Rugby.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 135, 24 June 1937, Page 15

Rugby.

''Omni.")

CELTIC AND M.A.C. Latter's Win Not as Good as Scores Show OLD B0YS PLAY WELL

(By

Expectations of a Celtic victory over M.A.C., the premiership leaders, were not quite realised, "but the supetiority of the native fifteen was not as great as the difference in the scores woulld suggest. The Old Boy eombination of Hastings and Napier supplied the hrightest fdothall; the home side, after being • behind, rattled on 15 points in the concluding minutes to win handsomely. In Napier the two senior fixtures provided , football that never once approached the heights of many of the games played earlier this season oh McLean Park. M.A.C. Too Good For Celtic. Anticipations of a good game between M.A.C, aUff Geltie were fully realised, and there is little ' doubtittg that the Maoris wero fully extended. Celtic were beaten, but they were far from being disgraced. The whole position in a nutshell was that they were not just quite good enough and did not have the Condition that blest the MaoriS. A 12-point margin Was ■ a fiattering one, for there was not that difference in the actual merita of the two. teams. Over the finhl quarter of the game unquestionably the Maoris were supreme. They had had to spread themselves, however, prior to this period, aud in doiug so they had beeu met with a resistance that was only to an infinitisimal degree below their own efforts. But the paramount factor was that the Maoris were physicaily better abie to sustaiu their performance ionger than Celtic. This was the vital factor in giving them a big margin of victory. It cannot be said really that Celtic disappointed. They played quite up to expectations. The f orwards worlced WOuders against the redoubtable'Maori pack. Haunigan, Kelly, Maaka and Bowers were all the .time on the ball, and worried the M.A.C, baeks in great style. Hanuigau was partieulariy prominent all through the piece, giving one of his really good club displays— the showing that earns him his place in the representative side. The baclis did not perform really outstanding, though at times Reid and -.Pullen executed some splendid movements. They have yet to develop the division as regards eombination, but there are undoubtedly great possibilities in that respect, ' The Maori forwards, as a whole and as individuals, collected major honours. Tori Eeid was again seen in the role of opportunist, aud his best work was performed when his side wero close to the scoring area. Three times he scored splendid tries, .largely due to his Own determination and resourcefulness. Sid Crawford was not as prominent as usual as he was nursing an . injury. Eyerard Jackson and Jury Thompson were the earnest toilers throughout and the leaders in the tight work. Jackson is playing right up to best form. The backs were patchy collectively and individually, excepfc for Selwyn Jackson at fullbaclt. He was consistently good throughout, aud brought off some splendid saves. Watford made several good brealcs, but spoilt some through hanging on too long. Ex-students at Play, The Critieism that the M.A.C. v. Celtic game lacked combined play among the baeks, most assuredly does not hold with the meeting of the old pupils of Hastings and Napier High Schools. In this game it was the backs who collected the maui hououta. In fact, rarely this season has such good back play been seen as they provided on Saturday. It was rather unfortunate that they should have been on the outer atea and not the main attractiOn of the afternoon. The game warranted more attention than it was accorded, and this fact was duly appreciated by the crowd, who iinmediately the issue in the other match was beyond doubt, made their way

aeross the ground to watch the old boys at play. "On paper," the home glde should have swamped the visitors. In a manner they did eventually, yet it was not Until well into the second spell that they did. Napier fielded probably their weakest side this season, but' in »the first spell they were mote than able to hold their own against the. Al te&m fielded by Hastings Old Boys, and at the interval led 9 — 3, &hd looked like improving on that after resumptioh. However, the home side really did settle down to business after the change-over, and despite ihe handieap of having only a small percentage of the ball from the actual scrums, they set the pace and standard, to rUn dut quite comfortable winners by 20 points to 12. There was nothing df SpScial note about the play of Napier Old Boys. No oue was partieulariy prominent, and all were fairly consistent. Hutchinson deServes mpntion if only for his two -superb, long-range penalty gOals. Crawford-Smith was well up to his usual form, which eertainly is good, and with him both the Willis brothers played well. As regards the Hastings Old Bdys' backs, they all shaped weli individually, and as a division. Roa Devine, Les Holt, Palmer and ApSey all went exceptionally well, solo and* "ih cohcerted' movements. Speed, and ability to reap the benefit Of mistakes on the paft of their opponents, were the main attributes of their success. Avery came into his owa as regards prominency. He was an ideal leader, 1 and With Irwin, Eord and Ashman, w&S responsible for beating the Napier forwards for the ball in the ruck and loore. Teohnical O.B. and Havelock. Having the bye the previous Week did not have a good efl'ect on Ttechniehl Old Boys in their match with Havelock. Throughout the first half the villagers had an adVantage territorialiy and they actually wound Up leading 5— nil as the result of a good eff fort by Cargill Joll. The second half was a good deal differettt, but at no time could it be said that Tech'nical Wefe overwhelming. On attack the Technicai backs stood very deep and the first-five-eighths a iong way froln his half. In. addition it was noted that Riddell, the Techhieal haif, frequentty delivered the ball to his immediate support when the latter was etraight behind him, and by the time the first five-eighths had arrived opposite the scrummage haif of the Havelock team was waiting for him. They Were not good taetics by Technicai, and if the idea is persi&ted in the strongdr teams will reap a harvest. Technicai have a grand pack, and the. . best scheme to help is for the rearguard to employ safety methods. In this way, at least they will not run the forwards off. their feet as . they did last Saturday, The Havelock half, Davis, sp'ent a busy day queiling the Technitial forward.rushes, and O, Joll and the Gloyn brothers were at all times sotind. In the forwards Russell and Whitehead were two good workers. For Toehnical Bowman was the best, with Johnson and Dalton next, and in the backs Riddell and Rossitter. Herbert was iacking in enthusiasm altqgether, but perhaps it was the new back formation that upset him Pirates and Hastings. On No. 2 giround Pirates presented a not very stfong Hastings fifteen with a seven-point victory. In favour of Hastings it can be said that all of their 17 points were well wortb the scoring, but on the other hand their backs aliowed the opposition unlimited latitude. As it happened it was quite all right, for Pirates just would not accept such generosity. On one occasion, with an overlap of three aen, Dowrick, after making the opeiiing, threw out a pass that could not have been reached even by a player mounted dn stilts. On another occasion Pirates were awarded a penalty four yards in front of the Hastings goal. Dowrick took the ball and carried it back to the 25yard JiUe to have the kick. He missed, but the surprising, thing is that his captaxn should ailow him to make such a technicai error, As previously mentioned, Pirates are quite a good side up to a point, but it is when the opposing goal Hue ehowa up that they i'orget. Dyer kicketl a wonderfui penalty goal for Hastings, but he "elieed" all his clearing kicks for the touch line. Robertson, Nelson and Cooke did some bright things in the backs, and in the pack Bertie Wright found the conditions to his likingiand the veteran Pearson was also prominept. Pirates missed Mapuhi at fuli-baek, aitbough Hardgraves made a sale substitute, but' he lacked the unorthodoxy ot the former. Thompson, pronfising early in the season, now obsessed with the idea of intercepting, and the results at tinies are disastrous to his side. Lister and Dowrick were the backs that did best, but the latter slumped at times, ; In the forwards MfcKehzie, had a i'east in the line-out and with Cooke, Fraser, Hill and fKeeble, were the best of the Black pfidk.