RUGBY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 221, 18 September 1936, Page 4

RUGBY

POVERTY BAY BEATEN WANGANUI JUST TOO GOOD VISITORS DESERVED VICTORY Meeting the hardest opposition of the season, the Poverty Bay representative Rugoy iootoaii team went uown to uexeat at the hanus of tne Wanganui team wiiicn on Thuisuay had beaten Hawke s Bay, says tne Poverty Bay Herald of bepuenioer 14. The visitors aeserveu to wm, though it was a last-minute try wmen decided the match in their favour. They were attacking through most Ox the last quarter, ana Poverty x>ay had nad tne best of the luck right up to within a minute of the close, wnen Davidson followed the bail from a line-out and got over the Poverty Bay goai-line under a pile of defenders. The final score was 13-10 in favour of Wanganui. From many points of view the match, which was the first in whim Poverty Bay had been defeated on their own ground in 1936, was inchest of the season, for Wanganui produced a line set of forwaras and a bright back division, and in rising to meet the occasion, the Bay excelled itself, despite the absence of four members of the regular first-line team.

The game showed once again the capacity of the home team to produce something really good in the way of form when facing a formidable opposition. Had their luck held as well as their form, they would have scratched out of the game with a draw. Such a result would have flattered Poverty Bay, undoubtedly,

but there have been plenty o£ matches in the past in which the luck has been as much the other way as it was for the team on Saturday. The Early Scores At half-time the score was 10-all, each side having scored two goais from tries, and tne game having been as even up to the interval. Both the Wanganui scores were the result of good understanding between the inside backs and the right wingei, Burgess, who used his speed and bulk to beat his opposite number in the Poverty Bay team to the ball as it rolled loose over the line, similar tactics in each case yielding tries. The tries scored for bhe home team were more spectacular, and both were put down so near the goal-posts that the kicks were almost formalities for Campbell. The try scored by Sharp was particularly well done, this player running right through the Wanganui inside backs and evading at least four players who would have been able to tackle him had he not pul them on the wrong foot. It was a dazzling bit of work, showing admirable apprecialion of the opportunity. The other tiy was equaly meritorious, but had less of the spectacular quality. All the points up to half-time were scored in the first quarter, and the teams :e:named on even terms in regard tu the score right up to List minute, when Wanganui broke through from a line-out just inside the home 25yds. line. Quick Reversal of Position To convey the impression that Poverty Bay was on the defensive for the greater part, of the second half would not be accurate, for there were many occasions on which Wanganui were pressed with'.n a few yards of their own goal-line, and hod to do their level best to keep the line clear. The visitors showed a wonderful capacity for reserving the positions suddenly, however, and in one instance when the Bay were fighting hard to get over Wanganui’s line, McClenaghan, a big forward with a gift for dribbling, broke right away to midfield from a set scrum, with the ball at his toe, McCormack, the Wanganui centre, and Burgess carrying on with passes and reverse passes, and the home team being thrown back so speedily that only one or two

were able to assist in the defence of their own line. Morrison forced in the face of this attack by Wanganui, and was lucky to get to the ball in time. The game almost immediately travelled the length of the field again from the drop-out, Matheson figuring prominently in a forward rush, with ; Julian also giving strong support. Wanganui defended for a short time, until a penalty kick gave them relief, and soon Wanganui were back hammering at the Poverty Bay end. This time Brogden, the Wanganui half-back, got very close to the line after ducking round on the blini side of the scrum, but he was held up a yard out, and a Bay player conceded a penalty by playing the ball with his hand immediately after the tackle. Had Bullock-Douglas retained the kicking form he had shown earlier, Wanganui might have got the lead at that stage, but his kick missed narowly, and the Bay supporters drew a breath of relief. Work in the Scrums It was noticeable from this stage on that while Poverty Bay enjoyea a fair measure of success in the lineouts, often dominating them for minutes at a time, Wanganui had much the better of the set scrums, their hooker getting the ball with monotonous regularity. The Poverty Bay scrum did not appear to be packing with its usual elliciency, and repeatedly was pushed back off the ball after getting possesion. On the few occasions which Poverty Bay did get the ball out to the half-back, the visitors were round on Morrison very fast, and he was much more troubled than in any of the previous games of the season on the Oval.

