AUSTRALIA’S CHALLENGE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 200, 25 August 1936, Page 4

AUSTRALIA’S CHALLENGE

MATCH AGAINST WANGANUI

WILL 1928 HISTORY BE REPEATED TO-MORROW?

(By “Cross-bar.”) All Australian Rugby Union team playing in Wanganui to-morrow will cast memory back to 1928, when a Waratah side, captained by'S. J. Malcolm, defeated the blues on Spriggens Park by 20 points to 16 in a match which was one of the most spectacular seen for many years. Wanganui people to-day, while realising the magnitude of expecting the home team to actually defeat an international side, are wondering whether history of 1928 will repeat itself. If it should, and there is enough vim left at the end to give Wanganui the four points the side was down eight years ago, so much the better.

The teams which played in 1928 were as follows: Wanganui. Full-back: R. Fulton (0.8.>. Three-quarters: W. H. Carlson (O.B.), Tilley (T. 0.8. W. McLennan (Taihape). Five-eighths: A. J. Darby (M), Shanley (Hunt). Half-back: T. Vangioni (Marist). Wing forward: P. Stiver (T. 0.8. Back Row: R. Oxley (Wainui), McLean (Marist). Middle Row: Ross, Lloyd Stewart, P. Leahy (T.). Front Row: Burr and Pine. Australia. Full-back: Westfield. Three - quarters: Snairl, Towers, Bull. White. Five-eighth: George. Half-back: Malcolm. Forwards: Louden, Munsie, Abbott, O’Connor, Lamb, Langenberg, Phipps, Cerutti. Referee: Mr. A. Hen wood, of Rangitikei, now chairman of the Wanganui Selection Committee. It will be recollected that last minute changes were made in the Wanganui team consequent on W. Wakeling (Pirates), dropping out on account of injuries. The selector put Darby into the five-eighth line, the purpose being to stimulate defence. A great game resulted. Australia scored first, Munsie getting over for an unconverted try. A few minutes later a nice rearguard action by Wanganui sent Gus Carlson (by the way, he was reserve for the Auckland match against against Australia on Saturday) to beat White, the opposing winger, draw the full-back and send T’"?y on to score. Tilley converted.— W anganui 5, Australia 3. Australia then took the upper hand, and scored two good tries, one of which George converted. Offside play by Darby near the Australian goal presented George with another three points from a penalty kick. Just before half-time Wanganui attacked hotly and Tilley, from a penalty, added three points to make the halftime score, Australia 14, Wanganui 8. At that stage everybody expected a big score by Australia, but the highlights of the match were produced in the second half, when Wanganui attacked like a team inspired. Tilley landed an other penalty and the board read, Australia 14, Wanganui 11. By a superhuman effort in the forwards, Wanganui got a nose in front. Hot play centred round the Australian goal, and from the melee that tigerish forward from up-river, Oxley, went over for a try. Tilley’s conversion made the scores, Wanganui 16, Australia 14. • Australia took great risks from that out and passing in their own twentyfive was most audacious. It took Wanganui by surprise and even left the referee behind. Two tries were scored, one by Snairl and the other byTowers. The ball was handled 12 times before Towers grounded it to terminate his effort, the passing rush beginning on Wanganui’s line and ending as stated. Neither try was converted and the final score was: Australia 20 Wanganui 16 This is what Malcolm, the Australian skipper said to the writer after the match: “A good clean, hard game with a very impartial crowd looking on. We were beaten in the forwards and your chaps played well.” Lloyd Stewart, the Wanganui skipper, who is now coaching Waverley, said: “A darned good go, and pretty fast at that.” It will be recollected that in that year Australia triumphed over the team in Auckland by 19 points to 8 and invaded Wanganui fairly confident of success after having lowered the colours of a much stronger team. What of To-day? Atrocious conditions ruling at Auckland on Saturday precluded any true line on form being obtained so far as the Australians are concerned. They will invariably be looked to to do better on a fine day. Opposing Wanganui they will meet a sine which has forwards capable of playing well in the loose, but perhaps lacking in the necessary pafre. In back play the visitors will be opposed to a team which may prove a trifle sluggish close in to the scrum, but fa.*t on the wings. Defensively the Wanganui line should stand up well. As was pointed out in yesterday’s issue the great need will be pace. Not a man in the Wanganui team, from Welsh right up to the hookers, will be allowed time to hesitate. Handicapped by not having seen the Australian side in action, one cannot assess the possibilities for to-morrow. On paper the visitors will have a strong team, and the possibility of one of the lesser unions like Wanganui beating it may sound fantastic to many. If the Australians are beaten, then the laudation which preceded them over the Tasman will need ' a certain amount of watering down. In Wanganui, with every prospect of the weather being fine, the Australians will find conditions to their liking. That will enable them to play their own type of game, one which applies loose, passing rushes in the forwards, a style of play which will undo a good deal of the set policy of any team out to counter it. Wanganui rarely plays that type of game nowadays and tackling in the forwards has tended to fade out of the

