Wanganui Convincingly Beat Taranaki In Major King's Day Rugby; Eleven-Point Win

Wanganui Chronicle, 8 June 1948, Page 6

Wanganui Convincingly Beat Taranaki In Major King's Day Rugby; Eleven-Point Win

LOSERS. AFTER THEY REARRANGED BACKS, PLAYED WELL

Wanganui convincingly beat Taranaki in the animal King’s Day Rugby match, played on Spriggens Park yesterday before a big crowd in a bright, but cold morning. The score was 20 to nine.

It was a match in which both teams had more at. stake than usual—Wanganui needing a win to start an important season of rep. Rugby, which includes a tour south, and Taranaki out to lift the standard of play set by the province last year. Wanganui won because of the resource of its inside backs on attack in the first spell and the pace of a wing three-quarter, P. Henderson. In the second spell Taranaki played a different type of game altogether and there was a period of 20 minutes during which the Wanganui pack crumpled against determined scrummaging and rucking.

Added to that the Taranaki backline, because of two changes, one made at half-time and the other because of injuries, proved a fast cohesive force, and scored with as much resource as the Wanganui backs had done in the first spell. It was a thrilling match in which there was much bright, open football, in distinct contrast to the dour forward battles of recent years, football in tribute to better inside back play. It could well be said that it was Wanganui’s match except for that devastating 20 minutes in the second spell, when Wanganui had its defence pierced by a side that played fast, constructive Rugby. Real reason for the change in form apart from the substitution of G. E. Beatty for M. McKay et first fiveeighths at half-time, was the more or less loose, high play of the Wanganui van. They packed loosely and “away up in the air,” Taranaki getting down low and determinedly, with a result that Cameron, the Taranaki half-back, had a feast of the ball. It was obvious, right at the start, that the Cameron-McKay combination behind the Taranaki scrum was not a happy one. McKay seemed too big and unweildly for that position. In the first spell the Wanganui inside backs—Barnett, Hunter, and Gudsell —functioned very smoothly on attack and when Henderson was fed he was a dangerous and determined wing. But when Taranaki livened their inside backs in the second spell, it was A. O’Byrne’s turn to show paee and resource on the wing. Henderson missed him once and O’Byrne got clean away. D. McCarthy was not the usual “Dixie,” either at kicking or fielding the ball. He showed resource in coming up into the attacking back line on occasions, did some tackling and rush stopping, but he had an off-day both at goal kicking and line finding, the ball seeming to fly off the side of his boot. He was reluctant to take kicks at goal but obeyed the team’s request. RUSH STOPPING WEAK. Rush stopping was a weakness revealed in the home side. When the Taranaki pack moved away in those fast, loose rushes in the second sped, few, if any, of the defenders would, go down. Looked at broadly the Wanganui pack needed more solidity in the scrums and lineouts. That and quick low packing, will all have to be perfected before coming up against the solid scrums of the South Island* In the loose and in covering defence and supporting attacks the pack was good. The last two tries, scored in the dying stages of the match, proved that —there was somebody there to take the ball, reminiscent of the good team work of last year. Despite the slashing play of Taranaki when Beatty and O’Byrne infused the right sort of dash into the back p ay, it was an encouraging day for Wanganui. It is true that the memory was left that had Beatty and O’Byrne been on the field from the start Wanganui would not have fared so well, but that is discounted by the knowledge that it was only for 20 minutes in the second spell that the Taranaki forwards were on top in a real sense.

It will be to the Wanganui pack that most attention will have to be paid to mould it for the stern tour against the hard packs in the South Island. In the first spell N. Brown and C. Oulsnan did their job in cutting off the Taranaki half-back, but in the second spell, when Taranaki packed solidly, the cohesive weight of the Wanganui side was lacking. There were too many inclined to be loose. Pedley did his job, and Rowley was tigerish, but seemed unable to pack down low enough. J. Whale played a good game, but a pack can afford only one of his type. Tupaea went in spasms—good while they lasted, but spasms, nevertheless. Hunter was Wanganui’s most reliable back—safe hands, good covering up on defence, and he was ever ready for an opening. His support of Gudsell and the try he scored came from sound Rugby judgment. lan Whale justified his selection at centre, but was inclined to hang on a little too long when a man in support was in a sound position to score. The centre three-quarter must bo the most unselfish player on the field. The inside backs could not be improved upon in attack, but some solidity on defence will be needed in later matches, particularly rush stopping. Taranaki had a question answered for them very fully—G* Beatty is still the same dangerous Beatty Wanganui has such high respect for. Why he was out of the original selection came as a big surprise to people down here. O’Byrne is as good a wing threequarter as there is. fi The visitors were unlucky in losing H. Johns, full-back, through injury. He played soundly in the first spell when he had much, much more than McCarthy to do. It was a traditional Taranaki pack, which played traditional Taranaki football in that inspired 20 minutes of the second spell. The teams are as follows: Wanganui A: D. McCarthy (T); P* Henderson (K), I. Whale (K), R. Bruce (M); K. Gudsell (TOB), M. Hunter WOB); J. Barnett (TOB); J.

