Wanagnui, Playing' Fast, Open Rugby, Defeats Manawatu

Wanganui Chronicle, 21 August 1950, Page 6

Wanagnui, Playing' Fast, Open Rugby, Defeats Manawatu

Home Side's Backs Fast And Resourceful; Forwards More Evenly Matched

In cne of the brightest'representative Rugby matches played for a long time, Wanganui defeated Manawatu on Saturday by

22 points to five. The match was played on Spriggens Park in bright sunshine before a fair crowd. Conditions were warm for the players, and many of the spectators were without overcoats.

It was to the Wanganui backs that the home side owed victory, from the half-back right out to the two wing three-quarters, they had pace, resource and determination. The fact that Peter Henderson, right wingthreequarter, scored four tries and Alan Webby scored a try on the left wing—those five tries tell the story of the match much better than words. It was a bright, open game, playing to the wings. One other team showed how that could be done here this season, the Lions of the British Isles, led by Bleddyn Williams, and without any undue pretence to pride, it could be said that Wanganui played in like fashion. Had they been able to kick goals, the score would have soared up into the thirties —but, alas, there was no Lewis Jones in the team! To picture the type of play the spectators were able to enjoy, it is interesting to look back on one particular score. Hunter moved into the attacking Manawatu back line, and a Manawatu pass went astray into the hands of the Wanganui centre, Goldsmith. He ran and was checked by Harkness. Tommy Takarangi. the Wanganui half-back, was in support. He got the ball and gave it to Beard, and Beard gave it to Rowley. Rowley passed it on to Henderson, and Henderson scored the try. good combination It was pleasing to see the HunterO’Connell combination functioning in the five-eighths line. The reliable Hunter was able to give to Takarangi, who played a splendid game at halfback, all the support of a good first five-eighths. Hunter took his passes well and played O’Connell away, and O'Connell had just that extra bit ol speed and resource off the mark so essential in a second five-eighths if the centre is to get the chance he needs to play the wing away. Goldsmith, at centre, played a brilliant attacking game. He had difficulty at times in holding O’Connells passes, once or twice taking them neck high and sort of behind him. Both Wanganui wings, Alan Webby as well as Henderson, played well. Two of Henderson's, tries were tries only Henderson would have scored. Webby, too, showed ability to beat his man and keep the play going, and his try, scored within a minute of play starting. wai scored through two determined tacklers. It was a promise of things to come. Gordon Pull, the Wanganui fullback. played steadily, without being bustled.

• NO THRUST • Manawatu lacked thrust in the five-eighths line, and the service of the half-back was too slow against the quickly mobilising Wanganui defence. A s'tar in that defence was the home half-back, Takarangi. Oiie minute he was a half-back sending his five-eighths away, the next he was a wing-forward, pouncing like a terrier on those green players who would try and launch their backs into attack. Takarangi stood up to a lot of heavy play, but he seemed to bounce off the hard bits like a rubber ball bouncing off concrete and coming back for more. The Manawatu wing three-quarter, I Gay. scored the one and only try his side scored, and it was a good try, with pace and determination its sponsors. The Manawatu backs attacked, but like most of the thrusts they initiated, this was checked, but Gay, showing commendable resource, came in to pick the ball up, swerve and beat two men to score a great try which Harkness converted. Harkness was Manawatu’s best back. He played reliably at full-back, as he always does, until in the second spell Manawatu had the misfortune to lose J. Hutton, second five-eighths, with a fractured ankle. Harkness then played as a five-eighths, and in that position his long kicking to the line kept saving his side.

MANAWATU’S FORWARDS The Wanganui forwards played with plenty of pace and dash, but in actual fact they did not have matters all their own way. Put it this way—there was by far a greater margin of superiority between the home backs and the visitors’ rearguard than there was between the Manawatu forwards and the Wanganui pack. Mdnawatu had some splendid packmen —notably Bresnehan, Wehi, Roddick and Nichols Those four were always on the ball. At times there were demonstrations from the crowd at the vigorous type of play that some of the Manawatu forwards indulged in. One such demonstration on the "western bank’’ (that seems as fitting a term as "wedding cake”) lasted quite a while. Whatever its cause, apart from the fact that it was seen that Hunter was hurt, was not clearly seen from the stand. So far as the home pack is concerned, it made up for in backing up what it lacked in virile rushes, such as Manawatu indulged in. Beard played out in the open most of the time, and that meant one less player for the hard attacking, but, as usual, his backing up saved a lot for Wanganui. Rowley, too, was out in the open quite a bit. Gibbs, the Rangitikei player, looked a likely type. Ball, Granville, Griffin, McGregor and Morrison, not seen so much, they bore the heat and burden of the day against a good pack, as packs go. UP WITH THE PLAY A word about the referee, Mr. R. Lewis, of Rangitikei. He was up with the play all the time, a great test of a good referee. Even when Henderson claped on that pace as only Henderson can, the white jersey was there beside him when the tries were scored. Mr. Lewis may have missed a forward pass here and there, bor-der-line passes, as it were, but they were missed in an Impartial sense, and, if anything, made for better play. A QUICK TRY Kicking off with the sun at their backs, Wanganui took immediate advantage of their initial gain of ground. The home forwards won the first •■.Crum and the ball went from Takarangi to Webby, on the short side. Held by a brace of tacklers, Webby

