RUGBY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2150, 16 May 1914, Page 12

RUGBY.

[Bl liOOK.I

BATTLE OF BLUE & BLACK. Keon rivalry and big battlee have Jnarked the meetings of Athletic and I'etono over many seasons, so on Saturday last tho Itugby eection of Wellington entrained for Petono to seo onco more tlio Bluo and Black fight for supremacy.' The game was not ono of tho' championship series—it was played as a benefit to D. Boyd— but as tho teams were about full strength, the. watch gives a ppad idea as to how niuch ico theso sides tiro likely to cut in tho argument for tho ■ cup. Tho day's play simply strengthened tho opinion that Athletic aro a greater team than evor they have been in recent years, and that Petone have a .very faint-ehanco of reaching the top of the ladder in 1914. Athletic and Petone aro as fine clubs as there aro iu New Zealand, and though: Potono seems to. havo -such a small ehanco of wresting, the , : big trophy from Athletic this season the suburban clu.b.js.istnjng 1 and resourceful,;. ivrid- will-ebon-"recover from ihe heavy blow which it has recontly received through prominent players departing or retiring. '.

A Fino Machine In Action. Last Saturday's encounter was highly interesting, but lacked tho excitement which naturally attaches to an import ant Cup match. Athletic won rather easily, and held euch complete mastery of tho situation that their , fine machinery worked almost perfectly. It will take _a strong fifte'en to disorganise the working, of tho champion team, and without disorganising io few teams will successfully withstand its attacks. Tho Blue forwards aro 'capable, of, holding their _ own in-all departments; 'in fact, that is '.'si. low assessment of their worth, and tlicy aro jiist the ideal pack for /ft set''of, hacks to ;work'behind. What chances they ijnro tho bocks on Saturday ! J "TIi6 ball Cimut. out of tbo scrum like a flash, and Roberts, if he wished, could have launched a back attack in a twinkling.

Where Athletic Strikes From. Probably tho-most'effective attack in a' strong side is ono which is struck by a wily five-eighths combination; but with Athletic Roberts is the' mainspring in the offensive department. Tho Athletic half-back is probably the best half in tho Dominion at making and taking openings. Few adequately realise how quickly Roberts sees when the -enemy is so placed .that a very simple manoeuvre will outwit .the defence. Apart from tliat, of course, is ho a most valuable nil-rounder. .■

Robinson and Sim Wilson are the five-eighths this season, and though they do not attempt to carry the burden of tho attack they are a good pair. Robinson, who wo saw as a very lightlooking lad Inst year standing ur> gamely to a lot of hard knocks, has improved considerably, and has. developed into a "very "solid five-eighth. Ho never for n moment gives tho impression tliat ho is .likely' to'lofc- his 'side'down, and hois probably stronger in defence than in attack. Sim AVilson is shaping better as outside five-eighth than ho ever did as wing-three-quarter. . .-.. .

Three'"Bliie Streaks." Saturday's ', three-quarter ILIIO was Heley, Evcnsen, and Madden. Holey lias distinguished himself by his brilliancy in other matches, but in this match he was deprived of all cliances of keeping up his reputation. Everything wont Madden's way, and Madden played magnificently. Last year Madden gave some good performances, but this season lie lias improved into a really brilliant attacking three-quarter. Ho ■has an excellent turn of speed, which lie can call up very quickly, and ho is therefore dangerous whenever an opening is left. His tries and his other doings on Saturday were the work of a top-notcher. Evensen's punting was as j*ood a3 evor, and he used his speed with great effect, but ho blundered badly when he .■withhold a pass from Heley on an occasion wliich should have 'resulted in 'Hcley's scoring from one_ of the lipesfc combined back sorties which have ever struck any defence." Adams, who, also, Ss available for the Athletic throe-quar-ter line, was away in camp on Satur'day. Forwards Who Push, and Forwards Who Don't. Tho Bluo forwards fought their usual solid, heady fight. They probably did not exert themselves to the utmost in the later stages of the game, but they wore much tho hotter vanguard on tho May. P. Murphy reappeared and played in the front row of tho scrum, and if tho manner in which tho ball came out of tho scrum is any criterion, the hooking was very good. " ■ . Somo of the l'etone forwards shono in tho loose,' but ono doubts that they all did their utmost when it came to pushing in the scrum. Dent, for instance, played n great game in tho open, kicked a field goal, and scored jy good try, but much of his. weight in tho thick was imparted .with his fingertips. Potono only need six more of this kind of forward and they, will bo ab!o to say that they have fourteen backs. .land a wing-forward. : ; .:u\T. .'. . ?"" ■ Nunn and Eddie Ryan are tho best bf tho Potono backs who took the field on Saturday,. and it is clear that' nothing hut good,coaching and hard practice- will ■ improve tho suburban backs as ft combination. " :'■ .

