A REVIEW OF RUGBY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 106, 6 May 1936, Page 4

A REVIEW OF RUGBY

PLAY IN WANGANUI AREA

fIOW WAVERLEY SOUNDLY TROUNCED OLD BOYS

CLASH OF KAIERAU AND WAVERLEY AWAITED

[Z?y "CROSSBAR."]

Waverley has every reasuu tv take beart from the overwhelming defeat recorded last Saturday at the expense of Old Boys. But just a friendly warning —it should not be allowed to swell anybody’s head. Barely has that age-old Rugby truth been emphasised more definitely—a team can only play as well as the opposition will let it. Old Boys let Waverley get away with try after try, and there was the story of the match in- a nutshell. It is true that many of the tries were cleverly scored, nevertheless, and the match suggested that even if Old Boys had been playing belter defensively Waverley would have been too good, but perhaps not by such a great mar gin. Failure to tackle Waverley's inside Lacks was the real cause of so big a score. Thomas, at first live-eighth, a brother of the Waverley Thomas of last vear, who received his Rugby Tuition at that notable nursery, the New Plymouth Boys’ High School, only had to handle the ball to bring danger to the oppositin. Had he been tackled as he should have been, the story would have been totally different. But do not let it be thought tha Thomas, sound as he was as an attacking player, was the sole cause of the ■wonderful mastery the team from •■over the border’’ possessed. He was the lirst link in the danger thrust, but in Petersen and Campbell, the next two links in the chain, Waverley seemed to grow from strength to strength. Both possessed dean hands, and the failure to tackle was as much in evidence a^a st the as it was against Thomas. The Waxerley \. 100, possessed •wonderful vitality, ami did not seem to ■wor'v overmuch about hooking, but siniidv swarmed er the Ohl Boys hacks a! will. Whenever the bail was lost to Waverley ij seemed to bring Mct.lmaghnn with ii as it came out of the scrum. M< <'lena"han has certainlv found his rightful place at wing forward. His pace and quickness to break through an opening like a back really did remind many people of Porter. Walker was back on the last line of defen-<• for Waverley. and he rarely handled the ball, so effective was the defence up in front of him. He looks tn be the same old reliable Walker, and will give aspirants for the custodiansi. ;■ m Wanganui Rugby a big shake. •Sharp was entrusted with tLd Boys last line, but when the defensive •aiibre of the red live-eighths fell below zero, he was moved up. His presence there was an improvement, in that Thomas, from set position.-, did Tint, get through as often, but tne trouble was that the Waverley lad had hacks outside him who were just as capable, and Old Boys’ last line of defence became a weakness times without number. Moving Sharp up was .ciiainlv the right thing to do. as Thomas was the first string to the attacking bow, and if he could be kept in check there wa-s * possibility of the rest being watched. ’But the possibility was deiinitely very small, as events were to prove. MeiClenaghan, for instance, had nobody to ■worry him. There was no Old Boys’ forward capable enough to keep a watchful eye on that phase of play, and. as it happened. Old Boys’ concen■tration on Thomas was all to the good >o far a- his side was concerned. Naiuraiiy. selectors had their thinking caps on. . 'That is if the weather ■was not too bleak for selectors.. It “was bleak enough, be it known, but surely some selectorial mind was at work in between gusts of wind. Wavirlev has some prospective representative players available —McClenaghan, Thoma.-, Petersen, Campbell and M. Dickie —they all have definite claims which will have to be proved of course, against sterner opposition than that Old Boys we-, able to put up. Walker's play will be watched with interest, too. Kaierau. it would serin, will be the light. Let it be hoped, therefore, that before the season grows much older, the whole of Wanganui's “big Three” ran be treated to the spectacle of Wav-p;-'tversus Kaierau! What a day that wili be for Wanganui and for Waverley! In the hearts of manv people there is a belief that Kaierau’s long held invincibility will ar last be broken. A whisper travelled through Waverley on Sautrday night that Katana had accounted for the maroons, but that was ‘‘too good to be true.” one of the Waverley club supporters staid when he heard the news. BuiiockDouglas and sharp were the oi..y two of Uld Boys’ backs who approached true form on Saturday, so effective was the Waverley attack. Old Boys did very little attacking. ’There tv a- one occasion when Bullock Douglas used his feet to advantage and outwitted the Waverley defence, but the bourn e of the ball, always a factor, had to be taken into account —phis M. Dickie, who was resourceful enough to rover up the gap. On defence none of the Old Boys' backs could be given laurels. BullockDouglas, often left with two men, never seemed able tu get either of them. Dickie was more than a match for him. and rose into favour < likely winger i«ir WfergnCiri team. 1.. Hill, the other Waveriev winger, showed promise. He came into the limelight purely on his own initiative ance, but the defence was so weak (or was it that the surprise was too great ? < ) on that occasion that he began the move as a blind-side winger and finished it as a lirst live-eighth. Hill, however, must acknowledge that while IDiekie had to make his own tries to a

