RUGBY FOOTBALL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 269, 8 July 1932, Page 2

RUGBY FOOTBALL

Free Kick.")

HAMILTON GAMES MANY LOST CHANCES IN THE SENIOR REP. FIXTURE. SCIIOOLBOYS PLAY WELL. I

(Notes by "

Visitors to Hamilton on Saturday ! last must have been disappointed at the result of both games. Although the ground was rather heavy, I was agreeably surprised at , the perform- . ances put up by both local teams, as I did not expect them to stand up to ; the heavy going. j : The Hamilton v. Rotorua High School match was the better of the , two on the day, so far as Rotorua \ play was concerned. The local boys j missed no opportunities, while the j senior game was a record of lost , chances. Hamilton Juniors were fortunate in notching a win, although a much big- j ger and heavier team. The coach of ; the local boys deserves credit for the j solid packing and heeling in both loose i and tight. The Hamilton people were not slow in recognising this superior merit and I had some very favourable comment passed on to me by Hamilton friends. Park spoilt the local back play in the early stages by persistent cutting in. The local backs were faster, and if the ball had been handed out more to them Rotorua might easily have registered a win. Dawson played his usual steady game and did very well. I was impressed with' K. Matthews, who is usually rather weak on defence. One opening of his by a pretty cut-in was an exeellent piece of work, but was spoilt by Mitchell being in front. The Forwards. The forwards played very well, and I do not propose to single any out for special comment. I think that they played one of the best forward games that I have seen for some years. I make my next remark with some diffidence. It is not my custom to criticise 4 or commend referees, but I am safe in saying that the local men have little to learn from either of the Hamilton men whQ controlled the games at Rugby Park. Lost Chances. The Rep. match was a tale of lost chances. The forwards, although up against a lighter pack, gained the lion's share of the ball. In this respect the hooking was exeellent. In one departnient, ihe Lei.l men were outshone by Hamilton and that was in getting away from the scrums. On several occasions after the backs had been set going, I noticed the local forwards thirty or forty yards away from the play and just ambling after the ball. I put this down to ignorance of what to do, rather than to being out of form. Team coaches would be wise to concentrate on forward tactics more, as in most cases the p'ack-men are simply passengers through not knowing what to do or when to go. This aspect of local play I have commented on before in this column. Te Ngaio was the pick of the local men in the tight, and Barker, Archer and Parsons in the loose. The latter was doing well until forced to retire. The Rearguard. T. Thompson played well at halfback, but was a little slow in backing up. Hamiora was a disappointment, being too apt to try leaps in the air and shuffling round near the pack in futile efforts to cut in, instead of opening up his fast three-quarter line. His defence was rather weak, and he will have to improve to hold his place. T. Morrison made some good openings and did good work on defence, but spoilt some good play by wild passing. Waerea, I think, lost the match for Rotorua by puerile attempts to cut in with an open field and good supports on either side. This has always been a fault of his and perhaps he has learnt his lesson. In fact, I am rather surprised that he is in the team for next Saturday. Reid and Morrison played steadily on defence, but were not given much chance on attack. Suth'erland saved well, but is still too prone to tackle round, the neck. His kicking was rather weak at times. Waiting for Passes. A fault with all the backs was the persistent manner in which they waited for intei-cepting passes instead of tackling the man with the ball. This gave Hamilton an easy try almost immediately after the first try had been ' scored. The Hamilton men read the local team a lesson in backing up, and this, to my mind, won them th'e match. With coaching and combination, the local team, d'espite defects, could lift the Peace Cup this year, but they must have more combination. The test match result would come as a surprise to fans last Saturday. It is evident that the New Zealand backs may be good on attack, but must be poor in defence. This illustrates a point that I have been trying to make for weeks, namely, a back is only as good as his defence. On attack he can aet' purely as a link if necessary, but if his defence is weak, then the chain must break. I was surprised to see that Lilburne was a failure at fullback. This is his proper place in the team and the . one at which he has had the greatest . experience. It will be interesting to see how Collins fares in the next test, as I feel sure he, will play' there.