EASTER RUGBY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 89, 16 April 1938, Page 11

EASTER RUGBY

LINE ON SEASON'S OPENING

BIG TOURNEY AT WANGANUI KAIERAU AND MARIST TO TRAVEL

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Easter invariably provides a line on the form likely to show itself in the opening matches of tne Rugby season. indications are that the 1938 season will open in Wanganui on April 30, and the inter-club tourney to be staged on Cook’s Gardens this morning and on Monday afternoon, together with the Spillane Cup tourney at also opening this morning, and the Jubilee celebrations of the Oriental Club, Wellington, will serve to at least name some of the talent available m Wanganui.

The Pirates Club will participate today in the tournament at Cook’s Gardens, together with Pirate clubs from Wellington and Napier and Kia Toa, Palmerston North. Kaierau is to travel to Wellington for the long-stand-ing match with Oriental, and the Wanganui Marist Club is to journey to Napier to take part in the Spillane Cup tourney with other Marist clubs in the North Island. Technical Old Boys (Wanganui) have a match to play this afternoon with Eastbourne (Wellington), at Wanganui. Naturally, major interest for Wanganui will be taken in the tournament being played here among Pirates clubs for the Cook Shield. Attention is drawn to the time of the opening of this tournament. It is to be played on Cook’s Gardens and the kick-off-in the first match to-day will be at 9 a.m. The second will start at 10 a.m. The tournament will be concluded on Monday afternoon, the first match, Losers v. Losers, commencing at 2 p.m. and the second, Winners v. Winners, at 3.15 p.m. The teams competing, particularly Kia Toa, Palmerston North, look very strong on paper. Wanganui is to play Napier at 9 o’clock this morning and Palmerston North and Wellington will meet at 10 o’clock. That timetable will allow patrons who desire to attend the rowing events afterwards.

Led by All Black R. McKenzie, the Kia TOa team, holders of the Cook Shield, will make every effort to repeat the form which won the trophy last year at Napier. Seven last year’s Manawatu representatives are included in the Kia Toa team. The Wellington Pirates will field H. Love, the five-eighth who performed so well in the All Black trials last year. The indications are that good Rugby will be featured in the four games played, and the close proximity of Cook’s Gardens to the centre of the town will bring the tournament easily within reach of a big public. The results last year, at Napier, were as follows. —Napier Pirates 29, Wellington 1-1; Kia Toa 28, Wanganui 3. Second day: Kia Toa 16, Napier 6; Wanganui 21, Wellington 3. The Oriental Celebrations. For many years Kaierau (Wsngauui) and Oriental (Wellington/ have played an annual .natch on Easter Saturday. This year the occasion coincides with the celebration of the Oriental Club’s Jubilee, and will be featured on that account. Kaierau is sending a strong team to Wellington for the match. Technical Old Boys.

The Wanganui Technical Old Boys team is also making use of EasterSaturday and will play a match at Wanganui with the Eastbourne Club (Wellington). This fixture is timed for 2.30 this afternoon on the Technical College Ground.