NOTES AND COMMENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 215, 11 August 1937, Page 15

NOTES AND COMMENTS

representative match

links WITH MANAWATU

Possibly only a few of those attendjng Johnston Park for the inter-pro-vincial Rugby match on Saturday lastknow that, the manager of the Wairarapa team, who is the selector, Mr D. Poach, is a son of Mr and Mrs AA . M. Roach, of Denbigh Street, I< eliding. Tho AVairarapa full-back, J. Roach, is 'another son. Mr L. Roach told the writer that he learned his football at Lytton Street School, and lie played for the High School and Technical School team . when that side defeated tho Palmerston North Boys’ High School side in tho final of the thud grade championship in the Manawatu some years ago. Mr Roaeli then icmoved’ to tho AVairarapa and rose through the grades, there to gain senior and then representative honours. His next step was to the North Island team, and he also played m tho trials to select tho side to go to South Africa in 1928 and in the games to choose the team to face the Englishmen. Tho visitors’ fnll-back played for Feilding club when he was resident in that town. , . Another link between tho visitors and Manawntu was the presence of C. Vnrcoe, a front row forward for Wairarapa Varcoe was a member ,of the first XV of tho Palmerston North Boys’ High School sorao time ago, and ho was able to renew acquaintanceship with Mr J. A. Coiquhoun, who is a master at the school and tho senior grade sole selector of tho Manawatu Union, at an interval prior to the match. In The Doldrums.

Representative Rugby in the AVairarapa is now apparently in tho doldrums, one of those periods in which a transitional stage is reached between the old and tho new players. It was found there that many of the province’s premier players had taken their part year in and year out, without the introduction of much . fresh blood and young players, so that tlie union was faced with tho problem of moulding a new side. Tho selector, Mr L. Poach, decided to mako a clean sweep and build for tho future, if not for the immediate present. Ho told the writer that when a question arose in the selection of a team for the inclusion of an older or a 3'ounger playei, if they were comparable in playing strength the younger man ivas given tlie honour. Until the inclusion of Ins brother, J. Roach (who is about 27 years of age), at full-back for Saturday’s game, tho oldest back in the AVairarapa side this season was not beyond 23. With that material on hand and a reasonable possibility of holding 13 or so players for several years, Wairarapa may reasonably be expected i-o make a better showing in the future.

Wairarapa Clubs. Though not ot a particularly high standard, club football in the Wairarapa this season has been very interresting, according to members of the party which visited Feilding last Saturday. The Wairarapa Old Boys Club senior fifteen has a lead of two points, and although there are still two games to be played, it was stated that appearances are for them to run out winners. Points Analysed. An analysis of the points scored in the Manawatu-AVairarapa match shows that Manawatu scored four tries to AA r airarapa’s two, and converted two against AVairarapa’s one. Further, Manawatu enjoyed the assistance or two penalty goals, all the points in kicking coming from J. Finlay, a total of ten. Irvine Prominent. Though he was brought into the Manawatu team for Saturday only on Edlin’s defection, Irvine played the best game of any of tlie home side’s backs. His passing rvas good and he had no worries as to the tight. He was always up with tlie play and his performance should stand him in fine stead when the next inter-provincial side comes to he chosen. Finlay’s Change. Changing J. Finlay’s position from first to second five-eighth made a great I

difference to tlie attack of the Manawatu team against AVairarapa. When ho was next tho scrum-half lie was restricted lor room in whicll to work, and made many mistakes, kicking when lie should have passed and passing when he might have kicked. Removed one position from the forwards in the second half, lie played a good game, but differences of opinion may be heard as to whether he is not more useful in the forwards. The fact remains, however, that the five-eighth line must be filled with the best material available and the question is whether Finlay at five-eighth does not serve the team best there. Value of Trees.

Johnston Park, Feilding, tucked away, as it were, from the town itself, provides a good example of the value of trees as a permanent means of beautifying a ground. The entrance is a canopy of” green and round the park itself there are trees which are now growing well and showing distinctly what the future holds. Not requiring constant attention, such as that demanded by garden plots, it can be readily seen all the same that the trees in the park will become one of tlie main features of the attractiveness of the main ground in j'ears to come.