RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 18025, 21 May 1930, Page 3

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

THE PLAY IN HAMILTON. SAGE CUP COMPETITION. INTERESTING SENIOR CONTESTS (By “Drop-Kick.”) The closing play of the opening round of the senior Rugby competition in Hamilton for the Sage Memorial Cup will be reached on Saturday, when City and * Old Boys will come together, while the other game will be provided by Technical Old Boys and . Marist. Frankton, who have the bye on this occasion, cannot be displaced from the leading posi- •’ tion to the stage of the championship table with the opening round determined, but a victory for Old Boys in their coming encounter would leave them on level terms with Frankton. The latter are the only team to hold their record intact. They have not lost a game to the present stage, but they have played two drawn ■ matches in the four they haye been concerned with. Old Boys have had two wins and a loss, while Technical and City are each in the position of a win, a draw '«& and a loss in their three games. Marist, who were at the front of the ladder last season, have suffered defeat in the three games they have played. Tho football has been decidedly interesting to the present stage of the season and the keeness of the pi. y and the public Interest is likely to become more marked with each succeeding Saturday. Many changes can occur * before the winners are definitely determined. The games scheduled for Saturday next are likely to provide stirring contests and a big gallery can be looked for at -lugby Park.

THE LATEST HAPPENINGS.

A STIRRING FINALE. CITY AND FRANKTON DRAW. Those old rivals, City and Frankton, had their first clash of the season on Saturday, when once again they provided an encounter of absorbing interest which terminated in a 14-point draw. This was the opening game of the afternoon and was got off before the rain set in. What looked like developing, gauged on the play of the first quarter, into a comfortable win for Frankton, blossomed into a neck and neck encounter with, Frankton, after leading most of the trip, getting in the score in the very final stages which averted defeat. Frankton played all over the opposition .following the kick-off, and had five points on in ready order. It looked then as if City would tie readily disposed of, so 'disappointingly were their backs shaping/ but they marshalled their forces fore and aft in great slyle and for the iwo spells gave quite j as good as they received. They were in the Jead ii-j—ll when full time was up,'but in the play until the ball went dead the desperate efforts of Frankton to stave off defeat were ultimately rewarded when Welch went across to score a try from a movement which ■warranted the success that attended It.

I “On Their Toes.”

It was a game which had the supporters of both teams “on their toes” and in point of interest no (match this season has evoked such, a state of expectancy. .While Frankton shaped well,' faking the run of play by and •large, City came right on to their game, both back and forward, with a zest that was decidedly refreshing. It was form which augurs well for the club in the programme ahead. There were constant quick-changing phases in the second half of Saturday’s game and both sides held to the pressure remarkably well. to the credit of City backs in this game that once they had the effective aid from their forwards they were not afraid to take risks in exploiting opportunities and introduced several passing bouts of tbe effective order. Frankton were not idle in this respect either, but they did not make the progress of the opposition very often. The City forwards, too, quite frequently joined in handling movements with their backs from one of which advances they scored a good try. Anotaer point was the better penetration of the City inside backs, and the benefit was more than once to be observed when the ball reached the wing. The try, which Allen registered, and which placed City three points up in the opening stages of the final spell was a good illustration of this. When the ball reached Align, after several had handled, the wing three-quarter was. left .with practically a clear run Id. The Frankton Players. Barlow, at full-back, had quite a ■fcusy time of it. He registered some

very fine clearances but there were periods when he was not too sure.. It is io his credit that he is a greatl; i improved player this season, even i he can be further fortified in his play of the position. ■ ' t Gregan was weak on the wing in ■ this game. Several times he let hi: side down and defence became their portion as the result. Gregan is a ■ young player who is capable of bette; form. Bayiy, in the centre position, oner, more proved useful to his side. Although he converted the first try, fo: once his kicking was off on Saturday and he missed several shots at goal. i “Slip’ Griffiths, on the other wing, ' played quite a useful game, but lie was never given a great deal of license. Priscott and Welch wore again the five-eighths. Both did useful work, but the former "had a tendency to hang on, which was not beneficial. Welch capped a hard day’s work with the fine try which drew the game out of the fire. Denz, the half, was again responsible for a hard, battling game, in which he shirked nothing in attack or defence. ' Noakes, the rover, was impressive. In the two games he has played in this position for Frankton Noakes has done well. The pack met worthy foemen, but they were a hard working Set with Hooper, McWilliams, Scott and H. Charleston perhaps the best of them. A Review of City. i

