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Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 197, 6 September 1937, Page 3

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Onr Own Correspondent.)

Visiting Five-eighths Carry The Day PHIL REID IN FORM

(From

AUCKLAND, This Day. With a more determined pack and a more elusive set of inside backs the Hawke's Bay touring Rugby football team seeured a clear-cut victory by nine points to three over Auckland at Eden Park, Auckland, on Saturday. This was the first occasion that Hawke's Bay has defeated Auckland on the latter's home ground, and the victory was all the more meritorious by reason of the fact that the Auckland fifteen was the strongest fielded this season. The star performer in the game was P. Keid, the Hawke's Bay second fiveeighths, who f ollowed up his fine showing at Hamilton with another brilliant exhibition. His swift side-step and quick eyo for a gap were factors tliat led to the Bay securing a well-descrved win. On rare o.ccasions when tho Auckland three-quarter line got into its stride the hard tackling of the Hawke 's Bay cnen was an eff ectiva clieck. The. ability of the Hawke's Bay forwards to wlteel the scrum often caught the Aucklanders off guard, and though they by no means outclassed the northcrhers, there was no doubt about the Bay pack being superior in the line-out worlc and in the dribbling rushes. Tho game throughout was punctuated with exciting loose forward breaks and j piercing thrusts by the Bay backs and tho Auckland threerquarter line. InI terest was maintained throughout, and { as a spcctaclc the match provided the 5000 spcctators with plcnty of intcrest. The teams were: — Auckland: W. Hare, K. Byerley, D. Solomon, T. H. C. Caughcy, B. Killeen, IL. Gurtayne, W. Frankham, W. Moffitt, ( H. Bond, A. Brown, T. Lockington, K. | Hull, W. Lange, K. Anderson^ H. F. McLean. I Hawke's Bay: M. Dyer, V. Herbert, i M. Devine, C. Robins, P. Keid, L. [ Bradley, E. T. Moss, W. Johnson, 0. j Wilson, E. GriffLn, A. Bowman, J. O'Brien H. Crawford-Smith, R. Keeble, H. Fraser. Before a crowd of about 5000, Curtayne kicked off for Auckland and the Bay forwards went away in their first dribbling rush, which Caughey cheeked with a high punt dcwn the centre of jthe field? In a moment Hare had i started the Auckland backs, for Killeen j to run hard towai'ds th'e- corner before • pass'ng to Solomon and then to Byerjley, who was forced out. -Caughey wa? | caughl in posse3sion by Keid ■ the brili liant Bay five-eightix, and Robins pieked i up to race down the sideline ir. a determined sprint for the corner flag, where Hare tackled him. Hawke's Bay held their advantage, j and Wilson burst away from a scrum ; to break past Hare, but wras ealle.d ;baek for an infringement. Herbert |missed a penalty. Away to the attack j went Auckland, McLean at the kead of ; the rush and Hull coming up behind, but Robins clearcd. Hawke's Bay wero playing Johnson as wing-forw'ard in the set ecrpms, and he harried the Auckland inside backs. Bond broke out rrom a ruck and spcculated. The ball went j down to Dyer. With Bond and Killeen [raeing down 6n top of him the full- ' back sidestepped and kicked through to jthe line. ! Tho Hawke's Bay back line started a I long attack^ but when Devine dropped his pass Curtayne was able to clear. Auckland retaliated, and despite a eross-field rim by Killeen D. Solomon was able to straighten the attack and give Caughey a chance. He swerved out past Robins and made for the line. He was pushcd out in an attempt to kick in-field. Hare was fielding cleanly and kicking powerfully for Auckland. O'Brien made a gallant effort to bullock through a haid ruck on the AuckI land lino. He could not let the ball go • and a scrum went down. The ball 1 shot to Curtayne, who kicked clear and started Auckland on a fresh attack that ended in Herbert toueliing' down. From the drop-out the ball went out on the lialf-way. A Hawke's Bay forward seeured and threw a giant pass to Bradley, who flashed past Byerley and scored after an easy run, converting his own try. • Hawke's Bay 5 Auckland 0 Within a minute Reid made a fine punt to the corner. As play started to sming in field he checked in his stride, poised, and dropped a perfect field goal Hawke 's Bay 9 Auckland 0 Elaled, Ihe Bay forwards starled another dribbling rush, and D. Solomon came suddenly into the picture to scoop up on the rtln and kick over the heads of the opposing backs without straightening his back. Bond was leading most of Auckland 's rushes, and Hull, Lange and Auderson backed him up. Little was secn of All Biuck 11. F. McLean, who was tuming out for Auckland for the first time stnce the Waikato match. Caughey made another of his swerving runs along the touchline, but was uusuccessful in fending off Robins. Killeen was spoiliug Auckland 's best efforts. Time and again Frankham and Curtayne started the attackst to be let down by Killeen 's cross-licld run and failure to give his three-quarters an opportunity. Dyer, at full-back for the Bay team was showing fine forrn, and

