THE RUGBY FIELD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 183, 7 August 1935, Page 4

THE RUGBY FIELD

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"CROSS-BAR"

Wanganui's team to play three matches in the South Island next week leaves on Saturday afternoon to catch the boat at Wellington for Lyttelton. Next Saturday week the annual Police and Press campaign of 1935 will bo launched on Spriggens Park. The major atti action will be between a strong Wellington Police team, headed by E. Barry, and a side representative of the Police 'and Press of Wanganui. Last Saturday's Rugby left lather a dismal aftermath. “We gambled on two results,” said one of the officials, “and we lost both. We honed Old Boys would defeat Kaicrau and that Waverley would remain unscathed at the hands of Marist.”

But for an unfortunate kick at goal <>n the Waverley ground there might have been a chance of the position being retrieved, as Waverley would have then been only three points behind. As it is, nothing short of a i.iiracle van frustrate Kaierau from winning the Cup.

Both Kaierau and Marist played the right type of game to win. They appreciated the worth of the opposition and sei out to prevent that worth being given any chance to develop. It is an age-old Rugby truth that the team which dominates the ball wins the day, or, at least, has 90 per cent of the opportunity to do so.

Both matches bore that out. In Marists’ case, of course, they had to resort to a drop-kick goal from the lield to actually land the necessary points to win, but they dominated the game, and that was the factor which prevented the other side from winning. All honour to the green forwards.

What a pity the green team hasn’t a Davie .Jones. One player like that immediately outside. Hodson and the probability is the green flag would be sailing the breakers now ahead of the maroon. Penetration is what the greens have looked and longed for ever since they woke up to the fa'ct that they had a good side up in front.

And .Tones, of Kaierau, proved all of what penetration can mean against Old Boys. His run-away try was :t just reward following a slip of the opposition. One slip by the u.j.jnte opposing a player of his speed and jinkiness takes some patching up. Ask Old Boy's. “All the reds’ horses and all the re Is’ men, couldn’t put things together again,” after Jones had cut them clean in half.

On paper that red pack looked a really good side, too. But it lacked that tigerish tenacity of Kaierau. There was nobody brilliant in the maroon pack, nobody you might call an All Black forward, but. every man was a toiler. Take Simpson, for instance. He is 'the type of player Kai6rau puts in the field year in and year out. The side seems to dig them up iron somewhere. Their names are on the programme from one season’s eni to the other and that is about all the mention they get; but they are always triers, and up against a stiff proposition they alwavs seem Io do well. It must be an old Kaierau custom.

Moffitt was Old Beys’ best player in the van on Saturday. He has improved a great deal this year and piomiscs to provide the selector with something good if he ’continues. McIntyre was spasmodic. He showed -glimpses of brilliant form at certain stages of the match, but seemed to give up in disgust. Steere played a sound game in the early stages, but he and Morgan suffered a heavy collision and Steere was not nearly so happy afterwards. Neither was Morgan.

But Morgan again came to light' Does anybody remember a Kaierau match in which he failed to do soT Such encounters ar e few and far between in recent years. With an extra second or so’s pace, Jack Morgan would have been an All Black, notwi’hstanding the fact that he hails from Wanganui. It is just that little split second in movement off the mark which harries him so often. When he drops out of the Kaierau ranks in the distant future the maroons and Wanganui football will have lost a player of exceptional ability.

Old Boys had a weak five-eighth line. That was the real reason of their defeat. True, the forwards were not as good as their supporters hoped, but all the blame for the loss (that is if clubs really do blame anybody for losses) must be shared as much by the inside backs as by anybody. Sharpe was inclined to run straight across the field and, until Dickie (who, by the way, is a newcomer to Wanganui, hailing from Grafton, Auckland) came into the five-eighth position, there was no attempt at straightening up. There was an obvious failure awaiting every move. By the time the ball got to BullockDouglas at centre, he was ‘in the bag.’’ as the genial Charlie Young, the Wanganui secretary, puts it. Dickie shaped very well in Saturday’s niat'ch and should reproduce some good play before the season is done. Nicholls, who was transferred from the five-eighth line to wing three quarter, showed unlooked for dash in rhe latter position. His scoring of Old Boys’ try was the tit-bit of the day —one «>f those clean, honest-to-goodness Rugby tries which the old fogies of the touchline tell us belong to the dav when Billy Stead, Jimmie Hunter and Blilv Wallace were playing. Very, very rarely does club Rugby produce that sort of play these days. Inside backs seem to have lost their spring, or is it that forwards have dereloued too great 2. tendency to burst cit in spoiling rushes and fan out over the hapless back lines. Waverley has given the best exhibition of the bright rearguard play seen in Wanganui club Rugby this season, :.nd the side is deserving of commendation on that account. Technical Old Boys were noted for the open play in days gone by. but the club seems to have fallen on a lean period. It is pleasing to know that many faithful supporters are still rallying round and that they are prepared to persevere until the blue an ; whites rise again to their former glory. Stewart was a sftund player for the Kaicrau van last Saturday. He is one upon whom solectorial favours will fall easily in the future. Firmin also played well. He is easily the best linc-out forward in the Metropolitan Union, and

