INTER-VARSITY RUGBY

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 285, 26 August 1920, Page 6

INTER-VARSITY RUGBY

SYDNEY DEFEAT VICTORIA COLLEGE

CLOSELY CONTESTED GAME

Ilio team of Rugby footballers from ■ Sydney University piuyed tho opening | mutch of their tour on the Athletic 1 ,I'ark yesterday in lernoon, when they » met unci defeated Victoria College Um- • versify by 20 poiii.b to 18. From start • to. finish, play was of a very i'uet but ■ rugged order, weak in point of com- : binetl work, but noteworthy for some brilliant individual efforts, The game ■ was very evenly contested, but it was i marred iu a. certain degree by the very i loose interpretation of the offside rule ' on the part of the Australians. The ■ visitors played with great dash, and their style was somewhat venuniscenil • of that affected by Uie Californians. Their formation, differed materially i from that of the home team, in thatl - thoy played four bhreb-quartsrs and ; two .halves, but uo Jive-eights. They ) also eschewed the wing-forward. Tins ; last omission seemed to tell nsai.nst i them. Their main weakness lay in the ■ fact that they concentrated nil their fortes on the attack and neglected.their i defence. Once their backs got r.ioving the whole team seemed to be assessed i <>1 an infinite trust in providence when . it came to combating any gulden omi- . uv-attack,. The nsult was that tho , Wellington team's first'two tries were . both scored through their opponents' . outposts being left under-manned, i Nevertheless the Australians' efiorta r were occasionally very spectacular, parl tieularly when their line . got busy. The teams were •— , Sydney: Nothling, Goldsmith, Stanley, Raymond,' Farquar, Lawtou, Morgan, i Esby, Fowles, Hall, Murray, Stuckey, D. Flynn, Bucklctfm, M'Guren. . Wellington: Siddells,' Nicol. Barker, ' Dixon, Aitken, Jacksou, R.. Scott, \ Hutcheson, D. Scott, Low, Bacon, Han- [ son, Burns, Martin-Smith, M'Rae. Sydney kicked' off with the sun in their eyes, and after a period! of uniu- , teres'Mng play, brightened by the sglen- , did manner in which Siddells both neld- , ed and kicked the ball, Farquar opened a scoring account for the Australians by touching down after one of his typically ■ straight runs. Nothling failed with the kick. Sydney, 3; Victoria College, 0. Sydney still pressed and not long afterwards first Lawton and then Nothling '. had an unsuccessful penalty shot at ' goal. Eventually Barker relieved for 1 the home team with -i brilliant! run, only' to be floored when within striking 1 distance. Offside play on the part of 1 Lawto'n saw Sydney penalised in a dan--1 gcrous position. 11. Scott took tilic kick ; but frilled to land a poal. Then ' came « brilliant piece of work. Nicol, •,|he Victoria College light tlme-quar- ' ter, picked the ball •..'!) .m his own twenty-five and, kicked, hard down the ' field. Followingup his own kick he beat the whole field and touched down ■ with the full-back hanging on to him. 1 It, Scott converted. Sydney, 3; Victoria College, 5. Shortly after play re- ■ sunied M. L. Smith came on in place of 1 l.ov (Victoria College), who retired hint The Sydney boys were now rushing matters and Farquar ran right round and scored their second try. Nothling failed with the kick. The visitors 1 still pressed, but Aitken intercepted ■ brilliantly. He Hew over the guuid, ' outstripping all-comers, and by ' scoring between the uprights. R. bcott > converted. Sydney, G; Victoria Col- • lege, 10. The local team now played with greater confidence, having appari ently found their opponents' measure, i and in the dying stages of the first : spell thev were see'n to good advantage Th several sallies, in which wild piiss'ing~lost at least one try. . In the second half the visitors opened up aggressively, and Goldsmith notched a try, which Nothling failed to convert. Sydney, 9; Victoria College, 10. Raymond followed this up by obtaining possession' near, t'ho line and touching down with Siddells hugging him closely. Lawton added the major : "points." ' Sydney, 14; Victoria College, 10 This put Victoria. College on their i mottle, and L. M. Smith wound up a . stirring rally by scoring! in the shadow . of the posts from a pass by Jackson. ■ R. Scott converted. Sydney,, 14; uc- ' toria College, 15. Tho visitors had ' their revenge when Flynn Tecen-ed the ' last of a succession of offside passes '. and touched down in a good' position, . The referee awarded a try.. Noilhlvng ' did not succeed in converting. »ya- '• ney, 17; Victoria College,. 