got Hawke 's Bay ^ • 9 Auckland 9 Never Game Out. Killeen 's weaknesses were still apparent when- the • second spell opencd and Frankham was very slow at half. Consequently the f ast-breaking Hawke 's Bay forwards were on top of Curtayne before he had a chance. Solomon and Caughey were waiting outside, but tho ball never came out. Dyer'a handling never slipped and his clearing kicks seldqm missed the line. Caughey was obstructed and D. Solomon swept up to pick up the ball and punt high towarda Ithe posts. Bond, still to the fore, followed up fast with Killeen and almost beat Crawford-Smith in a 'tace for thj ball. P. Reid, Bay five-eighths, siipped through in another of his will-o '-thewisp dashes and was off up the line before Solomon could stop him, His kick infield was fielded by Hare, who kicked clear. When the ball came to liim in midfield D. Solomon steadied himself for a pot at goal, but waited too long and was forced to run round the Bay pack. He made amends a moment later by covering up when Hare was caught out of position; Hare set the crowd cheering with a brilliant effort to kick a field goal from five yards inside half-way. Auckland 's first points were gained by Hare with a good penalty kick from near the twenty-fivo. Hawke's Bay 9 Auckland 3 Killeen cut out. his marker brilliantly, but with two men waiting outside him, sent a wild pass infield to a forward. It was, a bad move, from which Hawke's Bay almost scored again. Bowman and O 'Brien picked up and fought to the corner, where Byerley heldthom. Hawke's Bay were unlucky to miss scoring in the fierco rucks that followed. McLean made his first emergence from the tight play, and combined with Byerley in a run to tho twenty-live, where Byerley 's side-step failed to deceive Dyer. Soou the Bay pack had dribbled back to the corner and were within an ace of sconng when Frankham held on too long? When Hare kicked clear, Dyer fielded briliantly in the faee of a strong run and kept . his t'eam on the attack. Herbert swept up to intercept an Auckland attack, and sent his forwards down to the corner. O'Brien was replaccd by P. Smith. Killeen came under a high kick and again tried to run infield. He waa blocked by both packs and lost possession, Johnson picking up and racing through on his own to drop the ball when he had crossed the line. Killeen ran round Reid and cleared. Caughey was given another of his rare chances when Solomon opened the way. He started down the line in a determined bid to score, but Dyer's Tnaguificent low tackle brought him down hard. Killeen attempted to kick a field goal from near half-way, but Auckland was able to imaintain the offensivc and worked speedily toward the line. Tlie best Auckland efforts were frustrated by the low tackling of the Hawke's Bay backs. With a burst that was reminiscent of A. E. Cooke* at his best, Reid, playing a brilliant game, dashed suddenly past Killeen, siue-stepped a forward, and was away in a sprint down the centre of the field before Auckland had a, chance to intercept him. It' wtis a bid that dcserved sutcess, but Caughcy capped his own excellent game by coming' across field and smotliering him witli a spectacufiir flying tackle \ from behind. The Bay forwards had • followed up, but Solomon ran clear. Hawke's Bay had won. Final score: — Hawke's Bay 9 Auckland 3 Mr. G. W. Henderson Tefereed.