RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1764, 31 May 1913, Page 12

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

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The Finest Yot. . . r Last-Saturday's star match was,.the finest/Rugby contest' staged- at the park foT some years.- In every way the ga'me was a surprise. It was a. revelation in vigorous play, and there wore very fow in Wellington who dared to guess that Athletic would score 20 points against Petone." Petone, in fact, started favourites. Great though the game was, there is little to ,be said of it. The Athletic forwards won tho day against the oloverest set of...backs in the city. Everyone who knows-Rugby knows w:nat . that means. The slashing city forwards fought and swarmed: over the..suburban pack and backs', and kept- the ball away from M'Keiizte' and Co."almost all the. after-noon-"-What might have . toppem. ,'" Eamsden had remained,on--the field-w-a-futile-query; but the chances.tirtf'tliat he would have been smothered just/as tlio other -Petone backs were.-. ; ./ ' . • All,or.'Nothing. <

■ irKenzie, the Petoner skipper, played a curious game, but it was a case of all or nothing'with his'side,-'dad-he seemed to be determined to play;n'daring hand'tor. a sensational wiii,-ratli6c4ha.u 1)9 content, with adding a few -points.., ;'■/ ThePetono man who came right out or his shell' was Parker, full-back.. Except in one"'instance 'Parker played a, magnificent ,'gam'e.' 'it,.-Ms a treat- to eee him. fielding- big catches: .while .galloping -at top; 'Parker wasn't .- in< the .humour Joy taking-tlio oval on the bounce. \ The ■ Athletic forwards,'- especially - A. • Wilson;-Bell, and - .Patch, ' playef> the game of' their lives-they ; wfer<? irresistible. Of thabacks the great -thorn-in tlio ■ opposition's side was,- as -Usual, .E. Koborts. Just as ho always does,-Roberts. would appear at the point of danger and at the critical moment'tjirn-the lade. •• .; Tbe' Petone forwards. did - not ..snow their- real worth- until:, the .last twenty minutes-'of ;th's match, and then their case was''.practically hopeless., :.:

Lights; of Other; Days. The'following is -from last; Tuesday's Auckland' "Star":—"On No>- 2 City played ••with' Parnell. Hoy. quicklj timo; rings in the changes. Five 6hoit years 1 ago' the City team .was a_ team., ot. mvinciblcs," arid /jfrradl, though in tlio iirjt flight, cjmld bo depended . upon to always extend either City or Ponsonby —the two crack fifteens. ■.Wlvat:. would George ' "Smith, 1 Charlie bcpiing. Bo Magee,- Georgo .Tyler,.. Joe Twiname, .or Lanco.'.Todd. liaye . iir pronouncing iudsrineiit upon last Saturday s 6ft® Perily. it may be'declared . that both teams were but shadows of those former fifteens-which were the pndo and "e'Jtfht of Auckland Rugby patrons Nearly 20 minutes otter stipuiatwl starting time tho teams strolled on to tho held. Neither side showed any combination, a chain is Lever stronger than its weakest link, and tlie constitution of both, teams was such that tho weak, links were indeed obnous. iirst grade matches used to to worth watching in the old days, but if one were to liulgo by the Gity-Parnoll fixture it would seem as if the fine arts were lost. How seldom is seen'a display of'that clock-work piewith which the back lines started moving-to a man, and with unoirinjj judgment sent the ball troin line to lino in ba-illiant' passing rushes. What of the finesse "of tho wing-forward, the cunning of the'hookers, and Jho , lightningJike operations of tho smart half-back. Well might last Saturday s same between these two- teams be termed just a good hearty 6C?amblo, and nothing more.

Auckland's Patronage of Sport. It is claimed that fully 10.000 people attended the various games in last Saturday- An -Auckland exchana savs Although, the' weather; on : Monday afternoon :• was • dull' and cold, tto® were big" attendances '. at all the playn'o' grounds in.the city and suburbs. At Alexandra Park, where the Kugby match between' Marist Brothers and University was tho big attraction, there were close upon 3000 spectators, and there were also a few- hundred spectators at , the other senior ?ganJe on tho'.Showgrounds.. i>uUi 2000" people watched the League n.atch between City Hovers and Newton Rangers at Victoria Park, and. there .wus. an attendance of about 1300 at the JJevo.nport Domain, whero League and Association football games were played. -Jtemuera attracted a large number of hockey enthusiasts."

Decaying Teams,

'Sorely there jvre> not to be maay more bucK deplorable exhibitions of senior grade football as was shown'in the match between Poneke and St. Jame3 on. Saturday. ,lf sbmething~is" not"don6"to" improve the standard of play in these two cluos, we result must be that the few players they hav» who have a reasonable claim to rank -as seniors rail either give up . the game or Set their footbnll with, some other club. Of course tho St. Janies team was not -at full strength, but whv?„.There is no mows of any casualties -by- which theirSirst fifteen should bftve. :Wen bo sadly weakened, and even if there vrere, ltcould not excuse the team as it turned out with palpable lack of condition. ■ Ponoko deserve equally tho reproach that they were in no form. Tho *ean» came on to tho field in a Blovenly, careJess way, eomo of the men smoking cigarettes, and obviously not prepared to vtako the play seriously. Slow _ as the g-ame was, the speed was.too fast for all but a ;verv either,side, and most ottne (forwards in both: packs could _not keep up with the - game when somebody showed a flicker of energy , which, oaused a.aivorsion »f any kind; k ' .VV* ' ~ r And thoir -efforts to score! .The bnnglmg, clumsy antics'of both:lots_of men were so erotesquer asf' to bo laughablo. , One of foneko's tries came about simply because there wero sis ni6n on' tho spot .tryingto score it, and. one St. James man to stop -thorn. If thero had been two St. Jamas /men on tlio spot' they could most.likely, fhave saved, so"utterly stupid were tho JPonelce methods. Another try was obtained by a bustling through the (pack, and the other Tilywd, got .a 1 by himself:' Poneko certainly ,had_all. the best of the -game, but if the Red and Blacks had been playing decently they crust have scored half a dozen more tries. ■ St - James likewise had chances which Whey' fooled away. Kcither team [many barrackers, butToneke claimed one, |on excited young mau whoso sole cxhortaItion. was "Put the boot in.