OLD BOYS’ AIM

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20180, 23 June 1928, Page 4

OLD BOYS’ AIM

TO TRIUMPH OVER COUNTY

AH Blacks’ Match with Natal Heralds Preparations for First Test

(Br “CROSSBAR”) The first matches of the second round of the Wanganui Metropolitan Rugby Sub-Union’s cup competition will be staged to-day, the principal attraction being the meeting of County and Old Boys. In South Africa the contest for world Rugby honours will continue when the All Blacks play Natal at Maritzburg. Next Saturday the first test will be played at Durban against the Springbok International side which is to be chosen at the conclusion of tire game against Natal to-day.

BEFORE, VICTORY BY ONE

WHAT CAN COUNTY ACHIEVE TO-DAY?. OLD BOYS’ PRESTIGE AT STAKE. When Old Boys drew County in the first round the match was relegated to Fordell. much to the consternation of some followers of the code who held that the meeting of these two teams, on the form so far displayed, would provide one of the best Rugby attractions of the season. To-day, those who quibbled at the venue of the first round fixture will have their wishes gratified in seeing these two sides line out on Spriggens Park in the big match. That to-day's match will retain all the interest of the former encounter goes without saying, for, underlying the meeting of the two clubs are conflicting purposes sufficient to imbue each with determination to win. The aim of County wili be to decisively lower the blue colours and prevail for the second time against a team which ran them very close on their home ground, losing by a margin of one point only after a, kick at goal hit a post and bounced the wrong way on the call of time. Old Boys’ purpose will be to atone for a successive run of defeats in which ill-luck has played no small part. Their’s will be an aim to make amends. With honours in the Cup competition relegated largely to the background this match will appeal in a sense different from most. It will .be a case of Old Boys’ prestige opposed to County’s formidable challenge of —“We’ve beaten you once and we’ll do it again, so look to your laurels.” As has been the case in the past this afternoon’s encounter will be a matter of fast backs and good club forwards facing a hard pack, physically fit, untrained in the finer points of play perhaps, but none the less game. On a dry ground it should be one of the best matches of the year. Pirates’ Hard Task. Though it was apparent to everyone who saw last Saturday’s KaierauPirates match that the maroons had considerably improved, it is very patent that the blacks will be facing a still harder proposition to-day when they lineout against Marists who. at J present, lead the championship by a clear five points. Two wins and a draw make five. (That seems easy enough when it is said quickly). Pirates are the greens’ nearest opponents ami victory for the blacks today would find popular favour among those anxious to see the competition in doubt up until the final stages, but on present form it certainly looks as though Marists will be too good t-o suffer defeat. Pirates’ greatest weakness will be their scrum formation which, on Saturday last, through lack of weight and what appeared to be faulty packing, had little clmnce to hook * the ball cleanly. Behind the forwards J. Duncan would assist the black rearguard to a greater degree if he got the ball away with better direction and with one sweep of his hands. The blacks would greatly enhance their chances of success too if they brought Wakeling in closer to the scrum instead of leaving him to starve further out. Quickness off the mark wLen in possession, sound defence with low tackling its strongest feature and good tight scrumming are three essentials needed in the play of the blacks if +hey hope to inflict a check on the triumphant career of the strongest senior team in the competition. Kaierau to Play Ratana. On last Saturday ’s form Kaierau should have little difficultv in accounting for Ratana on ‘the latter team’s home ground.

"READY, AYE READY!”

NEW ZEALAND AWAITS FIRST TEST. SPRINGBOKS TO TRAIN IN CAMP. BY' “CROSS-BAR” The All Blacks’ opponents today will be Natal, the match being played at Maritzburg. Natal is rated fifth, in order of strength, among the South African sides which play annually for the Currie Cup which is a trophy of similar importance to that of the Ranfurly Shield in New Zealand, though it is competed for on very different lines to that of the Dominion’s premier Rugby prize. Natal’s Record Last season a total of nine matches were played by each team in the Currie Cup rounds and Natal emerged fifth on the list, being credited with five wins, three losses and one draw. The four teams higher on the championship table were: Western Province 1, Transvaal 2, Free State 3, and Eastern Province 4. Against the New Zealand Army team in South Africa in 1919 Natal played two matches, losing both, the score in the first being 17 to 3 and in the second 11 to 5. The British team played a draw, three points all with Natal on the eve of the first test against the Springboks which, strange to say, was won by South Africa with final scores identical with those in the All Blacks’ match against Western Province town clubs—7 to 3, a ported goal being the deciding factor. The Natal Rugby district indues the native territory of Kodstad, and between it and Eastern Province lies the Boarder Rugby district which comprises East London, Kingwilliamstown, Queenstown and all the native territories up to the Natalian border with the exception of Kokstad. In order to reach Maritzburg for today s encounter the All Blacks had fairly lengthy travel. They left Potchefstrom, where they played Western Transvaal, on Thursday at 2.30 a.m. (S. African time) and arrived at Johannesburg roughly four hours later. At 2.15 in the afternoon they entrained for Maritzburg, travelling all night and arriving at 6.52 a.m. on Friday, South African time. After playing Natal the team will stay the week-end at Maritzburg, leaving there on the Monday for Durban, a matter of roughly four hours travelling.

At Durban the team will undergo stern training for the first test which is to be played to-day week. Matches up to now have afforded the selection committee chances to determine the best players and, after to-day’s game, a very fair idea of the test side will be possible, though it is unlikely that any publication of the personnel will be made until the eve of the match.

