THE CHINA MAIL, MARCH 9, 1937.
SCOTLAND
Page
WIN
RUGBY CLASSIC
GRAND WORK BY
WORK BY FORWARDS IN THE LOOSE
WELSH PACK'S HEELING WASTED:
FAILURE OF BACK DIVISION
(By HOWARD MARSHALL)
London, February 8.
IS the old enemy himself again? Are we, that is to say, to prepare for a Scottish Rugby renaissance? It looked very like it at Swansea, where Scotland beat Wales, last season's champions, by 2 goals and a try (13. points) to 2 tries (6 points). Fine, slashing stuff the Scotsmen played, and for once we saw some proper running and attack in a thoroughly enjoy- able international match.
FEW OF US EXPECTED QUITE SO DECISIVE A SCOTTISH TRIUMPH, AND THE
W. E. Peers, above, was a pro- minent member of the victorious Club "A" Rugby seven, which re- tained the Blarney Stone Seven-a- Side Shield last Saturday.
REFEREES VICTORY, MIND YOU, WAS GAINED IN THE MODERN MANNER. THE SCOTSMEN AND HURT -POUNCED ON WELSH MISTAKES A DROPPED PASS, AN UNWISE KICK, A MOMEN PLAYERS
TARY RELAXATION IN THE LOOSE PORTUNIST TRIES.
AND FROM SUCH BEGINNINGS SCORED OP-
The blows were struck shrewdly, let us agree, and it was grand to see the speed and adaptability of the Scottish back division. There are players here who will shake England in the Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield, unless I am much mistaken. Ross, the newcomer at stand- off half, is one of them, quick and well balanced, able to time his passes and give them properly, and Macrae in the centre is a considerable discovery. Macrae is tall and fast, and he has that deceptive body-swing which leaves opponents clutching the air.
Then there were the old- timers, like Dick, Logan and R.. W. Shaw, and very well all of them played. Dick tore holes in the Welsh defence, and there are few better sights in modern football than Dick swinging smoothly into attack.
Forbidden To Assist
Injured Men
Referees who try to do a good turn to an injured player may be banned from so doing by a new in- land were goaded with furious struction issued to referees for- energy, and only a good tackle by bidding them to handle injured James stopped Dick, who was rac-players. The new instruction may ing for the line. Scotland now. be the outcome of Charlton's letter were attacking hotly, and Wales to the F.A. in which they question« could barely hold out against a ed the right of Referee Snape to succession of hammer blows have assisted John Oakes, their Ross, Johnston. Dick, Macrae one
centre-half who was hurt during Logan, after another a Cup tie with Coventry. Logan's toughness and Shaw's type of stand-off half who makes they thrust at the defence, and Ing-İ "It is for deeper issues than the -speed on the left wing-these were proper use of his centres.
lis led the Scottish forwards in a loss of a Cup tie which prompted other factors in the Scottish re- Idwal Rees ran beautifully now storming dribble from the line-out. us to write that letter," said the vival, and the forwards played like and again, and Wooller scored two
Chariton chairman. It is definite- Logan, Waters, Inglis, Young
LOGAN'S TOUGHNESS
mission it is to their enemies them down by
tion.
1612
best, no doubt, and he is an ac- tive little player, but he is not the
Wooller strove to make
2 party of border raiders whose Wooller tries, pounding away like this Scottish pack was setting ay dangerous for people without swoop and harry the sacrificial car of Juggernaut, cracking pace and then, on the experience and skill of qualified rather than wear crushing his victims beneath him. Welsh 25, Logan slipped away I am still haunted by something 1 trainers to move an injured player. scrummaging attri-Apart from this opportunism, how Macrae scattered the Welsh mid-
ever. Wooller was poor, dropping field players, swinging inwards sud- saw at a match some time ago. They were
highly promising, his passes, and, throwing the ball denly and drawing the defence, and A player fell with a broken rib. these Scottish forwards. Their wildly away when it had stuck in Dick, taking a perfectly timed pass, moved the rib, which speared the Someone went to help him and close work improved, and they were his hands. Altogether the Welsh tigers in the loose. This is a fight-attack fell grievously to pieces, and under the posts.
went bang through the gap to score
poor fellow's lung. We have, rea- ing pack, more like the famous the selectors will have to think
MORRIS MISSES FINE CHANCE son to hope that the FA, will per- Scottish packs of the past than any afresh if Wales are to avoid the
All square, for G. D. Shaw miss-mit no person or official, other than we have seen for some years.
