THE RUGBY FIELD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 201, 28 August 1935, Page 4

THE RUGBY FIELD

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“CROSS-BAR”

Next Saturday the Wanganui Metropolitan Rugby Union will continue its knock-out competition. Tommy Chase’s return from Australia has brought back to Ratana team’s early season confidence, which was reflected in the win scored against Marist last Saturday. There will be a great tussle between Waverley and the natives. Pirates are right out after the knock-out championship. After a lean period this club looks to be making the grade again. As Mr. Gordon Thompson said in his reply to a toast at the referee’s re-union on Saturday night: “Pirates have always been a big factor in Wanganui Rugby, and although the club is having a lean time at present it will be stronger than ever in the end.” Pirates’ next task in the competition will be to challenge Kaierau. Replying to the toast of the “'Wanganui Touring Team” at the Wanganui Rugby Referees’ annual reunion last Saturday night, Mr. G. H. Pownall, sole selector, and manager of the team which played three matches in the South Island, had a very interesting story to tell. “So far as the members of the team were concerned the tour was a great success,” he said, ' 'a greater success than 1 anticipated. The team developed as the tour progressed. When we met Otago the players hardly had their 4 land legs.’ Carisbrook ground was holding, and, added to that, Wanganui had to play against a strong sun and wind. The atmospheric conditions were most peculiar and the players found it hard to judge the flight of the ball. The lirst ball Connellv went to take brought him up to it. He jumped for it and misled it by feet, with a result that Otago went on and scored. They were 10 points up in eight minutes, and it looked as though there would be a cricket score. However, the Wanganui boy s settled down a bit better .and the second spell was much more even. The wind had died down and the teams scored a try each. In addition to that Otago potted a goal.” Continuing, Mr. Pownall said that the hospitality accorded the team was wonderful. Kefen i g to the Southland match, he said tha it had been obvious from the start that there was something wrong with the balance and knitting of the Wang, itui scrum. Accordingly, he had made changes, putting Firmin and Davidson inside and James as breakaway. From that out the scrum settled down to really good play. Bullock-Douglas had scored almost *before the match had begun, and it. looked as though Wanganui was going to do to Southland what Otago had done to Wanganui. But the fortunes changed, and before very long Wanganui was 13 ponits to the bad. ’•’he scoring remained like that to within 2U minutes to go, and then Wanganui rattled on 16 points in 10 minutes and were three points up at the finish. It was a wonderful effort. Rain came up and the last stages of the/game were played in the wet. As it turned out such conditions suited Wanganui. Hutchinson came through time after time and got those hefty ticks of his to connect with the hall. It was one such kick which ended in a trv. The ball bounced off a defender, the referee applied the advan- , tage rule, and Wanganui went on and •ccored. Jones, for the first time, elected to run, and he scored the winning try in ju.-t such a way as he scored against old Boys when Kaierau opposed them in one of the most important club mutches of the season. Lockett was injured in the Southland game, Mr. Pownall stated. He was a wonderful inspiration to the team and it was like him to carry ow to the end with a twisted knee. He was unable to play against Canterbury. •Clay was still on the side line with an injury and Cave was brought in to play although he had badly cut a foot. “If we had had Lockett against Canterbury I am quite sure we would have won,” Mr. Pownall stated. “It was just the type of game which would have suited him, with the ball coming nut the side of the scrum for him to pick up and throw out to the backs. Connelly played a great game and made up for his displays in the other two matches.” Wanganui should have scored two more tries, Mr. Pownall stated. Once Jones was away, and thought he had cleared the field, but fell to a tackle from behind when he was slowing up. Taiuru also missed a pass when there was a clear run in. It had to be remepibered, however, that Canterbury lost three tries the side should have had. If the match had been for the shield and Lockett had been playing Wanganui would have won. Speaking of the players, Mr. Pownall said that the two youngsters, Welsh and McCashin. were most promising. Welsh he regarded as one of the most promising backs Wanganui has seen for some time. McCashin had found his right place on the wing. UampbeH was the idol of the public. He seemed to come from nowhere when he was most needed, his pace being phenomenal. He was regarded by all who saw him as the fastest back in New Zealand, and on all sides the query arose: “Why isn’t this player on the way to England!” Bullock-Douglas, after the long period of being starved for the ball since Gibson dropped out of the Wanganui, team, camo into his own a great deal, and the South Island acknowledged him to be the player Wanganui knew him to be. The team had had practice at seven-a-side Rugby, and Bullock-Douglas got more play there than he had been able to take part in in Wanganui. ‘‘l did not see him miss a man during the tour,” Mr. Pownall added, indicating that the Wanganui winger’s defence was all it should be. “The material is there for a first-class Wanganui Mr. Pownall concluded. “AH the players want is more play together to develop combination. ’ ’ • • • • This is what the Southland Times had to say about the Wanganui team which played at Invercargill:—Wanganui fielded a very fair back line, with Campbell (centre, and Bullock-Douglas the stars. Campbell’s pace was electrifying, and he lived up to all tho good things jaid about him in the recent All Black trials. His defence was not of the soundest, but he was always able to cover up mistakes by his superior jpeed. He and Bullock Douglas linked up well on the left wing and threatened danger whenever on the run. Bul-lock-Douglas did all that a first-class wdng should do without being showy about it. • • ♦ ♦ The best of the other backs were Connelly, the veteran full-back, Peter-

