ipper hand, is conceded by Hawke’s . Bay fans who saw the game, and who ire now good judges of football, be- i •ause they have seen the best teams in ; New Zealand in action. Hopes Unfulfilled. The cricket score over Wairarapa on Thursday, plus Wanganui’s ignominous downfall before Taranaki, led the former’s supporters to believe that the record 77 would be exceeded. This conviction was seriously disturbed from the very outset of Saturday’s game, wherein the Wanganui forwards were i nearly always on top in the loose. , But for Cooke and Mill, who were ; dazzling in their genius, the points dif- ; ference would have been a dozen or i more less. Great spoiling by the visiting for- ! wards paralysed others of the Bay [ backs, and for a time crippled the ; team’s renowned combination. Here the genius of Mill asserted itself, i Thrice he feinted grandly, to open the I way for scoring movements. Though he did not score five tries were directly due to his brilliant initiative. In these, and others, Cooke also had a hand. Pack Stands Up. Wanganui supporters, scores of whom were present, feared a debacle when they beheld the giants of the Bay team, immaculately clad in spotless black and white. Following these husky individuals, Wanganui looked small in com- , parison. Yet at all stages the Wanganui pack stood up to the champions, and in the loose had them beaten. In the tight there were occasional hectic and vigorous exchanges. The Napier papers generously give Wanganui credit for a much better performance than the score would indicate. Thus the “Hawke’s Bay Herald ’ ’: “The Wanganui men acquitted themselves in a manner worthy of every tradition of their province. The story of their play was the story of men making frantic efforts against a recognised superior and more experienced team. The challengers never expected to win, but they played like men inspired and far more than justified the hopes reposed in them. Honour to Wanganui. “It might be said,” continues the “Herald,” that Hawke’s Bay did not display record-breaking form, but if that is the case all the more honour to Wanganui, who stopped them from doing so. The Bay’s performance no doubt was disappointing, but a team cannot break records every day, and the conditions on Saturday were not as ideal as those played under on ! Thursday. The play was hard and fast throughout and the challengers certainly extended the defenders.

“Wanganui made an unexpectedly j hard game of it and. their forwards, though lacking in polish, kept the : Hawke’s Bay pack very quiet indeed, and showed that the local men are not I so nearly invincible as they are supposed to be. Hawke’s Bay’s win came from the backs for the most part, and then more by good individual play than : by team-work.” Luck of the Game. In its running commentary on the i game the Napier “Daily Telegraph”! confirms these observations: “The play generally did not favour! the home team despite the scores, but | the magpies were quicker to take advantage of the mistakes of their opponents.” Describing the match the “Telegraph” says: “The home defence was being severely tested, play hanging on the line. In the second spell play con- ■ tinned in the home half, with the visitors having the better of the argument, their play being more open than it was in the first spell. “The visitors were now going great guns, only the Bay’s good tackling getting them out of danger. The visi- . tors were playing a great game, but | were certainly not having the luck I which attended the efforts of the shield | holders.”

Bellis Comes Back. The North Island selectors were watching the game, and they must have been impressed with the performances of Cox, Leahy and Bellis. Cox could not have been expected io find a place in competition with Porter, but Bellis, on the. day’s showing, must have been a strong candidate for selection. Leahy, who has only just come into prominence, was not among the North Island nominees, but he was surpassed by no forward on the ground. His dash in the loose was astonishing. Often he broke out from the scrambles in possession, to run fifteen or twenty yards before going down. Cox was similarly dangerous. Once he intercepted and galloped down the touchline for 50 yards, spoiling an electrifying effort by an injudicious punt that allowed Tait to force. The busy Wanganui forwards gave Corkill, the Bay first five-eighth a trying time, and this usually sound player was palpably bustled by their spoiling tactics. Bellis brought off some hair-raising tackles, diving through the air to fetch Cooke and Corkill down by the ankles. In this spoiling work the forwards did better work than Blyth or Potaka. Potaka was never very impressive. Cooke was far too fast for him, and was also too fast for his own centre, Neal, who made his first appearance in the Bay colours. Hookers Effective. / Muric and Persson were an effective