The South Africans are very confident of success and pin great faith to their 3—2—3 scrum with backs behind it who are adepts at the kick-to-touch tactics to gain good attacking positions. .They intend to enter camp for a week for intensive training and it is anticipated that the material from which the final test fifteen is to be chosen will be announced after to-uay's game.

It was the intention of the South African selectors and other powers that be, to closely study the All Blacks ’ style of play in iiieir matches, a special committee being delegated for the purpose, and, in their camp training, the Springbok elect will be coached in methods aimed to combat the New Zealand style. No stone will be left unturned to achieve a goal which has long been cherished by South Africa—the defeat of New Zealand ou the Rugby field. Profiting by what they learnt while touring here in 1921 and what they have picked up since the present All Blacks commenced playing, the Springboks have high hopes of victory at Durban next week.

New Zealand Ready With quiet determination and with a surer knowledge of what is before them, New Zealand’s Rugby strength will prepare for the approaching clash. There will be no fanfare of trumpets to mark their preparations, no wild boasting of increased skill, but merely quiet, steady training for one of the greatest days in Rugby history and when the All Black side steps out on. the field on June 30 South Africa will realise that all that has gone before has not been in vain for the silver fern, and in answer to the Springboks’ challenge will come New Zealand's reply: “Ready, aye, ready!’’

SCHOOL RUGBY THREE MATCHES NEXT WEEK VISIT OF TE AUTE COLLEGE TECHNICAL COLLEGE TO PLAY AT HAWERA Two school matches of interest to Wanganui are to be played during the coming week. Te Ante College first and second fifteens pay a visit to the city on Wednesday to play their annual matches with the Wanganui Collegiate School, and, in connection with the South Taranaki Winter Show, the Wanganui Technical College team will journey to fla•wera to meet the New Plymouth Boys’ High School first fifteen on Saturday next. Both these matches are expected to produce bright expositions of the Rugby code ini keeping with the reputations in sport of the four secondary schools concerned. School football holds tremendous interest for every follower of clean sport, and that interest is made doubly keen in . the knowledge that school traditions, in addition to Rugby ’s good name, lie in the keeping of the teams which take the field. No more worthy players could be found to uphold the traditions of the Dominion ’s national game than the scholars in the secondary schools.

FOR NEXT SATURDAY GROUNDS AND FIXTURES SUB-UNION COMPETITION On Saturday next, June 30, the second series o’f fixtures in the second round of the Wanganui Metropolitan Rugby Sub-Union’s Senior Cup competition will be played. The following are the grounds and fixtures for that day:— Seniors. Pirates v. Ratana, on Spriggens Park, at 1.30 p.m. Tech. Old Boys v. Marists, on Sprig gens Park, at 3 p.m. Kaierau v. County, at Fordell, at 2,30 p.m. Old Boys have the bye. Juniors. Marists v. Old Boys, on Racecourse No. 4, at 1.30 p.m. Collegiate I. v. Tech. Old Boys, on College ground No. 1, at 2.30 p.m. County v. Katana, at Ratana, at 2.30 p.m. Queen’s Park v. Pirates, on Racecourse No. 1., at 2.30 p.m. Kaierau v. Old Boys, on Racecourse No. 2, at 1.30 p.m. Tech, have the bye. Thirds. Collegiate 11. v. Queen’s Park, on Collegiate ground No. 2, at 2.30 -p.m. Marists v. Pirates, on Racecourse No. 1, at 3 p.m. Old Boys v. Aramoho, on Racecourse No. 3, at 1.30 p.m. Kaierau have the bye. Fourths. Collegiate IV. v. Collegiate 111. on Collegiate ground No. 3, at 3 p.m. Pirates v. Tech. B on Tech, ground, at 1.30 p.m. Kaierau v. Aramoho ,at Atkinson Park, at 2 p.m. Marists v. Tech A on Tech, ground, at 3 p.m. Tech. Old Boys have the bye. Fifths. Aramoho v. Tech. C on Racecourse No. 4, at 3 p.m. Kaierau v. Pirates on Racecourse No. 2, at 3 p.m. Collegiate V. v. Tech A on Collegiate ground No. 4, at 2.30 p.m. Collegiate VI. v. Tech D, Collegiate win by default. Tech. B have the bye.

LOOKING AHEAD NIJXT SATURDAY WEEK FIXTURES ARRANGED Next Saturday week the Sub-Union competitions, with the exception of the senior grade, will be advanced a further stage. On Spriggens Park the attraction will be the WanganuiTaihape representative match as a result of which fixture there will be no Senior Cup matches. The following is a list of the fixtures: — Representative: Wanganui v. Taihape. Juniors.—Marists v. Ratana; Collegiate I. v. Old Boys; Queen’s Park v. Tech.; Kaierau v. Pirates; Tech. Old Boys v. Aramoho; County have the bye. Thirds.—Collegiate 11. v. Marists v. Aramoho; Old Boys v. Kaierau; Queen’s Park have the bye. Fourths. —Tech B v. Tech. Old Boys; Kaierau v. Pirates; Tech. A v. Aramoho: Collegiate IV. v. Collegiate III; Marists have the bye. Fifths.—Tech. B v. Collegiate V.; Pirates v. Collegiate VI.; Kaierau v. Tech. C; Tech. A v. Aramoho.