WELLINGTON BEAT AUCKLAND

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 7, 4 October 1943, Page 3

WELLINGTON BEAT AUCKLAND

Rugby Mud Scramble

The return Ilugby match at Athletic Park, Wellington, on Saturday afternoon between the Auckland and Wellington, representative teams, played under atrocious weather and ground conditions, was won by Wellington by 10 points to 0. Heavy rain, overnight and throughout Saturday had left pools of surface water on the‘field, and the soft turf, churned up by a curtain-raiser, was a quagmire. It was difficult for the players to keep their feet, let alone play attractive football. Nevertheless, both teams performed prodigies of valour in the mud. It was a case of leave the ball on the ground and.kick bard, and in those tactics the Wellington team came out on top, as a result no doubt of the experience in wet weather conditions they had gained in the match against Canterbury on tbe ground on the previous Saturday. The Aucklanders were out of their element on such a. ground and proved giants with feet of clay. Much amusement was afforded a well-lllled stand, which paid £164 for admission, as the players slithered and skidded about the treacherous Held.

Breaks were frequent as the referee wiped mud out of players' eyes with a handkerchief which soon lost its pristine whiteness.

With tbe strong southerly wind behind them, Wellington had the advantage in the first spell, ami only sound defensive play by Littlejohn, the Auckland fullback, prevented the home side from scoring more often. Totzloff, the Auckland half-back, was also going down to the hammering foot rushes fearlessly. Wellington kept up Ihe attack and at last Bligh scored close to the posts for IVebster to convert.

The visitors, with Gunning, Smith and Waldegrave in the van, then swept the ball over the Wellington line and Waldegrave pounced on it for a try in the midst of a bunch of opponents. Gilmour failed to add the extra points. Wellington's reply to this was a hammering foot rush, with Wales, Stanaway and Calclnai as the spearhead, which swept all before it and enabled Breed to round off the movement with a try, which Webster converted with a splendid kick in which he allowed for tbe wind with nice judgment. In a hard ruck Lindsay, one of the Wellington forwards, received a knock and had to retire with slight concussion, Amies replacing him in the second spell. It was confidently expected that Auckland would dominate play in the second spell with the wind behind them, and they promised well when Smith scored a try early, which he himself failed to convert. From then on the Wellington forwards rose to great heights and not only kept the northerners from ■ scoring further but at times set up attacks which required a deal of stopping. It wae Webster’s ability as a goal-kicker which won the day for Wellington, and apart from this he played an outstanding game at full-back.

The match was well controlled by Mr. B. Matthews, chairman of the Wellington Ilugby Referees’ Association, whose last appearance with the whistle it was, as he is retiring as an active referee after a long and notable career.