Tiie kicking of Skect, the full-back, was not impressive even if he did some good work on occasions. Skeet was nursing an old knee trouble and was not sure of himself. He speculated wildly on one occasion and cost the team a try. Ilis tackling was, generally, reliable. Shalfoon, on the wing, was never so much in the picture as Allen. The latter played a bright game, handling well and running determinedly. He 1 was always eager for work and was

a constant source of worry to the opposition. Going, the centre, was the useful man of the team and figured in many movements of profit to the side. His general field work was ably assisted J by an effective boot, while five of the points came from his goal kicking. It was just a. toss-up whether a goal

pot succeeded on another occasion. Going’s tackling has improved greatly. Schultz and Hardley, in the fiveeighth line, gave useful assistance. The former was the more impressive and made his best showing of the season. It was something like the Schultz ‘of old. Clarke, the half, although on the light side, stood up well to the opposing forwards.: He sent out some good passes to his back. line. Cooper, the rover, gave , the inside | backs quite a lot of trouble on, oc- | casions,. The City forwards toiled in ! fine style after the first quarter and 1 were not only dashing in the loose, ! but supported their backs at useful 1 intervals and handled very effectively. It is difficult to single them out,' but Parsons, Brant, and Mansel were, perhaps, the most consistent.

OLD BOYS AND MARIST.

A HARD, BATTLING GAME. FORWARDS BEAT BACKS. j J Although it was hard battling there ! were many disappointing aspects of! the Old Boys—Marist match on Satur- j day. Even when the heavy showers, j which made conditions difficult, are i taken into account, the encounter was | not productive of the keenest Rugby;; Although Marist was the strongest | force in the tackling department they j exhibited many flaws, the most glar- i ing of which cost them the game, j Even allowing for the fact that the i Old Boy wing who notched the one j spectacular try of the game appears I to be something of a specialist in fend- j ing, the manner in which half a dozen Marist backs let him through was inexcusable.

On the day, Old Boys’ backs exhibited the best combination, but so closely were they marked that the ball seldom reached the wing. In the last half when handling was made more hazardous by the greasy ball, they still attempted passing rushes, which were soon smothered. It is probable Old Boys’ lead would have been in-‘ creased had their rear division used some toe and exploited the dribbling rush to the fullest extent. Marist Have Prospects. Atarist are at the bottom of the competition ladder, but on the form shown on Saturday there is no reason why their position should not improve. The work of some of the forwards was as good as anything seen this season and with a little more understanding and team work in the rear section they should be a force to be reckoned with. The scrums on Saturday did not pack too well and the oval was a long while in coming out. On the few occasions when the hooking v’as clean and the ball had an unhampered exit, it was Old Boys who usually gained possession. Following up was hardly a promin- I ent feature. Some of the players

on each side tended to watch matters from al'ar instead of hurrying hack into position from scrums and lineouts. Club football will never be genuinely attractive while the “pas- | senger” habit persists. Kicking was

also a missing link and, while the weather conditions must have weighed a certain amount here, to say that the ■ standard of- kicking was satisfactory would be far from the point. The stock kicking , men were qyitc in the background, not one score being registered from the many useful penalties awarded. How Old Boys Shaped. Old Boys’ full-back, Patterson, was not called upon much in the first half, but he effected several good returns later and seemed sure of himself. R. Johnstone’s try and his general field performance only confirmed what one has felt ever since ' he started j playing for the seniors—that he is a i coming man. j . Hawke’s kicking, apart form his j

conversion ol' Johns tone’s try, was not as accurate as usual and he did not seem at home in the three-quarter line. His tackling could improve. On the other wing, Holmes took I what chances were offering, but was | hemmed in and forced out before get- | ting far. Tackling is not a strong 1 point with this player, i It is not .often Fitzgerald lets his | side down and he was as handy as j ever as first five-eighth on Saturday, j Tuck put every ounce of endea- | vour into his work and was unlucky |in not scoring in the first half. Sym-

| pathy will be extended to him with ! his mishap. { Behind'the scrum Gilling fulfilled j most requirements, hut he was too ! prone to play the conventional game ' j and "might have varied his.style with j advantage. There were several occa- * j sions whfen he could have worked the blind side and then had room to spare to cut in or pass out. ) I Chapman covered a lot of ground j in roving, but got offside at times. He j I was of great assistance in the attack- j | ing rushes. j The forwards were not nearly as) effective as the opposing pack, but j !.put in some good all-round work. W. (;

