RUGBY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 57, 4 September 1926, Page 22

RUGBY

By "DnoPKiiif BELOW STANDARD

LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE FORM

THE MATCH WITH AUCKLAND.

Senior A Grade.

From this year's Auckland-Welling-ton match, played at Athletic Park last Saturday, quite a numbor of the leading players from the two centres were absent. Auckland started out on tour ■with a team that was more or less an unknown quantity. Several of the leading players were unable to make* JSe trip, and this gave a chance to the younger players of' promise. Having_met Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa before trying conclusions with Wellington, the touring team had been welded into fairly good shape, and it gave quite a good account of , itself last Saturday, and registered a popular victory. Even so, the performance was nothing like that from Auckland of old. Here was a young team in'the making, and so far as the vanguard was concerned it showed distinct promise. Followers of Eugby who have been under the impression that the production of big forwards in Auckland has ceased since the Northerners introduced' the amended kick-into-touch rule must have roceived something of a surprise when the visitors filed on to. the field last Saturday. In the line were ieveral stalwarts, who, when the play opened, indicated that weight and height were not their only qualifications. They were young and keen, and showed speed, vigour, and an amount of cleverness. Properly developed they will serve Auckland well in the future. The standard of Auckland's back play was not represented by last Saturday's performance. Auckland can field a very classy sot of backs, and with such forwards coining on as those who were eeen in action against Wellington, the Northerners can look forward with much confidence to the future. For a more or less scratch team Auckland ■performed well last Saturday. Evenly Matched. Wellington's team was not by any means up to representative standard. There had been considerable difflculty in arranging it, quite a number of players not being available for the match. ."When finally arranged, it was like the Auckland team before it set out on tour, more or less a scratch team, and not having had an opportunity of working np combination it did not make much tot an impression. Still, the team was good enough to make a match of it, and tho run of play was such as to keep the crowd interested. For the day there was a big gathering of enthusiasts, indicating that the keen interest in Auckland-Wellington contests of the past is well maintained. Auckland's forwards were quick to show their liand, ft neat passing bout between two of them resulting in a try, after a neat opening was Made by M'ManuSt the half-back, who, by tho way, has been in senior football in Auckland for a number of years, and who has previously played against Wellington. Wellington was quick to reply, and for the moßt part of tho spell the local team showed superiorly. Tho strong points in the local rearguard were worked splendidly, the result being three splendid tries by Svenson, who must still be marked down as one of the Dominion's finest wing three-quar-ters. The local forwards did not go too well as a body, but some members of the pack were solid grafters all the way, and their efforts, fairly well supported by the backs, reduced the effectiveness of the Auckland van. Some excellent inside-back play by Mackenzie was of considerable value to Wellington, and Bramwell carried out the half-back duties with a degree of success. On Auckland's side the best feature of the first spell play, after the registration of the opening try, was the dash and cleverness shown by Lucas, who was fathering the backs. Near the close of the spell, however, the Auckland forwards came again, and a solid drive gave the visitors a converted try. Wellington had had more of the play than the half-time score— 9-B—indicated. Tho second spell was Auckland's. Forwards and backs played in winning mood, and there were quite a number of occasions when each division moved in attractive order. The head piece of the rearguard' was always busy. It was on Lucas's shoulders, and it was a very heady bit of play on the part of tho All Black that gave Auckland the converted try which meant final success Wellington's play fell off considerably; those members of the local team who had shown up prominently in the first spell were less conspicuous. The absence of Moffitt, who had. a leg injured (causing a broken blood vessel) in the game seemed to be felt by the pack, and it certainly upset the scrum-' maging. A rally or two made matters interesting; in fact, at that stage when there_ was again only a point difference in the scores the spectators became quite excited. Finally Auckland gained a victory which was well deserved on the day. Tho game, however, was nothing out of the way. , Conspicuous Players. The star back on.the Auckland side was Lucas, probably the best centre-three-quarter in the Dominion to-day. He captained his side well, and at the same time was able to demonstrate very clearly that northern reports of his brilliant form this season were not exag- . gerated. Some of the young players he had with him in tho back division^ were very promising, notably N. Ifwersen, a younger brother of the ex-All Black, who is now helping to select tho Auckland teams. Hook showed up well at the start, but had to retiro early owing to an injury. Loft, who replaced him, was, dashing. Cammick acquitted himself well as a five-eighth. M'Manus showed that his good form of previous seasons was retained. Outstanding among the Auckland forwards were Knight, a younger brother of last year's All Black, and a member of this year's New Zealand team, Finlayson, a brother of the All Black, and Cathcart. With M'Williams, who was suffering from a knee injury, those players made up a very solid quartette. Batty was another good Aucklander. Wellington's best backs were Mackenzie and Svenson. The former stowed up splendidly in the first spelL, but with Wellington more on the defensive it- the secoad spe^l i.o was not so con- • spieuous, though his defensive play was quite good. Bramwell, as half, also figured moM prominently in the first spell than in the second. Oi! tho local forwards, Thomas was in form all the way. Moflitt also had a big.say in matters in the first spell. Generally, however, the pack did not get going as in previous matches on tho Park. Murphy was quite fair as wing-forward, though his performance did not come up to the best he has' given in club matches. Wellington will have to improve con-

