RUGBY HONOURS

Hokitika Guardian, 2 August 1930, Page 7

RUGBY HONOURS

LESSONS FROM THIRD TEST. (“Five-eighths” in Dominion.) Ufa ~ ■pma oiie follows the tussles for Rugby between Great Britain and. the Dominion, the thought that is lipiierfripst is that the Rugby nations df the world are very evenly matched at the present time. '/though New Zealand was definitely 6fi; top in 1924, it must be .remember-, ejijjthat on the 1924 tour of Great Britain a combined team of the four Home countries was not met. Matches wlirp played against Ireland, Wales, aM England, and victories were reedilded in those matches 'by the - New Zfelanders on that unbeaten tour, Africa, since 1906, has been Sifter Zealand’s most formidable rival Ts|: 'Springboks broke square in the matches in New Zealand | n 1921, diid again in South Africa in 1928,: BQ, we have yet to prove that we, masters' of 'the formidable South Africans. • Of recent years, New South Wales, baby of the Rugby world, has gi^eh : 'convincing signs that he has ridphed; man’s estate, and is ready aifi eager to take on the biggest mem-. 'Hiy, of the family. /Recently, the game has received a great fillip in Australia, and Rugby hij been restarted in Queensland and going in Victoria. That - Austf'ilia is a force to be reckoned with Wk! proved last year when the New Zealand team was defeated in every .opr of the three Test matches played. k Splitting tbiat New Zealand had, !npfc strongest team in Australia last year, and that "several of our plEyers. were laid aside by sickness aml/injuries, the Australians conclus-, ivCly proved that they have at last; Colne , right into the front i ank o Rugby. It will he extremely interesting 'to see whether the new Australian Rugby Federation can follow xip ijt's defeat of New Zealand last year by di>wpin_g the British team in. the niatches to 'he played in the CommonWealtli next month...

; ‘ ; worthy foemen. ; i , i. No \one/can deny that the British team with us are foemen, worthyvofsour best steel. ;ji,Three\T«st matches have been playjed, and Zealand, by the grace of.' fortune,V to use golfiing parlance, are dormy one,,which means that they are /one, game up one to go /Ho jir [evenly: the • sides are matched is>blear!:from the .fact-.that at the end of tjiree matches only fiveyppmte repV resents ;the difference in th'dxscores. Dunedm,- N Bnt/to- 3-i .ih- : the niatbh 1 , ati Christchurch, Now Zealand tMrij' at Auckland on Saturwon out after .an oplo titruMfe 15 points to ,10. . itWildi M two; teams be more even1* .matbhfed : ; in .playing strength ? So

slight is the difference in the teams oh’ form thus far that it will not be until the fourth Test has been, played at Wellington on August 9 that it will be known to' whom the laurel crown is to go.

The British team is now in the desperate position in which the A{l Blacks found themselves ‘in South Africa in 1928, after the third Test match had Ibeen played, and the Springboks had won two games to New Zealand’s one.

History may repeat itself in this year of' grace. The New Zealanders, in 1928, girded up their loins, and 'by a sterling display at Cape Town, dectoivo'.y won the fourth Test, and thus, as in 1921, finished all square with the mighty Springboks.

■“ Now the British team at present in this country is such a fine combination that it may square matters in the final and deciding Test. What everyone would like to see for the final Test is a bone dry ground and (jail, with the sun shining from a cloudless sky, and an entire absence of ! wind. Each of the three matches already decided has been fought out oiv a sodden ground, on which the fast British hacks have not had an opportunity to jshow their paces.

A BETTER SIDE. 'lt must be admitted that the New Zealand side which defeated Great ‘Britain at Auckland on Saturday was an improvement on the teams which had played at Dunedin and Christchurch. The bringing into the team of gtrantf, the youthful South Canter- . bury player, as first five-eighths, made a wonderful improvement in the thrust of the rearguard, and materially strengthened the defence. The effectiveness of the backs was further improved by the dropping of Olive-r, and the playing of Cooke at centre-threeqinu'te-r, Cooke is without question one of the greatest inside backs the game has produced. His wonderful pace enables him to be particularly dangerous on attack,, and worth two men on defence. He races about the- field like a greyhound and keeps a watchful eye on the run of the.play all the time. If a high kick goes down over the enemy’s line, Cooke will be near where it drops,, and -if the opposition kick over the fufj-back'fl head as likely as not Cooke will be the man who gets to the ball before the fast-following opponents. “Cooke came right into his own toy playing one of his best games, ran the special report of the match to ‘‘The Dominion.” “He was splendid on attack, and, with Lucas, had the British three-quarters puzzled. But Cooke’s outstanding ability was his magnificent defence, and he saved dangerous situations times out of number.”

“BRAINS OF THE ALL BLACKS.” Mark Nicho’ls, who ..has been performing in Test matches for New Zealand since 1921, once again showed, that he is a most dependable man for big occasions, It is a significant fact that New Zealand has only been defeated in a Test match on one occasion in which Mark Nicholls has played, and that was the second Test

match against the Springboks at Auckland in, 1921, when Gerhard Merkel brought victory to South Africa by 9 to 5 with a great pot- in the second spell.

Nicho.ls represented New Zealand in Great Britain againbt Ireland, Wales, and England in 1924, and New Zealand won all these games. He played in the fourth ’lest match against South Africa in 1928, and won that gjune himself by a potted goal and brilliant- place-kicking.

Nicholls showed all his ability as a tactician in the game at Auckland on Saturday, making clever openings for Lucas and McLean, and coming to light with another of his famous field goals. Lucas played with great dash at wing-three-quarter, scoring a brilliant try, and effectually silencing the southern critics who declared he was the weak link in the New Zealand backs in the first and second Tests.

RIVAL SYSTEMS. After three Test matches have been played, the old controversy as to whether the British three-two-three or the New Zealand two-three-two is the better scrum formation remains unsolved.

The British forwards had the better 3 f things in the first spell at - Auckland, -but- Hove and Cottrell, the New Zealand hookers, evened matters in the second session. ‘‘['fiie ‘British forwards possessed more vigour than the All Blacky set, stated the special report. This is something new to have to admit regarding New Zealand for wai ds, though it must be admit »d that the South African pack outplayed our fellows in at least two of the Test games in 1928. The fact that Finlayson and Stew* art were laid aside by injuries certainly reduced the weight of the New Zealand pack. Both these players received 'bruises in the second Test at Christchurch, which turned septic, and necessitated a spell in hospital.

A NEW STAR. But New Zealand fielded a worthy substitute in, R. F. McLean, the 22-year-old Wellington player, who made a most auspicious first appearance on an .international Rugby stage by scoring two tries. This youthful Wellington giant wafi orJ3 of the outstanding forwards on the ground, and his success drive * home the oft-repeated contention that from nineteen to twenty-five is the ideal age for Rugby representatives. The signal success McLean scored in his first Test should encourage the selectors to give more youngsters a chance to prove their worth.