Stirring Rugby Duel Between Maori Fifteens Showed Football At Its Best

Chronicle (Levin), 4 August 1949, Page 9

Stirring Rugby Duel Between Maori Fifteens Showed Football At Its Best

"Observer") .

■ (By

Tfiose followers of rugby who were.prpsefit aX the Ot$ki Domain last Saturday were treated to a thrilling duel by |he Maori fifteens, Horowhenua-Wairarapa-Bush combined and Wellington.' It was footbail at its 'best and gave an insight into the type of game played in other territories and the tactics exploited. . • The fast-breahing Wellington forwards thrilled the record cyowd early in the game and. gave their Qppopente e hegtic time. No doubt the names of Hohaia and Kenny figuring in the Wellington team attraeted many anxious to see these A-H Black stars in action, " Hohaia certainly gave gqod value. Kenny was absent but his substitute, Henry Ro.pata, w&s particularly sound, especially in the first half. 7

Ropata is po gtrapger to Horowhenua. He p'ayed granfl fpotball for. Waikanae juniors lsst year and earned commendation for his dispiay as full-back when Horowhenua narrowly defeated Bush in the junior rep. game at Levin last year. On Saturday his dispiay was exemplary and he made several fast runs across fie'd, often reaching the opp'osite . 25 and making the task of his side a lot easier. Brilliant, , too, was J. Thompson (Oriental) and whereyer the play was thickesri he was in it. The opening try came from smart following UP and a snappy pick up by Thompson, when Huff anfl Poutu faltered. Just how good the combined side would h.ave fared with some earlier funs together must remain unanswered, hui they were valianf in defeat, and the dash they enthused and their combined efforts in the second spell were thril ing. Having to adapt" th.emselves to ihe standarfls practised by three different territories could not but have been responsfifie for their apparent early s.uggishness. They were a different side after the interval. Age appeafs ro rest lightly on Huff and his defence was excellent, i with his disp ay suffering little in j comparison wi'.h that of Ropata. jlt was a matter for regret that he Iwas unwittingly forced into two ! cos&y miSuakes. Three -quarters Poutu, Kuru and. Carter gave remarkably sound exhibitions. Only i8 years old, Kuru appears destined to go a long way, his tackling and general defensive play thrilling the crowd. P :utu worked haifl but v/as seldom able to exp'oit «his speed. Parker, at five-eighths, was I great. No p'ayer worked ha.rder and almost without exception rushes and openings for the combined side saw him responsible.

The diminutiye Carter, in the second spell especially, made Ihings much easier for his forwards by throwing in long liners to Parker at the rear of the lineouts. Carter could not have seen over the heads of the towering forwaifls, bur he alw'ays threw the ba'l where his team-mate could do the most good With it. Heremaia was marked by a brilliant opposite in Thompson. Nevertheless h7s was a good afl round dispiay and he took part in two scoring efforts. Haeta was hammered by the fereakaways but having Parker alongside him saw the team suff er little in consequence. After the warming up process all forwards worked tireless''y, v/ith Gray, Mitchell, Winter burn and Nepia particularly impressive in the tight. Thompson, Blake and R. Power were well up with the play in the second spell, while Lincoln has sel-| dom performefl better. The Jack of sting in the. Wellington backline duririg the second speil was in no small measure due to Lincoln's

effort as breakaway. ' Kuru was markediy versatile. . His try in the first spell was smart and his effron'tery in charging straight through the opposition left them fliHiRzcd* " * WePington did not have a passenger, and every man was there to play hard footbail. Wineera, Rangi and Smith formed an attractive three-quarter fine. Scrums,— First half: Wellington 12, Combined side 9. Second half : Wellington §, Combined side 10. Lineouts.— First half: . Wellington 12, Combined side 8. Second half : Wellington 8, Combined sid§ -8.