ROTORUA WINS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 47, 14 August 1939, Page 8

ROTORUA WINS

13 TO NIL AGAINST WHAKATANE HEAVY, FIT, FORWARDS A fit and heavy pack won Rotorua the game when they met Wha_ katane at Rotorua on Saturday. The score Avas '13 to nil. I't was a surprising game in that Whakatane. with a strong . cold wind against them and the sun in their eyes, held Rotorua in the first spell which was scoreless. A Whakatane win seemed very probable when the teams changed over and Whakatane held the advantage, but though they were unlucky to miss scores at times I Rotorua. too. had their share of narrowly missed tries. The Rotorua i score came from three tries, *two converted . The rulings of the referee did not give general satisfaction, and the Rotorua team certainly got a better deal than Whakaltane. Two of their tries came after the ball had changed hands nine or ten times, and on each occasion, there were glaring forward passes. Rotorua, too. should have been penalised much more for scrum infringements. M>.th»cson who played for the Com bined team against the Springboks, hooked very well and got a big share of the ball not onjy because he had a heavy scrum behind him, but because of the way the Rotorua half out the ball in. Often it did not go in but bounced back to Ahipene's hands. All this is old stuff, of course and it is surprising that the referee let it go. The Whakatane team could tske-a lesson from the backing un of the Rotorua men. Every time a ball was slung out there seemed to be a pair of hands waiting for it. Rooke was a very efficient fullback for Rotorua, and with and against the wind lie kicked well. The star of the backs was Jacobs at five-eighths. He covered up well, and took the ball off the Whakatane 'lien time and again. An elusive runner he darted through the Whakatane defenee in great style. In the forwards Matheson went well in the loose'and Hapcta was truculent un'ti] he stopped a Whakatane punch

J. SteAAar*t Avas solid at fid "back r or Wliakat one. His kicks h'ek-'d great length but he .usually round, the line. He tool: the ball well. The "Hcrjto-Hotcne five-eighth-Tine AA'ent 'airly Avell and Wells was quite good •'t ha'f back. Hughes, J. vh-ONA-n and Merito all caught the \ve in tlie open. Tnuiviu pllv tne 1 katane nieti i)''ob'ihlv better I him Rotorua 'vat they laeked combination 'Mid fitness. They are capable of doing much better, fn Mr L. Preston they K-nc a A-ery capable coach, and it he . ould ieally have got them in hand he could haA-'e built up a good. team. 1 res for Rotorua Avere s'O'V.J Ty V'aluiiP, Rogers and Ma '..bleson.. Rookc gosling twice.

f-'t without discomfort—braid ".d' L !? the Bcnkona ~AyaA\ Pleasant 'if.". Visit f. G. Macklcr,v,' Chen j is' ''h.akr.t^ne.