VICTORY FOR SOUTH

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1940, Page 8

VICTORY FOR SOUTH

By Telegraph—Press Association.

SERVICES RUGBY MATCH OPEN FOOTBALL PLAYED

Wellington, Last JNight. As a fitting climax to a wartime season oi Rugby football, teams representing the services designated North Island and South Island gave one of the most exhilarating displays of Rugby seen at Athletic Park for many years on Saturday. Sixty-one points were piled up after some dazzling football, the team designated as the South Island winning 38-23. Conditions were ideal and from whistle to whistle the match was brimful with incident. The game was the only one of the season under. the auspices of the New Zealand Rugby Union, being a substitute for the annual North v. South fixture. It was also a benefit for the patriotic fund. Spectacular scenes were witnessed p-ior to and during the game. The teams marched round the ground headed by the central band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, which took a prominent place in proceedings. Among th : guests were the Governor-General, Viscount Galway, the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hpn. P. Fraser, and members of the Cabinet. Superlative Forward Play. South's victory was largely due to the superlative play of the forwards, who were vastly more enterprising collectively than thefr opponents and received excellent support from their backs, of whom McAuliffe (Canterbury) was one of the outstanding performers on the field, scoring a try and converting seven of his side's eight tries. Finlay (Manawatu), who has previously demonstrated his claim to be regarded as one of the best loose forwards in the country, was in magnificent form, being ideally suited by the open game and taking a prominent part in most of South's scoring movements. Metcalfe, though much more burly than in his palmy days as a Southland representative and All Black, played no smallpart in his team's success, and Canterbury was worthily represented by Rhind and McPhail. For North Island Bowman was the outstanding forward. Indeed, for allround play he had no superior on the field, though for spectacular football the palm would go to Finlay. Barton was the king pin of the north rearguard, which did not have as many opportunities on attack as their opponents, whose backs and forwards seemed to link up from almost anywhere with uncanny precision.