WILL WANGANUI RUGBY TEAM GET TO CARISBROOK UNBEATEN?

Wanganui Chronicle, 18 August 1948, Page 6

WILL WANGANUI RUGBY TEAM GET TO CARISBROOK UNBEATEN?

Match Against Southland Today Likely To Test Forwards (By “ C'i'ossbiir”) Wanganui will play Southland al. Invercargill today in the third of its four-match Southern tour. If the visitors can win they will take the Held at Carisbrook against Otago, holders of the Hanfurly Shield, an unbeaten team! Will that happen? That is the question of the moment.

One change has been made in the Wanganui team since it was first picked, A. Webby going in as wing three-quarter instead of L. Miller, who played against South Canterbury. The teams are a* follaws:— Wanganui: G. Sherlock, P. HenHenderson, D. McCarthy, A. Webby, K. Gudsell, I. Whale, M. Dixon, H. Rowley, D. Beard, V. Bell, B. Pedley, J. Whale, S. Granville, R. Dallison, E. Oulsnam. Southland: E. Gordon, P. Inder, D. Smeaton, J. S. McDonald, R. Harper, F. Stewart, J. McKenzie, F. Ward, S. Pittaway, L. Moynihan, R. Wood, A. Budd, G. Cameron J. McRae D. Brown. Reserves: J. Prenndeville, R. D. Webster, A. Crooks, J, Boyle, A. Smeaton. MUCH ON THE FORWARDS. Today’s match, like any other, will depend greatly on how the Wanganui forwards cope with the hard rucking Southland forwards. All teams in the South Island, but particularly in Dunedin and Invercargill, play a stern forward game, and much will depend on how the home side packs down in tiie scrum, low if rucks. For a hooker to get the ball he must have that solid formation beh nd him. The selectars of the side for Africa are so well aware of that, that they, every one ot them, in talks to players in various centres they have visited. including Wanganui, have said that the “shining” type of forward will not be consideret when they come to choose the side to send over, to the land of the Springbok. Wanganui’s pack, in all its matches, this season and last, has had physical fitness to get it through rather than good scrummaging and rucking. Allowing for some improvement which 1 must have taken place since the team started its southern tour, that need lor good scrummaging and rucking is still as pressing as ever. R. Dallison, the Wanganui hooker, will be up against a man of calibre in l J. Mcßae, but Dallison will get the ball provided the pack behind him is a pack. He won’t get it otherwise. General opinian in Invercargill is that today’s match will be a hard forward one, with Wanganui fielding the better line of backs, with Peter Henderson the dangerous man. There has been a bit of experimenting with the Southland side, but its traditional standard of play is expected to materialise. The side will, however, face a fairly big hurdle in the physical fitness of the Wanganui van.

INSIDE BACKS. In the backs, Wanganui’s greatest need will be to improve the play of the two men nearest the fc-rum —M. Dixon (half), and lan Whale (first five-eighths). Dixon, at Timaru, got mighty little protection from his aid's row forwards. Blame for that centred chiefly on D. Goldsbury, but it has to be remembered that Goldsbury has' piayed all his recent matches in the front row, and play in a scrum is as much a specialist job as playing in the backs, despite the fact that E. Oulsnam has made good-in the front row. Goldsbury is not so much a side

row forward as a man for the front row. despite the iact that he plays a bit loose at times. Don BeutKi’s greatest handicap is lack of weight. He is a player who can be Doth a godsend and a Handicap to a side, a handicap if it comes to weight and general scrummaging, but a wonderful man in lineouts ana covering his backs. If he had the weight of say, a Barry or of a Strachan (ol South Africa) he would be a top notch All Black. When it comes to facing teams like Otago and, to a lesser extent, Southland, the scrummage must be sucn that seven men are not left to bear the brunt of eight in trie tight, ana when it comes to rucking the Wanganui forwards, side ro».’ a., well as back, must know how to go in hard. J. Whale is a nearer approach to that type of forward than the average side row player. He will get into it when the opportunity presents itself. GOAL KICKING IMPORTANT. Beard, however, is a sterling player in knawledge of where to oe and what to do, and his ability as a kicker of goals is a match winning factor. Toaay’s match, like many another, may come down to a matter of gcal kicking. It the Southland forwards dominate,, and they probably will in the first spell, Beard s defensive ability will ind the Wanganui oacks in good stead. It would indeed be cheering news to hear of a typical forward try scored after real forward rucking and scrummaging. There are two points worthy oi note in measuring the chances lor today, and taking the Canterbury and South Canterbury matches as a guide. Canterbury was a weak team, back and forward, and would have been extended by any of the strong clubs in Christchurch. South Canterbury offered a much sterner test in the forwards but the Wanganui backs were able to capitalise on what passession Jney had ana two tries were scored from back movements. WIN WOULD BE CHEERING. A win today would be a great thing for Wanganui, something much more than those who have looked upon the tour with pessimism expected. To be able the take the field at Carisbrook next Saturday an unbeaten side wauld be a great achievement, never mind what happens against Otago. After all, Otago is something in tne nature of an All Black side. Fancy Wanganui lining up to the All Blacks! “Crossbar’s” Dunedin adviser says that Wanganui’s record will be a Dig drawcard for next Saturday’s match and there will be 30,000 people, or more, there to see it. “Crossbar’s Christchurch critic writes that Pedley and Bell are wasted as locks. He would like to see both in the front row for Dallison to swing on. That is how the South Island people are thinking in terms of an All Black side for Africa. That is by the way. The query of the moment is, can Wanganui reach Carisbrook, the home of the Ranfuiiy Shield, an unbeaten team? Everybody here will hope the answer is “yes.” Much will depend on the play of the Wanganui forwards to beget that answer. It is to be hoped that aysters are as good as they are cracked up to : be as builders of energy!