Whale (K); N. Brown (P), B. Pedley (P), capt, H. Rowley (R), C. Oulsnan (T); S. Granville (TOB), R. Dallison (Wav.), M. Tupaea (T). Taranaki A: H. Johns,-R. Roper, £>• McKenzie, R. Sykes; J. Ulen berg, M. McKay; W. Cameron; J. Kissick; D. Ancell, L. Hohaia, D. Carlson and W. Well; J. Muller, R. Pottier, B. Schumaker. fn the second spell G. Beattyreplaced McKay; . Sykes replaced Johns at full-back, and O’Byrne replaced Sykes on the wing* Referee: Mr. N. Neilson. PLAYERS AND SCORERS. Taranaki kicked off in the face of the rays of a strong sun and against a freshening bleak wind. In the first two minutes of play Cameron, the Taranaki half-back, was hurt and play was held up temporarily while he received attention. As the game progressed the handling of the Taranaki backs was disjointed as the result of the fast breaking Wanganui forwards, who had the rearguard of the visitors confused with their speed and driving power. Twice play came to Henderson’s wing in quick succession but the defence held. On the Taranaki side, Johns was having plenty to do at full-back, in the face of continued thrusts by the Wanganui backs, who were playing with more cohesion and tenacity than the opposition. When play was being waged hotly between the twenty-five flags in Wanganui country, McCarthy who had joined in a backline movement as an extra man, kicked through. Johns, the visitor’s full-back, failed to line, and Gudsell gathered the ball going at top speed, and ran to the open side, supported by Henderson. When challenged, Gudsell sent a welltimed pass to Henderson, who, with a determined run, beat the converging defence to score at the corner. McCarthy missed the kick at goal— Wanganui 3; Taranaki 0. Two penetrating runs by Hunter and Gudsell had Taranaki defending desperately as the Wanganui forwards rallied to the good work of their backs, but a force brought much needed relief to the defenders. DEFENCE MATCHES ATTACK. Two penalty kicks to each side in turn failed to bring further points, and lapses in handling cost Taranaki ground. Barnett, the Wanganui half, sent the men outside him away in good movements, the defence matching the attack. With Wanganui shading Taranaki in the forwards, the home fifteen launched a spectacular movement in the backs, from Barnett to Hunter to Gudsell. When Gudsell was tackled he got the ball clear to I. Whale, who in turn sent Henderson racing at the line to score his second try. McCarthy failed to convert. — Wanganui 6, Taranaki 0. Hunter was doing well in the backs his clean handling being a feature of his play. Kissick, Carlson, and Ancell led Taranaki in a robust raid but McCarthy drove the invaders back. Wanganui had Taranaki defending desperately in front of their posts when a Taranaki player was penalised for an infringement, and McCarthy goaled— Wanganui 9; Taranaki 0. Later Wanganui went further ahead. Bruce made a good run on his wing, eluding his opposite number and the ball came to Hunter, on to Gudsell, who raced straight and hard past the Taranaki inside men, and passed I again to Hunter, who had raced round in support and he scored a great try. Although the kick was right in front, McCarthy did not convert, and half-time came with the score: Wanganui 12, Taranaki 0. On taking the field after the interval it was noticed that there had been changes in the Taranaki side. In the forwards Gush had replaced Muller, and Beatty had replaced McKay in the live-eighths line. Taranaki suffered a big loss when they lost Johns in the first session. He was shaken heavily by a clean tackle by I. Whale. The new reserve was O’Byrne, who went on the wing in place of Sykes, who dropped into the full-back position. With the advent of Beatty at first five-eighths tne lack of cohesion which had marked the back play of Taranaki in the first spell disappeared. TARANAKI IMPROVE. The Taranaki forwards gave a taste of their true quality, while their backs revealed more sparkle and thrust- The visitors opened their score with a penalty by Cameron.— Taranaki 3; Wanganui 12. Gradually the play began to ebb away from Wanganui, and twice in side-line dashes O’Byrne nearly pierced the home defence. With their supporters roaring encouragement, Taranaki swept all before them irt a fine back move which had Wanganui beaten all the way. Cameron, Beatty, Ulenberg t and McKenzie handled, and McKenzie scored. Cameron missed an easy kick.-t-Taranaki 6; Wanganui 12. On a flood tide of success Taranaki came again, Roper putting in a judicious centreing kick which caught the Wanganui backs off their balance, and Ulenberg and McKenzie came through and sent O’Bryne racing in a diagonal line to score. Beatty missed the kick. —Taranaki 9; Wanganui 12, With the game seemingly slipping away from them, Wanganui consolidated its ranks. A move by Bruce saw the home forwards in possession and Dallison sent a pass which was taken by Hunter, and when about to be tackled he got the ball clear to J. Whale, who scored- I. Whale converted.—Wanganui 17, Taranaki 9. In the fleeting minutes of play Wanganui sealed the issue with another try from a loose rush, in which I. Whale, Hunter, Oulsnan, and Rowley took part, Rowl?y scoring. I. Whale missed the kick, and the game ended: Wanganui 20; Taranaki 9.