RUGBY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2193, 4 July 1914, Page 12

RUGBY.

.;-,' [Br Look.l ,Tho 'All-Black team which sailed for Sydney ■jostcrd.iy; is* "JSoXv | Zealand contingent vriiidr/has;invaded Australia." £&lar"our" record" across" tlio" Tasnjan is an excellent one, and by noxtSatpfte njghtr.ttQ-. should. ;k)f<>iv . what sort, of a start the present team has~niade. ;;i OT'tno'Kj matches "played by Jtfew.-Zealand" .teams; on"Australian." grounds,' 49 bpou,,>voji, r ;an I d,.pfl|y. four.' have-'oeeii. lost. —Theotlicr-'two wero drawn.. .ThoTfiiiost -record is", held" by ,t!io 1905. team, .'which won .all its teimnatchosyand 'wored against Wij; There-'is^a , feeling amongfcom'e siippoffers "of the. gunie iu Xou Zcalaud'lha't'tlib' present "teara'is Avedkcr' than raostof-its;j)redecesspw:.- Whether these peopfo'nro right" of not remains to b"& ie'fe'grottable for "the Bake; of ljiighy, generally, that absolutely bur-finest team_ has ,iiqt been shipped flcross to"tlie--Gonlinoiit^>-'rhe}nct : that several of.<tho Dominion's most brilliant riot aVailablq for, tho combination somewhat, and it is unfortunate, asRugby in Australia would be particularly, benefited just now by exhibitions of the gome, played as our finest loot- , bailers play-it.. Nevertheless,- the team which has'gbiio is.a.'stroiiß. one,, and there is -otdry'likelili'ood ■of"its.'i>icr'6as-' ing ;<mr "list of 'Victories , considerably. -weakness ■ : in : • tlio fiveeighths may.be overcoma.byll..Roberts risjng .to all ."bis occasions. That is, of course, pfesuminf! that these meii' will occupy the live-eighth " positions. It seems hardly likely that the other pair will, prove champions'. - itho.Llst of Matches, ....,, ■' The fixtures which tho All-Blacks are fcobked for arc: ~.,.., . July li.-r-N.S". Wales "at Sydney. • • July 15.—Western,'at'Orange." July 18.—Australia, at Sydney. July 22.—Northern, at Armidalo. JuJy 25.—Queensland, at Brisbane. July 129. —Queensland) at Brisbane. 1 August s'.—Match in aid of tlio Olympic Fund. August B.—N.S. Wales, at Sydnov.;-. Aiigust 15.—Australia, af : Sydney; ■/. Wellington In Taranaki. ...,.,„ A Rugby encounter between Wellin'gtou,and Taranaki is generally well worth seeing, and tlio'match which eventuated at Hawera recently is said to have been .very' interesting indeed. The Tarauaki ■"Noil's" Bays o't the gairio: '.'lt was not a brilliant exposition of scientific football—it was ttioroof a ditig-dofig stfug'glo between a fast ■ and energetic sot of forwards, weakly ..supported.by a liaclC division '(levdid 1 'fcrV.fc'olfesf dft" : $nd' direction , , nnd-n poorer Jot , of •forwardsnndsupcrior backs. Tnrahnki, in-other words, had tho forwards and Wellington tho;'backs, but from the outset 'I'aranaki, adopted 'smashing , "and • aggressive' tactics, giving tie nippier arid' faster southern backs no rcst'.an'd l«nC*:c^iaipS s .TJo : ."disp.(ay jiigt'.le." iWelUngton- were a beateii foam long be-for6rth&.-"Eame"c"Qncluded, 'and! tfio eiifJpriso is.tuat: Tariannki's scoro was not double what it was.»TlioroWere plenty of opportunities to scoro whien the yellow backs wdro "quite unabltLto LraCp.. Taranaki registered Jour tntX (onp; converted) two tries, bothißeTng-conKerted.T- +?• ™. Baok-to '--~Z'.; ''Tarsnaki played with tjvd wing-for/.' wards, Taylor and Colniati. "'yrhcire ;\yns (i fano performance. They woro>{ii'tlio vau : throughout, and word' constant thorrifiir'tlio'sldcs'-of 'the'"" oflpsing , backs, who in consequenco seldom got away. Jt was as wo(i tor Taranaki that they did not,.fur ou tho few occasions, when they Rot into .stride ihcj siiowed that they wore. no. lijjlit-wcights, and ]iad their opponents flunking very hard. Taranaki secured tao ball in tho scruui inoro frequently tlinri- Wellington, but it camo out.very raggedly, und tho half .was far from being t)£ hdtho when it did come out.