siderably to obtain some measure of success in coming matches. A Northern View. In the course of comment on the Wellington-Auckland match, an Auckland "Star" writer says:—Well as the Auckland forwards played, they lacked the sustained dash and brilliancy of the two previous games. Being a young and comparatively light pack, they were considerably knocked about one way and another by the games against Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa, especially in the latter match. Both the front-rankers, Hadloy and Palmer, were suffering from shoulder injuries, and as a result could not do themselves justice. M'Williams could not get going at all in the first spell, and was having trouble with his leg before half-time. At the interval it was intended that he should be replaced by M'Carthny, but just as the teams were going out again, the big fellow felt better, and decided to see it out to a finish. Knight was again a tower of strength to the pack, but was also not at his best. He was considerably troubled on tour by cramp in the legs. Cathcart and A. Finlayson, younger brother of tho great Northlander "Bunny" Finlayson, were very solid. The backs figured largely in a defensive role in the first spell, and the inside men did not show up too well. In the second spell, when the forwards started to make things move, the threequarter line, consisting of Loft, Lucas, t.nd Ifwersen, played brilliant football. Lucas, at centre, was in great form from start to finish. Although Wellington were without the captain and vice-captain of the All .Blacks, it has to be remembered that it cut both ways. All Blacks Sheen, Lomas, Wright, Matson, and Kighton represent a formidable quintette to be without on tour, not to mention players of the class of Meyer and Keene. In Mark Nieholls's case, the Petono champion could not have bettered the fine game played by Mackenzie, the 'Varsity colt, who made the most of the eleventh-hour opportunity given him on Saturday. It is possible, however, that Nicholls would have evened things up on his younger rival by his goal-kicking. The tricky wind blowing on Saturday twisted and turned the ball in a most tantalising fashion, and Butler, O'Regan, and M'Williams all have cause to remember the vagaries of Wellington weather. As far as its general effect on the game was concerned, it was in favour of the home side, tho strong breeze blowing in the first half dying down after half-time. Auckland however were not so unlucky as the South Island team on the same ground in 1924, which played_ in the first spell with a strong breeze against it. At half-time, the wind awung completely round a half circle, and chased the North Islanders home to an overwhelming victory. Auckland's Tour Reviewed. When the Auckland Bugby representatives set out on a short Southern tour, it is safe to say that 'none but its most optimistic supporters expected it to win two out of the three games played on tour. Bight up to the eleventh hour the touring side was scratching for men, and a heavy list of casualties and sickness amongst prominent, players did not encourage the belief that anything like a really representative side would be got away. The party that ultimately made the trip under the- managership of Mr. C. Anderson was a very young team, largely an unknown quantity, with little to suggest, from previous rep. games, that it had any chance of winning a majority of its matches (says the Auckland "Star"). : The hardest match came first—that against -Hawkos Bay. Although beaten by a margin of 30 points against the Banfurly Shield province, tho touring team put up a great fight against their more experienced rivals while their crndition lasted, and the score was no criterion of the game. The forwards, in particular, played magnificently, and to close observers they suggested by their play that they might yet furnish into a match-winning factor in the remaining matches. Briefly, this is exactly what happened. Nevertheless, the pack was handicapped by the absence of an old hand, who could have filled- the bill as pack leader, and assisted to curb some of the impetuosity which in tho Hawkes Bay match led to the vanguaid running itself to a standstill; and in the Wairarapa game to the forwards nearly "cooking" their chances against Wellington by the tremendous vigour and dash they infused into their game. The inside back combination was always a source of trouble. A player like Sheen would have strengthened the five-eighth line immeasurably. The development by the forwards of the short-pa3sing game and the splendid generalship of tho skipper of the side (Lucas) to a large extent overcame this weakness; but it was always in evidence, and took a great deal of getting over. Features of the tour were the success of Hadley and Palmer in the serums, Lucas's great games at centre, and the success of Ifwersen on the wing. The result of the tour proved a pleasant surprise. >It should benefit the game greatly in the next season or two, although enough has been done to date to show that the game is by no means at so low an ebb here as many people seemed to think after the Taranaki match. The team has still to wipe that off the slate. : The Colts on Tour. The following comment on the match between the Wellington colts and Marlborough, at Blenheim last Saturday, was •made by the "Marlborough Express": —Tho Wellington Colts opened their Southern tour at Blenheim on Saturday, when they were defeated by the Marlborough representatives by 12 points to 9, after one of the fastest and most interesting games seen at the Show Grounds for a good many years. The "colts," as their name implies, are the younger generation of. Wellington representatives—tho ranks from which selections to the senior representatives will be mnde from time to time. They were not a remarkably clever combination, their principal assets being their extraordinary ■ speed and condition, and a few hanky-panky tactics in the line-out and scrum—■ little manoeuvres, or-fine.points of the game, which gavo them more than a fair oharo of possession of the ball. , They were opposed by a combination which might be referred to as the nucleus of Maryborough's new representatives, for a feature of tho home side was the fact that tho selectors were using the match to try out a large number of young players, there being but a stiffening of the eld team to lend backbone and cohesion. It has been realised that to k"eep up her football reputation Marlborough must continually be bringing young players forward, instead of, relying year after year on the sturdy fellows who have done such good service in the past. It was tho new team's first appearance on the field, and they were subjected to a very trying ordeal in meeting such a fast and heavy combination as the AVellington team, but they emerged i'rom tho match very creditably, and, though certain weaknesses were evident, gave every justification for the belief that next year the province will have a remarkably fine side. With all Wellington's pace, the Marlborough boys were never in any grave danger, and the certainty and effectiveness of their tackling— after the dreadful displays to which we have been subjected this season—was a revelation, particularly in the first spell. There was a tendency, as the hard game wore on, to get back to the old bad habit of vainly hugging opponents

