FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 August 1919, Page 6

FOOTBALL.

TARANAEXS DEFEAT. Commenting upon Saturday's representative match, the Auckland Herald says:—Taranakl came with good credentials, having been narrowly defeated by Wellington, and were reputed to have strengthened their combination since meeting the representatives of the Southern city Earlv In the game, however, It wiv; demonstrated that tho Auckland backs «o'}!« plav an Important part In the game. They lost littlo time In getting to work with combined passing bouts, flinging tho ball about with great freedom and taxing the defence of their opponents to the utmost. The latter tackled well, but so persistent was the onslaught of the local backs that they/repeatedlv broke through the defence by Mem combination and cleverness and scored try utter trv" The result of the. match was a triumph for' the stylo of game that has been evolved in Auckland by playing the awr-.mled ru.es that' havo been so roundly condemned by the conservative section of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and though the match was played under the old rules it was tho disregard of tho Auckland players for conservatlce methods that brought them such complete and specacular success. Ropoatftlly they turned defence into attack by flinging the ball about in their own twenty-five, and, breaking through the opposition, finished a combined passing bout ,bv crossing their opponentslino The visitors played a more orthodox »ame and made as much use. as possible of line kicks and close forward play. They scored three tries, two of whlcn were from forward rushes, while the other was the, result of a very pretty combined passing bout.