THE RUGBY GAME

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 78, 4 May 1929, Page 13

THE RUGBY GAME

GAMES IN HASTINGS. c HASTINGS GETS A BIG TALLY (Notes by "Old Timer.")

Rugby surprises were the order of tho day last Saturday. Thero were two in Napier when Pirates and H.S.O.B. just managed io serape home, and tlirre were two mere in Hastings when Hastings H.S.O.B. npset the pie cart by getting hadly walloped by M.B.O.B., and Hastings finished off the gnartette of surprise packets by notching a very unexpected margin against Celtic. likely winners*. On the rer-koning of tliese games it would seem that those who picked Hastings to finisli at the t-op of the conipetition hulder will fmd their hens coming liomo to roost, but Rughy is ever a ganie of surprises and mere" of tliese will spring up before tho scason is far advanced. the strongest team. It does sc-em thongh, as if Hastings has the strongest toam in the conipetition, and 011 Satur-dav tliey never gave Celtic a look in froni start to iinisli. Xot tliat tlie ganie was onesided, it wasn't. but Hastings played with system wbilsfc Celtic were governed hy "old inan Rafferty." There was xeally only oue phase of the play in which Hastings fell hadly, and that was with tlie scrum infringements. Time after tiine thev wero penalised for "lifting feet," and against anotlier toam this is likely to let them down hadly, SVith Yatcs and Co. in kicking form it doesn't pay to make these mistakes. a great pair. As was the case in the previous wec-k's match, Bert Grenside and Jimmy Mill wero the sliining stars of tlie ganie. Tt was Grenside \s day out, for ho notclied 110 less tinui si.v tries and only oue of the six liad any seniblance of a "fhikc." Grenside niidouhtedly showed the polish tho South African tour put 011 him. and all Hawkc's Bay Bugby fans will be pleased to kuow that he has got back tliat great to-ihe-l ino dash which eharacteribcd his play oi" a lcw | years back. If anything lie shows greater determination than ever before and his; handling has inijiroved right out oi sight. . ! YVith IS 1 i 1 1 to fced oponings io him j Grenside is showing his he--t and this season sliould fini liiin notching a great scoring tally. great improvement. Mill's form 011 Saturday was a greai improvement 011 his first outing. and with such improvement it sliould not he long before he strikes the form which made him the world 's star halfback. Will he be playing against his old friends of England again:' Jimmy made numerous openings on Saturday, effectively putting over his great duinniy, anl lie and Merlc Beuth made a brilliant pair. Beuth, by the way, proved an oxpcrt in taking the hall with oue Land. a good custodian. Wilson, as custodian. was a vast improvement on Hingston. wlio sliaped much better 011 the wing. Shcphcrd again lived up to his good play of ihe previous wock and wlien one revievs tho rearguard of the Hastings team, it is not hani to sec it developing into a. tmappy aud intorcsting coinbination. some got tired. Of the forwards Campbell and Dufty Pearson were again the pick, but the others do not yet secm to

have struck condition. Tliey tired badly in the seeond spell, hut once fignred in a foot rush of the good old days, right from one end to the other. Itoach lieaded this and proved a valnable fonvard. at sixes and sevens. Celtic were all at sixes and sevens and liaving given two exhibitions like this, oue begins to doubt their real strengtli. Admittedly they were again assisted by juniors, but even so, a liundred per cent improvement will lie necessary if tliey are to do any good. "Tut" Geddes was ahout the pick of their team, being good 011 defence and putting in a lot of good work with his "grubber'' kicks. Iiddy marked Grenside well and Duigpn and Ilose slione out well at times, but ihe remainder were not impressivc. went all "phut." Against Hastings, Hastings H.S.O.B. made a very promising showing hut against M.B.O.B. tliey went all "phut." Babdlv bustled by fast and beavior forwards. they played without a setnhlance of dasli. Their dcfenco was weak and their handling worse. In fact tlie only threo in the whole toam wlio ])layed anything like good Rugby were Botherway, Joll and Miller. Botherwav was at his best, but was let down hadly. deserved their win. Marists thoroughly deserved their win and ]>layed their hest gamo for yeors, in Hastings at any rate. Their f'orwards wero on the hall right from ihe junip. and their hustling taetics proved efi'octive. Milson was prominent in all tlieir fonvard niovcmonts, and Kahiki was useful all the time. Ho is a good club player. Goer was aho a valuable playcr. pertinent pars. | If ihe new junior ieam, Matariki, j played as well as tliey looked, the j chances of the other teams wouhl he I small. The ro\al bluc and white star looked weil. Jimmy Mill is' as dangcious as ever near tlie line. '1: Lewis, of tlie Celtic juniors, knows how to kick. One of the Waimarama nien turned out in long law 11 strides 011 yaturday, and played a useful games, too. Alerle Beuth is an artist at taking passes with 0110 liand. =:-• ❖ Boaeli is developing as a goal kicker, but missed a couple of sitters. V *r T Kirton played half for Hastings on Saturday, with Uill hrst live. Near the line they invariablv changed places. * 'r ❖ Alec Kirbpatriek's rofereeing was O.K. He sliould he handling represenlalive games this scason. V V v Four Bay ropreseniative eertaiiiiies : Grenside, Alill, Campbell, Botherway. "Foot up in the scnnn," may spoll ti'onhle for Hastings if tliey're not carefnl. Y'ilson sliould he a fixture as fullhack for Hastings. Had Fisher heen given more thaiires to kick, the Hastings tally against Celtic would likely have gone up a few lioints.