RUGBY FOOTBALL

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25581, 24 August 1948, Page 7

RUGBY FOOTBALL

ANNUAL COLLEGE TOURNAMENT NELSON BEATS CHRIST’S 17-3 l\ FINAL Nelson College beat Christ’s College in. the final game of the Rugby tournament played each year by Christ’s College, Nelson; College, Wellington College, and Wanganui Collegiate School. The game was mainly a forward one, but the fast and clever Nelson backs won the match. Christ’s College, under its captain (O. A. Hutchinson) fought a dogged and determined game. Nelson won by 17 points to 3. • The tactical, and perhaps, physical superiority of the Nelson forwards was apparent from the start. In vigorous assaults they harried Christ’s College into the home twenty-five, helped by flashes of back play. College played into the sun with the fairly strong easterly wind behind. Hutchinson used this wAd to advantage whenever the opportunity offered, but this was seldom; the Nelson forwards rucked hard.

I. B. Leggatt, at first five-eighths, played a thoroughly mature game. His side-step-ping was a notable feature of the game, and his ease at clearing when caught with the ball would have attracted attention in a more senior footballer. His kicking, all of it unhurried, added immeasurably to the stature of the Nelson team. He often gave the formidable men outside him a flying start. • The Christ’s College backs did not get many opportunities except on defence, and apart from one or two flashes were indiscriminate in handling the ball. Nelson worked the blind side from the scrums but the College defence, whatever its other shortcomings, was a secure one here, and checked the Nelson line. Both the half-backs (B. A. Fraser for Christ’s College and J. I. Parker for Nelson College) cleared the ball from the scrum efficiently. The Christ’s College backs seemed to make a convention of standing flat-footed and appeared reluctant to open vigorous back play. It was noticeable that the Nelson backs stood deep when the scrums went down, and that Nelson hooked the ball to the best advantage throughout the game. Spurred on occasions by Nelson's example, Christ's College forced the game into the Nelson twenty-five, but was pushed by the Nelson steamroller back into its own territory. Penalties were imposed more on Nelson ' than on .College through lifting and handling in' the set scrums nre Play

Christ's College did well to prevent Nelson from scoring for nearly half an hour in the first spell. B. R. Coleman, the Nelson right wing three-quarters, vtent over for a try after a clean, but wellcontested run from a set scrum in the Christ's College twenty-five. Shortly after, in an adroit passing rush by the Nelson backs, also from a set scrum, xn which N. A. Sharpe (left wing threequarters), and W. J. Spence (centre threequarters), handled cleverly, Spence went over to score, and gave Nelson a lead of six points at half-time. In the first two minutes of the first spell a Christ’s College forward, T. Couzens, was carried off the field after he had been injured in a scrum. In the opening stages of tire second spell Christ’s College gave the impression of forcefulness and initiative when a back movement was opened into Nelson’s territory. The Christ’s College centre? three-quarters, G. J. Stokes, was brought down fairly close* to the line. Coleman surprised College a few minutes later by eluding most of the College forwards and some of the *backs, when he ran through well within the College twenty-five, but was brought down before he reached the line. Nelson gained another three points when the full-back, S. E. Webber, who played a good game throughout the match, took a free kick on the College, twenty-five line about eight yards from touch and put it cleanly between the posts. , About half-way through the second spell Christ’s College forwards , took charge for a while, forcing the Nelson team into its own twenty-five, and during this period both sets of forwards worked hard, the Nelson team playing a sounder dribbling game than College. There was determined opoosition from the College forwards to the now sudden Nelson back flashes, although Leggatt got away for a good run to the line which was barely frustrated by College. The Nelson forward, W. H. Clark, was the principal performer in the line-outs, having a good turn of speed for a forward. Nelson's next try came from W. B. Hawke, a forward, who, after a long run during which he was caught, and a set scrum, went over in the comer after the ball had got loose. With 10 minutes to go Nelson was leading by 12 points to 0. Coleman added another three to Nelson's total when he finished a good movement begun by Leggatt, who, getting the ball from a set scrum, drew the College defence, then passed out to his centre, the centre passing to Coleman. Coleman picked up the ball, kicked. .over the-head of the College full-back, rushed through, regained possession, and scored. WjebbW’ converted. The sCOfe noW stood - at- f 47 points to 0. • College’s only points came shortly after this when, a Nelson forward being offside, M. M. Andrews put over a free kick right in front of the goal. With only a few minutes to go the score remained at 17 to 3, although Nelson, after a concerted rush, almost scored in the corner, but kicked on instead. Mr D. F. Johnson was the referee.

WELLINGTON v. WANGANUI The losing teanls in the previous games, Wellington and Wanganui, played a cur-tain-raises to the Nelson-Christ’s College match. By superior play in the backs and with heavier forwards, Wellington won by 26 points to 6.

Mr W. J. Brown was the referee. Nelson College has now won the tournament eight times, Wellington- College five and a half, Wanganui Collegiate School five, and Christ's College three and a half.