RUGBY REFLECTIONS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 190, 14 August 1940, Page 7

RUGBY REFLECTIONS

RECENT MATCHES IN REVIEW

POSSIBILITIES IN AN INTERESTING CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

The position of the senior Rugby championship is still very interesting. Here is a summary of the performances of the five teams in the third round and the matches each has still to play: PIRATES: v. Technical Old Boys, won 20 to 3; v. Wanganui and Old Boys, won 14 to 9; v. Marist, won 15 to 5. Points on the ladder, 15. Matches still to be played: v. Kaierau (next Saturday). WANGANUI AND OLD BOYS: v. Pirates, lost 9 to 14; v. Kaierau, won 21 to nil. Points on the ladder 16. Matches still to be played: v. Technical Old. Boys (next Saturday), v. Marist. TECHNICAL OLD BOYS: v. Pirates, lost, 3 to 20; v. Marist, lost 3 to 12. Points on the ladder 14. Matches still to be played: v. Wanganui and Old Boys (next Saturday), v. Kaierau. KAIERAU: v. Marist, drew 3-all; v. Wanganui and Oid Boys, lost nil-21. Points on the ladder, 15. Matches still to be playdd: v. Pirates (next Saturday , v. Technical Old Boys. MARIST: v. Kaierau, drew 3-all; v. Technical Old. Boys, won 12 to 3; v. Pirates, lost 5 to 15. Points on the ladder 13. One match still to be played: v. Wanganui and Old Boys. It is interesting now to speculate, taking supposed results and see where the teams stand. The draw for next Saturday is: Pirates v. Kaierau. Technical Old Boys v. Wanganui and Old Boys. Marist have the bye. The remaining matches after next Saturday will be: Marist v. Wanganui and Old Boys. Kaierau v. Technical Old. Boys. Pirates have the bye. SUPPOSING that Wanganui and Old Boys beat Technical Old Boys next Saturday and Pirates beat Kaierau, the ladder will read: Wanganui and Old Boys IS Pirates 17 Kaierau 15 Technical Old Boys _ v 14 Marist 11 That would give Wanganui and Old Boys the cup, because Pirates forced to take a bye in the final block of fixtures, would have no chance of bettering their 17 points. Kaierau, at 15, and with only one match to go, would not be able to rise above 17. Thus Old Boys must win agains. Technical Old Boys next Saturday to be certain of winning the championship. It is a pity this game is not being played at three o’clock for that reason. The fate of the cup hangs on it! SUPPOSING that Technical Old Boys beat Old Boys and Pirates win against Kaierau. Then the ladder would read: Pirates - 17 Wanganui 0.8. 16 Technical 0.8 16 Kaierau 15 Marist ..... 11 Pirate hopes of winning the championship would then depend on Marist, the greens having to play Old Boys in the final set of fixtures. If the greens beat Old Boys Pirates would be the season’s champions without more ado. If the greens drew with Old Boys, there would have to be a play-off between Old Boys and Pirates to decide the fate of the cup. If Old Boys win against Marist, then Old. Boys will be champions. SUPPOSING that both matches next Saturday are drawn. The ladder would be still a point in favour of Old Boys, but Kaierau would come into the picture again in the final block of fixtures. Assuming that both games are draw the ladder would read: Wanganui Old Boys 17 Pirates 16 Kaierau -!16 Technical 0.8. -- 15 Marist .11 Kaierau, by beating Technical Old Boys in the last set of matches could rise to 18 points and if Old Boys were beaten by Marist they would stay at 17. That would give Kaierau the cup. SUPPOSING that both Wanganui and Old Boys and Pirates get beaten next Saturday, this would be the ladder : » Kaierau - 17 Wanganui Old Boys 16 Technical Old Boys - 16 Pirates 15 Marist , 11 Kaierau, by beating Technical Old Boys in the last block of matches could win the championship. It would not matter whether Old Boys lost or won against Marist in that last set ol games. But if Technical Old Loys could beat Kaierau or even draw with them, Old Boys would have a chance If Kaierau got beaten Technical Olc Boys would be promoted to 18 points at the end of the round and Old Boys would have to beat Marist to qualify for a play-off with Technical Old Boys So, to summarise the hopes an<: aspirations of the teams; Wanganui Old Boys stand the bea chances, in that they can win by their own play. By winning the next twe matches they can hold the cup, n< matter what fate befalls the othei teams. By conceding a draw in one match of those to be played, Old Boy; may have to play off to win. Kaierau can win provided it beats Pirates and Technical Old Boys an. subject to Old Boys being beaten at least once. Technical Old Boys, in sight of a possible 18 points on the ladder, must beat Old Boys and Kaierau and can then win provided Marist beat Olc Boys. Technical Old Boys could win in a play-off with Old Boys in me event of Old Boys losing once and winning once.