- Thorpassing of. tho fire» eighth also left mucn-.to bo desired.-In* deed, tho\ .'appliei M"4)K the yellow backs: 'Roberts- endeavored' to play the- wholo "back'gamb Limbelh Ho mado spmo reall.V cteyer 'openings, but almost invariably ho held tenacioasly to the leather ,when a smart pass might havo added -points toJiis' Bido'a ecoro. '~**■"'■"';'*. '.,.";';'.".. ".r.;."...*; ';..; •"Tho Pace was Sultry. l, -'".". "',l::'.':. Z _ "lTie was en-" litely in favour of th'o visltbrs,-bu't'wJiei>-Taranaki really ginned : up.".to ."their .work they mado .-things Hyply/, , Tjiq psc,e. : \vas sultry, •and-tlio scores-mounted up in raro -TTaranalu Jiad-'jio-'placV kickers (Stohr;MS" absent),: or'thfrlwholo' four tticsi hmidj , pffsjtions;; .would havtv beori' converttfdT'-Fof'iho greater part" of completely •lacked tho necessary ability to;cap their .work with ToVn'ruetlio <;nd of ■the game, Ju";lh6~scdl-da?kd[ess,"Wel-; Jington, ivhp,-to.;a!l;.appcarances,; wero 'hopelessly routeorfecmed to-gain-a hew lease of life, inu carried.thewaf-inta tho enemy's tatiip.-scoriiiE'a try and kicking a goal. ' Thereafter, however, tho homo wen had it their own way BBain." " '■' rrho City Playors. " • :; As to the-Wellingloirmen, tho fol-]oivin(»-c*sfrvations from tho Ilawera ".SCar^afoiiifercsling— ''Broadly.eiMak, ing 7 the- match was won'bj•'lliS'bur'stiiic , tactics of the Taranaki forwards, whoby their slashing,play, Especially iii the loose, got down on the opposing backs before they wero ablo to' really get going. In M'Farlaiio Wellington have n place-kicker of tho first ram;. Deadly tackling on both sides was very noticdhlile. Only on ono nr two Occasions waif tlit> tackling , at fault. Wellington's full-back (H. Capper) is n prince- of tacklers. and seldom failed to bring down his man. Heard and M'Tagnart, in tho throe-qnartcr line, showed themselves to bo lino plnyers, strong anil heady runners. Denrd's try was an excqitionally brilliant pierp of work. One cannot help tliinkiiijj that if the Wellington forwards, good (hough somo of them wero, noticeably M'Fnrlano and lleiit, had been equal to , Taranaki, Wellington lucks v.-oylrt l.avo been ninth morn daii«erous ami would probably havo reversed the result." Roußh Play Punished, '\']o Auckland Ihipby Union has refently Inula good deal of unpleasant work to facn; complaints of play have been roacliinu them in unwelcnme lMimbers. licporU of penalties inlliot-oil-liavo broil teloiiraphed, and it may! be renymbcred that oup wt-11-kiiown Foiiior player was pinvonfed from takIhr !i?lil again for some time lo nijiir , . Tli'- , inaU-ii betwren tin. . City and tbfl MariFt l!r.)S. trains npprars to Itav* , given iim' to v(inii> rriliiMsni. Olio i>f tl\i< Aiii'kl:iiid pap.M-3 s.ivs that 'lie , \\-.\f. <!i.ir.iclri'i , -i'J M I'iir I'M) i nidi iiiiliocfwrily Jiai'.l play, llfarly :'.ll on tin , part of City.-and thai tluro Wiis-hardly n ih'-ihlht i'.f llii- Mai-isL Hi : <illhts' taw v.-l:,, rwap-il absiiluti'ly M-aiin-li-.-*. OnCity forward was put o(f the litld. llur-fi-tt received a knuck nlmvo tlio c\e which iireessit.i!?d stilrhf"!. On the whole, tin , "ami' w.h not p.-ultYnhuly rrnlit.-iMi' t<V City. A leuli f tho U,-!me;-tlir;|iip-r ad'U, -was l!:o cxrollon'. ri'iniior- iii—'u'liicli- it. tol» tjn!l« - <i l;l>v Mr. ('.. Whrnovi-r In tinti-cl i.mdi pliiy bo quickly stopprd it. ll:.i ilcrisioiis Vfin nlvvays quirk ;Mil correct, ami h<- kept ii f;«"il h»l'l on the f,mw through.