sen and Jones (five-eighths). McCashin (wing) did not get many opportunities and Welsh, behind the scrum, got the ball away without fuss. Of the Wanganui forwards Lockett. Davidson and Firmin, three tall and dashing forwards, made full use of their weight and pace. They were as good as any of the Southland forwards, and impressed the crowd with their fitness and strong j finishing runs. All of the Wanganui J forwards worked hard for that matter. They had to, with Southland having such a big advantage in the tight work and line-outs. All round the teams were evenly matched. The Southland forwards had an advantage in scrumming, rucking and line-out play, but they were no match for the faster and more dashing Wanganui men in open play. The visitors proved adept at. controlling the lively ball on the ground, and when their work was challenged a hefty “boot” generally achieved the result desired. It was these tactics rather than combined loose play which found the holes in Southland’s defence, and when it camo to a race for the ball over the line, the dilatoriness of some of the maroon backs was shown up in a very bad light. At least three of the seven tries scored by Wanganui were obtained in this manner. It was the old cry of pace all over again. Most of the Wanganui men possessed it; only few of the Southlanders did. The back divisions were very much in .the play, and it was because of this that the poor standard was so glaringly amplified. The Wanganui backs, with not half the chances of the Southland backs, always looked dangerous in possesion. Southland’s backs were effective nevertheless, and could they have minimised their mistakes their team mus» have run out good winners. Thus the Christchurch Press in comment on the game Wanganui played against Canterbury: The pick of the Canterbury backs on attack, and indeed, of any on the field, was C. H. McPhail, who played at centre threequarter in place of J. Polson, who was unavailable. He was matched by a tine player in A. B. Campbell, whose tackling robbed Canterbury of three tries when the rest of the Wanganui defence had been beaten, but in spite of that McPhail made opening after opening. C. A. Tweedie on the right wing, kept Bullock-Douglas well bottled up except for une occasion. Un the other wing Dunslva showed some tricky running, but he did not have the pace to cap his opportunities. Canterbury’s full back, G. B. Eathorne, was undependable, and was often caught in possesion. In direct contrast to Eat borne was the Wanganui full-back, L. Connelly, whose fielding was almost faultless. He was cool and kicked with good direction, although without unusual length. On attack and defence Campbell, Wanganui’s centre, was the side best back. He hauled and kicked well, had a valuable turn of speed and his anticipation enabled him to bring down men on three occasions when they seemed cer tain tq. score. The inside backs did nothing brilliant, but. they handled well atd were unselfish. The forwards were -fairly evenly matched, with the home pack playing the better game in the second spell. Both packs played fast and vigorous football, and it was hard Io single out any who worked harder than others. Among the visitors the most prominent was the back-ranker, 8. IL Cave, who was always dangerous in th® loose. Last Saturday Wanganui and Old Boys juniors paid a visit to Marton to play aaginst Marton Old Boys juniors. After an interesting game, marred to a 6 reat extent by the exceptionally strong wind, victory went to the Wanganui team oy 11 points to nil. Play was confined largely to the for wards, and the winners put up a very creditable performance against a strong pack. Neilson, the Wanganui hooker, did great work in the scrums, and Fletcher, Northover and Macneil shone in the line-cuts. A feature of the game was the fact that the whole 11 points were scored by the Wanganui winger, Allen. Besides kicking a fine penalty, h« scored two tries, one of which he converted with a splendid ki k from near the side-line into the wind. Wanganui io»t the toss and played witii the wind slightly in their favour. For the flrat quarter of an hour Mar ton was kept busily defending. Wanganui were awarded a penalty and with a good kick Allen found the objective. Just before half-time there was a great movement in the Wanganui backs. Allwood, Stroud and Allen handled, Allen scoring in the corner. The second spell was very even, with Marton battling tG- make up the leeway. Wanganui’s defence, however, stood up to the test and Holz, at fullback, was of great assistance with his powerful kicking. Just on time Allwood got the ball from a melee and, after beating several players, passed to Stroud. He, in turn, transferred to Allen, who, bursting through two tacxJers, scored in the .corner. His kick, from away out near touch, sent the bali flying dead between the posts, and a game which had done the Wanganui team, a world of good ended with the sec-res: Wanganui and Old Boys 11, Marton Old Boys 0. LOSERS AGAINST LOSERS “We, the combined team of Technical Old Boys and Marist, hereby challenge Wanganui and Old Boys and the losers of the Kaierau v. Pirates match next Saturday, to a match as a curtain-raiser to the final of the Charity Cup. This is our team: Full-back: Connelly (M.). Three-quarters: McCormick (T. 0.8. McCashin (M.), Brisco (T. 0.8. Five-eighths: Welsh (T. 0.8. Thomson (T. 0.8. Half-back; Sexton (M.). Back of scrum: Matthews (AL). Middle row: Hutchinson (T. 0.8. Davidson (T. 0.8. Phillips (M.), Mar tin (At.). Front row: Smith (AL), Dow (A!.), Hansen (AL). Reserves: Blakeley (T. 0.8. Ryan (M.). “Cross-Ixir” has been handed the above for publication.