■ For Pirates to win tne championship there must be a paly-off with Kaierau, Technical Old Boys or Old Boys. To bring that about this is what must happen: Technical Old Boys must beat Old Boys next Saturday and Pirates must beat Kaierau; then, in the next set of fixtures. Kaierau must beat or draw with Technical

’ Old Boys, and Marist must either beat or draw with Old Boys. If Marist beat Old Boys then Pirates would have to play-off with either Kaierau or Technical Old Boys, one of whom would have 17 points. If Old Boys and Marist played a drawn game there would be three teams in the play-off— Pirates, Kaierau (or Technical Old Boys) and Old Boys. At this stage, we just have enough energy left to say that the competition is indeed very interesting. We have a severe headache! It is many years since Kaierau received such a licking on Spriggens Park as that administered to the maroons last Saturday by Wanganui and Old Boys. In fact the Kaierau team has never lost by so big a margin since Spriggens Park ceased to be the Recreation ground. 4, * . ♦ It all came about because the Wanganui and Old Boys pack was fit and there was just that bit of extra dash about the backs to make good. True, Auld kicked a field goal and a penalty goal. Taking the field goal out of the score would still leave the maroons facing 17 point loss, something hard to account for. Beaten in the pack, the Kaierau pack did not have the pace to counter the opposition. M. Allan, at full-back, was sluggish and rarely moved up when he could have made ground. F. Thompson, first five-eighths, stood up to as heavy a gruelling as any fiveeighths this season. He had to bear the brunt of the breaking Wanganui Old Boys pack and to counter move after move of the backs. He was injured towards the end of the game and will not be available for next Saturday. . » • • E. Chamberlain gave his backs plenty of ball. His forwards worked splendidly and E. Nicholls, at first fiveeighths, showed a remarkably safe pair of hands. K. Welsh, as usual, was the best back on the ground, and had he been supported more quickly, the score against Kaierau would have been higher.

FOR NEXT SATURDAY

Bqtli the Old Boys' wing three-quar-ters, C. Taite and G. Hore, showed enterprise. Taite scored two good tries. He is not the finished wing three-quarter by any means, but no team can afford to give him liberties. His handling needs improvement, but he always knows what to do with the ball when he gets it, and that is a big help. G. Hore, the other wing three-quar-ter, put a spectacular touch into the dash of his play that pleased his team. His pace in getting across to save a try in the second spell was commendable. Handling is his weakness. * * * * W. Auld, the Wanganui Old Boys’ full-back, despite a tendency to be hurried in getting rid of the ball, helped his side on a number of occasions. He did nothing, except kick a field goal, which was spectacular. Like Gerry Brand, of South Africa, he does not always look the perfect full-back, but he is" a better full-back than the fans think he is. R. McKnight scored the most spectacular tr.y of the match between Old Boys and Kaierau. Breaking away from near the side-line, he got past a wing three-quarter, then the fullback and got over the line. It meant five points, the only points scored in the second spell. It was hard to single out members of the Old Boys pack who played better than the others. The whole scrum worked well. I. Olliver, L. Northover and R. Cross were in the thick ol things, <nd D. Almond's hooking was on top all day. L. Cross, J. Cooke and McKnight were in everything that was loose. D. Robertshaw was good m the line-outs, but as Old Boys were taking scrums instead of throw Lis, the chance to do much there was lessened. 1 It was noticeable that Kaierau j played Beiliss in the centre of the line-outs in this match. He toiled well I there and so did W. Firmin, but as in .ders turned out Beiliss might have been of more use to Kaierau out on the end of the line. Every time the ball came loose Kaierau did not have the sting necessary to spoil in that vital first spell. The defensive work of the team closed up a good deal in the second spell, but it wa sthen too late. “Pirates can beat any team in the competition at the present stage,” said a prominent football captain yesterday. He is on fairly safe ground in making that assertion. The Wacks overcame the Marist resistance in the

forwards last Saturday and deserved to win by the margin shown in the Pirates must keep winning if they hope to be in at the finish. Unforl tunately for them, they began the I third round a little bit too low on the ladder. If they had had two I more points they would be cheerfully | looking ahead, relying on their own j ability. As the cup position is at present. they must rely on the ability 'J of others to get through. They zevnot win on their own doing; only. Congratulations to D. G. Barton on gaining his commission in the army. His football record is a good one, and when he was playing. for Wanganui he did much to raise the standard of back play in this union. Old Boys could do with him, next Saturday, in fact.

WANGANUI FIXTURE LIST MERGING OF’ GRADE TEAMS At its meeting last night the Management Committee of the Wanganui Rugby Union approved of the action of the Fixtures Committee in merg-

ing the juniors and third grade teams and the fourth and fifth grade for competitions during the school vacation period. The senior and grade fixtures arranged are:— Seniors 1 Pirates v. Kaierau, Spriggens Park, 3 p.m. . Technical Old Boys v. Wanganui and Old Boys, Spriggens Park, 1.30 p.m, Marist have the bye. Junior and Third Combined Teams W.0.8. v. Pirates, Racecourse No. 1, 1.30 p.m. T. 078, v. Marist, Racecourse No. 2. 1.30 p.m. Waverley v. Kaierau, Racecourse No. 1, 3 p.m. Fourth and Fifth Combined Teams Kaierau-Marist v. Pirates A, Racecourse No. 1.30 p.m. Marist-Kaierau v. Pirates, Racecourse No. 4. I 30 p.m.