AUSTRALIAN RUGBY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 83, 24 April 1937, Page 17

AUSTRALIAN RUGBY

UNION GAME OVER TASMAN: PARAGRAPHS AND PERSONALS OIXH TOWEBS PLAYINQ AGAIN Rugby Union lias opened its 1937 season in Australia and reports of the opehing matches disclose the names of a number of the breezy, happy-go-lucky side which toured New Zealand last year. The most notable event on opening day was the re-appearance of Cyril Towers, who turned out for Randwick and showed his old brilliance. It was interesting to see Cyril Towers in action again, comments the Sydney Referee. Several times the crowd of followers was thrilled by his brilliance. It has been said of Towers that he is at times too good for some of his team-mates. Twice this was so in the match referred to. Tries would have come to Randwick on two occasions if his team-mates had beeri able to see what he was up to. Towers, in order to draw the tackles of Western Suburbs defen^ers, pretended to be going through on his own. This age-old ruse succeeded twice as he drew the tacklers, but unfortunately for Randwick his support was also fooled on each occasion, and dropped ' back. So when^ Cyril prepared to send along the passes that would have seen tries scored, he found someone at hand to whom to send them. The duel between Towers and McLaughlan was a beauty, and honours were about even. These two are great rivals at outer-centre, and trickiness could be the second name of each. Fear is a word that neither understands;' each has split-second starting in setting movements afoot, and lucky is the one of them that can fathom what next his rival is going to do. Actually they were equal in everything except handling, when Towers was inferior in that respect, dropping* surprisingly, a few passes. But one does not expect that it was his true

form. At the moment it is impossible to say which of the pair wilUmake the State team.. • * • • Tom Rauling ,is as dashing as ever, arid as hard to stop as an army tankwhen once he gets the ball. "Bring on those Springboks," is. the challenge breathed by Tom's every action. »■ * * • * Towers says that after a year's absence from Sydney club football, he ls gl&d liot to. take on the cares of captainey of the Randwi^ team. He faeis. Jhat. he. will. . hava bia time out otit attendittg to his own play and in getting back into tip top form. He admired the job that Richards made of the captaincy last year and wishes hini luck this season. • • V • Vic. Richards will captain Randwick, with N. Howlett as vice-captain and leader of the forwards. Keith Storey, Western Suburbs fullback, took the bun in the Western Suburbs v. Randwick trial match on April 3, when he came up from the rear to join in a passing rush in Randwick's 25. Storey pretended to be passing the ball out to a supportlng player on his right as a Randwick defender ran into position between them, ready to tackle eithey. But what that defender thought was nobody's business as Storey deceived him outrageously by placing the ball behind his (Storey's).shoulder as if back-passing to the left. While the defender looked about for the ball Storey was through and over for the try. It brought down the house. • • • * Bimbo White, the Wallaby forward, won't be seen in Sydney football this year. He has bought a newsagency and sports depot at Mackay, _Queensland, and will concentrate his attention on his business.