round the shoulders, and on one occasion the spectators were treated to the spectacle of three Marlborough men embracing one of the visitors, who nevertheless got his kick in. Still, there was evidence that the lesson has been learned and that we are at least on the way to good tackling. The home team's performance in defeating the visitors was tho more meritorious because early in the game J. O'Brien, the captain—and pivot of the back ranks— had to retire with an injured ankle, while Lamason, another very sturdy and effective player, was unable to resume after the interval on account of an injured shoulder. On tpp of this, Litchfield, who took O'Brien's place, was | knocked groggy after a few seconds of play, and was obviously off colour thereafter, though he somehow contrived to play a safe game; and Fawcett and Dossett also received injuries which materially reduced their effectiveness over the concluding stages of the match. For a start, the Wellington combination was very ragged and Marlborough had a good deal the best of the first spell, which ended-5 to 3 in her favour, but, after the interval, the visitors got into their stride securing the j ball nearly, always from line-out and serum, and setting a very fast and very effective back line in motion. The splendid tackling of the whole of the Marlborough backs—and notably Dossett, Hodsori, and Creighton—brought most of their manoeuvres to naught, but a score had to come, Williams getting over in the corner. This gave Wellington a lead of 6 to 5 and both sides increased the pace. Aston brought the. advantage to Marlborough with a lightning goal from the field, but a few minutes later Cowdell equalised with a nice try. With only about ten minutes to go, and the scores even at 9 all the game became an epic. Wellington strained every effort and battered unceasingly at the Marlborough line, but it held, Fawcett clearing several times; Then Marlborough took a hand and Washington forced his way over by sheer weight and speed to score tho winning try for the home side. The bell sounded a few minutes later, but, such was the keenness of Wellington, that the game continued strenuously for fully five minutes, the visitors making heroic efforts to score and Marlborough sportingly avoiding sending the ball over the line. It was probab^ the most exciting period of the match, but finally in sheer defence, the Beds punted the leather out. Lamason, the wing-forward, who played for Wellington College Old Boys, really deserves a paragraph on his own, for his game in the first spell was outstanding and the try officially credited to Washington, was due wholly and solely to his efforts. He led the forwards repeatedly in smashing charges, and, in addition, was here, there, and everywhere in defence. He was badly missod in the second spell, though Vavasour, who relieved him, was quite effective. Bees, the half-back, was working Tinder difficulties, and did not get many chances, owing to Wellington's superiority in getting the ball out. Bees's only trouble was that he was a little slow with some of the opportuities which came his way. Of the visitors, Fisher, the halfback, played a remarkably good game, although inclined to hang on to the ball too much:—a trick which will, get his side into trouble. Pickering, the huge lock; was.very formidable and Williams was another outstanding forward, Morgan played a great game at centre and Mulheron, the full-back gave a delightful exposition of the "safety first" policy. A very wise move has lately been taken by the South Melbourne School of Domestic Arts (says "The Leader"). Becently they began a new term of domestic training designed for business girls who wish to fit themselves for the task of home making and