fThe Short Punt. , ;'-.'/ 'An interesting discussion has been Rcinß.on in -England concerning the useof tho short punt as a means of attack. A well-known English authority will have nono of it, and quotes the. 'All Black'team of 1905. Ho says:— '"The New; Zealanders would havo nothing of the short punt. They, believed in the efficacy of straight running and speedy and safe transference of tho ball, .by short passes, or by •lengthy cast 3 _to tho comrade best placed. I «do not recall in all their matches on that tour an incident wherein fhe short punt was seriously employed, and their own formation and alignment wore' such that it was impossible, to work the move against them. But then the New Zealanders, lileo tho great Welsh and Scottish teams, had tho courage of their convictions. When tho short punt is regularly utilised depend upon it there is genorally a doubt of the pluck of the players.' I do not raro which men nro singled out, they aro not hearty; they do not like planting nor hard tackles, and tako tho punt , as ono way of flvoiding.it. Unless tho opposing threequarter backs havo approached closely in a straight .lino and have left ji. big pap between them and their full-back, there is an element of risk in the short punt." The Way of t»?s V/elsfi. Tho men in the great Welsh threequarter back linos did not believe in the short pun I as an effective means of attack. They were fellows who had tbo skill to work many manoeuvres, tho virtue of which sco.mr, to havo boon forgotten after a few short years. When they did try it—and then nono could object

to it—was when the opposing threequarter backs had been pressing forward in nn eager but ill-advised process of spoliation. Then there was generally such a distance between the full-back and tho three-quarter back line that the plan was worth trying. But under ordinary circumstances, the short punt was not practised by the famous line of Llewellyn, Nicholls, Gabe, and Morgan. Would Morgan, when he scored that never-to-be-forgotten try against the I New Zealandcrs, or would Gabe, who gavo tho pass, have dreamt of kicking beyond Georgo Gillett and taking pot hick of tho bounce? What Would'the All-Blacks Have Done? When George Smith was left in possession with J. G. Seoular to meet at Invcrleith, and tho in-goal quite 25 yards off, what was the favoured by tho brilliant New Zealander? To punt over tho Cantab and run for it in tho stylo beloved of C. N. Lowe and Lambert of to-day? Verily, no. Like Dr. Teddy Morgan, ho made good by his swerving powers —by real genius in attack. The fluko did not enter into the matter. What could bo done by a team using not only their _ physical qualities, but also thbir brains, was shown us by the greatest of all sides, tho New Zealanders, and in less degree by.tho South Africans and tho Australians. Tho first-named wero not restricted- to one method or to another; they were really versatile, and their handling and straight, running' wero beautiful. Which was most likely to develop a movement was the.'best. The short punt did not prevail against thorn, nor would it in really good football where tho players kept their heads. In conclusion, I may add that ono of tlio greatest three-quarter backs who ever handled a ball "described tho persistentuse of tho short kick as bad football and selfish, and tho refuge of tho funk It was only a shade better than beinf tackled with the ball 1"

Passing Flashes. The championship contests will be resumed this afternoon. Camp has been struck, and the soldicr-footballors are back in tho City. The chief of the fixtures is the Ath-letic-Oriental match. Oriental has a. fairly good team, and are expected by their followers to make tho Blues gallop. ■ • ; ' i Oriental will be withbui Kinvig today. Hβ left Wellington for Melbourne yesterday, and his last appearance for his club was in the seven-a-side tournament a week ago. The Oriental Club could hardly Suffer a greater loss than tho departure of Gordon Kinvig. Tho club farewelled him at a pleasant function on Tuesday evening, and made him a little present which will serve to re-; mind him of his Rugby days in Wellington.

Very encouraging results attended the Petono Club's promotion of the. Boyd benefit match. The gate takings wero good, and, besides, the receipts from tickets sold are considerable. Mr. Bennett, tho club secretary, has asked me to acknowlcdgo the following donations to tho funds: —Messrs. Staples and Co., £5 55.; Mr. H. Card, £1 Is.; and Mr. Bates;. ; lQs.;;6d. ; . V.. ■■-. i ' >$ ■ Downing,.the. AH who was oiie of tho team which visited California last season, has left Auckland n-nd gone to Napier, where- ho has thrown in his lot with the Marist Brothers' team. .:;•■

Alex. ■'' M'Donald, who is going the right way about becoming "the last of the Mohicans," is playing well in Dunedin this season;

James Ryan will be playing for Petono again this af'ermo' , ..

Sevral new ami promising throequarters are playing their way into favour in the city this season. Heley (Athletic) and G. Pearce (Oriental) shape as though they may have to bo reckoned with by the selectors. Madden (Athletic) also promises to be in the fight for representative honours.

The following note on Scott, tho wellknown South Island full-back, who ■ figured in tho Duncdin Cup contest last Saturday week, is not very cheering :— "Scott turned 1 out in his old position as fiill-back, and, ■ while making no mistakes, was somewhat colourless. I understand tho ex-Taieri player is not enjoying the best of health, and this would account for his falling off. At the samo timo, ono feels that if Scott had more work to do his form would improve. On Saturday liis kicking, onco so powerful, was weak, tho more emphasised by the magnificent kicking of Bond, the opposing full-back." The note is taken from a Diinedin exchange. Hekota, formerly of tho St. James Cliib, in Wellington, is to play for tho City Club' in Auckland this season. "Morry" Wood, tho famous fiveeighth of other days, recently figured in a match at Hastings. Hβ is said to havo shown good form. : Mr. W. C. Baekiville, of the teaching staff at tho Terrace School, who has just been appointed senior assistant at Johnsonville, will be greatly missed in city school sports circles. The- Terrace football team, under his coaching, has won tho Schools' Rugby Championship several, times, while in other departments tho prestige of tho Terrace School, under his enthusiastic supervision, has been well maintained.