Rugby

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 8, 6 July 1949, Page 5

Rugby

STRONG DISCIPLINARY ACTION NEEDED

(By “Kai ti tiro”) Last week two Whakatane rugby teams played important representative games and in either case the performances of both were disapI pointing. The B team travelled to Matata with only half of the selected players, while the A team had to call on some of the B players to fill vacant places. This does not bode well for rugby in Whakatane and I feel that the Union should take steps to see that the same thing does not happen again. Let us first take the case of the B team. Timed to leave at 1 p.m. the bus finally did not get away until well after. 1.30. Only seven players bothered to turn up. Now comes the most disgraceful part of the whole affair. The manager and players had to chase all over Whakatane looking for players. They found them at home, in the billiard saloons and in the hotels. Players who never dreamed they would be playing for Whakatane B were prevailed upon to go and one man went and played throughout the game with a broken toe. Strong Disciplinary Action Now the matter is in the hands of the Union, which should take strong disciplinary action where it is needed. Players who had no excuse and failed to let anyone know why they would not attend should have it made clear to them that the same thing' is not to happen again, j As it was the team that did go performed creditably and was in no way disgraced. Only 15 players were able to be fielded so that when one man retired through an injury the team had to continue with one man short. Under the circumstances Whakatane could not be expected to play the football displayed on the King’s Birthday. However, the performance of Rangitaiki can in no way be dimmed by Whakataiie’s misfortunes. Now, turning to the A game. The match revealed two important details. One, that Whakatane has a! set of forwards that should be able I to develop into a pack as good as I any in the Bay of Plenty, and two, I Whakatane needs a new set of backs, excluding the full back. Good Forward Pack The main fault of the forwards was lack of co-ordination in their play but this should be ironed out with more games together. Very fast and backing up well the pack showed on Saturday that they are j not afraid of hard work. One fea- ' ture was lacking in their play and was very noticeable throughout the game. That is the quick heeling from the rucks. More practice at tight packing and harder rucking is something that is badly reeded. The play of the backs was very poor. Apart from Welch nobody seemed to know what was. going on. No one bothered to back Welch up at any time and it is to his credit j that he did not once show his team mates up. But, Welch is only human and as one spectator said, “some day he is going to miss and then the Whakatane team is going to look sick.” He is without doubt one of the best provincial' full backs in New Zealand today, Although he scored 15 points on Saturday McGoUgan has yet to show the form that got him to the All Black trials last year. He is very big and it has been suggested in some quarters that he is now out of position and would make a good man on the side of the scrum. Running across field characterised the general attacking movements of the five-eighths. Whakatane appears to be lacking in the inside backs and the selector will have no easy job in choosing players for these positions for future games. At half back G. Stewart was not happy, and it is not to be wondered at as in club games this year -he has always played first five-eighth. With this berth still filled unsatisfactorily the selector could do no worse than play Stewart here and look out for a half among other players. Surprises & Disappointments To the onlooker Saturday’s game was one of surprises and disappointments. The» poor showing of Apanui took much enjoyment away from the start and many soon lost interest. For the Whakatane supporters the pleasure of winning made up, somewhat, for the lapse of‘the home backline but it cannot be denied that much of the football was below ordinary club standard. The showing of the team in the next Shield game now rests with the selector.

RANGITAIKI GAMES FOR SATURDAY Because of the Shalfoon Shiield match between Rangitaiki juniors and Tauranga at Tauranga only senior and third grade games will

be played in the Rangitaiki Rugby Sub-Union on Saturday. The draw: Seniors: Edgecumbe v Matata at Edgecumbe at 2 p.m., referee J. Hyland; Te Teko v Thornton at Te Teko 2.30 p.m,, B. Magee.

Third grade: Wanderers v Rovers at Te Teko 1 p.m., T. Waldegrave.

Junior team for Shalfoon Shield: Full back, McQueen; three-quart-ers, Riddell, Hooper, Porter; fiveeighths, Tama, . Ihaia; half back, Parkinson; back row, Conway; middle row, Conn, Bailey, Pryor, McLaren; front row, O’Brien, Eivers, McKay. Emergencies: Forwards, Haslam, Baldock; backs, Heikel, Dredge, Dunning. ' Bus leaves Te Teko via Edgecumbe 9.45 a.m. WHAKAT/VNE SHALFOON SHIELD TEAM Following is the Whakatane junior representative' rugby team to play Opotiki at Opotiki on Saturday for the Shalfoon Shield. Players to lunch before leaving. Whakatane players will meet at the Rock at midday and Taneatua players will be picked up en route. P. Comiskey, M. Brown, K. Tawa, E. Dockray, T. Hohapata, P. Seebeck, H. Goodwin, S. Shapley, J. Tawa, L. Goodall, K. Stewart, C. Butler, J. Chadwick, H. Littlejohn, T. Moeke.

Emergencies: Backs, A. Edmondson, Thatcher, P. Symmans; ’ forwards, B. Clark, J. Prince.