More Purposeful Wanganui Forwards, Cohesive Backs Beat Poverty Bay Rugby Reps

Wanganui Chronicle, 4 September 1950, Page 6

More Purposeful Wanganui Forwards, Cohesive Backs Beat Poverty Bay Rugby Reps

GISBORNE. Last Night (Special)—More purposeful drive in the forwards and better understanding in the backs enabled the touring Wanganui representative Rugby team to defeat Poverty Bay by nine points to three at. the Gisborne Oval on Saturday. All the points eame in the second half, the visitors securing three tries to the home side’s one try PlnT-n/1 n* n -fact nano mi n drv

Flayed at a last pace on a un ground, before a crowd of 5000. the match was one of the best seen in Gisborne this season. The scoreless first half produced sound but unspectacular football, with both teams going close to scoring on a number of occasions. The "Wanganui back line early created a good impression with finger-tip handling and speed off the mark, but effective tackling reduced the scoring chances.

Led by the All Black reserve forward, Don Beard, the pack excelled in the loose and provided excellent cover for the backs. Conditions made for fast, open Rugby, and the Wanganui team conveyed the opinion that they were out to play to the occasion. One of the highlights of the second spell came from the efforts of the reserve forward, D. McGregor, who replaced B. Jones as front row’ prop at the interval. McGregor scored the visitors’ first two tries and gave an excellent display in the pack. Few better cover defenders than the skipper, Beard, have been noted in visiting representative sides here, H. Rowley, in the back row' role, was not far short of Beard, with a fine in the loose. Individual honours amongst the rest of the forwards was hard to allocate, but special mention should be made of M. Griffin’s hooking—he obtained a two to one majority over his opposite, T. Donovan — G. Gibbs— from the side of the scrum and S. Granville’s hard work in the tight. Th? Wanganui forwards were well beaten in the line-outs, but hard rucking and superiority in the set scrums offset this deficiency. Both of McGregor’s tries were the results of bouts of short passing in which most of the forwards took a prominent part. The five-eighths, Hunter and O’Connell, were perhaps the pick of the visiting backs, Hunter especially, giving a very fine display inside O’Connell. Hunter is the best first five seen in Gisborne since Ivor Preece of the Lions, this year. Continually sought after by the lively Poverty Bay breakaways, Birrell and Elliott, he accelerated quickly and took full advantage of any gaps in the defence. O’Connell was the very best in everything he did, and T. Goldsmith, at centre, showed his attacking ability by notching a brilliant try. A. Webby was the most impressive of the wingers, chiefly because he had more chances than the All Black, Henderson. Takarangi supplied good sendee at half and varied his play nicely. In the absence, through injury, of the AU Black, R. White, the Poverty Bay* forwards were not at the top of form. However, Birrell and Elliott revealed fine dash. They were well supported by the back row man, K. Bullivant, who w’as one of the best forwards on the field. V. Hata was another good Bay forward. B. Fitzpatrick, ’Bay second fiveeighths was often brilliant on attack, and was unlucky not to score twice. A. Tureia, inside him, was a very good link. One of the best home backs was P. Larkins, playing his first game at fuU-back. A former Wellington League representative winger, Larkins took the place at fuU-back of George Nepia, jujjT., who was unable to play. The teams were:— Wanganui.—G. Pull; P. Henderson, T. Goldsmith, A. Webby; *l. O’Connell, M. Hunter; T. Takarangi; H. Rowley; D. Beard. T. Oldfield, V. Bell, G. Gibbs; S. Granville M. Griffin, B. Jones. D. McGregor replaced B. Jones in the second half. Poverty Bay.—P. Larkins; R. Stephenson, R. Preston, E. Carrington; B. Fitzpatrick, A. Tureia. S. Lee; K. Bullivant; G. Elliott, C. McGrannachan, W. Carrington, B. Birrell; V. Hata, T. Donovan, W. Brown. In the second half Preston, the centre, retired hurt and was replaced by B. G. Donovan. The first points of the game came early in the second spell when Carrington wended his way through the Wanganui forwards near the line and lost the ball, but Tureia was on hand to touch down. The kick missed. Three minutes later the ’Bay were defending. Larkins attempted a clearing kick, but the ball came off his boot. A couple of Wanganui forwards handled before McGregor went over near the corner. Beard’s kick failed. Shortly after McMGregor finalised a short passing rush from the ’Bay twenty-five. Beard was again out of luck. The final try was scored by the centre. T. Goldsmith, who tore through a gap beautifully on the ’Bay twenty-five and went over wide out. Beard failed to goal. Wanganui 9, Poverty Bay 3The referee was Mr. B. Wolstenholme.