RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17493, 29 August 1928, Page 11

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

THE PEACE CUP. MORRINSVILLE RETAIN TROPHY. CHALLENGE BY MATAMATA TURNED OFF. (By “Drop-Kick”) ■were successful in their first game in defence of the Peace Cup. On Saturday afternoon they met Matamata and ran out winners by 11 points to 7. The ground and weather conditions were ideal, and in the run of play Morrinsville were entitled to their win. The forwards were the chief factors in the victory that came the way of Morrinsville. They combined much more effectively than the Matamata vanguard and were particularly dashing in the loose. It says not a little for the Matamata defence that they had their line crossed on only two occasions. One of these tries was converted, while a penalty goal made up the winners’ tally. Matamata’s points came from a penalty, while a field goal was also to their credit in the last minute of the game. The major share of the attack was with Morrinsville, but Matamata went dangerously close to the scoring mark on several occasions. Too Slow Near the Scrum. There were bursts of open play among the backs of both sides. There was plenty of pace among the men of .both teams, but the ability in this connetion often suffered through the belated efforts of the inside backs. It is quickness off the mark at this point that makes all the difference to the measure of progress that is going to be reached on attack by the rearguard division. It was this lack of anticipation and pace by the five-eighths of both teams on Saturday that found the wings so often crowded when the ball reached them, and the maximum benefits had no chance of being reaped. Next on the C-ene. Thames, who are the next challengers for the Gup, will play Morrinsville on September 8. There will be solid packs in opposition on that occasion. If the Morrinsville forwards combine as effectively as they did on Saturday they will give Thames a lot of trouble, and with more “pep” from the base of the attack the backs will have opportunities which they should be capable of turning to good’account. The Holders’ Play. Stan Thomas, the Morrinsville fullback, made no serious errors, although the writer has seen him play, better. His sense of anticipation was awry at times and he had the fault of getting out of position occasionally, but his defence was very sure.

ADVANCE THE LIMIT. WHERE ERROR IS FREQUENT. A derogatory phase In local Rugby and a frequent occurrence in every game, has Its concern principally with the backs. Too often do we see the player In pos•esslon, after evading his Immediate would be taokler, part with the ball with a hefty kick, Instead of running as far forward as possible. The former line of action provides the alleviation that the opposition are awaiting and limits the measure of aggression that the attack Is capable of reaching. Every Rugby player should not only realise that “possession is nine points of the law,” but he should act on it. There is room for much progress in this connection In local Rugby.

Of the wins three-quarters Campbell was more conspicuous than Anderson, but the play worked more in the. former’s direction. Campbell made the error now and then of not running right up to his man before parting with the ball, but his game was a useful one. Anderson missed some of his passes, but he suffered a lot through being crowded for room, which was directly caused by the failure of the .men. inside to go straight. Mallett (centre) was patchy. The five-eighths, Mulcahy (first) and Robson (second) .defended well, but the former was often too slow on attack and mishandled the ball several times. The result was that the men outside paid the penalty. E. O’Brien, the half-back, played a solid game. He varied his attack, while his defence turned the tide frequently with effective kicking. Howard, the rover, was a very useful man to the team. On attack he linked with the backs effectively and scored the second try for the winners. In the closing stages he had to retire with an injured knee and it is doubtful if he will play again. His loss will be severe for Morrinsville ; The home pack were real grafters, and the “topping-off” the ex-All Black, George Nicholson, had given them prior to meeting Hamilton was evident in their play. The way they backed up was good and tantalising to the opposition. Leeson was the outstanding forward on the flcl'L He was on the ball all day and rep. honours must surely be at hand for this young and vigorous pack-man. A. and C. Cameron were also prominent, but all played tirelessly. Challengers Looked Over.

The full-hack game played by Stewart got Matamata out of many an awkward situation. He had more work to do than Thomas and more than once set his backs on the move, apart from a sound performance all round. His field-goal \yas a quick and effective decision. The three-quarter line suffered when Vcrper (centre) had to retire injured. Kneehone and Storey, the wing men; were always willing for work hut, like their vis-a-vis, they did not get as many favourable opportunities as they might have. Apart from their defence, Reisterer and Egan, the five-eighths, were not particularly impiessive, hut they did not have as many chances as the opposing pair. Fausett, the half-back, played well against many torrid assaults from the home forwards. On one occasion he badly fooled the opposition and cut round the open side of the scrum to gain fully 20 yards before he was grassed. Although the Matamata forwards worked hard and never let up, they found the opposition too solid for them.

They did not combine nearly so well as the Morrinsville set. Ensor, Fiutcy and o 'Robertson wmre the best of the front line of the challengers, while Woods (rover) was going well up till Ihc in’ury which caused him to retire. Mr S. E. Senior, of Hamilton, had charge of the game, and he did not spoil it by too much whistle.

Season's Games. The games played this season for the Peace Cup have resulted: — Hamilton, 15, v. Waipa, 0. korrinsville, 16, v. Hamilton, 14. Morrinsville, 11, v. Matamata, 7.