RUGBY COMMENT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 207, 2 September 1936, Page 4

RUGBY COMMENT

JOTTINGS ABOUT THE GAME CHARITY CUP TO BE WON YET ALL BLACKS’ NEW CAPTAIN (By “Crossbar.”) The touring Australians play Wairarapa to-day. Wanganui has a short tour of the East Coast in view, including matches against Hawke’s Bay and Poverty Bay, respectively. It is evident that the Pownah Trophy intends to make a long stay in Wanganui. The holders gave Rangitikei every chance of lifting it last Saturday, but the blue was too good. Inability to hold its own in the mud was Wanganui’s handicap against Tvlanawatu at Feilding on Saturday. The blues never looked like winning. » ♦ • * After Australia’s display against Wanganui the defeat inflicted on the tourists by Hawke's Bay on Saturday did not come as a great surprise. It must not be thought, however, that the Australians will be easily beaten, even by New Zealand. If the play is open and fast, it will be to their liking. There is material in the backs to make a good game of things with any team, but it looks as if the tourists are going to sadly realise the value of hard, rucking forwards when it comes to an issue with the best of New Zealand teams. They may pull their stocks up a little to-day against Wairarapa, but even there, if the home forwards can dominate possession good players like McLean, McLughlin and Kelaher, will spend the afternoon in the cold. • • * * Jack Manchester has dropped out of the New Zealand team and Wells, of Wellington, takes his place. Jack Griffiths is to captain the side, with R. R. King, West Coast, as his deputy. Interest in the forthcoming test has waned a good deal since Australia failed in Napier. That Is a pity, because the visitors play a type of game we could do with more of in the Dominion. Charity Cup matches remain to be played in Wanganui and the season is to end on September 19, with the final for that trophy. This match is to be preceded by the annual PolicePress encounter. The gate is to be devoted to the Wanganui Injured Players’ Fund, the St. John Ambu.lance, the Home of Compassion, Plunket Society, St. Vincent de Paul Society, and such other deserving causes the committee shall direct. • » » • Since his “difference” with the selectors, Jack Morgan (KaieratD has not been considered when representative teams have been chosen. He has seen the last few games from the stand. • • • • Rangi Chase (Taihape) is another player who has been relegated to the sideline. He failed to muster with the other players for practice prior to the match against the Australians and the “Big Three” stood him down and called on Dave Jones (Kaierau). Wanganui were without the services of three of their original selections, Ihe five-eighth, Jones, and two forwards, Hutchinson and Thompson, says lhe Manawatu Standard, commenting on the match between Manawatu and Wanganui, last Saturday. Early in the first spell they also lost the services of their captain (Lockett), who up to his retirement with an injured leg had been a tower of strength to his side. One of the features of the game was lhe perfect handling of the Manawatu backs. The ball was heavy and greasy, but right through the rearguard the leather passed from hand to hand with almost clock-like precision on almost every occasion a passing rush was attempted. There were a few occasions, of course, when a bad pass would halt proceedings, but these were few and far between. The Wanganui backs were handicapped through their forwards’ inability to secure the ball in the scrum, but when they did get it they lacked the polish of the Manawatu backs. Welsh was sound at full-hack, but none of the three-quarters impressed. Bullock-Douglas was only a shadow of his former self, but he was playing opposite a deadly tackler in Gillespie, and that no doubt affected his play. Thompson was quite a tricky first five-eighth and showed himself to be the possessor of a fleet foot on several occasions. Brogden, at half-back, passed out smartly and cleanly when his forwards hooked the ball, and he showed no fear in going down to lhe forward rushes. The Wanganui forwards did not show the dash or cohesion of their opponents, but good play by James, Firmin and McGregor was noticed. Answer to correspondent: No; Mr F. C. Atkinson was not the referee in the match played by the South Africans against Wanganui in 1921. Mr A. Nielson, of Wellington, acted in that capacity. Both Messrs Atkinson and W. H. Rowe got games in other centres when the Springboks last toured the Dominion. A northern critic states that on the form he has shown in Hamilton in recent games J. Best, the former Marlborough representative, and 1935 All Black, should have been one of the first forwards selected for the Tesf against the Australians. The manager of the touring Wallabies. Gordon Shaw, believes in geting right into things with his team. Before the start of the game with Auckland recently, he led both teams on to the field with the Australian mascot. That, so far as it went, was all right; the trouble was that the ground was so wet that Shaw’s shoes were caked with mud when he returned to the comparative security of the grandstand. Shaw managed the Waratahs in their successful tour of Great Britain in 1927-, 23.