Auckland Plays Sparkling Rugby

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 434, 16 August 1928, Page 6

Auckland Plays Sparkling Rugby

GAME AT INVERCARGILL NORTHERNERS TOO FAST (Special to THE SUN) INVERCARGILL, Wednesday. The visiting Auckland team provided about 8,000 spectators with the most sparkling exhibition of football seen here for many years when they defeated Southland today by 44 to 21. Southland was not only outclassed but it was the severest defeat inflicted on the home side for years. The weather and the ground conditions were excellent. The game opened sensationally with. Southland scoring in the first three minutes. The movement started in the Southland 25, McEwan intercepting a long pass by Falwasser to send wing-threequarter Diack on a 60yds run. Diack goaled amid remarkable enthusiasm, and with a stiff breeze behind them the visitors at once jumped into their best speed, and gave the crowd a sample of their worth. Backs and forwards combined in dazzling passing rushes and at half-time the visitors led by 22 points to five. The breeze that favoured Auckland in the first half was not so much in evidence after the interval, while a stronger sun further handicapped Southland. The Southland forwards got to work in deadly earnest shortly after resuming, but a lot of their work was nullified by faulty handling and bad passing by the backs, who were being well served with the ball, thanks to the success of the hookers, one of whom was Howden, who will be seen in action in the ~ North and South Island match. SPEEDY AUCKLANDERS The speed and vim of the Aucklanders were always in evidence, however, and repeatedly their defence became an atack. In this half Southland scored three tries, two being by forwards Southern and Driscoll, and Bell got the other. Diack also kicked a penalty. Minns was the star of the threequarter line and scored six tries. His determined running was a feature of the play, and he carried too many guns for the opposing wing-threequarter, Leddis, who was hopelessly at sea. One try by Minns was scored after a 60yds run. L. Hook, at centre-threequarter, was dashing on attack and was responsible for much of the success that came to Minns. Falwasser, on the other wing, did not get the chances that Minns got, but was always dangerous, and scored two tries. The five-eighths, Hook and Jeffries, shaped very well, and Carter did all that was asked of him in the direction of opening up play. Butler, who played fullback for Auckland, was brilliant. He also scored 11 points with his boot. Strange, Finlayson and Batty were the pick of a splendid pack, but Knight shirked the tight stuff all day, being content to shine in the open. Johnson (half) and G. Oughton (fullback) were the only Southland backs to show decent form, and the less said about the others the better. The Southland forwards certainly battled hard, and there were certainly no loafers among them. The game was played in a good spirit, but the visiting forwards were allowed too much' latitude in offside play. There were some most glaring breaches of this rule. Auckland got ten tries and a penalty, and Southland five tries and a penalty. Other than those previously mentioned! Batty, Strange and Kahu also scored tries.