Rugby

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1055, 20 August 1930, Page 13

Rugby

—A__The Game and its* Players*. %

Returning to New Zealand Report has it that at least two members of the British Rushy team, both excellent forwards, intend to return to New Zealand before many months have passed. Battling Forwards Ably led by the brothers Rika, the North Auckland forwards on Saturday showed that with conditions favourable they are always a tough proposition, and with limes Finlayso'n to lead them they would have been tougher * still. The Northern pack has been shaping well for several seasons and the tour that they have just concluded seems to have put extra finish on to their work. Sheriff and Morrissey are also forwards of a fine type who would show up well in any representative pack. a * Loss to Auckland With the removal of Bert Fletcher, the ex-Auckland representative player, to North Auckland, Auckland has lost a valuable forward, as he proved by a very fine display against his old team on Saturday. Fletcher is a particularly valuable man when a side is on tour jas ho goes equally as well in the front | row as at the back of the scrum. lie is also a useful type of rover, and has played a number of games for AuckI land in this position. His brother C. i Fletcher, a well-known Auckland player, was an All Black forward in 1020 and 1921. He won his way into the memorable third test between New Zealand and South Africa at Wellington in the latter year. ! “ Papakuraite.”—A. When Lucas I took the ball he was not actually opposed, being outside his opposing wing threequarter. However, Lucas must bo credited for the speed in which he eo-opef-ated with Nicholls and upon which the success of the ruse depended. B. When Lucas crossed the line an English back came across fast to head him off from going around behind the posts, but Lucas beat him to it. C. From memory it would appear that Lucas was half way between a lino running parallel to the sidelines from his nearest goal post and the sideline. The deftness in which the movement was carried out and the fact that it was entirely unexpected caught the opposing backs standing when Lucas caught the ball and set off. All Black Turf Man The owner of In the Shade, a winner at Warwick Farm on Saturday, is W. S. Glenn, one of the forwards of the famous New Zealand team which toured Great Britain in 1905 (writes “Rambler,” in the “Sporting Globe” of August 6 ). Rugger men look upon it as the greatest band of athletes that have travelled. Billy some years previous to that trip, played club football in Sydney* with Wallaroo. Since his His Rugby day he represented Rangitikei in the New Zealand Parliament, and was Whip to the Massey Government. Very popular with footballers on both sides of the Tasman is the old All Black. * • * A Solid Forward Despite the fact that he has a son fifteen years of age who is following in his father’s footsteps and developing into a good Rugby player, W. Rika, the powerfully built Northern forward, is still a man to be reckoned with. Rika toured Ensland with the Maori team in 1926, and was then, as he is now, a first-class forward. Big and lean and always in fine fettle, he is a splendid type for a hard game. Rika’s family is descended from Hone lleke, the famous fighting chief of the Ngapuhi tribe, a useful strain for a Rugby forward to possess. * * * A Wonderful Record Perhaps no secondary school in New Zealand within recent years lias had such a wonderful record on the football field as New Plymouth Boys’ High .School. News of its defeat by Te Ante College last Saturday recalls the many famous and brilliant struggles these two schools have had. New Plymouth’s first XV. has only been beaten four times in the last five years. Last year Auckland Grammar, after having been beaten 49 to 0 the previous year, turned the tables and won 8-3 in a great game. The school has turned out many fine footballers, perhaps the best of these being Handley Brown, who. at the age of 19, toured England with the 1924 All Blacks. Brown is still playing football in Taranaki, but has fallen off quite a lot. Others of good provincial standard are K. Alexander, who was the most brilliant five-eighth ever turned out by the school; K. Gibbons, who it will be remembered, captained Wanganui against the British team; and many others.

close up they just got over the bar. so that he has handled the stand like an accordion, and made it squeak or groan as the result of the flight of the ball became apparent.

Wairarapa Loses Its Great Goal-Kicker FULLER TRANSFERRED DEFEAT OF MANAWHENUA Special to THE SUN MASTERTON, Tuesday. Dominating: play in both departments for the greater part of the game, the Wairarapa Rugby representatives completely outclassed Manawhenua last Saturday to the tune of 32 points to 7. But the game was a disappointing one, the standard of play being well below that expected for interprovincial teams. Quentin Donald, sole selector, aided by rheumatism, bronchitis and possibly just the slowness of years, stood six of the old brigade on the bank, and we looked forward to a snappy display from six other young gentlemen trained fine for the occasion. Our new forwards took some time to get into their stride, and Manawhenua repeatedly beat them for the ball until half the first spell was gone. Then the big lads took charge, and in 20 minutes rattled on 27 points before halftime. With K. Reid, W. R. Irvine. I. Harvey, W. Reside, S. Willoughby and J. Mill all absent:, the performance was most creditable, and with the perfect weather conditions prevailing it looked like a cricket score in the second half But play degenerated in the second session, and it seemed as if the home side were obviously loafing, being content to hold the visitors. However, Manawhenua finally scored, and Wairarapa promptly retaliated with a try under the opposing posts. Tommy Corkhill was the best back on the field in both attack and defence, and played an outstanding game. He showed his old-time turn of speed when Moffatt, the Manawhenua winger, broke clean away with an interception. Corkhill chased him and brought him to earth with a beautiful flying tackle. At no time does Corkhill slacken in de-

