School-United Game Was Feature At Whakatane

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 50, 29 May 1950, Page 5

School-United Game Was Feature At Whakatane

The main Rugby game at Whakatane on Saturday was the junior game between School and United, which proved one of the outstanding games seen this season. Both teams were evenly matched but the heavier United pack appeared to have the edge over the schoolboys, who > ent down 6-3. In the senior fixtures an eight point lead rather flattered Wairaka in their 14-6 win over United. On the No. 2 field Poroporo and Taneatua fought out a three-all draw while at Taneatua the strong Paroa team had too many in the bag for Ruatoki. UNITED v SCHOOL The long awaited meeting between the two leaders of the junior competition, School and United, proved to be the main game and one of the best seen at Whakatane this season. fast and hard and entirely free of any dirty tactics. Both sets of forwards packed the South African scrum formation and each got a good share of the ball but the heavier United team had a slight superiority. Both sets of backs worked like well oiled machines and both tackled hard. However, United took more advantage of the openings offered.

While both teams showed a remarkable fitness School were ahead in this respect and their fast loose forwards made some fine runs with the ball. Among the backs a tendency to hold the ball too long caused the breakdown of a number of movements; United were not free of this fault either. On two occasions the centre refused to pass out to his supports and two certain tries were thrown away. The lineouts were even and some of the play here was good. Neither team showed any distaste for taking the ball and going in to ruck hard. The heavier United forwards found their weight useful in these rucks.

Territorially the. game was even. Play was fast and moved quickly from one part of the field to the other. While School may have been a little unlucky on occasions few could say that United did not deserve their win.

Referee, Mr H. W. Chambers

WAIRAKA v UNITED

Although the. fitter team and slightly superior in a number of respects Wairaka were rather flattered with their 14-6 win over United in the main senior Rugby match at Whakatane on Saturday. Only in the last few minutes were Wairaka able to exert their superiority and this was due to fitness or, possibly, to the unfit condition of a number of United players. Throughout United held Wairaka and the forwards especially played some fine moves. At one stage the pack dribbled the ball a good 70 yards before it rolled out' near the goal line. But the inability of some of the United players to keep up with the game proved to be the chief factor in their loss.

Wairaka played their usual fast

game but in the first spell their inside backs stopped a number of promising movements by - greediness. When positions were reshuffled after the interval the team went into the lead and stayed there. There was little doubt of Wairaka’s fitness. Their players kept the ball moving at a fast pace and it was the ease with which the forwards combined v/ith the backs .that brought the reward of at least two. tries. From any spot on the field Wairaka were -always dangerous and they launched the attack whenever their forwards could move with the ball and then pass on into their fast backs.

The packs were even in the scrums while in the lineouts United were slightly ahead. This was due principally to the high jumping of Gardiner. In the backs it was only United’s good cover defence that caused the breakdown of a number of Wairaka’s promising attacking movements. Referee, Mr PI. Craig.