Rugby Test Reflections

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 453, 7 September 1928, Page 7

Rugby Test Reflections

How Aucklanders Fared

(By

MAKARINI.)

The Auckland forwards, Palmer, Batty and Knight, were a useful trio in the New Zealand pack against New South Wales on Wednesday, Batty being in particularly good form. Knight unfortunately mar,red a good : display by playing the man. Hook Out of Luck At centre in the first spell Hook was a unit in a line that never once got going. In the second spell, on the wing, the play did not go his way at all. On the whole, .Hook was not impressive. Possibly the atmosphere of Athletic Park doesn’t agree with him, or else he has not yet acquired ’the art of rising to the big occasion. T. McClymont,’ on the opposite wing, showed heaps of dash, and the duel between him and Smairl was worth watching. Safe Fullbacks Butler and Westfield were two safe fullbacks, with Westfield the cldaner in his work, though Butler tackled grandly and handled in spectacular style on the run. His kicking is Butler’s weakness. To make his mark in big football a man should be able to kick well with either foot, and Butler cannot do so. Has Cooke Gone Back? In some respects Cooke seems • to have gone back. His play on Wednesday was marked by fine kicking and first-class tackling, in which respect he did the lion’s share of the work for the whole team; but the old wizardry in attack was evident on only rare occasions. Bradanovicn earned his place with his kicking alone, and was in other respects sound. The crowd had the greatest difficulty in pronouncing his name—the accent should be on the second syllable—and some weird versions of it were heard in the stand. Malcolm Shines Malcolm, though harassed by Por- < ter, who broke the spirit, if not the letter, of the aff-side rules, played a great ’game behind the Waratali pack, and must be ranked among the best halves the Rugby game has produced. His snap-shot at goal from the steepest - of angles, when the ball rebounded from the prop, was a wonderful effort.

accomplished as it was from the midst' of a regular thicket of players. The Cornstalks took far too many liberties with the off-side rules, and their habit of ranging a foot or two in front —really a relined sort of shepherding—was .reminiscent of the Springboks. * This largely accounted for the great number of penalties inflicted on them, and contributed to their defeat. Yet they played the game all the time in fine, jovial carefree spirit. Compared with the New Zealand pack the Waratah forwards were as Cavaliers to Roundheads —arid fo.r that spirit alone they are to be commended. *