pair of hookers, and won 50 per cent, of the scrums. Something was wrong round the back, however, anc| Duncan rarely got the ball cleanly. Even then he was slow in sending it away. Duncan stood up to his huge opponents valiantly, and was a vast improvement on Kingi, but had he sent the ball out better Wanganui might several times have crossed the line. If Wanganui had had Blyth behind the scrum 5 and Delves at first five-eighth the Bay c would have scored fewer tries, and r Wanganui more points. Delves would ( never have allowed Mill to sail through ( as he did several times in the second - spell. Never, probably, has the in- J genious “Jimmy” found a better mar- I ket for dummies than Cox and Blyth I extended to him. But he has dummied ( better men than they. With the full team, Johnston and 1 Delves, Wanganui can stand up to any < provincial team on even terms —that t was proved definitely on Saturday. ( Collier would not have improved the | i team, as Hall and Cameron were both j good. Hall tackled like a machine, ; and generally anchored Grenside, while < Cameron’s speed and opportunism exhilarated the crowd. Hartley and Potaka were a trifle colourless. Hartley has often played better, but his defence s was always pretty reliable. It was on 1 attack that he failed to shine. Narby covered himself with glory. Once or twice the Bay forward rushes : worried him. but his fielding and tack- < ling were flawless and his kicking, though not deep, always kept his side out of trouble. Hospitable Entertainment. The Wanganui team was hospitably entertained. One or two made an apIpearanco at the Napier cabaret on Saturday night, while on Sunday the players were taken for a drive, and entertained with characteristic hospitality at Mrs. M. A. Perry’s beautiful home at Otatara. Yesterday they left for Gisborne, play Poverty Bay to-morrow, and return to Wanganui on Friday. MAORI TRIAL MATCH i THE NORTHERN TEAM. ——" [Per Press Association] WELLINGTON, June 7. : The Northern team for the Maori Rugby trial match at Gisborne on the 19th is as follows:—Johnson (Horo.whenua), Falwasser (Taranaki), Barclay (Hawke’s Bay), L. Grace (To [Ante), Love (’Wellington), Pelham ■ (Auckland), Shortland (Hawke’s Bay), Is. Gemmel (Hawke’s Bay), Ohlson I (North Auckland), T. Gemmell (Hawke’s Bay), Rika (North Auckland), Swainson (Hawke’s Bay), Matone (North Auckland), Hoke (Rotorua), Raeside (Wairarapa); emergencies: Wineora (Wellington), Morrison (Bay of Plenty), Solomon (Auckland). i FIXTURES FOR SATURDAY SENIORS Kaierau v. Tech. Old Boys, Spriggens Park No. 2. at 3 p.m. Dr. Hutchison. Pirates v. Marists, Spriggens Park iNo. .1 at 3 p.m. Mr F. C. Atkinson. Katana v. Wanganui Old Boys, Spriggens Park No. 2 at 1.30 p.m. Mr J. Rowe. Juniors. Aramoho v. Kaierau, Racecourse No. 1 at 3 p.m. Mr W. H. Rowe. Tech. 0.8. v. Tech. College, Spriggeris Park No. J, at 1.30 p.m. Mr H. Hiroti. 1 Old Boys v. Collegiate, Collegiate at 2.30 p.m. Mr. W. Briggs. Eordell v. Wangaehu, Fordell at 2.30 p.m. Mr R. P. London. Ratana v. Pirates, Racecourse No. 1 at 1.30 p.m. Mr N. Reid. Thirds . j Aramoho v. Pirates, Racecourse No.

2 at 1.30 p.m. Mr A. Temperton. Queen 's Park v. Old Boys, Racecourse No. 3 at 1.30 p.m. Mr J. Richardson. Collegiate v. Marists, Collegiate at 2.30 p.m. Mr W. Mitchell. Fordell, a bye by default, Kaierau a bye. Fourths Kaierau v. Pirates, Racecourse No. 2 at 3 p.m. Mr N. Reid. Collegiate B v. Collegiate A, Collegiate, at 2.30 p.m. Tech. A. v. Tech. B, Tech, mid-week. Queen's Park v. Marists, Tech, at 1.30 p.m. Mr. A. Williams. Old Boys v. Aramoho, Tech, at 3 p.m. Mr J. Pauling. Fifths. Pirates v. Kaierau, Racecourse No. 3 at 3 p.m. Mr J. Thompson. Tech. B v. Tech. D., mid-week. (Master). Collegiate v. Tech. C, Collegiate at 2.30 p.m. A. N. Other. Tech. A a bye. Midgets, Mr F. C. Atkinson. School games on Thursday:—No. 1, Spriggens Park No. 1, Mr L. Fromont; No. 2, Spriggens Park No. 2, Mr R. P. London; No. 3, Williams Park, Mr H. ‘ Hiroti.