fence, and his stab-punting for the line is of great value to his forwards. C. Stringfellow, at centre-threequar-ter, is slowly living down the reputation gained for dropping Cooke’s passes. Perhaps since the departure of “A.E.” from the district the game has slowed up. In any case, Stringfellow is taking his passes nowadays with great confidence, and with his speed, is often successful in running liis wings into good position. He scored two good tries under the posts, and lost the ball on a third occasion when running round behind the Ujie to the posts after a runaway dash. PROMISING MEN J. Le Quesne and S. Reid were the two replacement forwards who caught the eye. Both are bulky, Reid using height and strength to break through with the ball, and running with a strong fend reminiscent of Cyril Brownlie. When he learns to pass before being crashed to earth in possession, he will be dangerous in attack. Just turned twenty, Reid is being carefully ooaclted, and on Saturday's display should develop well. J. Le Quesne, formerly a threequarter, played a fast game, scoring a good try and opening up for a couple more, his vitality reminding one of a rubber ball. The secret pf his game is in knowing when not to stop, and he impresses one as possessing the sturdy potentialities of a high-class player. Records in points scored this season have lately been going the rounds. Up till last week Fred Fuller, the Wairarapa wing-three-quarter, had scored 236 points in club and representative football nince May 1. Five kicks on Sat- | urday added 11 points, making the ; tally 247. In the recent Hawke's Bay game he scored 22 points, and it will be remembered that in the Ranfurly Shield match with Auckland last year he notched 14 out of 17 points. This must be ; something of a record. Fuller, who is an exchange clerk at the Martinborough Post Office, received word on Saturday morning of his transfer to Eastbourne, Wellington, and the news that he was playing his last game for his district cast quite a gloom over the assembled populace This district of sunshine and tolerant farmers will find it hard to part with its prodigy, especially after losing Minns to Auckland, R. W. Sharpe to Southland, and A. E. Cooke to Wellington. Fuller’s kicking has one curiflus feature —that unless from very

As his uncanny accuracy became more and more apparent, faith in his prowess became almost pathetic, and one plump sporting man who had developed palpitation of the heart watching Cooke sprint upheld, had lately been ordered by his doctor to stay away again in case Fuller missed one and gave him a final shock. No longer will Fuller astonish his weak nerves. Fuller leaves on Thursday, and will join the Eastbourne Club.

“MORAL VICTORY” HAWKE’S BAY CLAIM IN SHIELD GAME THE AUCKLAND MATCH Special to TUE SUN NAPIER, Tuesday. The defeat of the touring Hawke’s j Bay representatives at the hands of Southland on Saturday in the Ranfurly Shield match did not come as a very great surpriso to followers of the game in these parts; indeed, the surprise was that the Magpies had done as well as they did. After being beaten with apparent ease on the first two matches of the tour against Canterbury and Otago, there were lew who were optimistic* enough to give the side any chance at all in the game which was the main object of the tour —the Southland match and with it the bid for the shield. Thero was a possibility that M. Brownlie, R. Steere and J. Ruru would bo sent South to strengthen the team for this match, but for various reasons this could not be done and Saturday saw, therefore, a by no means firstclass team take the field against the shield-hoiders. Encouragement, however, was not lacking, and on Saturday the members of the team in Invercargill were the recipients of sheafs of telegrams from the North wishing them luck and especially urging the backs to show their true form, which they had failed to do in the other matches of the tour. This seemed to have the desired effect, for even if defeated, the team has the satisfaction of knowing that Southland was given the closest call that it has had for the shield, and that by not having its line crossed and by scoring a try itself, the Bay at least scored a moral victory. Hawke’s Bay was fortunate in getting conditions underfoot more suitable to them than is usually the case in matches against Southland on the latter’s own ground, and there is no doubr that this contributed to the visitors doing as well as they did. the backs especially showing particularly pleasing form. TO MEET AUCKLAND The Hawke’s Bay team is due to return home on Tuesday and is to meet Auckland at Napier on Saturday week. On paper, the Auckland representatives constitute probably the strongest provincial team in the Dominion, and while it is expected that Hawke’s Bay will have to .add further to the already long line of defeat this season, considerable interest is attached to the match as there has been an unusually small number of representative fixtures in the district this season, the Auckland match being the second and last of the season. The match will at least afford an opportunity of seeing just how much the Magpies have improved as a result of the Southern tour. B. Welch, who Tintil recently played in Christchurch for the Technical Old Boys’ Club, lias linked up with the Hastings High School Boys’ Club, and his services have been very welcome. On Saturday he distinguished -himself by scoring a most spectacular try in Napier. He snapped up the bah from just inside the half-way line and, catching the opposing side badlv out of position, he set sail for the goa* posts with a clear field in front of him Despite his liberal allowance of avoir dupois. he covered the ground at ar •stonirhing speed, much to the amuse ment of the gallery, but the fleet-footed E. Elliott, one of the opposing back. 1 was in hot pursuit. With a fine flying tackle Elliott brought his man down but the goal had almost been reached and the bulky forward’s weight was sufficient to just carry him across the line.