he had Old Boys bustled time after time. Cave, Old Boys, earned the title of ‘‘fly-hall’.” He was an extra back on occasions. Steere adopted a similar role once or twice, also, and : t looked as though the reds were out to bamboozle the opposition with bucks. But it was all of no avail. Cave is a rugged tvpe of forward, and just the sort to be fielded against the “no bog-pardon” vans of the south. What came over Pirates in the sec- ! ond spell against Katana! None of the ■ team's most, arden supporters <ould tell, j Even that “ died-iu-the-wool ” buch of i loyalists, who sit on one side of the players’ alleyway Saturday alter Saturday to offer one long serial of advice’to the team on the field, had to leave the ground with a feeling of disgust. They had a vivid memory of a tawny Sam, behind an car-to-ear grin, adding a finish of woe to a story ol lost changes. Pirates had nearly all the ball in the second spell and could not score. It was the same old talc of “butter-fingers,’’ and every time the ball trailed off on to the ground when some three-quarter should have been racing for the line, one could imagine the laugh of Hugh Speed. It fitted the situation beautifully. Sam Paki’s try was the gem of this match. He got the ball when it, should have reached Inglis, and, before the black team was aware of what was happening, he was heading for the line to ground the leather and score a great try. And what a grin he had when he walked back to the accompaniment of a round of applause equal to that one would expect the public, to offer an All l?la‘ck! The grin said: “1 can hold my own yet. I didn’t know it before, blit I know it now.’’

Jackie Duncan couldn't let the old team down. The blacks were a man short and there was no hesitation from him when the call to turn out came. He opened the piny up well, but the backs were too selfish, too uncertain at handling and lacking in judgment when it came to attack] That, in short, was the real story of Rat ana’s wm and Pirates’ defeat. It was a match which the blanks should have won, but lost through their own mistakes rather than because of Ratana’s good play. As a matter of fact the Native fifteen has lost some of its early season lustre, and was a comparatively tired outfit in the match under review, particularly in the second spell.

Congratulations to the Katana junior team on winning the Wilson Cup on Saturday. The natives have taken a very full interest in Rugby this year and their win against such redoubtable opposition as Kaierau is deserving oi congratulation. The maroons were entertained right royally at the settlement. Ratana’s hospitality is proverbial and the city clubs all pay great tnbute to the way in which they have been received on that ground.

TAIHAPE FOOTBALL JEfEAT BY RANGITIKEI (L»y •• Spectator. In the rtiurn niaicii between lai tape and Kangitikei at Hunterville last Saturday tne maroons opened tuv score very eariy in the piece with a beautiful bit 01 back play, out from then on tnere was only uae team m it. The greens took mutters in hand and at lemons had piled on eighteen points. As if this was nut suuicienl, Lacy added another sixteen poiits alter nail-time, just winning by a dil-lerenc-e of. a bare 29 points. Both backs and forwards worked like a, well oiled machine, and no matter what tiie maroons did they could nut stop the score f educing machiua[ions ol a team, wu.|d caused the spectators great joy by throwing the ball about. Then, again, no matter where the ball was tossed there was always someone in a green jersey to receive The maroon forwards who virtually won the game in Taihape were not a shadow oi the same pack.. Urey lacked solid leadership. xvicLennan siio-wed them the way in the previous match, and his absence from the pack was sorely missed. In Taihape no imbued fighting spirit and dash, and got at the Kangitikei backs before they had a cnance to swing into action.

Raukawa, who played so well as tiie pnot in luihape, could hardly be recognised as tire same player. He started oil well, the bull gcnig from him to F. Thompson, to W. Thompson, to llcKcnui, who tupped a pretty movement with Taihape s sole try. The maroons were hooxing a good percentage of the ball but the last-breaking nangitikei forwards promptly squasaeu any likely movement. Collier, who skippereu Taihape, made a few runs, but did nut get many chances, while he had a day oil with his boot. Brauley, who had a lot more to do than the Kangitikei full-back, acquitted himself well, and was the better of the two on line-Jinding. The brothers at first and second bardly got a chance as they were tackled as soon as they received the ball. The forwards went in spasms, but lor lack of leadership they failed to play as they did in the previous match. Grove, Charles and Fleming got through a lot of work. Kangitikei would in all probability have piled up a bigger score if Waldin had not been injured and had to retire. With his pace and weight he was a constant source of annoyance to the opposition. Taiuru, on the other wing, showed rare speed and had he been able to handle better he would have scored three or four tries. Dick I’otaka used brains with his kicking and passing. He made some great openings for the other backs. Pat I’otaka is far from being a spent force. He was very quick off the mark and when at top was a decidedly hard proposition to tackle. Nicol at the base of the scrum started badly, but made amends when he went to first 11 veeighth, making some excellent openings. A strange feature of the game was that Jolly, who put hardly any weight in the scrums, scored four tries. He just happened to be on hand at the right, moment to receive the ball from a back who had paved the way. Pye in his first representative game justified his inclusion and will make a good ruckman. Dallas and Walker were

both conspicuous in set scrums and loose. Dallas was the best of the green forwards, working like a Trojan from first whistle to last. As far as the spectators were con cerned the game was definitely good, ■is the Kangitikei backs certainly made it open. Taihape will have to vastly improve if they intend to get back any of the many trophies held in this town a couple of years ago. HAPPY, HEALTHY MIDDLE Alrfi Women in middle life find an oc casional dose of J.D.K.Z. Gin of won derful assistance in overcoming the little ills particular to this period. Keep J D.K.Z. in the house. Available in ■lasks, Pints rnd ecouomica. Quart Bottles. Look for *h« White Heart Lab*l - Advt.