FOR RUGBY HONOURS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 391, 27 June 1928, Page 9

FOR RUGBY HONOURS

PONSONBY AND VARSITY LEAD

KEEN FIGHTING PROMISED NEXT ROUND

Although Marist appears to be too far behind at the turn, this team will still remain an important factor. It is a team capable of defeating either of the two leaders. In the next round there are interesting possibilities, of course, all involving the word “if,” but when one remembers that Training College, the second lowest team on the ladder, managed to make a drawn game in its last encounter with Ponsonby, the word does not seem so impressive. Manukau, which has done well to get 9 points in its initial season in the A competition, has yet to play a match with Training College, and this will probably mean an extra two points for the West Coast team. An African Rugby Idol—the Devine half-back. * * * All In The Family This season’s King’s College pack is something of a family affair. There are three Gilletts, all sons of the famous 1905 All Black, and two Maytons, leaving only two, Clarkson and Meikle, who have no relatives at their side. For schoolboy forwards the pack is very powerful, with the Gillett trinity lending much weight and solidity thereto. King’s goes to Wanganui this season to play Wanganui Collegiate School, and on recent performances it should be capable of repeating the famous victory scored at Wanganui by T. Heard’s side in 1921. Fullbacks for Saturday Auckland Rugby enthusiasts will be pleased to welcome V. Butler, the Training College custodian, back to his position in the representative team on Saturday, an appointment he has fully justified by good all-round displays this season. The Waikato fullback, provided he can make the trip, will be S. Thomas, a player who performed exceptionally well in the North Island trials last year. Against Auckland earlier in the season Thomas played a sterling game, and can be counted upon to repeat the performance on Saturday. Marist Strikes Form In defeating North Shore on their own ground by 16 points to 3 on Saturday Marist put up no mean feat. -Despite the seaside team's fluctuating form it can always be relied upon to put up a solid argument, and can never be taken too cheaply. Marist, 1 however, worked with fine precision, forwards and backs combining better than they have this season. For Marist Bill Wright played a game out of the box, getting his backs awav in excellent style, and he was ably supported by Jeffries and Stoupe. D’Authreau and Paisley led the hardworking Shore pack, which was at times unnecessarily overworked by the injudicious kicking of their backs. Life Sentenced Reduced A Zingari forward named Brown, I who was recently put out for life by the South Canterbury Rugby Union for kicking a player lying on the i ground, has now had his sentence reduced to twelve months’ suspension. At a full meeting of delegates it was agreed that the punishment was too severe. Although offences of this nature should be strictly dealt with in view of the fact that they are particularly dangerous and cowardly, the original sentence undoubtedly was too severe. In the case in question there appeared to be an element of doubt. Two Black Crows "To settle an argument,” D.M.A., inquires if Lindsay, the All Black centre and fullback, ' is really an Otago man.” D. F. Lindsay, although attending the Otago University, hails from the Waimate district in South Canterbury, and with Archie Strang and Ron. Stewart, j learned his football under the capable I direction of E. A. Cockroft, 1913-14 All Black, at the Timaru High School. Strang and Lindsay are both of the same age and played in the first fifteen together. Like the Two Black Crows they were the “head men in that show,” Great Bargains in Groceries at Marriott’s. Newmarket, next Friday and Saturday.

WITH tlie first round of the Auckland Rugby Union’s senior A competition concluded ou Saturday a much more interesting' position is disclosed than was so last season. Varsity and Ponsonby bead the table with fifteen points each, Marist coming next with 11 points.

and there was always a plentiful supply of small boys available to boot balls back for the pair to kick at the posts. That is how Lindsay learned to kick goals from difficult angles.

He is a cousin of D. P. Lindsay, the New Zealand representative swimmer, and his father was also a well-known athlete in his day. Rep. Adjustments Little fault can be found with the team selected by Mr. V. R. Meredith to meet Waikato in the return match at Eden Park on Saturday. On present form perhaps the only exception that could be taken is the inclusion of Fletcher as wingforward, a position that would be more suitable for Howard, the Marist winger, or Mathias, both of whom are at present playing good football. Granted that the City man is a determined and hardworking forward fit for a place in almost any provincial pack, he hardly possesses the sense of anticipation and finesse of the other two. If he is fit again by the time the team departs Keene (University) will of course occupy that position. The inclusion of Butler, and the shifting of Paewai to the five-eighth line in place of Falwasser, who goes out to the wing, was only to be expected.