THE RUGBY FINAL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 307, 16 September 1918, Page 6

THE RUGBY FINAL

GAME DRAWN PETONE AND PONEKE STILL EVEN A VERY DULL MATCH The final match to decide the Rugby championship was played at Athletic. Park on Saturday, before about 5000' people. For the occasion each, sidei brought in players who had been oit' : the sceno for some time. This being; the case, the strength of the teams was. rather hard to gauge beforehand, hut. the result-was looked on as very open. J. Tilyard was brought back 10? Poneke. and did well, but he was not made enough use of. C. Green came back for Petone, but did not show any of his old form. Petone also, found a. place for; Heley (formerly of , the Athletic fifteen} at full-back. Heley played a verysound game in the position, but, in ». sense, was wasted there. Poneko played against the wind in the first spell, and held the solid-looking Blue forwards surprisingly well. Petone ran up nine Mints in this balf and Poneko scored three points. Petone's six poiuts margin seemed hardly big enough to make the suburban team's position; safe, but when the sides changed over; and Poneko got the wind behind tlient llwy failed to mako full use of their great opportunity. The condition of the Petone forwards beat Poneke, for,, half-way through the second spell, the Blue vanguard took charge of tho game, and, in tho faco of the strong wind, thoy sustained an attack which was so determined that Poneke were lucky to save on several occasions. Toward tho end of tho game. Poneke managed to keep play more open, and this enabled them to attack again. In tho last ten minutes the Beds looked Las if they might score at any moment, but faulty play on tho part of various backs kept them out. Morris let his side down badly through hanging on to tho ball—an everyday absurdity of his —when there was a. fine chance oE the backs getting through the do fence. A "Hard" Game. The match was of the "hard" order, and there was an exceptional number of stops while knocked-out players were resuscitated. Play was dull almost right throughout, and if it had not been the championship final the match would: ha-.'e. aroused very little enthusiasm. It was in marked contrast to tho gam* of the previous Saturday, when on a worse 'day Auckland and Wellington, playing under the amended rules, provided an excellent game. .. The contrast was so great that it was a big advertisement for the amended rules. In knock-outs alouo the difference in favour ■'of the Auckland- Wellington match was astonishing. As the final was drawn, there are two courses open, to the Wellington Union—to bracket the teams or to match them again. It is almost certain they will be matched again. Among the individual players whose work was particularly good \va% Maiin. the Poneke full-back. Cbristopherson did best of the Poneke threequarter line, though J. Tilyard and. Anderson would both have been very handy had many chanqes gone iheir way. Monis, five-eighths, was good, except for his habit of making tho ball his own particular property. Ho is very unfair to his side at-titaes.. On. the other hand, his lone-hand try was a. first-class effort. Pollock, behind the. 6ornm, toiled with his.usual determination and smartness. The Red forwards stood up to Petone well, and one of the best of them was Troy. In' tlia loose, M'Taggarb used his N fine turn of speed and his experience as a back to good advantage. The Petone forwards were better than their backs. Tailored was given more than his share of the heavy work, and he got through it well. None of the other forwards singled himself out, but as a body they worked admirably, and they saved the side from defeat by keeping Poneko on the defensive for so long in the second spell.' Nicholls and Heley were the best of a rather ordinary back team, which would have been no match for the Red backs on a calm day.

Description of the Game,

Petone, playing with the wind, at ' once earned operations ijito Poneke's twenty : five, and within a couple of minutes of the comniGiicement Poneks were forced. Poneke were penalised in. their twenty-five, and Nicholls had a shot at goal which went just outside the posts. The Petone forwards continued to presSj and the R«ds were forced twice m quick succession. Nicholls missed another good chance to goal, and Poneke then roused tlio crowd with a,passing rush which J. Tilyard concluded by .kicking to touch on tho Petone side of halfway. A long kick by Petone sent the ball well over the Poneke line. The Poneke fullback had ample time to reach it first and force, but the ball bounced trickily and Hagan, who was following up, scored Petone's first try. B. Thomas took the kick at goal and failed. Useful saving work by J. Tilyard helped to keep Petone out for a while, and Nicholls threw away a fine chance of a score by hanging on' to the ball. Anderson, the Poneke right-wing, gat his side into trouble by very bad judgment when dofending. With play close up under the Poneke goal Corner kicked nicely and followed the leather through. , Marks failed to pick it -i» cleanly, and Corner carried it ; over ana scored. No goal was kicked. After anothor period of- very dull forward play -Petone turned, on the first' piece of passing' seen in the match. Nicholls got the ball out to Corner, who sent on to Hamilton, who scored at the corner. B. Thomas's kick, though it failed,-was a- 'beauty. Poneke rallied splendidly, and toot the ball to half way; where' M'Taggart, following up fast, got, in a useful kick which was the means of 'taking play to 'the ' Petone twenty-five. After a while the ball came.out to Morris, who, with a great run, outpaced the Petone backs, and scored a fine try. Christo-plu-rson failed with the kick. _ There was no.other score before half-time. Poneke went off with a tremendous bang in the second' spell. First the backs tried to.go through on the rfcht. wing, and after- nearly succeeding they came round 1 on the other wing. Th«< leather got out to Christopherson eft the end of the line, and, with two nto'Kto heat, he scored a clever try. Within a' few minutes Poneke had drawn lovef. Howe took' a very fine mark at about the Petone twenty-five, and Christopherson put tho shot over. The- Petone forwards now began to outplay the Red vanguard, and, keeping play close for a long stretchy they held Poneke well down in their own twenty-five. The Red line was in serious danger, but on several occasions a force saved the situation. Finally O'Brien got the city team out of its) trouble with a useful kick down-field. This led to Poneke Betting up attach after attack. One attack opened up by Morris looked highly likely to result, in something, but F. Tilyard missed his pass and the opportunity was lost. Hard kicking spoilt several other chances which came tha way of Poneke, and by nice line-kicking Petone worked back to halfway. With Poneke back in the Petone twenty-five, Pollock got tho hall beautifully away from a scrum to Morris, who ruined a great chance for the team by hanging on to the ball instead of passing Out. The game ended shortly afterwards, with the teams even. Petone 9 ■l'onoka t ,.,.,,i.,,.......,....,, M " 9.