WANGANUI NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XX, Issue 1113, 10 August 1911, Page 11

WANGANUI NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) NORTH ISLAND DEFEATS WANGANUI. The North Island Country team defeated Wanganui on Saturday by 13 points to nil. The result was not unexpected; in fact it would have been matter for surprise if the local boys had not been beaten. The material is here all right for a good team, but the players are not given any chance of showing to advantage in rep. matches. A fresh team is chosen for every match, and the men asked to take the field without any practice together. How they can be expected to hold their own thus handicapped against teams which have had the opportunity of gaining combination by playing together, is a mystery. It is time those responsible for controlling Rugby football here woke up, and did something more than talk,, which is, by the way, usually in the direction of speculating as to how big the “gate” is going to prove. In other places when a team is picked a coach is also chosen, and he sees to it that the men roll up to practices, but such a thing is only thought of here about once in three years. In the interests of the players the public, and the Union itself, it is high time a change wag made, and our representatives given a chance to show what they ar® capable of. Want of condition and conbination led to the defeat of Wanganui on Saturday. The visitors had a good all-round back team, and their forwards were a sound lot. They were able to show just that little extra bit of nippiness which enabled them to put the finishing touches on such opportunities as came their way. This was where Wanganui failed. -Three tries were secured by the Country team, the scorers being Desmond, Bailey, and Downing. Two were converted. A regrettable incident occurred during the g-me. Percival, a Wanganui three-quarter, followed up a kick, and towards McKenzie, who marked as Percival was upon him, and put ip his eibow, catching Percival under the chin and knocking him out. It looked very bad, and a crowd hooted and called to the referee to put Meenzie off, but the referee, believing that it was an accident, did not do so. and this led to a continuance of the demonstration against McKenzie. Wanganui has been singularly free of such scenes as this, which was one of the strongest demonstrations ever made against a player here. The winning team was a good even one, with no particular stars. For Wanganui, W. Dustin stood out amongst the forwards, playing a great game. This player should get into the North Island fifteen for the inter-island match. The others all did well. Of the backs, Stewart, at five-eighths, showed capital form, and was the pick of the backs, though Coutts, at centre, played a very solid game, being in everything. Atkins shaped well at half. Next Saturday the Maoris will be here* and the public should be treated to a good even match. If the local forwards get together a few times during the week, and Campion is able to play, the Wanganui team should put up a big fight. On Tuesday of next week, the Wanganui touring team leaves for the South Island. The last team sent South won all their matches in the other Island but this seems too much to expect from this season’s combination, although with a game or two together the team will be a fairly strong one.