I Bonham shaped especially well in this connection and should be retained in his present position. • T. Johnstone led a few' rushes and had strong support from J. Bonham and Fleming. The last two toiled hard in the tight, though Fleming’s efforts were checked by lameness. The Marist Players. Among the Marist rearguard N.* Delaney w'as steady enough as fullback. : While It is. better to time return kicks and not act too speedily, Delaney, was caught once or twice, much territory, going to the opposition as a result. . J. Mills and L: Clarkin, the wingers, were not often seen in action, but then they w'ere dependent chiefly on the inside backs, who took matters into their own hands. P. Clarkin, at centre, shaped satisfactorily, .and Guilford showed initiative. He should improve with ■ experience. The kicking of C- McCormack, the other live-eighth, has been better. He contributed his full share to the various sallies which had the opposition worried continually, but could bring more variety into his play. The half, B. Mills, was never more on, his game and was a tower of strength in attaok and defence. He was the most hard working back on the field. He was prone to starve his supporting backs at times, but they had ample opportunity and failed to be very effective.

W. Cassidy’s'play, as rover, was not altogether faultless, but his contribution to the general attacking strength was no mean one. In the van T. Cassidy played the forward game well and was in anything promising. His offside penchant cost something. He w r as not the only offender, however. Another forward who emerged above the rest was Dold. lie has the makings of a good forward. Waters did not come to the fore on Saturday. Roach was a sound, battling forward, who made his mark, and McCormick again grafted hard.

JUNIOR GAMES. OLD BOYS A v. FRANKTON. When Old Boys A prevailed by 22—0 over Frankton on Saturday, the victors outclassed their opponents in all departments or the same. The j Old Boys’ backs, especially, proved ! superior, showing splendid combine- j fi!on and gaining much ground by their '■ fast passing bouts and judicious line- 1 kicking. On several occasions, however, their attacks were spoiled by weak passing, ro doubt due to the tendency of several players to watch their man instead of the ball. Among The 'Frankton rearguard there was little co-operation 1 , any ground gained being due more t'o individual effort than team work. The retire- , ment of Dickey, the second five-eighth,

early, in the game may have to some extent accounted for their incompatabilily. ; The two sets of forwards were | more evenly matched, quick following up characterising both, packs. Both sides indulged in fast dribbling rushes, which in the case of the winners on . several cccasions, culminated-in their scoring. The Old Boys’ forwards , proved superior in the set scrums, and j were to a large extent responsible for I the victory, their quick packing and | heeling allowing their backs to start attacking movements. The F;ranklon vanguard held their own in the line-outs and evidently realising the weakness of their backs, kept the ball at toe. In the first quarter no side held the territorial advantage for long, play sweeping up and down the field. Old Boys, however, kept attacking and showing excellent team work, finally opened their account. The halftime score of. B—o gives a fair indication of play up to this stage. In the second half, although FranktQn improved their forward play considerably, Old Boys proved too superior and when the final >vhistle went, were atI tacking strongly.

Notes and Comments. Of the victors, Lissette, at fullback, was not called upon to do much work, but showed good judgment In his kicking when given the opportunity. Innes (wing) did not get many opportunities, hut those he did get he put to good account. He would do well to exploit the cross-kick more. Jones, the centre, played-a heady game and gained much ground by his strong, straight running. Mills, the second live-eighth, was perhaps the outstanding back, and started many attacking movements. Madill, at first five-eighth, used his speed to advantage, but was . inclined to watch' his man instead of the ball. McDell, the half-back, got the ball away well and was instrumental in turning defence into attack on more than one occasion. In the forwards, Tombs and Head hooked well. Johnstone played a fine game, but had an off day with his place-kicking. Graham toiled hard and fully merited the try which he scored.

For Frankton, Elvey, at centre, was the “star” man, his kicking getting his team out of several awkward situations. Partingdon, at second five-eighths, was a trifle slow. Charleston, the first flve-eighth, played a sound game, but would do well to vary his play more. Holland, the. half-back, although he got the,, ball away smartly on occasions, was no match for his vis-a-vis, partly'because he did not get enough support from his forwards. All the forwards worked well.