ELEVEN CHANGES CANTERBURY TEAM ALTERED SINCE BRITISH GAME LIGHT, FAST FORWARDS Special to THE SUN CHRISTCHURCH, Tuesday. After defeating Hawke’s Bay by four tries to one, Canterbury has settled down again to its club matches, which will not be finished, in the senior A grade, until August 30. On that day a Canterbury 13 team will be sent to Ashburton, but this team will not include any members of the clubs' engaged in the championship final. So it will not really be even a 13 team, but something like a third fifteen. To Canterbury, the most satisfactory feature of the match with Hawke’s Bay was the fitness of the home team, 11 members of which had not played against the British team. Of the four players who had represented this province earlier in the season, two played in positions different from those they occupied in the more important match. Forward. Canterbury was- outweighed by close on a stone and a-half a man, but the litter and more active Canterbury men outplayed the ponderous forwards from Hawke’s Bay on the heavy ground, besides securing possession of the ball from two scrums out of three. Canterbury has few really big forwards this year. Of those now available for the representative team there is only one man, R. T. Stewart, over 15 stone, and none between 13st 111 b and lost. The pack fielded against Hawke’s Bay three men weighing ! 12st Gib or less, and all four of the | emergency forwards were well under ! 13st each. However, the players have • been kept very fit, their training in- | eluding some hill work, and the way iin which the forwards have lasted their two representative games so far this season has been in pleasing con- ; trast to their second-half collapses : last year. If Canterbury could but I find a really good lock to replace G. T. Alley, who is not even playing club football now, it would have a pack that would trouble any other provincial pack in New Zealand. A GOOD HALFBACK Since the British team considered that Canterbury has the best provincial set of backs in the Domiinon, little more need be said on that point at present. Once more has T. F. Mu 11an taken W. C. Bailey’s place behind the Canterbury scrum, but It is far from certain that he will be able to go on this province’s Southern tour Mullan. who plays for the Christchurch Club, has been rather unfortunate in being contemporaneous with Bailey; otherwise he might have attained higher honours. Though he has his off-days, and is now rather past his best, he is a sound and resourceful halfback, more consistent than A. W. Holden (Otago and Southland), for example. I am told that the Hawke’s Bay team was rather impressed by MLilian’s play. Canterbury has become short of a first-class fullback. A. W. Roberts. New Zealand representative cricketer, played in that position against Hawke’s Bay. He is a good kick, but he is inclined to get bustled. R. A. Fulton, previously of Wanganui, who has been with the Christchurch Club all the year, is of a similar type. Xeither of them anticipates play enough.

Canterbury’s next important match will be with Wellington, in Christchurch, on September 6. It will be interesting to note what five-eighths are chosen for that grame. H. Lilburne is best as second five-eighth. B. Hay, first five-eighth for High School Old Boys, who represented the South Island two years ago, is playing better* than ever, and no player in New Zealand, possibly, has a better pair of hands than he has. Young G. B. Innes, robust second five-eighth, who probably would be played as a first five-eighth if he were in another club than High School Old Boys, has now recovered from an injury which has kept him out for some weeks, but there may not be a place for him in the representative team. No doubt C. J. Oliver will be played on the wing again, instead of as second five-eighth. But there is still N. P. McGregor! So there are five five-eighths of All Black or South Island standard to choose from. GRAMMAR OLD BOYS The annual match between the Mount Albert Grammar School fifteen and the Old,Boys’ team will be played at the school grounds at 3 o’clock tomorrow- afternoon, as a feature of the annual old boys’ reunion. The following team will represent the Old Boys;—Gardiner, Shea, King, Salmon, Hook. Jenkin, Palmer, W. Potter, Johnson. Forsyth, Clark, R. Potter. Mars, Bail don. PRIMARY SCHOOL REPS. The following primary schools Rugby players from the Auckland North group will take part in a practice match at Victoria Park at 3.30 o’clock tomorrow afternoon: —Smith (Bevonport), Wall, Savidan, Saunders, Joyce, Simmonds, Shilling, Knock, Fenton, Flynn, Baker. Smythe, Davis, Blok, Brown (Ponsonby), Batty (2), Grant (Northcote). Any other boys from the Victoria Park, Domain or North Shore groups who are eligible for selection are invited to attend. The Auckland North team will play a curtain-raiser at Eden Park on Saturday against the Auckland Central team. The representative team will leave Auckland for Pukekohe on Monday morning by the Rotorua express, and will return to Auckland on the following Friday. *