THE CHINA MAIL, MARCH 2, 1939
Ireland's Great
England Defeated By Pace Of Irish Outsides: Thrilling Twickenham Play
G. J. MORGAN HERO OF MATCH
ENGLAND
(By AIR MAIL)
0 pts.
IRELAND
pts.
RELAND gained a truly famous Rugby victory over England by the only goal of a great match at Twickenham, and are now the only unbeaten side in the International Championship. From what we saw of their fire on this glorious day of spring sun- shine, no other team in the tournament is more worthy to wear a Triple Crown; and in their captain, G. J. Morgan, they had the hero of the match.
Both the wind and sun were aslant from the south-west when McKibben kicked off towards the north for Ireland, whose forwards straight away surged down in a solid foot-rush. In these opening! minutes it was clear that there was more devil about this Irish pack than Wales ever showed. It was some little time before they were put to the test in the first set scrummage, but though England heel- ed, they were being shoved, and the ball came out too slowly for Walker to go far in a screwing run down the middle.
blind
The next time it was Ireland who made a quick, clean heel, and Morgan, that most menacing of scrummage half-backs, sent Mo- ran away in vain on the side, In the loose, too, the Irish- men were playing with typical verve, tremendously fast on-man and ball, and in this ideal going it was a pulsating, open match. But there was an English advan- tage in the tight-nothing like so pronounced as against Wales and the backs had plenty of the ball.
SPLENDID SERVICE Here Walker was being splendidly -served by Cooke's long passes, but he was rather inclined to part with the ball before drawing a man, and Han- .cock, and Heaton behind him, could find no way through the centre against deadly marking.
Morgan was tremendous for his de- fence. and those sudden bursts of his in attack yet for a long time the ball passed across the English three-quarter line, and they could do little with it. The most likely of the English attacks so far came when Heaton found touch far up on the right, and a heel from the line-out set the English backs going.
INTERNATIONAL TABLE
Scotland Wales England Ireland
Points P. W. L. D.. For Agst. 1.01 03.11. 2 1 1 .0 11 6. 2 1 1 0 3 5. 1 1 0 0 5 0.
kick from Freakes to keep them out. But by now Ireland were more than holding their own at the line-out; from one of them Morgan, selling his fam- oug "dummy,' "made a vigorous dash for the line, and O'Loughlin nearly scored.
Rugby Win
Young, the Sheffield United right back seems to be trying to emulate a goalkeeper for he appears to be trying to punch the ball away from McLeod the Millwall forward well he did'nt get there first for it might have cost his team a pen- probably it was just ás alty. Millwall -defeated the League leaders by 4 goals to 1. right, Fox).
(Copy
the touchline, yet England could find] no way through. The others were so much too quick for them.
League
Another screwing run by Morga Badminton
however small the space he contrived to move in it was supported by O'Loughlin and Tierney, and that movement was held up only in front of the English goal. A revèrse pass by Morgan had Cromey punting neatly across; the ball was swung back across magnificently, held by Carr, failed to the Irish three-quarter line from a
field a rolling ball. loose maul, and Moran, who had been
Surprise
J. Tsang & Fletcher Play Well
Something of В sensation was caused at Kowloon Tong · last night when a sadly deplet ed Kowloon Tong “A” tenm beat St. John's, at full strength, by 5 games to 4 after |_ leading by 4-2.
of England. Guest nimbly caught @ So it went on. Now it was the turn high punt ahead and went racing on to pass inside to Heaton, who slipped at the vital moment. Even so Marshall BEATEN FOR PACE OUTSIDE and Watkins were there, and the end than England had bargained for. They over by the corner fing. Me
All this with a vengeance, was more of a surging rush found Cooke nearly were getting more than a level share of the ball in the scrummage Toft lish backs were helpless against such
Time was creeping on, and the could teach Teehan something as a great tackling. They would pass too entirely experimental and neither
Eng
Kowloon Tong's pairings were
were being, beaten for pace outside. hooker-but, with the ball dry, they soon, Hancock caught Murphy with R. E. Lee and N. A. E. Mackay nor the ball and hurled him into touch, but J. Tsang and B. P. C. Fletcher had there was no score at half-time.
ever played together in the League before.
These were terrific, minutes in the shadow of the west stand, with first an English, then an Irish, rear- from the crowd as the ball flashed hr the sunshine all over the field.
While Lee and Mackay were for-
THE SECOND HALF- Those who imagined that England, in the second half, would thrust their tunate to win on at least one occa- with the wind slightly at their backs advantage home, must have been sorely sion-they were led 28-19 by disappointed. True, they had made a Smith and Wilson whom they even» grand match of it, but somehow it was tually beat 24-23-Tsang and freland who seemed to do all the things Fletcher, playing a hard-hitting that mattered in attack.