crashed over with inches to spare. Pull’s kick missed.—Wanganui 3, Manawatu 0. Rolled back to their zwenty-five, Wanganui gave a brilliant display. Full-back Pull set off a movement that was to end at the Manawatu goal-mouth after Hunter, Henderson, Webby and Goldsmith had handled. After a momentary pause, the crowd was again brought to its feet. Goldsmith swung the ball to Henderson on the Manawatu 10-yard mark and the speedy winger shot away to outpace three defenders and score in the corner. Pull missed again.—Wanganui 6, Manawatu 0. Fed from a scrum on the line, Hunter went through until blocked, then reverse passed to Takarangi. The stocky half-back was so close to the line when he was tackled that the crowd thought he had been awarded a try, but the decision was a penalty against Manawatu. Pull missed a comparatively easy goal. Then Wanganui turned on a move straight out of the British Isles team’s copybook. Goldsmith intercepted a pass and made grohnd before handing on to Takarangi. Rowley linked up and transferred the ball to Beard inside the twenty-five. Receiving again Rowley gave Henderson his chance. Two defenders could not stop the winger. Beard converted the try with a curving kick. —Wanganui 11, Manawatu 0. Foley put Wanganui in trouble with a well-judged centre kick, but Beard was on the spot. Manawatu were penalised but regained the ball. 1 Gay raced in from his wing and weaved through the defence to ground the ball in a handy position. Harkness converted.—Wanganui 11, Manawatu 5. Wanganui and Manawatu continued to throw the ball about freely, but the defences were equal to the task. Manawatu were close to scoring before the end of'the spell when Harkness followed a kick through. Pull beat him and forced. Beard missed a long penalty kick at goal at the opening of the second spell. Then the Wanganui scoring machine got under way again. Bell joined a back movement and passed to Granville. For a minute Wanganui faltered, but Henderson scooped up the ball and sped over in the corner. Beard’s kick missed. —Wanganui 14, Manawatu 5. Harkness had no sooner cleared pressure from both Webby and Henderson, when Hunter was bn his doorstep. The Wanganui five-eighth stabkicked over the line but tangled with Harkness in the dive fbr the ball. Neither gained it With Gibb in support, Hunter made another dive, but Roberts cleared- —right into Goldsmith’s arms. Again the danger was averted, at least temporarily. Both packs of forwards were working at full pressure now, with neither giving any quarter. In one torrid rush down the field, Manawatu fiveeigth Hutton was injured and carried from the field. H. Tauroa replaced him, Harkness moving into the fiveeighth line and Tauroa playing fullback. Play was scarcely under way again when Hunter was injured. After attention he was able to remain on the field.

Wanganui maintained steady pressure for 10 minutes. Then play moved to the centre of the field, but the respite was a short one for the Manawatu defence. Goldsmith found a gap in the defence and gave Henderson an unmarked run into the goal mouth. Beard had an easy “no-charge” conversion.—Wanganui 19, Manawatu 5. With five minutes to go, the Wanganui backs showed Manawatu their heels again. Webby outstripped Harkness and O’Connell was in position when he was blocked. O’Connell’s try went unconverted, Beard’s kick turning outside the posts. —Wanganui 22, Manawatu 5. Almost on time O'Connell brought Wanganui back on the attack with a side-stepping run through about 10 defenders and he punted upfield. The movement lapsed for want of support. The teams were:—

Wanganui.—G. Pull; P. Henderson, T. Goldsmith, A. Webby; M. O’Qfcnnell, M. Hunter; T. Takarangi; H. Rowley; D. Beard, D. McGregor, D. Morrison, Gibbs; S. Granville, M. Griffin, V. Befi.

Manawatu.— H. Harkness; I. Gay, B. Finlay, C. Foley; J. Hutton, E. Roberts, C. Elliott; P. Baker; W. Nicholls, E. Bresnehan. B. Roddick, B. Kennard, T. Wehi, K. Dalzell, L. Richardson. H. Tauroa replaced Hutton when the latter was injured. Referee: Mr. R. Lewis.