Rugby

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 699, 26 June 1929, Page 15

Rugby

I—. The 1 —.The Game and its Players s ,

The defeat of Manukau at the hands of Grafton was not outside the bounds i of possibility last Saturday. * * * ith Finlayson and Wanoa out of the pack they were only beaten by five points. Unlucky Tech. The Technical Old Boys’ team was very unlucky on Saturday in not securing a victory over City. Playing its first season in senior A competition, the men in green have put up a remarkably good performance this season, having won three out of nine matches against older and more experienced teams. The combination of the red backs on Saturday was at no stage spectacular, and it was only Karl Ifwerson's penalty kick that won them the day. A Keene Rover Although two good rovers were in action at Eden Park on Saturday, Keene’s exhibition was th‘r> Yt&tt&r- r>e the two. Keene, who has a wonderful knack of suiting his play to conditions. played more of the old wing - forward style of game, concentrating his big store of energy mainly on the Ponsonby inside backs. His spoiling work was splendid and toward the end of the game, when he was working like a Trojan he must have saved his side several points. His dribbling rushes also showed that this art has not altogether been lost. Soloman was more of the rover type, cooperating with the half and fiveeighths. and generally fitting in to the Ponsonby scheme of things. * * * Lindsay Off-side ID. F. Lindsay, fullback with the All Black team in South Africa, was the subject of a protest to the Waimate Rugby SubUnion (South Canterbury) recently. Lindsay is a student at Ota.go University, but has not played this season, and recently turned out for Huimai, a club in the Waim a t e district, where his home is, and of which he is a member. The ruling given by the South Canterbury Rugby Union to whom the point was submitted was that in such circumstances a player had to have two weeks’ residential qualification prior Ito playing. Rugby enthusiasts will welcome the announcement that an order has been placed for a time clock similar to that in use at Athletic Park t Wellington,

to be erected at Eden Park. The j clock will be marked off in big lettering with tho forty or forty-five minutes required for half the game, the hands I being turned back again for the second half. When the game is held up through injuries or any occasion when j time is taken off the clock is stopped and started when the game recommences. When close finishes are being fought out this appliance will add greatly to the interest of proceedings. I • * * “We must make the giants run," j said A. C. Wallace, captain of the j “Waratahs” and now a Rugby j selector in Australia, in a recent | statement on the tactics necessary for Australia to beat the All Blacks, j When the Xew Zealand team arrives, j the Australians will find that there j are not the same "giants as before. , Most of the forwards, however, are t workers, which Is a great deal better I than mere size. • • - A Sound Man D Keane was a thorn in City’s side | on Saturday at the Showgrounds. He | is strong on both defence and attack, and was responsible for notching ■ Tech’s only score. It seemed unfor- i tunate that he was off form -with his j kicking as he missed several easy penalties. . i

i he First Lap The Ponsonby-Varsity game on Sat- j urday proved a lit ting conclusion to the first round of the Rugby Union's senior competition. During the round good football has been shown, and several particularly keen and exciting contests eventuated. At the end of tho first lap Ponsonby is leading with 16 points, with Training College next with 13 points and Varsity third with 12. Varsity, however, has yet to play Marists, and two additional points from this source are possible. Ponsonby was not very quick oft the mark this season, and its performance on the opening day, and on subsequent days led many to think that the Ponies were going to be out of the race. They are now showing part of their old form and will, no doubt, continue to improve. More close games may be expected in the second round, particularly when Varsity and Ponsonby meet again. SENIOR B GRADE A team of boys, in weight and stature, Parnell is a combination of mature players in knowledge and ability to play the game. Combination produced by consistent practice and training is evident in the team’s work, and the backs have a spicing of individual cleverness. Combination enabled the Parnell hookers, Davis and Bines to secure the leather with unfailing regularity against Marathon’s stone heavier per man pack on Saturday. The crispness and cleanness of their work suggested consistent practice together. Barry and Newlands showed out among the others for their consistent following up in the loose. Clever though the backs are, there was a tendency by the inside men to play safe, preferably to breaking through. Because there was no thrusting initiative, and partially because of the opposition's spoiling, nearly every back movement collapsed. Southerby was too ready ,to use the stab punt. Savoury was easily the most outstanding forward of Marathon’s pack. Though he failed in the hooking department he made up for this by his tenacious battling in the loose. lie was invariably in the van of the rushes and his break-a ways from lineouts at times were truly magnificent. Elliott, too, excelled himself by liis sparkling display in the loose. Marathon have a splendid scoring asset :’n Paton, whose boot is a match-winning factor. He landed one magnificent goal from the side-line on Saturday. The team possesses a fine fcack machine, in which Stewart, wingrhreequarter is an outstanding scoring man. A particularly strong and fast runner, difficult to tackle, he goes determinedly for the line each time he is fed with the leather. He registered a couple of sparkling tries on Saturday. TE AROHA TEAM CHOSEN (From Our Own Correspondent) TE AROHA. Tuesday. Tho following will represent Tc Aroha in the representative match to be played against Waihi next Saturday for the Poland Cup: M. Flynn, A. Lipsey, Clarke, Rangi. Rackham. J. Arkle, Nicholson, P. O’Donoghue, D. McLaren. Riddell, J. Keaney, P. McLaren, F. Mulgrew, Payne, Clarkin;

emergencies, backs. "SVatene, Ileatlicote; forwards, Fyfe, Johns. WAIPA SENIOR B TEAM (From Our Own Correspondent) TE AWAMUTU, Tuesday. Following is the Waipa B senior team to play Cambridge B at Cambridge next Saturday:—B. Hogue. A. Jackson, Joe Sterritt, F. Beet, H. Bennett, Kendall. G. Hamilton, B. Quin, Fowler, B. Elliott. Thomson. O’Halloran. F. Rogers, P. Grace. R. Head. Emergencies: C. Pollard. N. Jackson. J. Askew, C. Cruickshank. TAUMARUNUI V. MANIAPOTO (From Our Own Correspondent) TAUMARUNUI Tuesday. The Taumarunui Rugby Sub-Union’s selector. Mr. A. E. Rice, announces the following fifteen to represent Taumarunui in the match against Maniapoto Sub-Union next Saturday: Fullback, A. Hill: threequarters, Coogan. Carlson. Lee: five-eighths. Haddon. W. Jones; halfback, Finlay: rover. T. Jones; forwards, Eden, Conrad, Wackrow, Eady. Skilton, Roddick, Edwards. Emergencies: Forwards, Bennett and Waki; backs, Falwasser 2nd R. Haddon.