Twice Wanganui nearly got over with dribbling rushes, and once Harris, the home centre-threequart.er, had to send the ball into dead territory with a speculative kick when Wanganui’s backs swarmed in with the ball on the ground. The Bay had another break when Thompson, fiveeighth for Wanganui, got a good chance for a field goal, his kick being charged down just in the nick of time by Julian. Scrums became too frequent for the enjoyment of the spectators, both teams being over-eager, and many knock-ons occurring. Stoppages for injuries to players were also becorn ing frequent, McCormack and McClenaghan in the visiting team and

| Sharp in the home side having to rejeeive attention from the ambulance I officers. The Last Quarter ! In the last quarter of the game, I Poverty Bay were lucky on tnree ocI casions to avert a score by their opponents, and Wanganui was always threatening. A nice breaKaway by Morrison and A. McAneney, on the blind side of the scrum, took the visitors by surprise, and might have I yielded points but for the winger kicking too strongly and giving Wanganui a chance to force. For a lime the Bay took a new lease of life, but their opponents used the mark frequently as a defensive measure, and gradually drove the attacks back, tne last five minutes finding Wanganui again in Poverty Bay territory, ana putting everything they had into an effort to secure the lead. Their chance came almost exactly on time. A line-out was ordered a few yards inside the Poverty Bay twenty-live line, and the Wanganui winger wno threw in the ball tossed it far out into the field, where Davidson was marked by Scholium. The last-mentioned player got his hand on the ball, and shot it back to Owen, who was playing close up to the line-out. The Poverty Bay fullback just failed to gather it in, and Davidson dived over the line for the deciding try of the match. The kick at goal failed, but the extra points die not matter, as the game was already won by Wanganui. The Winning Team In the winning team, McClenaghan, Davidson, Hutchinson and Reynolds were the outstanding forwards, while' Brogden, at half-back, Jones at second five-eighths, McCormack at Centre, and Welsh at full-back were the most impressive of the rear division. The two wingers, Burgess and Bullock-Douglas, were well in the picture, but did not get many chances to show up after the first quarter o/ an hour. The Wanganui tackling was solid, and their handling was generally good, but most of the backs had a tendency to hold too long to the ball, and they were frequently caught in possession. McCormack’s change oi pace and his gift for dummying both proved deceptive, but the home side

found that when the Wanganui centre was definitely downed, the worst threat in any of the visitors’ back movements was disposed of. Both of the Wanganui tries in the first half were dependent a little on the roll of i the ball, and might, have been missed. i TEAMS FOR TO-MORROW ' POLICE AND PRESS DAY THREE MATCHES ON SPRIGGENS PARK FINAL FOR CHARITY CUP To-morrow will be Police and Press day on Spriggens Park. There are three matches to be played: St. Pat's Old Boys (Palmerston North) v. Marist (Wanganui). Police v. Press. Old Boys v. Kaierau (final for Charity Cup). I Teams have been chosen as under; Press Team ; All hands, to play the Police, at I Spriggens Park at 2.20 p.m.: W. Kidd iW. Wakeling, A. Workman, N. Barlow ,R. Wakeling (2nd.), R. McNeil (Fire ■ Brigade) l A. Lowe (capt.) A. Simpson. i Shipman, H. Granville, G. Delves, J. Colway. I Childs, J. Watson, Ward. 'R. Clayton (Taranaki News) and W. Porteous. Police Team. | A strong team has been selected to represent the Police to-morrow, wlfn plenty of weight in and behind the scrum, and one of the fastest back lines ever seen in Wanganui Rugby. Even the reserves will carry a lot of weight. Following is the team selected:— Full-back: H. L. Smith. Three-quarters: M. Shewan, A. Beale, N. Murray. Five-eighths: B. Gilbertson, T. McCormack. Half-back: D. Valentine. Back of scrum: S. H. Cave. Middle row: W. R. Rae, J. Fletcher, S. E. Ankins, G. A. Howes. Front row: C. L. Packman, N. D. Batchelor, W. R. Fleming. Reserves: P. J. O’Brien and J. WilTn.*-

Technical Old Boys Juniors will not play to-morrow, the Wilson Cup fixture with Kaierau having been set down for to-morrow week. Wanganui and Old Boys’ Club Seniors v. Kaierau, on Spriggens Park, at 3.15 p.m.—Northover, Neilson, Reid C„ Moffatt, Mclntyre Robertshaw, Halligan, Lloyd, Hunter,’ Nicholls, Collins, Polson, Sharp, Jeffs, Hewyler, Hore, Renshaw, H. Smith' Cook, A. Graham. Kaierau Club. Senior v. Wanganui and Old Boys, at 3.15 p.m.: R. Wilson, Sercombe’ Clark, Anderson, Griffin, Whale, Pleasants, Stewart, Poole Glenn, Shipman, Larsen. Hawkes, J. Wilson Gatfield, Duncan. Smith, Travers, O'Donnell, Gifford, Lett. Cresswell, Childs. JUNIOR SEVEN-A-SIDE WIN FOR TECHNICAL OLL BOYS Technical Old Boys won the junior seven-a-side Rugby tournament promoted by the Wanganui Metropolitan Rugby Union. Results were as tallow:— Technical Old Boys 11, beat Kaierau 6. Marist 26, beat Pirates 0. Final Technical Old Boys 9, beat Marist 0. The wining team comprised: Falconer, Breed, Groshinski, Shewan, Harrison, Grogan and Suker. The boys each received a miniature cup ,Irom the Metropolitan Rugbv ’’“’on.