THE RUGBY FIELD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 111, 13 May 1931, Page 4

THE RUGBY FIELD

By

"CROSS-BAR”

.Last baturuay a matches put new heart into Wanganui Rugby. It was i clearly shown that there is material I available for the building of at least : four teams each capable of equalling I the other. As was predicted in these columns last Satucday Kaierau had a harder task to account for Technical Old Boys than that which faced them the week previous Jt w,i? generally anticipated the maroons would win. Some bc<eved that it would be by a big margin. Others thought it would be close. No body was prepared for what actually took place. What was looked for was an unequal J contest in the,van but the lighter Technical Old Boys proved that they had the stamina and tho enthusiasm to stand up to their opponents and nonplus the half-back trying to gain the benefit of capable hooking. Taking the scrums righ*’ through Kaierau were superior in hooking. The ball was held i:i the back rank fairly often, however, and it was difficult to telj from the sideline whether this was by accident, or design. If it was by design, then the side could not have been profoundly impressed by results. As a matter of fact that hanging fire seemed to aid young Signal, who kept coming through the pack behind the ball time after time and running over the maroon pivot. It also enabled Duric, at wing-forward to profit by taking advantage of the unavoidable hesitancy Hartwell had to display when he saw the ball hung up. This aspect of the match on Saturday should be a lesson to Kaierau to endeavour to hook cleanly to the half. Many people have asked why H was that the lighter side was able to accomplish so much against the maroons. The truth of the matter was that they were game and quick, while Kaierau was hard and cumbersome. The maroons tried to carry forward with weight what the black and whites sought to achieve by quickness. There were times when the Kaierau pack came down the field yard by yard and it certainly looked as though there was nothing to prevent them finishing up in their opponents’ goal. It was only gamencss to take advantage of kicks that were too hard that enabled Technical Old Boys to stay that type of I’K V - Til scrum work Kaierau has a lot to learn. Good clean hooking is more de sirrblc in the interests of the game than hooking made ineffective by too many feet in the serum’s back rank. True, those many foot may play for ‘ 1 tactics. ” It is sometimes easy to land a penalty goal when an unwary wing-forward is too hurried in looking for tho opposing half. I am not suggesting that Kaierau was looking for penalties in that way on Saturday. I am making a plea for cleaner hooking to make better back play. Technical Old Boys well and truly learned the lesson Pirates were taught the Saturday previous. The only way to tad lc a man is clean and Jow. Kaierau were not. s • determined in this regard and “Mick” Darby was in a state of frenzy on the touchline appealing fo the right tyg:- of tackling. And his effort there reminds me that there is nothing like concerted barracking to stir a team to life. There are many ready to condemn the touchline bnrracker and to criticise his enthusiasm. but. after all. he is part of the game. Barracking has been a feature of play in Wanganui for long years and. no doubt because of some of the recent mediocre matches, it has lost some of its fire of late. Let it return, even if it has to be organised. Something that is lacking in the game will blossom forth to Rugby’s everlasting credit if the crowd wa?<cs enthusiastic. The players like it and respond to it even against overwhelming odds. There seemed alive in the four teams that appeared on Spriggens Park on Saturday a desire to play more open Rugby. In tlfe Technical Old BoysKaierau encounter, though the maroons placed great reliance on their van, the play was such that every possible means to win had to be fallen back upon. The result was that the hacks were not starved as they have been on several occasions in the past. That brings me to the next point worthy of consideration by every back, especially those who would make good in big matches—straight njnning is essential. Kaierau were inclined to lose the benefit of hard-won possession through their inside backs running diagonally. The three players seen out on Saturday who gave the best exhibitions of straight running were Plank (Pirates), Gibson and Bullock-Douglas of ’Wanganui and Old Boys. O’Keefe, a player from “downunder,” had to be mustered up by Technical Old Boys to fill the custodianship when Stewart injured a leg. The youngster, after carrying the bur den of the last line in a grade match, came out on the main ground and stood up to the Kaierau van like David facing Goliath. The Technical College three-quarter line was fair. Mctckingi was injured early in the match and the; team played a mnn ehort for a good ) part of the time. When he returned his injured leg would not permit him to give of his best. Davis, at centre, was an attractive player, but his handling was not as accurate as it might have been on the day. Weir made several strong runs in the other wing position, but was inclined to kick too often instead of “giving it a go.’’ He is the type of player who should do well as a winger. There is a demand for wingers these days who will “give it a go.” Good inside backs will certainly make it easier for a winger to play his part, but the tendency in modern Rugby is to forget that tho wing throequarter, nine times out of ten, is the finishing unit to a rearguard scoring action. Btrong scoring wingers of the type of Jack Steele are beginning to disappear, am] they cany with them the strong defending full backs. If more wingers would “give it a go,” there would be less mediocre full backs taking the field than there are these days. Bert Delves has slowed up considerably. but there is no doubt about his head work and ability as a general. Technical Old Boys is a side which demands capable leadership to make it an i effective force. De’vcs, playing in his i usual key position at first five-eighths. rupplieJ that want on Saturday. Reid had a day off at handling. The ball seemed to elude his hands every time he made to gather it in. and. as a result, the opposition profited consider ably. Behind the pack Technical Old Boys worre well served by Peek, who ' displayed his usual gamoness and agil- j Ity. The side wants tn pe-severe with