house- | keeping. The girls are given a course t>r- ten lessons, which cover all subjects coming under the heading of '' domestic arts." For this comprehensive course) they are only asked to pay 7s 6d. State school children are also trained, at this school, receiving a whole day's tuition once a week. They usually conclude their course by attending a series of lessons on home training. All this is free of charge. If the chilI dren are interested they can follow up the work to the stage when they receive a-teacher's diploma. Many people possess a ■ discarded marble-topped washßtand. The marble slab, if removed, can be fixed to the side of a lavatory basin, where it makes an excellent shelf, and is very easy to keep clean. If the washstand is in good condition, but is no longer required to serve its original purpose, the marble top can frequently be replaced by a wooden one, and the washstand; thus converted into a dressing tablei ■;■'■■ i -•' In reference to spring cleaning, a writer says: —At this time of the year many amateurs undertake a little redecorating. Some have learned by experience; others never succeed in making their- work look anything else but frankly amateur. ' The first fault of the inexperienced ib the tendency to apply paint too thickly. Paint applied in. thin coats lasts longer than thick. It docs not get so dirty, and it does not chip off. Not' only should it be applied thinly, but it should be well bruised. Do-not be afraid to brush out the paint'and then give a final light movement with the brush to take out the marks of brushing. Before enamel is applied, the undercoats must have been well rubbed down with sandpaper. Choose undercoat and enamel made by the same manufacturer. It will be . much more successful. Moreover, never try to improve or thin the enamel by adding anything to it. Apply.it sparingly, so that it does not form ridges, but, on the other hand, do not brush it out, as that makes patches. . It must be equally thick everywhere. If you are going to apply varnish after painting, be sure that it is applied to a dull or matt surface. Apply the varnish in- the. same way as paint, only do not "brush out:-"' Let it flow instead, and at the bottom brush upwards to gather up superfluous varnish. ■ ' ■. Appreciation from Manawatu. Mr. B. E. Hatch, manager of the Manawatu third grade representative team which defeated Wellington fourths last Saturday, in reporting to the Manawatu Bugby Council on the outcome of the game, spoke in eulogistic terms of. the treatment accorded the visiting team. The gamp had proved most enjoyable. The players themselves had been grateful to' the council for furnishing them with the opportunity to witness the WellingtonAuckland match and to play before a largo crowd as had been in attendance at Athletic Park. Further, he had been given to understand that there was every probability of the game becoming an annual one. Ho also took •the opportunity to express appreciation oi the coaching services of Mr. J. A. Colquhoun. It was decided ths.t a letter of thanks be forwarded tho Wellington Union, while an expression of appreciation was extended to Mr. Colquhoun. A motion of thanks was also extended to Mr. Hatch for fulfilling . the duties of manager, while a motion of congratulation was extended the team on the excellent record —an unbeaten one—they had enjoyed during the season*

Points Ch. P. W. 1. D. For Ag. Pts. Athletic .... 14 12 2 I' 235 104 24 University v. 14 11 3 I) 219 108 22 Oriental .... 14 !) 4 1 144 92 19 Potone 14 8 8 0 274 155 1G Marlst 14 7 T 0 109 128 '14 Poneke 14 5 9 0 121 182 10 Berhamporo .13 6 5 2 120 123 14 Old Boys ... 14 G 8 0 207 145 12 Wellington . IS 3 9 1 99 176 7 fielwyn 13 :i Iff 0 60 249 6 Hutt 13 3 10 0 82 208 6