CLEAN RUGBY

Evening Star, Issue 19664, 17 September 1927, Page 11

CLEAN RUGBY

“ OTAGO’S TOUR VERY SATISFACTORY " MANAGER MITCHELL’S OPINIONS (.Special to xue ' Stae.’] OH RI,ST(!HURCIi. Sc pten .her ,16. ‘‘The outstanding feature ot our tour was tlie particularly clean typo of lootball plavcd in all our matches,” slated Mr John Mitchell, joint manager of the Otago Rugby louring team, which arrived in Christchurch to-day irom the North. All the North Island teams played very clean football, he said, and all tile matches played by the Otago learn were verv enjoyable. Viewed all round, the tour .must bo regarded as verv satisfactory, stated Mr Mitchell, to a. ‘Star’ reporter. The team has been away seventeen days, and has had a. fairly strenuous time. One ot the best matches of the tour was Hint against Manawhcnna. 'I be game was very evenly contested, Otago winning bv the narrow margin of .1" points to 11. The Manawlmnna barks belied their reputation. amt played brilliantly. The best performance on the part oi (be team was (bat aganst, Auckland. The Otago forwards dominated the loose, and the backs more Ilian held their own with tbo Auckland rearguard. _ The trv scored bv Peterson at the beginning of the game was one of the best ever seen in Auckland. Stewart and Lindsav ■wore the best backs on tour, and Mr ■Mitchell thought that they both played up to AH Black farm. Lindsay plavcd wonderful tool-ball, and bis loss will be felt to-morrow, IBs knee injury mav prevent him from pniticinnting in Ibe trial game to be nlavod at Dunedin next Saturday. Sonntag and Marslin were the best forwards, and against Auckland were the two outstanding forwards on the ground. Marslin. though not. iei\ heavv, is a fine slamp of forward, and more should be. beard of bun in Ibe future. Next to this nair Snuler and TTorc displayed the best form, J. R. C. TTindemidi, Hie ’Varsity booker, was alwavs one of tbo best forwards, but be bad to return early on account of the University term commencing early this week. Twenty-three pbi'Trs hud been Liken on tour, and every olayc bad p.ayed in at least one match. Comnnsed almost entirely of vonng players, tb° team improved with eve’ - v match, and, although now footing the effects of a strenuous tour, had developed gwY l ', enmhina+ion and team work. nm pi avers hid stood up well to the f | Y ir ’ and nearly nil wore fit a il d well. One or two of the backs bad been knocked about a bit, but. the comparatively light forwards were fitter than ever.