15. ■ Morgan I 'increased the visitors' lead.a few mi.nI «tes later by scoring an unconverted tw from n forward scramble. Sydney, %■ Victoria College, 15. The home •. team's stock was raised a few points, j however, when R. Sccrft landed a neat- \ lv-placed penalty goal. Sydney, 20; : Victoria College, 18. Fast but ragged ! plav continued, but there , was no iur- : tiier score to' the call of time. Mr. 1. 1 Jones was referee. ; NEW ZEALAND UNIVERSITY . 1 TEAM. By Tolcjraph-Prep" Association. Christchurch, August 25. ' The following will represent the New i Zealand University in the match against Sydney University at Christchurch on September 4:-Full-back, Siddells nVellington); Wiree-quartere Aiken (Wellington), Mookereft (Otago). U'Leod (Canterbury); .five-eighths. Perry (Otago), Fea (Otago); half. Begg (Otago); forwards, Molloy (Auckland), Monro (Canterbury), Harry .(Otago), Jackson (Canterbury , M'Kenzie (Otago), MilliU (Auckland), Campbell Otago); wing forward, Hirlchinson (Wellington); emergency: Craven (Canterbury). HOB.OWHENUA BEATS WELLINGTON, fly Tolegraph-freßS Association. i Lovln, August 25. Horoifhenua met tho Wellington touring team to-day, and defeated the visitors by 5 points to 3. With tho advantage of a strong wind the homo team attacked incosoauUy during the first spell scored ■thveo tries, all being converted. Tho local forwards wero too heavy for tho visitors, and continually charged through theui. Tho Horowhenua backs opened up tno game at every opportunity with a great deal of success, showing to 'great advantage over tho opposing backs. Wellington both forward and back divisions, made- a much bettor showing in. the second' Halt, Hiokling finally getting through to score. SOUTH ISLAND V. THAMES AND' GOIiDFTELDS. Thames, August 25. Though steady rain fell, about 1500 spectators witnessed the South Island v. combined Thames and Coldsfiolds match; at I'ara'wai. Despite the greasy ball, and slippery nound the game was very last. Thames scored during, the first few minutes.'- play, and at.' ll " l towards halt time. Nelson drop-kicked a pretty, goal for tho visitors making the score at the interval. Thames, 6; South Island, 4. With a stroue wind in their favour, Thames sot the pace in the second spell, putting on another eleven points to their opponents' five. The conditions made back play practically impossible, and "soccer" tactics weroithc order of the day. The forwards wero fairly evenly matched, tho extra weight of tho local pack telling. South Island were attacking strongly at the call of time when th.e score stood Thames, 17; South Island, 9. KOHN CHALLENGE SHIELD MATCH. Christchurch, August 25. The Wellington Tramway football team to-day defeated the Christchurch Tramway , team by 21 points to 8. The match was for the Kotin Challenge Shield. INTEfyCOLLEQE TOURNAMENT. Christohuroh, August 25. In the intcr-collcsiato football tourim- ; ment, Wellington and Wanganui Colleges i drew to-day, with 8 points each. It was an evenly-fought match, In which thcro , was little outstanding play. May was largely confined to tho forwards, the backs ' of both colleges giving an indifferent (lis- I play. Miller scored two tries for Welling ] ton, ope being converted. Koy.d and G.Y- , mer scored for Wanganui, one being con- ; verted. ■■! l MOAfiOAB CUP MATCH. c By Telecranh-Pr'.'"? Association Napier, August 25. ! Tho Monscar Cup match. Palmerston 7 North v. Te. Ante, was played hern to- l day and won by Palmerston North bv e cii»ht points to live. The Tc Autc score t was a try by Paena (converted by Pinp) , Palmerston s eight points wero tricß by f Sollitt and Hodder. the latter converting ' his own. v