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Victoria Triumph v. Canterbury

Last Wednesday a team from Canterbury arrived for the annual match, which was played at Athletic Park in almost ideal conditions. The teams were :

Victoria—Cormack; McElwain, Ruru Feltham; Thurston, Wild; Rae; Elliott, Burka, O'Shea, Hope, Blacker, Claris, MacKenzie.

Canterbury—B.azey; Carmichael, Watt, Hayman; Roberts, Parsons; McAuliffe; Stewart, Harding, McKee, Copland, Roberts, Hudson, Walters, Hamilton.

Play at the outset was open and fast. Canterbury narrowly missed a score following a loose rush by the forwards, and then McAuliffe opened the visitors' account with a good penalty goal. Victoria evened with the brightest piece of play of the day, the ball going from Blacker to Rae, to Wild, to Ruru, back to Wild, to Rae, to Feltham, who scored in the corner. The kick missed. V.U.C. 3, C.U.C. 3. Shortly afterwards the Green forwards broke through in a loose rush, and Burke, following up splendidly, scored between the posts, Rae converting. V.U.C. 8, C.T.C. 3. Just before half-time McAuliffe had another free kick, a good effort falling a little short.

Victoria attacked when play was resumed, but the back movement lacked thrust, time and again the ball going to the wings without any ground being gained. Up and down play followed, with Victoria holding the territorial advantage. From a scrum Rae gained ground by cutting through, and McKenzie picked up and sent to Feltham, who went over in the corner, to be recalled, however, for a forward pass. Solid tackling by Canterbury kept Victoria out, and play lacked interest until Hope staked the usual "change of trousers" act in front of the Grandstand. Then Rae again slipped through the defences, but his pass went astray. Immediately afterwards the forwards broke through, and McKenzie fell across at the corner. Cormack missed the kick. V.U.C. 11, C.U.C. 3.

The Canterbury forwards returned to the attack wtih renewed energy, and Victoria were defending hard. Canterbury then hooked well from a scrum in front of the posts, and Parsons put over a snappy field goal. V.U.C. 11, C.U.C. 7. At this stage the game was in a very interesting position, with Canterbury striving hard. From a scrum, however, Rae sent Thurston away on the blind side, and with the Canterbury full-back in two minds he swerved past to score between the posts. Rae converted. V.U.C. 16, C.U.C. 7. Canterbury attacked in the closing stages, and a good attempt at a free kick fell short, the final whistle going with the score unchanged. Mr. Tas Taylor was the referee.

The game was not an outstanding exhibition of Rugby, more dash being expected from the back divisions. Both sets of forwards worked hard, Rurke being outstanding. The Canterbury Lacks were sound on defence, and McAuliffe played a sound game behind the scrum. For Victoria Cormack always safe, Rae was very elusive on the blind side, and Feltham showed plenty of dash.

Although the Canterbury team was only here for the day, there was time for some entertainment. Weir House provided billiards and lunch, and a very succsesful dinner was held at the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel before the team embarked on the homeward journey.