POLLARD CUP GAMES

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 461, 17 September 1928, Page 6

POLLARD CUP GAMES

WILD RUGBY RIFLES DEFEAT MANUKAU PLAYERS ORDERED OFF What promised to be a hard-fought game, the clash between College Rifles and Manukau Rovers on Saturday, degenerated into a lamentable spectacle to those with the interests of good Rugby at heart. The first quarter seemed, if anything, less hard than the usual, the Rifles pack, with “Snowy” Stewart, Fogarty and H. Souter in the fore, pushing play to the Onehunga line, where the backs made repeated efforts to get over. Poor handling by the threequarters and excellent defensive work by Watene and Bryers kept them out, however. The next two spells were more even, the play being largely confined to wild forward battles in midfield. The backs of neither side saw much of the ball, but when opportunity offered they dumped each other with more vigour than the occasion demanded. With a few exceptions, high tackling was the order of the day, and Donald, the big Rifles winger, suffered from the consequences, being slung to the ground with a neck-hold on many occasions. The questionable tactics, however, were by no means all on the Manukau side. There was sly work going on in the scrums that would have meant trouble for someone had the referee seen it. It was in the last quarter, when Manukau was three points down, that things became really merry, and the referee took a hand, sending off Albon, of Manukau, and H. Souter, of College Rifles. Even after that, when a scrum broke up, it was no uncommon thing to see players shaping up to each other, though no further visible encounters took place. Webber, Kerr and Donald were the best of the Rifles backs, and Sturmey, Bryers and Watene were prominent in the opposing rearguard. In the Manukau pack, Houshan and Satherley weer notable. Houshan, apart from his tendency to wait instead of diving to tackle, playing a particularly fine game. Tries were scored for the winners by Donald, Souter and Warren, Gillespie converting one. Ferguson and Houshan scored for Manukau. Watene converted a try. The game ended: Rifles 11, Manukau 8. The referee was Mr. W. J. Edwards.