FAST AND OPEN

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20281, 25 August 1937, Page 11

FAST AND OPEN

TECHNICAL RUGBY TACTICS STAG TROPHY WIN DESERVED FORM OF PLAYERS ON SATURDAY. Bright and open tactics characterised the (Rugby match in Hamilton on Saturday, when Technical Old Boys gained a sweeping victory over Rovers and gained an extra two points in the championship ladder, which have placed them in an unassailable position for the Stag Trophy, which they have now won for the first time. There was only one game played at Rugby Park on Saturday. Unassailable! With Technical Old Boys in an unassailable position in the competition keen interest will centre round the struggle for second position during the remaining few games in the series for Frankton and Old Boys are separated by only one point and each have one more game to play. The positions of the teams in the competition are as follows—• P. W. L. D. F. A. Pts. Tech. 0.8, . 15 12 8 0 263 182 24 Frankton . 14 9 4 1 185 180 10 Old Boys . 14 8 4 2190 131 18 Cam. Blues . 14 6 5 3 186 122 15 Te Awamutu 13 6 6 1 177 121 13 Cam. Stars . 14 5 9 0135159 10 Rovers ... 14 4 8 2 138 179 10 Taupirl .♦ 13 5 8 0 124 233 10 Marist 13 9 10 1 89 168 5

Technical’s Double. Technioal’s colours were at the masthead on Saturday, for besides the footballers’ victory in the Stag Trophy competition the Technical Old Girls won the Waikato women’s hocke'y championship on the same day, to complete the double. Like the football team (the hockey players have toe'en playing excellent hockey throughout the year and deserved victory. Consistent Form.

Technical Old Boys have maintained fairly consistent form throughout the season and deserve the victory, which they have gained in the Stag Trophy competition. The club has been able’ to keep its team together well during the year and they have been well coached by Mr Bert Brown, who handled the Technical Old Boys juniors last season and the Morrinsvillc junior representatives the year before. On very few occasions have Technical struck a lean patch but last Saturday they rose to great, heights to crown their season’s efforts. For .the' most part of the season the team has been at the head of affairs and has been defeate'd only three times. The first defeat was suffered in the very first match, when the newly-formed Cambridge Blues won by 17 points to 16. The other two defeats were suffered In the second round at a time when the team was not playing up to its early form. Frankton beat them 106 on July 31, while Old Boys were victorious in the match against Technical last Saturday week. Technical have won all the other 12 matches played this season. The players have scored a total of 263 points in the 15 matohes, while the team has had 132 points scored against lt. Technical have only one more match to play.

Made Few Mistakes. Although not called on to defend strenuously on many occasions, due to the superior attack of his team, Dalbeth, the' Technical Old Boys fullback, made few mistakes on Saturday and when in a defending role lie played solid football. He was seldom out of position and not once during the gamo was he' bustled. Two or three times ho saved splendidly in the face of strong Rovers forward rushes, especially In the early stages of tho second spelL

Penetrative Centre. The most impressive of the Technical Old Boys backs on Saturday was White, who played centre-three-quarter. Many of the best back movements of the team were the result of his initiative and when in possession he was a difficult man to pull down. White was speedy and the dry conditions of the ball and the ground during the match against Rovers 6cemed to suit him. He' was well assisted by the St. George brothers, playing at five-eighth, and in turn received the ball cleanly from Te'tzlaff, the halfback, who is a Junior player having hts first try-out in senior ranks. He shaped very pleasingly and it might appear that Technical will not be lacking the services of a good halfback next season. Slow and Porteous, on the wings, were effective, and whenever the opportunity offered made good use of the ball and always tried to open up the game.

In Technioal’s Pack. Technical Old Boys did not have the control of the ball in the forwards all their own way in tho game against Rovers on Saturday and, in fact, the visiting team won slightly a greater percentage of the set scrums and performed on about even terms in.the line-outs. Several of the Technical vanguard were destructive in the loose, however, and in this respect Pardington, Flannagan and Clough were probably the most outstanding. Pardington was kicking the dry ball well and his efforts at goal were all excellent, even the unsuccessful attempts. Foster broke through and carried play well in Technical’s favour on more than one' occasion. One of the outstanding features of Technical's forward play on Saturday was the manner in which the forwards co-operated with the backs in throwing the ball about and making Ihe game an open one. The Rovers Fifteen. The score of the Technical Old Boys-Rovers game at Rugby Park on Saturday would indicate that the encounter was very one-sided, especially in view of I lie fact that Rovers’ only three points came from a penalty kick. Actually Technical did have undisputed territorial advantage and at ail times had the game in safe keeping and were seldom pressed to anything like a serious degree, but throughout the advantage was never allowed to assume ridiculous proportions and never did the interest of the' game lag, for Hovers offered an opposition which was such that Technical had to play excellent football lo penetrate. Young and Quin were the most impressive of the Rovers’ backs while the best of the forwards were Thompson and Grant. Waikato Representatives. The Waikato 'Rugby representatives

will play thetr fifth match of the 1937 season when they meet Hawke's Bay next Wednesday, when the team will be seen in action In Hamilton for the second time this year. Next week's game should be one of the best the home team will engage in this year as the Hawke's Bay Union is able to field a very powerful team. The Waikato fifteen will obtain a valuable combination in this match for their fixture the following Saturday, September l. the game against Manawatu at Te Awamutu. These two teams will be fairly evenly match, but the Waikato fifteen should be able to win after what will doubtless be another good tussle. The Waikato Rugby Union hopes to arrange a representative fixture against Bay of Plenty before the season concludes. The fixture lias been agreed upon, but it has not yot been possible to fix a date.