this line by keeping it intact. The j criticisms offered to-day arc not writ Itaen in any mood of pessimism, nor are they meant, to be disheartening to the players concerned. They are offered in (the hope that there will be renewed | inspiration to greater things. Doric was a force to be reckoned with so far as Kaierau was concerned. He smothered Hartwell many times, the hanging of the ball in the back rank of the scrum seeming to play into his hands. Signal and Tasker were the outstanding members of a very hard working pack. Tn this department, however, it would hardly be fair to inlividualise, for it seemed that every J member. Aitcheson, Fowler, L. Stewart. White and Thompson, in addition to the other two, were determined to play Kaierau at their own game and succeed Theirs was a commendable effort. Simpson was a tower of strength to Kaierau, but it might be said at the outset that if it had not been for J. Morgan, who displays a wonderful sense of anticipation, Kaierau’s line would have been crossed or at least two ocasions. The maroon three-quar-ter line—Moore and E. Morgan (wings) with North in the centre —will be a force to be reckoned with as the season progresses. It was a pity that there was a tendency to bunch the moves on the touchline on Saturday and crowd the wingers out. Moore plays better as a winger than he docs as a pivot. Hartwell was of the stodgy type as halfback. He played ruggedly, but there was a slowness about his actions which permitted the black and whites to spoil things. Ho went better in the second spell. J. Morgan was tho best back Kaierau fielded. His kicking was always well judged. He is developing a bad habit of speculating, however, that vanß I i caking. Carter accomplished more in this match than he did against Pirates, but he still gave one the impression that he has not yet settled down for the season. Lockett played his usual hard type of game, but was not so conspicuous as usual. Tasker, Ch: ties, the two Firmins end Wilson put plenty of vim into their play. As a matte* of fact the whole pack, Glenn and Wellwood in addition to those named, were working at top more particularly in the dying stages of play. It was evident that a characteristic Kaierau finish was looked for. That it failed to come off testifies to the ability of the opposition. Pirates will need to vastly improve their forwards to achieve success in the competition. The pack has some very good individual players. Stanley standing out. but as a concerted force it is hardly the equal of eithe- the van of Technical Old Boys o* Ohl Boys. What lost Old Boys the match on Saturday was lack of finishing power. Territorially the side had the better of things, hut when it came to finishing off Pirates had the more capable backs. Blyth. filling a ne\ role as full back, acquitted himself well. It is a pity that he is not a bit faster. In tackling, kicking and gameness he stood up to all that was required of him against the backs. In tho second spell he was brought into the live-eighth line, apparently to more effectively mark Plank. O’Brien did better on the last line of defence than he did closer in. In the red and black threequarter line, Gibson, at centre, was very impressive. He played very cleanly and ran straight. If he reaches the form his game gave promise of he will be something of a find for Wanganui Rugby. Bullock-Douglas has the makings of a good winger. He has the pace and two runs he made on Saturday suggest determination. Matson was not at his best. Shaw made up for lapses in handling and an old tendency to run back by potting a goal and scoring the only points for his side. Adams was a particularly game half and, all things considered, kiqit his line up to their work. Old Boys have a very fair pack, and in Saturday’s match their footwork was more effective than that of the blacks, though they lacked tho opposition’s power to hook from the set scrums. Powell played a good game, showing very fair pace in the open. With proper tuition the side should muster up well in the succeeding rounds of the cup series. Smart did well as custodian for Pirates, much better than he did behind the pack against Kaierau. The blacks should persevere with him on the last line of defence. Renz was off his game as a wing. Williams made several dashes, but although the black inside backs were fairly penetrative near the scrum tho wingers got very few good chances. Lowe, at centre, kept playing the kick and followup tactics, but with a full back of Blyth’s calibre the only means of bringing those moves off is to catch him out of position and allow fast wings to profit. Every time the ball was kicked in this fashion on Saturday Old Boys’ last line of defence was equal to tho effort required of him. Five-eighths and centres should always boar in mind that the better policy is . to give the wings chances to make a go lof it first. Only after it is reasonably j well established fhni the opposing custodian is equal to that type of play should the kick up-field be resorted to and then only with an admirable sense of direction in tho kick, either to catch tho full-back out of position or to find the lino dangerously near the corner flag. Plank proved that his correct place is in the five-eighth line. He is the makings of a first-class man for that position. His quickness off the mark was a telling force for Pirates on Saturday. A. five-eighth who can infuse that little bit of life into things when the ball first comes from the scrum is the type of player who is paving the way for his wings. Gibbons played well on Saturday, but, unlike Plank, he is losing ability to run straight, and to get r.id of the ball at the psychological moment, ('lever back play asks for a lot from the two five-eighths. Duncan served his side well as a pivot. Pirates’ trouble is with their pack. The side wants building up there to make it. a united force. The material available should be sufficient to enable that end to be achieved. I Players arc asked to note that the I criticisms made in these columns are not directed with any personal or club : bins. No footballer who ever wore a i s perfect and, to my way of thinking, writers have erred in the past in building up reputations without sufficient ground to maintain them.! That has had a tendency to develop' • a player 's head rather than his abililv as a footballer. \ player with a | swollen head doe- more harm to the game than eiunigli.