picture a great deal. It stands to reason that if a team of 15 players can all handle like backs and know how to apply support, it will take a side just as organised on defence to stop it. Let one man miss a tackle and the line is in danger, it matters not where that lapse takes place, in the other side s territory or on defence. Looking back over the performance of the Waratahs on Spriggens Park eight years ago one cannot get away from a memory of that try Trowers’ scored to end the game—l 3 men participated in the move, 12 passes being given and the attack went from one end of the field to the other. True, many of those passes, especially after the attack had surged beyond halfway, looked to be forward, but that is all in the game. Points to Watch Commenting on the match between Australia and Auckland, Mr. R. Hoskins, an ex-Kaierau stalwart, now of Ongarue, told the writer that the visitors are adept at the long throw in. They throw the ball well over the heads of the lined-out forwards and the first five-eighth moves up at top the minute it leaves the hands of the thrower. Several times they broke through Auckland by that method. Scrum tactics have been watched carefully by the visitors. They set the pack on an angle and the half-back makes a point of seeing that he stands on the opposite side to the referee. In some instances it looked as though he failed to put the ball in at all, but came round the back of the pack with it in his hands and shot it straight out to the backs as though it had been cleanly hooked. The Wanganui Team. Wanganui is to be represented in to-morrow's match by the following players:— Height. Weight.

The Itinerary The following is the itinerary of the Australians’ tour: — August 22: v. Auckland. (Lost 5 8) August 26: v. Wanganui. August 29: v. Hei ke’s Bay. September 2: v. Inirarapa. September 5: v. New Zealand, at Wellington. September 9: v. North Otago. September 12: v. New Zealand, at Dunedin. j September 16: v. Southland, at In- ' vercargill. I September 19: v. Canterbury. [ September 23: v. Maoris, at Palmerston North.

