Kaierau’s Great Second Spell

Wanganui Chronicle, 10 May 1948, Page 6

Kaierau’s Great Second Spell

PIRATES COULD NOT GET POSSESSION. Very even play in the first spell, turning to devastating assaults by Kaierau in the second, characterised the three o'clock match between those two old rivals, Pirates and Kaierau. The first spell suggested that it would be a slogging match between the forwards and that the side able to profit most from goal kicking would win. That opinion was more or less confirmed by the fact that at half time Pirates were seven points up from a penalty goal and a field goal. But how the first spell belied what was to happen in the second. Kaierau opened the game up, threw the ball about, and its back line proved faster and more deadly than the rearguard of the blacks. Three great tries were scored, and two others missed by a fraction. Pirates were a well beaten team, back and forward in that second spell, and struggled hard to defend. The maroons thoroughly deserved their win, which would have been larger but for trivial mistakes at critical moments. Henderson, the fast Kaierau wing three-quarter, was unlucky in not being awarded a try when the referee awarded a penalty .kick for handling the ball after a tackle. Henderson fell as though from a trip, after a Pirate player dived at his ankles. He rolled over, a sort of somersault, and carried on with the play crossing the line, but the referee ruled that in between the time he carried on and the crossing of the line a tackle had occurred —and after a tackle the ball must be played with a foot Henderson was unlucky. On another occasion a try appeared to have been scored by I. Whale, Kaierau five-eighth. He had a long way to run for the goal line and was chased by Les Head, Pirate centre. Head tackled him as he reached the fine, but it looked as though Whale had scored. There was a vociferous demonstration of disapproval from the crowd when a drop-out was awarded, the ball having reached touch in goal, or was forced. Actually, the referee was correct in his decision, as Whale himself said afterwards—he lost the ball before he could get it down!

4 Pirates’ slow five-eighths again penalised their three-quarter line, and it is doubtful whether M. Dixon's dive-passing from the base of the scrum, was an advantage, though it wqs spectacular. But it was in the pack that the blacks failed most. Their forwards were beaten at the end and Pirates, without their traditional pack dominating the ball, looked quite a different team compared with the sides they have fielded of late. Kaierau, by contrast, with R. Ward outstanding in line-outs, fielded a very fast, fit pack. The teams were:— Kaierau: A. Duncan; P. Henderson, B. Bason, T. Cartwright; I. Whale (2nd), N. Thomas; J. James; E. Bellis; G. Gerrie, R. Ward, P. Ward, J. Whale; L. Hill, R. Crombie, K. Dunbar. M. Fifield replaced P. Ward (injured) late in the first spell. Pirates: T. Bristol; J. Taunton, Les Head, J. Hickling; D. Cotton (2nd), N. Ahern; M. Dixon; A. Ahern; N. Brown, V. Bell, B. Pedley, R. Head; D. Lind, A. Northover, B. Whatmough. Referee: Mr. W. Broadhead. Pirates were without some of thenregular players, who were on the side line with injuries, and Cotton, the team’s usual full-back, was a fiveeighths. Spectacular saves by the Pirates full-back, the junior boy, T. Bristol, had the crowd pleased in the early stages, but after that the game was a battle between the packs. Kaierau were penalised and R. Head goaled.— Pirates 3, Kaierau 0. Shortly afterwards a Kaierau player speculated, and the ball flew infield instead of out, was fielded by Les Head and he neatly drop-kicked a clean, high field goal.—Pirates 7, Kaierau 0. Once in that spell the blacks looked dangerous. Cotton broke through and passed to Les Head after drawing Duncan. Head was heading for the unprotected goal when Henderson came across the field and took him low. Both Duncan and Head had successive attempts to goal from penalties, but both failed and the score at half-time was seven-nil in Pirates’ favour. Kaierau began well in the second, James, Thomas, I. Whale and Bason handling. Bason cutting in to run round and score between the posts. Duncan coverted. —Kaierau 5, Pirates 7. I. Whale got over the line only to lose the ball. Then G. Gerrie intercepted a long Pirates’ pass from the base of the scrum, drew' the Pirate full-back, and passed to Thomas, who scored near the posts. Duncan converted.—Kaierau 10, Pirates 7. There were 25 minutes to go, but Kaierau had the game in hand. • Away came the Kaierau backs again, Henderson coming in from the wing to make an extra five-eighths, the ball travelling right out to the other wing, Cartwright, and he scored near the corner. The angle was too great for Duncan to goal—Kaierau 13, Pirates 7. Only once did the blacks look dangerous after that, when Les Head and Hickling gave it a hard go to gel through and there was hesitancy on the part of the Kaierau backs to go down on the ball.