RUGBY.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 May 1926, Page 4

RUGBY.

SCOTLAND BEAT ENGLAND. TWICKENHAM TRADITIONBROKEN. LONDON, March 22. England 9pts. Scotland 17. Not even at Twickenham has there.' ever been a bigger crowd or great-cf enthusiasm or a keener international than was the case on Saturday. The cheering began the moment that the King entered the ground.- It scarcely ceased until after the match. And when the game was lost and won, how the Scotsmen, who seemed almost as numerous as Englishmen in a crowd .of 50,000 let themselves go! They “ chaired ” the heroes of the battle, they danced reels, they laughed and sang. They did not behave in the least like an unemotional nation. But their delight was justified to the hilt. Their country bad broken the Twickenham “record,” Where no visiting international team of Great Britain or Ireland had succeeded since the ground was opened in 1910; they had won tho Calcutta Cup; they had tied with Ireland for the International Championship. Truly a great afternoon for Scotland. It was a curious match, which ended in England’s defeat by two placed goals a dropped goal and a try to three tries. Scotland deserved their win. for they knew how to take their chances; but at the same time, England frittered the match away by blunder after blunder of a kind inexcusable when committed by men in the highest class of Rugby. The English forwards, the weak link in earlier matches were splendid, but tire backs, with two exceptions, were correspondingly had. A. T. YOUNG BRILLIANT.

One of these exceptions was A. T. A'oung, at serum half. He darted on the ball like a lml lterrier at a burglar, he often broke through a host of the enemy as if be were a giant in height and weight instead of a little chap; and be threw out bis passes with more accuracy than is usual with him. In fact, it was Young’s day. But it was not the day of any other of the hacks. Even the other exception to tho general poverty behind the serums, A. R. Aslett, was below his best form. Although a serum half plays like a genius, his efforts are hound to be wasted if the stand-off half fails to take the passes, which is what happened at Twickenham. In addition, the three-quarters were ragged. Time after time they seemed only to blunder in tlie end. At a citieal moment a poss would be made wildly or a good pass would be dropped ; or a player would hold on to the ball too long.

T. E. S. Francis bad a deplorable first half; If. L. Y. Day. brought into the si<[e at the last minute, largely on the strength of bis reputation a.s a kick, could not place goals; and R. If. Hamilton-Ayickcs on the right wing was seldom happy. THE RIVAL RACKS.

It is no exaggeration to say that if the two full backs could have changed places England would not have lost. Whereas I). Drvsdale for Scotland kicked with length and direction, Holliday had no length and little direction. And ho persistently waited for the hall to bounce instead of running in to meet it as Drvsdale did. Also be grew Hurried in an emergency, fumbled badly. and gave Scotland an opportunity to score two of their tries. H was a pathetic ease of a player of ability unable for once in a way to do anything right.

from this iale of woe it is pleasant to turn to the work of the English forwards. All were good, and W. W. Wakefield has seldom played a liner game, but the brightest star of the pack was A. T. Voyce. who has been “tapped ’’ thirty times, and of whom some people talk as a veteran, although tie was only 20 years old last Atny. It was a delight to see his fair head in the thick of the battle, following up with speed, tackling with “ quickness anti despatch,” barging his way onward with two or three opponents hanging on to him. and obviously enjoying every moment of the hurly-burly of it all. Rughv football has no finer I warrior than big Tom Vnyee. An attempt to drop a goal which ho made late in the game stood among the host memories of the match. The kick failed, hut it was a glorious fail-

\\ bile so many 'if the English players seemed off their game, most of the Scotsmen were at their tip-top host. The forwards, it fs true, had the worse of the scrums, hut they were effective with their rushes in (hi* loose, whore •J. At. Bannerm.an, D. S. Davies, ,T. Graham, and J. W. Scott were especial I v clever.

1.8. SAIITH FAST AND CLEVER, there was a big difference in favour of H. Waddell as compared with H. ,T. Kittermaster at stand-off. The threequarters were every much alive, hut with J. ('. Dykes playing up to him finely, & nil'll i was the best three-quar-ter on the field.

The match was still young lvilien Dykes dropped a goal, and later there came a sorry five minutes for England during which Waddell and Smith scored close to the posts. Both tries were converted bv Waddell.

Before half-time Voyce scored Par out. and when the teams crossed over Scotland led by 14 points to 3, although most ot the play had been out of England’s half of tlie field.

For a time it seemed that England wore not yet beaten, so well did they attack when the game was continued. •T. S. Tucker quickly ran over; hut when Smith scored an unconverted try and so gave Scotland a lead of 11 points with only twenty minutes remaining for play the match was as good as decided.

England attacked all along the line towards the end. Even the backs showed the virtue that was really in them; hut blunders were again made at the critical moment, and a trv bv E. Stan bury only came to reduce the extent of England’s defeat.