100-A-SIDE

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 79, 24 June 1927, Page 10

100-A-SIDE

WHEN THAMES MINERS

WANTED TO PLAY AUCKLAND AT RUGBY FOR | £2OO SIDE WAGER. |

OLD-TIME RUGBY MEMORIES

The heavy defeat handed out to the Thames Rugby reps, by Auckland last Saturday recalls the fact that it was not ever thus. Thirty years ago, when the gold boom was in full swing, Thames was a power in the land, and in 1898 and 1899, the rugged mining representatives soundly trounced Auckland on its native heath, to wit, Potter’s Paddock. The first game played between the two centres was in 1870, but even before that a number of Irish miners working at the Thames had sent a challenge to Auckland to play a Thames rep. team—loo a-side! The goals were to be the goalfields; one goal to be at one goldfield and the other to be at another field some distance away. By way of adding a little interest to the game, the happy-go-lucky Irishmen proposed that the match be played for £2OO a-side. Needless to relate, at the Auckland end, it was considered that there were difficulties in the way of stagirig such a game, and the exuberent sons of Erin were advised that there was “nothing doing”! THE PRESSMAN PLAYS Another time, a Thames team visited Coromandel, with a bare 15 men and the übiquitous Press representative from the local paper. Whether the trip up the coast proved too much for some of the men from the goldfields is not known, but in any case when the game started the team was -short, and the Pressman was asked to take a hand. He “took a hand” to such good effect that he scored three tries, although when reminded of this epic feat nowadays, he modestly disclaims any great credit for his spectacular introduction to the Dominions national game. “They were a good team,” he says, “and a good lot of fellows, and they made it easy for me to hop over the line when there was a chance.” A “SCRUM SNEAK” Mr. W. lockman of the 1905 All Blacks, who still follows the game closely at Eden Park, used to tell a good story of Rugby in the Thames a quarter of a century ago. On one occasion, his team got wind of a supposedly star player in one of the backblocks districts, and set out into the wilds in a horse and trap to get him for a big match in the goldfields. After a great deal of difficulty, he waS finally located, and brought in for the match. Oh! yes, he knew the game all right, and was only too happy to show them how to beat their opponents. When the team got on to the field, the unknown warrior announced his intention of playing “scrum sneak,” a position hitherto unknown to the unsophisticated Thamesians. It was not long before the “scrum sneak” became a “left outside.” He was a glorious dud, and the only thing to do was to leave him out of any movement that was going. As W.C. added with a reminiscent smile, in telling the story to the writer, there was no horse and trap waiting to take this budding Roberts home to his backblocks shack in triumph after the match, and ever after, one had only to mention the word “scrum sneak” in the hearing of a Thames Rugby man and stand a firstclass chance of starting a small Donnybrook on the spot.