If one may judge the Ratana team by their display on their home ground against Marist on Saturday one must come to the conclusion that, given some coaching of the right sort, they will be a force to be reckoned with Li iho competition this season. In their initial match on Sprjggens Park the previous Saturday they were short or four Lacks and two forwards, aid naiuially there was not the same cohesion as was shown against the greens. In the scrums their weight was tou much for the badly-balanced Marist pack, and when the ball came out to Rau kawa, the nippy half, it was flashed out to Pat Potaka and travelled along the chain of backs in sparkling style. Wereta, Wall and Meremcre, in the three-quarter line, shone for the greater part of the game, while Taiaroa was safe as full-back. Pairama got through a lot of work as wing-forward, while the forwards, led by I’. Bennett, held their own. Marist were ’unfortunate in suffering so many casualties. Neal had a knee badly wrenched when he stepped in a hole, while James had an injured ankle all the time and was unable to put any weight in to the scrum, which was consequently screwed by the heavier Ratana pack. Chadwick, the - full back, was another who suffered, but he pluckily carried on to the bitter end. In spite of his injury he was never found wanting in the first spell. Narbey had a lot of work to do as centre thre.i quarter and was Hie mainstay of the backs, while hmith and Phillips dio best of the forwards. Fennell plav'-d wing forward for the first time and his was a very good display, his kicking being good ami he followed up we.l. Casey <-ame in I om the wing lo hilf owing to an injured shoulder. \';'iist were overshadowed, howi*ver.