In Fowler. Waverley has a usefu half back whose motto is to get th ball away quickly. At times he is ir elined to be erratic at passing, how ever, and wants to watch that phase o play lest there be a stray Modem ghan on the opposing side. Led by a resourceful pack of foi wards, which has obviously benefitte by team work, Waverley has a real! attractive side. Full allowance mus be made for Old Boys’ weak defence of course, but one cannot overlook tha weak, though that defence was Wavei ley never seemed to be short of a ma to take a ball. Backing up was one o the features of the team's play, an that backing up will be of value i future matches. What repercussions will the mate have? it is to be hoped that the hug score, flattering to the last degree, wi; not let Waverley run away with th idea that the championship has bee won. Let it be hoped, also, that 43 t 3 will iiven some spark of determina tion in the ranks of Old Boys t avenge the day at a later date. Th side had to thank Mclntyre for its soli tary try, but several of the forward played harder than many people wer prepared to give them credit for—Me Gregor, Moffett, Clay and Pleasants If Mclntyre had been available for th whole of the match things may hav gone better, but the sad truth from Ob Boys’ point of view was that, forwan for forward, back for back, they wer no match for Ihe team from “over th border. ’ ’ Technical Ohl Boys, always lookinj fur the open game, will prove dis cerning to many teams this year. Tic side more than held its own agains Marist, and. but for a strange ruling by Referee W. Molan, would have woi the match. ’This club’s aim will eve be to make the play open, and fast The players are fit. light perhaps, bu game enough and will worry many ; heavier side. Both Waverley and Marist are awar< of that. Waverley’s team work was no so effective against Technical Old Boy as it was on Saturday, largely becaus 1\ Thomson kept Petersen badl; bottled up. When Thomson and Fal eoner were hurt, and before Techni cal Old Boys could settle down to a re shuffled line, Waverley scored ihre tries, j The Marist team seemed a sad fare on Saturday compared with the side o the opening Saturday. More particu Jarly in the van did the team let it supporters down. It had a hard row t hoe against Technical Old Boys. Tha was the truth of the matter. PERSONAL PARS | old Bovs will miss Clay, thei hooker, who has been transferred t Wellington and leaves to-day. He is . member of rhe staff of the Bank o New Zealand. In football he set. | wonderful example in the support o his club. A yard or two faster in pac and he would have been in the firs I flight of forwards in the Dominion. Il J has represented Wanganui on a num be | of occasions. IE G. Barton, of the King Countr Union, has been transferred to Wan ' ganui. He is a sound second five-eights and has linked up with Wanganui am Old Boys. That team will be greatl; ' strengthened by his inclusion. He is : member of the staff of the Bank o * New South Wales. Beadle. Technical Old Boys’ centre has developed in physique since Jas season and looks like experiencing hi best year at Rugby. • • • ♦ A familiar figure in a mure or les new setting—R. Lupton, of Waverlex who played as wing three-quarter las • year but was in the pack on Saturda last. And a goud job he made of hi new role, too. • H. Fowler, the Waverley half-bar Jis a graduate from the Wanganui Tech J nica] College. He also played fo | Technical Old Boys. I Jack Morgan, of Kaierau. who is 2 years of age. is playing with his uusua i accuracy this season. Few player have his sense of anticipation. ■ A. Davidson, the Technical <>l Boys forward, who was •’discovered’ by the representatives last year, i playing well up to form. He looks 1 likely het as a nominee for th North Island. • D. Thomas, who played first five eighth for Waverley on Saturday, mus ‘ not be confused with his brother, E ' Thomas, who had that role last yeai The younger boy. a product of th New Plymouth Roys’ High Schoo looks “rhe goods.’ Rumour had it that A. Campbell, th crack Waverley centre, had been trans i ferred to the teaching staff of the Goi : ville School. And that lying jad > added the words: “and he is playin for Kaierau. too.” Campbell denie ■ the rumour on Saturday by playing fo Waverley and scoring two tries. Stil . school teachers are often transferre • and rumour may be able to say “1 tol you so,” before the season is out. Lloyd Stewart, erstwhile Wangant representative, Kaierau and Technics ■ Old Boys’ player, had a big hand i . Waverley’s victory on Saturday, eve . though he surveyed it from the sidi line. Lloyd knows the coaching jo better thay most. Arthur Bullock-Douglas probabl ■ often wonders why fate decreed tha : he should be a wing three-quarter. 1 looks as if he will face another seaso of'waiting for the ball. In last Satu; ‘ day’s match he made one strong ru I only and that was to convert defenc . into, attack. i H. Walker, whose health suffered