Moran missed a chance of a clear run by failing to gather McKibben's pass; Hancock fended off an Irish move ment with a long kick, but a little SCRAMBLED. ON GOAL LINE
later, when Walker and Heaton came This time Carr was all but over on through well. Hancock spoiled it all the left, a loose ball being scrambled by giving Carr an impossible pass. to touch on the very goal-line; and Once more the English backs got into
Now Ireland began to heel with pre brand of game, which took a great from the line-out Teden actually cross. their stride, but their passing was Cision from the set scrummages they deal of holding, gave an ed only to be brought back for a knock-dreadfully mechanical, and flurried at werd always getting the ball back display and with more practice on. The danger to Ireland was not that. This time Guest did give his penalty with measured mien from far gether should be even better.
clearly in-the-luose, Ryan took another over, for there were two scrummages man the slip, and passed in to Hanout, but he, too, was just wide. desperately close to their line, and first cock, but the defence was too quick for Watkins, one noted, was still a dash- Heaton was nearly through and then, him, away on the right. Guest just failed to miss Lyttle's tackle.
THE SCORE
As the result of this match, St.
Andrew's "A" are
realmost certain to win the "B" Division champion- Then, exactly an hour of magni-ship, while Chung Wah are in the Acent Rugby, Ireland scored. It all best position for runners-up. began with one of those flery foot- B. P. C. Fletcher and J. Tsang rushes by their forwards. Someone TongTM"A"),C fly-kicked into the English half and beat F. H. Kwok and R. Beavan 21-16 the ball might have been cleared bent D. Kwok and S. Newman 21-0 there. Bayors, however, came up beat N. Smith and P. Wilson 21-10 very fast and kicked far past ALII. Castro and J.. L. Stephens Freakes, who, though he doubled in (K. Tong "A").
ALL OFF FORM ing figure, but there seemed to be THEN DISASTER
scores of Irishmen like him. A shrewd None of the St. John's represen- It was becoming increasingly mani-
kick ahead. by Morgan had Moran tatives played up to their true form, Then disaster overtook fest that Ireland were altogether the Irwin, a huge Irish rear-rank forward brought him down by the heels and were the only pair to win more than England going away like a bull, but Carr again and Frank Kwok and R. Beaven livelior team, front and back, with came bursting clear from the loose. Heaton broke through by himself and Morgan nobly playing a captain's part Freakes went down -bravely and held had no one to pass too. A minute one game. among them. A loose ball, a dropped up the rush, but after it had swept later he made all the distance, but was pass, and two or three Irishmen over him, he lay prone on the ground. just wide, with a penalty from forty
on it with glee; and all the It seemed that he had received a bad yards pounced time the pace was terrific.
Walker, as the keystone of the Eng-on the bend, as ho went down to Irwin, and needless to say, accidental kick lish attack, was, not so happy with his and hushed minutes passed as first diagonal-punts as usual. Once, a kick doctors, and then stretcher-bearers of his was charged down, the Irish came out. But Freakes, having suffl- forwards surged on, and it was just ciently recovered to stagger to the as woll, that Frenkes had Carr at hand touch-line. would have none of them. to get him out of trouble. Huskission, Hancock fell back Guest came into who again was doing the work of a the contro, and Berry came out of glant at the line-out. thon bullocked at the pack, and way through, and little Murphy, the managed to survive a few momentous somehow England new Irish full-back, sliced the ball moments. aquarely into touch.
It may have been just as -HOT: HEADED PASSING
well that most of them were taken up by deliberations by McKibbon over A But for a lot of hot-headed passing thirty-yard penalty for Ireland. Ho by the backs England might have did not allow for the wind in the end, socored then; when the ball did get out and then Fronken came back to a to Guost he was honelessly hedged in. tremendous ehoor, and his touchfinding And If Cromey, McKibben, and Tor and fielding were cleaner than ever, rens hardly reprosented a mord as though to reassure England that monacing Irish attack in midfield than all was well.
England possessed, they were very CLOSE SHAVE quick to not un counter-offengiyas
8--21 6215 18-21
his tracke and fell on the ball, was lost to Kwok and Beavan the fast-following Irish back row lost to Smith and Wilson a solitary defender at the mercy of lost to Kwok and Newman men. In a flash he lost the ball-he N. A. E. Mackay and R. E. Lee (K. could have done no more and Irwin Tong "A").
had scored close enough to the posts lost to Kwok and Beavan goal with a sorene kick. for Morgan to turn the try into a beat Kwok and Newman
beat Smith and Wilson -
land to win, and they returned to the Even then there was time for Eng- attack with a fury that one had long-
robbing their adversaries of the ball, thick of it, were Cooke and Watkins. koned with, and Morganit was, his by Two English players always in the an unflinching Trish defence to be rec-
od for in the first half, But there was with another prodirlan The first penalty of the match camo Little had been soon of Marshall, but match all right- aftor fifteen minutes, and Morgan ho came up to collar Torrons as he curate with his saving found touch in the distance. Then folded a wild pass, and that was a been with hid
· Murphy pat Ireland on the attack from close shave for Ireland. Horeabouts Torran
's loose long kick by
-needed a quick pass and
r, and it | Freakes put in several beautiful läcks Inwind.
clearing on the right after fielding the ball on the
21-2
24-20
24-28