Iwooden spoon.
ed the easiest of kicks after the the trainer, to handle an injured look forward to the match between
WALES START WELL
charge had been disallowed, and it player unless the trainer requires Scotland and Ireland. Then the fur It is better, though, to dwell
assistance. was Wales turn to press. Twice will fly, for a certainty.
gratefully on the virtues of the Idwal Rees ran gloriously, but the his foot, but he If Scottish youth and fire pre-game than the deficiencies of indi- Scotsmen covered swiftly how use and managed
tried to pick up dominated in the loose, however, vidual players, and if the Welsh ful R. W. Shaw's pace was, in-punishment fitted the crime right. to knock-on. The -the Welshmen more than held their spectators were disappointed incidentally and just on half-time enough, but this was a disaster for own in the tight. There, indeed, is their own team they were at least Morris cut slap through, ran near Wales. the irony of it from the Welsh most generous to the invaders. The ly to the line, and tried to pass to amends shortly afterwards with a point of view. The Welsh pack had afternoon was brilliantly fine, the Idwal Rees, who was shadowed by magnificent run, but his pass to much the better of the tight scrum- great terraces round the ground Macrae. maging, and Wales, potentially at were densely packed with enthu- If Morris had run himself he more Wales had
Idwal Rees was forward, and once least, were attacking for the greater siasts, and the turf had made
amust surely have scored, but Scot-away from them.
a try snatched part of the game.
splendid recovery from the heavy land were spared, and the second CERTAIN TRIES LOST
rain which had turned it into a half began with Wooller, Idwal
SCOTLAND'S LAST TRYZ By this time .Wales must have This time it was their backs who lake on Thursday.
Rees, Morris and Clement attack been growing disheartened. Scot- failed them, though they had chan- Wales won the toss, and had ing swiftly. The defence held, but land, at any rate, took up the at- ces galore, and threw two or three wind and sun behind them when Wales peppered away, with James tack, and Morris tried to clear from apparently certain tries away. G. D. Shàw kicked off for Scot missing a penalty shot, Wooller tak-his own line with a long kick to If W. T. A. Davies had been land. A scrum back in the centre,ing another drop, T. J. Rees dribbl touch. The ball fell just short, playing at stand-off half Wales and Wales promptly shoved Scot-ing and Scotland pinned in their Kerr gathered it and gave to B W. would surely have scored more than land 10 clear yards, an ominous own half.
Shaw, who leap off the mark and once in the first 20 minutes, when sign Wales, in fact, began to heel
had a clear run of 30 yards to the ball was coming back to them regularly and Scotland were driven It was some time before Macrae scone Scotland's last try. G. D. regularly and swiftly. Davies into their own 25.
broke the stranglehold and went Shaw kicked a great goal from the would have made openings for
GOING STRONG
like an arrow up the centre of the touchline, and all hopes of a Welsh Wooller and Rees, or he might have A couple of drops by Wooller, a field. As he was tackled the ball recovery seemed doomed. slipped through himself, as he did threatening dash by Long, diagonal fell loose, G. D. Shaw, suspicuously For a while Scotland pressed, but against the All Blacks last year, punting by Morris, a run and kick nearly off-side, managed to gather Wales made desperate efforts, and whereas Morris kicked ahead abor-by Hopkin, and Wales were going it, Inglis and Waters backed up just before the end Tammer went tively.
strong Scotland showed their superbly, and Dock was there to round the blind side and flang back BAD HABIT
mettle when Macrae broke through take the final pass and dive over. A a long speculative pass into the The kick ahead is a good varia cleverly, but Wales smashed back, goal by G D Shaw, and once more open. Idwal Rees picked tion, but a bad habit. I sometimes and suddenly Woolier pounced upon a the Welshmen pressed.
dup, and Wooller was there to gallop ir- think strategical kicking of dropped pass. He dribbled, took A fine dash from the loose by resistibly away, slanting across the this kind might temporarily be rul the ball as it bounced kindly into Watkins, who punted ahead, and field, going all out to score in the ed out
ame altogether, sim- his hands, strode clear of the de- Wooller, followed up at great speed corner. A brave finish to a match
s that clever fence with that effortless power Kerr at full back was beaten by which did
mooth down ning is the basis of attack behind of his, and scored a grand try. the bounce and Wooller had
our misgivings about internatio the ser mage. Morris did
First blood to Wales, but Scot-Ito tap the bali ncross the line foo
ply
DICK DIVES OVER