“Hoodoo” Follows Kiwi League Team

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1037, 30 July 1930, Page 10

“Hoodoo” Follows Kiwi League Team

DEFEAT AT IPSWICH REPLACEMENTS ALLOWED (SUN Special Representative icith the Team.) BRISBANE, Thursday, July 22. Surely a “Hoodoo” is following the New Zealand “All Black” Rugby League team round Australia. Yesterday the team played and was defeated by Ipswich, by 10 points to 3. For the first time during the tour replacements were allowed, but curiously enough this was the first match in which no member of the New Zealand side was injured! There was a very poor attendance at the match. The weather was fine and the ground very hard. The New Zealand team fielded, looked a strong side on paper, but it gave a very poor display, faulty handling losing our side a few tries when in good positions. Our opponents were a very young team, six of their members being under twenty-one. They play the open style of football, and tackle very well, and are now in the lead for the Queensland championship. It was Ipswich’s sixth match against New Zealand teams, including the Maoris. New Zealand won two in 1913 and 1919. We went from Brisbane by bus and returned after a banquet tendered by the Ipswich League. The referee was the same as against Queensland last Saturday. He was very hard to understand regarding the play-the-ball rule, and putting the ball in the scrum. Obstruction is one of the big factors in their play over here, but they get away with it. Our boys are too honest and play to the book. Very hard to break them into a different style of play. Wetherill has been appointed coach by the members of the team and will have a hard job to get them to try anything new. Rugby tactics are no good here. The backs did

not play as well as was expected. They handled the ball from the half out to the wing on every occasion they got it. It is a pity there was not an old lead in the centre to change the play. The forwards still ruck too much, and are last when the game becomes

open. The tackling of the backs was weak and their sense of. position was crude. We could do with a defensive half. Dodds was tried there, and Abbott on the wing, but we had to make a change before the second half. Dodds goiug to centre and Abbott going behind the scrum. Things went better for a while, but with the chances our backs got they were very disappointing, Dodds and Abbott being the pick of them. The latter got across for our only scofe. We got more than our share of the ball from the scrums, but we were unable to do much with it. Of the forwards. Griffiths and Calder caught the eye. Timms and Tittleton played again, but both showed a decided limp on their injured ankles. GREGORY RECOVERS Gregory has got

over his nasty bump, and will probably lead the team again on Saturday. Barchard is in training, but his injured arm is not fit to play with yet. It is nothing serious, however. Amos gets the stitches out of his eyebrow on Friday, and should be fit to play in about a week from now.

Wetherill’s ankle is getting right again, but it is hard to say if it will stand up to the hard ground on Saturday. All the rest of the boys are doing well, and are a very contented party.