JUNIOR CURTAIN-RAISER THE WANGANUI TEAM The following are the Wanganui junior representative., to play Taihape as a curtain-raiser to the Australia v. Wanganui match to-morrow:— Full-back: Hermans (Technical College). Three-quarters: Tumu (Ratana), O’Donnell (Kaierau), Shewan (Technical College). Five-eighths: Moosman (Tech. O.B.), Grogan (Technical). Half-back: Duncan (Kaierau). Hookers: Poole (Kaierau), Childs (Kaierau), Skilton (Pirates). Middle Row: Shipman (Kaierau), Matthews (Marist), Christensen (Tech. O.B.). Hiko (Ratana). Back of Scrum: Cai -ncross (Tech. O.B.). Reserves: Back, Huwyler (O.B.); forward, Godwin (Tech. O.B.) Players to assemble at gate at 1 p.m. to-morrow. NO THIRD TEST MATCH AUSTRALIA AND N.Z. RUGBY UNION DECISION [P?r Press Association] WELLINGTON, Aug. 24. There is no likelihood of the Australian Rugby team playing a third test with New Zealand on its present tour of the Dominion. That much was learned at the Rugby Union headquarters when information was sought regarding the report from Auckland that the question of playing a third test at Auckland would be considered by the New Zealand Rugby Union. “It is all moonshine,” was the remark oE the chairman, Mr. S. S. Dean, when his attention was drawn to the report that the matter had been discussed with the officials of the New Zealand Rugby Union during the outing for the visitors on the Waitemata Harbour yesterday. Mr. Dean stated that no request whatever had been made lor an extra test. The programme provided for two tests and there was no intention of altering that arrangement. It had been suggested, however, that Auckland, in view of the unfortunate experience in the matter of the weather on Saturday, might be given an opportunity of staging another game with the touring team if one could be fitted in. The New Zealand Rugby Union did not know whether the visitors would be agreeable to playing an extra match. If they were it would not be a test, said Mr. Dean, who added that he had agreed to place the Auckland request for an extra match before the next meeting of the committee. WITH THE COLLEGES NELSON THE CHAMPIONS DEFEAT OF WELLINGTON WANGANUI WIN A GAME |Per Press Association] NELSON, Aug. 24. The final of the inter-collegiate Rugby tourney was played at the Nelson College grounds to-day in fine weather, resulting in a win for Nelson over Wellington after an attractive match by 25 points to 8. The turf was slippery. A dropped pass in a Nelson attack let Wellington through and after a short punt Thompson ran over for a try wide out, Alexander converting. Nelson attacked heavily, Walter and Atkins being nearly over after great rushes. After a sustained attack by the Nelson forwards Bailey shot through from five yards out to score an unconverted try. The Nelson forwards frequently burst through the Wellington pack, rendering the visiting backs ineffective until Pocknall made a brilliant run. A knock-on by the forwards robbed the side of a certain try. Maxwell immediately raced through a gap for 40 yards, passing to Smilh, who scored in the corner. McI aren missed the kick and the halftime score was: Nelson 6, Wellington The Wellington backs, opening up m the second half, let first Longley away and later Jameson, for who.n Pocknall made a wonderful opening for a try. Nelson assumed the lead after o break-away by Mitchell for a try. From a line out Smith threw to Bramwell, back to Smith, who scored. McLean converted. Mitchell made the ra”gin greater when he raced through the blind sidefi sold a dummy and scored. Bowers, the Nelson half, bluffed his way over a few minutes later to make the score 17 to 8. Mitchell and Henry worked the next try, the latter scoring close in for Walter to convert. Henry made it two when he sped over, making the final score 25 to 8. Wanganui's Great Recovery. Wanganui and Christ’s College, the contestants for the lesser honours of the tourney, opened play in brilliant weather. Christ’s won the toss and attacked steadily for the first quarter of an hour, culminating in a blindside move, Byrne drawing the winger and sending West-Watson over - in the corner. Christ’s continued the attack, securing the bail in the scrums. After Wagner had made a tricky run down the centre, Spiers forced his way over for a try. Wagner brought his side's total to 11 when he scored brilliantly after a 35 yards run and converted his own try. Just on halftime Wanganui opened their account with an unconverted try by Green. Despite playing against the strong sun Christ's had been so far definitely superior, Wanganui’s passing being ineffective. The second spell opened in characteristic college fashion, Christ’s adding two brilliant tries, the second of which was converted, in five minutes, Spiers and Green being the scorers. Green outpacing the opposition from 30 yards out.—Christ’s 19, Wanganui 3. Three forwards piled over to increase Wanganui's total to 6. -Wanganui, taking a new lease of life, added ten points in as many minutes through tries by Dowding and Sherratt, both being converted by Green. The margin of difference was only three points. Meuli, with a great cut through, paved the way for Sherratt to score, Green converting the winning try.—Wanganui 21, Christ’s 19. Wanganui had made a splendid recovery to snatch victory after the score had been 19 to 3 against them at one stage.

Full-back: K. Welsh 5.10 12.0 Three-quarters: L. Burgess 6.2* 11.5 D. G. Barton 5.10i 12.2 Bullock-Douglas . 5.91 11.7 Five-eighths: R. Chase 5.9 13.6 D. Thompson 5.10 11.10 Half-back: H. Brogden 5.5 10.4 Back of Scrum: G. Lockett 6.01 13.12 Middle Row; N. James 6.1 i 13.7 W. Firmin 6.2 13.11 A. Davidson 6.2 13.7 C. Hutchinson 6.0 13.0 Front Row: W. Thompson 5.10 12.8 C. Reynolds 5.10 13.10 M. McGregor 5.10 13.2 Reserves: R. Walker (forw’d) 6.0 13.3 D. Jones (back) 5.8 11.8 The Wanganui team will assemble for practice at 7.30 to-night and a team talk will follow The Australians. The Australian team, telegraphed specially to the “Chronicle” last night from Taumarunui, through the courtesy of the manager of the visitors, Mr. Shaw, will be as follows — Height. Weight. Full-back: K. P. Storey 5.10 12.5 Three-quarters: A. D. McLean 5.11 12.6 W. McLachlan 5.10 11.0 R. W. Dorr 5.9 12.5 Five-eighths: R. Rankin . . 5.10 12.10 J. D. Hammon 5.8 11.4 Half-back: E. Gibbons 5.6 i 10.4 Back Row: L. T. Pauling 6.0 13.7 Middle Row: A. J. Hodgson 6.1 14.4 W. G. F. White . 6.3 16.0 F. E. Hutchinson 6.2* 14.4 K. S. Windon 6.0 13.0 Front Row: R. J. Walden leapt) 5.11 14.6 A. H. Stone 5.8 13.10 J. H. Malone 5.11 i 13.10 Reserve Backs: J. D. Kelaher 5.9 11.2 C. C. Egan 6.0 12.7 V. Ritchards 5.8 * 12.2 Reserve Forwards: E. T. Bonis 5.11 13.8 0. L. Bridle 6.21 13.7