RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1776, 14 June 1913, Page 30

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

_ » LUr Abistobumjb.] The Worst Ground Ever. , -:,, "Ifs the worst ground "that I have ever, played on," remarked,a member of the Oriental team, which! played against Victoria College on Saturday last at .fohneonville. The ground was certainly unfit for a senior match. Oriental, of course, «ould not help putting on a score in tho second spell. They were the superior 'team, and playing down-field, with the iwind, their chances of scoring were in-' '*■ "deed easy. On the whole, the game was a very poor exhibition of Kugby, and both teams— Oriental and College—lacked tho essential of good combination. Tho College team have been doing a little training, but the same cannot be . Baid of Oriental. In fact, only two of ■the Oriental men.have visited tho gymWsium for the past three weeks. Had the College not been weakened by "the absence of Eyan and others, they rwould probably' Have recorded a inn. falieir combination, although nothing re-' imarkable, was somewhat better than that -of the "Magpies." Oriental had a new senior player in v their forward ranks, named Bead, who ijilaycd a good game. •. • Both Bennett and Beard played well lifor'the Greens, the former enabling East •to score an easy try; Later on in the came Bennett was again conspicuous in •landing a beautiful penalty goal.

tedious Rugby. I Petone and St. James displayed very Ptedious Eugby on No. 2 ground at the IPark last Saturday. St. James made a fairly close game of the fixture, but were out against a weakened Petone team. 'Arrowsmith, who reappeared as wing-for-wird for tho suburban team, was in good Win, and will no doubt strengthen tho (forward division. Nunu grafted like u Itrojan all day, but the other, backs did jlittle. The best try of tho match was .Daly's first one; it was scored in quite ,the best of styles. Hills was the strong inan of the St. James side. ' His two tides flvere well deserved. •■ ■ JHard Luck.

Por the first time in' three seasons 'Athletic had a. turn of bad luck. It camo last Saturday when they had to meet 1a sound team while their own ranks were ■klepleted by casualties. All , teams suffer losses of useful men through minor accidents from time to time but, in the 3ast three years. Athletic havo suffered \rather less than most of them. Now, however, they havo incurred the maximum , jienalty-ra defeat. TJced of Forward Leaders. ,- •- 'Right through the game, of last Saturday the lack of two such men as Wilson and Paton in the Blue forward pack was painfully.'apparent. The forwards actually engaged played very well enough, ,'bnt it is admitted by most footballers )of experience that a. medium pack, if led ! iby a couple of brilliant men, is very iimich. more .dangerous than a pack of \greater average playing ability, but without any forwards of outstanding merit. A dozen times on Saturday the Black tend Blues got within range, but no one Seized or made an opportunity. They 'needed Wilson very badly. This player ecorcs a lot of tries himself, h\it he bursts ■up the defence in such a way "as to make it possible if or others to score a great •many more. .

Cunninghame, wing forward,\ did an immense amount of sterling work, never Blackening in speed or watchfulness. Tho try-obtained by-Luoni came solely from his effort. Ho broke away from the ruck, fooled the half-back, and when tackled on the line dropped tho ball to his feet, leaving Luoni with no more to do than to tail on the ball—a good example of the usefulness ,of..the brilliant forward. But Cunninghame, well marked as he was, could not make breaks all the time, and there seemed to be no one else who could give the forwards a lead. ■

■Melrose forwards have always suffered by, being leaderless. "Dan" Sullivan is a good scrummer and a hard worker, hut not hiilliant. They, can keep a team on the. defensive for most of a game, hut they have not the men who can force an advantage, and with a Mialf-back like KoKerts hovering;- -.round, : vthey . had 'to make chances to score. Koberts never makes a costly mistake. ; ■• '"' i •.'.■■ ! <"A Hard Team to Beat.". / | The Bed and Blue back division, usually, such safe men in defence, were sadly at fault in this game, and the man usually: .'. safest of the lot of them, Capper, jwasHhe worst offender. tTheir taking of (the ■'•ball was never confident, and their "(kicking was erratic, so that they frequently lost distance in finding the line. Twomey was by far the best back the Fide had—a very lively back on tho aggressive, and a good defensive man as iwell. Perhaps by and by llelrbso will ]earn something' of the possibilities of jthe passing game, and then Twomey and .*i few other men they have should be insefnl. '

Just now Melrose are only "a hard team to beat.";.they are not a team ever likely to pile up a mammoth' score.

for Dcfence. ' , ; On tho other side E. was tho Imanof the day. He is'improving every peason. His defensive playi needs no further', commendation than-' it has already ihad.' but ho is learning,'things, . even about defence. For 'instanco, last Saturday'{he _ did not hesitation occasions, ivhen his side was bard pressed,, to whip tho ball out to Adams or' Robinson, when lihe was smothered himself, aiid the result -always justified the-risk. y

Of 'course, this, is no new, trick .(it was practised with success by Fred Roberts and others), but hitherto E. Roberts has been slow to part with the ball on finding himself in a tight, -'ciirner. Perhaps Bomo may remember how the backs in Eedell-Sievwright's British team' passed to improve their defending position, and on the whole used the device very effectively. It was then regarded with «omo suspicion here, but it lias' steadily ■grown in favour since.