MANAWHENUA DEFEATED.

Shannon News, 11 September 1928, Page 3

MANAWHENUA DEFEATED.

TKTRTEEN PROVES LUCKY NUMBER FOR: TARANAKI NEW PLYMOUTH, Last Night. Playing in boisterous and showery weather before an attendance of 2000, Taranaki defeated Mana■whenita on Saturday by 13 points to 12. FORWARDS VERSUS BACKS. All Taranaki’s points wore scored in the first spell and all Mamawhenua’s n the second, this being largely due to the fact that a powerful wind blew directly down-field. On attack the Taranaki backs gave one of the best displays of the season, feeding the ball constantly to Crawford, who was playing a fine game. On defence, however, the backs Jacked determination and tackled badly. The Manawhenua forwards, though listless in the early part of the game, revived in the second spell and bustled the home team vigorously. They were responsible for all of their team's score.

The game was not inspiring at first, but brightened as it progressed and towards the end,- when only one point separated the scores, there was plenty of fire and. dash.

Taranaki’s points were made up by an unconverted try' by Owen and twe tries by Crawford, both of which were converted by Ike. For Manawhenua, Tatana kicked two penalty goals, while Satherley scored an unconverted try and kicked a goal from a mark.

Giant Vanguard

STRONG WIND ASSISTS EACH TEAM IN TURN.

NEW PLYMOUTH, Last Night,

To a large extent, the match resolved itself into a contest between the home backs and the visitors’ forwards. On the one hand, there were Manawhenua’s huge and powerful forwards, half a head taller all along the row when they marked their opponents in (be line out, backed by a sound, but not brilliant rear division On the other fiakud, there were the Taranaki backs in fine attacking fettle, but patchy iii defence, headed by a hardworking and nuggety pack of forwards.

In the first spell, with a favourable ,vind behind, the Taranaki backs fed the ball constantly to Crawford, who jvery now and then electrified the mow'd and the opposing team with a tricky side-step or dazzling dash. ; darter, though new ttf the position of full-back, combined the essentials of ais stewardship and habits of an attacking five-eighths with remarkable success. When these efforts were supplemented by an all-round sharpness of attack and the advantage of the breezi uhe' Taranaki representatives found .hemselves in the comfortable position jf 13 points to nil at the interval. Then in the second spell, the Manawhenua forwards had their say. Led n their formidable . loose' rushes by Dalziell, Satherley, Tatana and Galpin, they dropped their barrage on the Taranaki 25 and let their backs work ip and down behind it. Defcpt was dmost turned into victory in the last ! ew minutes, when a stray punt drop-, ped into-the midst of a crowd of Manawhenua players with the Taranaki men dl out of position, but, in the general scramble the ball was jostled behind and the opportunity faded away. Taylor was the most dangerous of the visiting backs, showing a fine turn

of speed. The ' Manawhdnwi rearguard was sound in fielding the ball, but the passing was too" hesitant- fin'd lacking in power of penetration to get them through the defence. The first points came to Taranaki as the result of a great opening made by Carter. Fielding a long kick from Wasley, lie raced round into the open at great speed and sent his backs away. Crawford capped the movement with a fine burst on thr wing and when near the line, passed in-ficl'd for Owen to dash over. The try was unconverted. Manawhenua turned the tables when Strange burst away down the touchline and short-punted neatly to the. line, breaking through. He was about to fall on the ball for a try, when Johnston, racing up fast, kicked it from under hini into touch' in goal. Playing the game of. his life, Crawford was responsible for two more tries in quick succession. The first came from a neat strategical move. Crawford tossed the ball in close from the line out, had it returned to him immediately and r printed over at the corner, Ike converting from the side line. (Soon after, Court whipped the tyill to Owen from a scrum and Crawford took the latter’s pass in bis stride to score well out, as he was tackled.

With the aid of a fortunate gust of ’wind Iko again converted. .. Assisted by the following wind, the Manawhenua forwards crowded all over Taranaki in\the -opening stages of the second spell and when one of the homo side infringed"in front, of the goal, Tatana made no mistake. Bad tackling on the part of the home team let the visiting backs away in an opportunist excursion down the touch line and when Ike infringed by holding on, Tatana landed a .fine goal from near the side-line. Taranaki for a period set the pace, then Court hesitated in the face of a dangerous onslaught,- fumbled and short-punted into,the midst of the advancing heap of Manawhenua forwards. The price of the ' mistake was three points. Satherley' having no difficulty in crossing the line, attended by a following of his teaifn-m'atcs. 'No goal resulted.

Now only four points behind,' Maimwhenua combined in- assault after assault on the Taranaki line, last-minute saves and a certain amount of luck !just keeping them out. In a melee near the posts, Satherley took a mark and neatly kicked a goal, the game ending with Taranaki in the lead and by a bare point margin.