RUGBY SIDELIGHTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 143, 5 July 1937, Page 7

RUGBY SIDELIGHTS

■ i^I Points of Interest in Saturday's Games There were two very muddy patches on McLean Park into whieh all but Hutehinson, the Old Boys full-back, took a clive before half-time. " " Hutchie's" uiiifom remained spotless until tlie concluding minutes, when, amidst a roar of approval, he was brought low; It's funny how people at times gloat over Unother 's misfortune. « • * The Villagers came home on a rip tide at Havelock North. • * * Tori Reid worked very hard to earn his customary try. He left it until very late in the game. m m # cJeltic and Technical indulged in real mudlarks. They had the Worst of tho two "lakea" to play dn. • » • Tech. tried out. the 3 — 2—3 scrum formation against Celtic, but it did not avail them much. • • • Dalton, Dallemore and Bob Johnson were the three best toilers for Technical Old Boys. ' . s . * # • The Marist forwards were too heavy for the White jerseys and in the lineouts swamped the opposition. • • • Hannigan and Maaka collected the lionoure in the Celtic pack on Saturday. The latter is giving excellent service, * • « Hastings Old Boys again ehaped excellently. Though defeated, they gave M.A.C. supporters a most ahxioiis timo for more than three parts of the game. * « • Merv. Hanan, Marist 's last line, rovelled in the mud and was always &afe. His anticipation of play was far better tnan that of his oppokite number. , * * * Reid, the Celtic five-eighths, was responsible for .several bright breaka against Technical Old Boys. He does not appear to be Kandicapped by the soft conditions. • • Sthples provided quite his best exhibition of the season. He has been a long timo coming into form, but if he iias now reached that state he bhould add ihrust to the Maoris' attack, • * m Juty Thompson is aiiother M.A.C. player who hOs talcen a long time to striko form. He is playing great football at present and on Saturday Was one of the best in the pack. • • • Packing a 3-2-3 Bcrum, H.S.O.B. gained possession in four out of every ilve, ,but outside of Clothier and Marr the Old Boys backs could not cnpltalise tho advantage. • # • | On one of the rare occasions wneo i Marist hooked from a scrum, the whole chain handled and Robins, comihg ir, a second time, went over between the posts for a very good try. * * • | The fiery thaich of Eiinor, H.S.O.B. forward, was prominent in the centre of all the ruekihg, and there was "plen- ! . ty of it, too. He pulled more than his | weight all through the game. • * • Not many forwards practise the diving tackle, and all could take a leaf Out of Griffin's (Marist) book in this lespect. Against H^.O.B. he turned on two extra ogod ones. • • • McKinnon, Napier H.S.O.B., commeaced at half-back, was later found at first five, and then at second. Possibty he would have been line-umpire had the game continued much longer. • • , • The Villagers celebrated their first game on their own backyard by collecting their initial win of the season. They received every eneoiiragement from their big crowd ef supporters. Devine and Holt again took prominent parts in the Hastings Old Boys rearguard. Devine is now right into best form and is going to bo hard to leave out of the repreeeutative team. • * # Mfelvor, Marist centre , played up well to thc lead given by Robins afid added tlirust to the Green attack. It was this ability that carried him through to Hutehinson and gave Allen an easy try to open the seoring. • • • Once again it was the M.A.C. forwards who won the game. For the first spell they allowed the backs more or lese to have a free hand, but wheu it camo to dominating Old Boys it took all the forwards, individually and collectively, t'o do it. / • # • The sight of the No. 2 area at Nelson Park after the curtain-raiser had torn it up was sufficient to cause one Celtic player to give a realistic amitation of a duck. His "Quack-quack'' prompted a fellow club-mate to exclaim: "Shooting season 's in, boys!" • * • Tho fast following-up of Hastings Old Boys, both forwards and backs, was responsible for botli their tries against M.A.C. They were the right tactics to adopt under the circumstances, and it was not until tho eight points were up on tlie board that the Maoris began to do liliewise. # # * Willis, H.S.O.B., fumbled a clearing kick by Hanan at half-way, and tho Marist full-back, coming along fast, toed the ball down thc sideline unfil eonfronted by Hutehinson at the 25. A. hard kick inlleld sdw the hall bouncing by the goal posts, and in a great race Hanan got to it first to score a seirsational try. • # * A piereing run by Rees, Napier Qld Bcjs' ccntro, took him right through to the full-back, and then, instead of passing to a waiting mate, he tried to iinish ou his own, but he was soun.Uy dumped by Hanan. Failuro to appreciate tho corrcct time to pass has been a fault With Rees, even in his scluioldays.