INTER-ISLAND LEAGUE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 419, 30 July 1928, Page 6

INTER-ISLAND LEAGUE

North’s Runaway Victory

BRILLIANT SOUTH ISLAND FULL BACK FURTHER proof of the overwhelming dominance of the League game in the Auckland Province over the rest of New Zealand was given at Carlaw Park on Saturday, wheu thirteen Aucklanders swamped the South Island in the annual inter-island match by 44 points to 8. Over 10,000 people saw the game.

Out-hooked in front and out-played behind, the rugged South Island pack nevertheless put up a game tight, but its backs were too slow off the mark and too weak in defence to hold the racing Northerners. The one exception was Blazey, fair-haired and youthful fullback from the far South, who with Brisbane and Delgrosso was one of the three outstanding players on the day’s play. Up till half way . through the first spell, when the score was 5—3 in favour of the North, it looked as if the South might make a game of it. The All White forwards were displaying a vigour and dash in the loose which sorely tried the Northern pack, but once the North started to get the ball regularly from the scrums and the scene of operations shifted to the backs, it was all up with the South. At half-time North led 18 —3, and in the second spell there was only one team in the hunt. NOT IMPRESSIVE Despite the size of the score, the back play of the North was far from impressive, and it was more due to mistakes by their opponents than anything else that the North Island backs were able to shine. A serious weakness was the failure of the inside men to run straight. But for Brisbane’s fine work at centre, the wings would have been hopelessly jammed on to the touchline. For all his cleverness and wonderful defence, Delgrosso runs out from the scrum far too much. Prentice, too, invariably veered off on a diagonal run. Certain privileges can be- permitted a second five-eighth of Wetherill’s unquestioned brilliance on attack, but it is essential that a halfback should get the ball out three times out of four without running out from the base of the scrum. Similarly, a first five-eighth must run straight and give his outsides room in which to work. NORTH WINS SCRUMS In the scrums, the North claimed a two to one advantage over the South. Somers is unquestionably a line hooker, but with opponents of the calibre of St. George and Campbell about, no front ranker can afford to loaf in other phases of forward play the way the veteran Newtonian did on Saturday. Although beaten for the ball, Townsend, the ex-City forward, set a bright and shining example of doggedness and pluck in the* South Island pack on Saturday. Timms and Trevetta, the South Aucklanders, were two of the hardest working forwards on the ground, but both marred their displays by irresponsible kicking with the ball at toe. Whoever has the job of coaching the New Zealand team will need to concentrate on dribbling practice for the forwards and straight running for the backs. The North Island selectors adopted the bold step of putting Brisbane in their teafn after he had been turned down by the provincial selectors. It was a bold step, but it was a conspicuous success.

The tlireequarter line, hampered by faulty heeling out and lack of quickness by the insides, nevertheless was Auckland’s real strength. Hardgrave, with fewer opportunities than usual, did all that was asked of him. Raynor, on the other wing got most of the play on his side of the ground, and gave a solid display, but many would prefer to see Lcn Scott in his place. BRILLIANT BLAZEY

Had it not been for Blazey’s great display at fullback for the South, Dufty would have come through the game as the accepted fullback for the New Zealand team. Now, however, the New Zealand selectors have been set a real problem.

Spillane certainly got Dufty on the wrong foot on one all-important occasion and scored a try, but taken all through, Dufty was sound and reliable. He has weight and strength which Blazey does not possess as yet, and an unerring facility for finding the “gap” with powerful stab-kicks. What is more, he is an old hand against these visiting Englishmen. Blazey, on the other hand, has real football genius. The time when he stopped a. try by tackling Somers ball and all shows that he has a football head. He takes well, kicks soundly and can run up and start his threequarter line going with an enterprise and dash which is not usually found in a comparative newcomer to big football. The question whether this slim youth can stand up to the powerful attack of the Englishmen *is .the only point at issue which should seriously worry the selectors.

The biggest disappointment about the South Island forwards was that we expected to see something of that close footwork and dribbling which is generally associated with the slower South Island grounds. Actually, we saw very little, and the pack as a whole was a little too much on the slow side to warrant the belief that

many of them would fit into the faster North Island system of play. SOLID FORWARDS Goodall, the powerful Coaster, is a fine type of bustling’ forward, while a No. 3 0 jersey showed out so frequently on Saturday that the standites were soon busy looking for the name of its wearer. It proved to be Collie, a Canterbury man. Woodgate and O’Brien were also sound and solid graftersThere was far too much trouble in getting the ball into the scrums on Saturday. A few judiciously awarded free kicks would have stopped some of the pranks of the rival front-rankers. The scoring register was as follows: North Island, tries by Brisbane (3), Delgrosso (2), Hardgrave (2), Hutt, Timms and Raynor, conversions by Delgrosso (5) and Dufty, 44 points; South Island, tires by Goodall and Spillane, one converted by Spillane, 8 points. POSSIBLES V. PROBABLES TEAMS FOR WEDNESDAY Following are the teams for the final Possibles-Probables match at Carlaw Park next Wednesday: Probables.—Fullback, C. Dufty; threequarters, L. Scott, Brisbane, Mason (West Coast); five-eighths, Seagar, Robins (West Coast); halfback, Peckham; forwards, Calder (West Coast), Somers, J. O’Brien, M. O’Brien (West Coast), Hall, A. Scott. Possibles. —Fullback, Blazey (Otago); threequarters, Spillane (Canterbury), Beattie, List; five-eighths, EJckhoff (Otago), Hanlon; halfback, Cleaver; wards, Quinn (West Coast), Townsend (Otago), Dixon, Jack (West Coast), Payne, Clark. Emergencies for. both teams: Backs, Davis, Longville, Amos. Forwards, Moisley, Jenkinson, Hadley. Gregory was unavailable owing to injuries. The teams are requested to attend at Carlaw Park to-morrow evening at 7.30. Any player not available should notify Mr. W. Murray.