RUGBY.

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 36, 11 August 1923, Page 16

RUGBY.

liv "QROPKICK"!

INTER-ISLAND MATCH AND PLAYERS

REPRESENTATIVE FIXTURES

August 16—\*. Taihape, at Taihape. August 18—v. King Country, at Raetahi. August 18 —Wellington-Jlaiiawafu-Horowhenua

v.'New South Wales, at Wellington. August 22—Sew South Wales v. South Canter-

•'bury. <>> •.-■• -. . :■'■ ■ ■ ■ August.2s—-Sew South Wales v. Xew Zealand

"TSrst'Test). at Dunedin: ■ August 29—New South Wales v. Southland. September-I-^-Neu- South Wales v. Xew Zea-

.i:(flJ!d (second Test),' at Christchurch. September s—New. South. Wales v. Hawkes

-Bayf-- , - September s—v. Otago. at Wellington. September S—New South Wales v. -Auckland and North Auckland. September 12—v. Wanganui, at Wanganui. September 12—New South Wales v. Waikato,

Thames, Bay of Plenty. September 15—New .Zealand v. New South ■Wales (third Test), at Wellington. September 15—v. Auckland, at Auckland. September 19—v. Waikato, at Hamilton. September,lO^New South Wales v. Waitarana ■arid Bush Districts. September- • 23—v.. Manawatu, at' Palmerston North.

It-is-a big mistake to leave matters until the last moment—that has been proved: more than once in football, and it-was made-apparent to M'Lean who was to play as full-back for North Island, and to others, last Saturday, In view of the importance of that match last Saturday there should >aye been a compulsory order that the chosen players -were to assemble in Wellington, at least two days before the match. That would have been of much benefit to the selectors as well as to the players. The South Island team indulged in training on the Friday morning before the match, but the muster was not complete. The North Island team did not fare so well. When the players wenirap-to Kelburo Park on 'the Friday afternoon the ground was found to be engagedi and all that the North Island players' obtained was little more than half-aniour's training. In their case there were also absentees. Thus, the practices.were not of much use. Had the: two teams at full strength, with emergencies, been assembled at least two clear days before the match, as was desired by the selectors and the New Zealand Union, the position would have been far more satisfactory, and the New Zealand selectors would have found themselyeß faiv better off in determining the merits of the players than they were after viewing the mud scramble on Saturday. The extra training would also have been of much value to the players, particularly in the matter of working up combination. It would be in the interests of both the game and the players if in future . ail teams for such important matches were, assembled some days beforehand, and an order that "any player failing to present himself at the appointed time will-ibe re- ■ placed" would not be too. severe. ■ The time of assembly prior .'Jo the'match would depend upon the . importance of-, the engagement,' say,'.two clear.'days, prior to an inter-Island or trial match, and at least four,-clear days pridrT'to an international-match; 1 ■■ The necessity for such procedure was well illustrated when the Springboks visited New Zealand two years ago, and the good to be derived from a, .period of strict training was demonstrated by the week in' camp at Day's Bay before the final test. New South W;ales are sending'over a fairly hot combination,-- and in order that New Zealand's representatives May give of their best in the .effort., to .recover the lost' last year a period of'; training before each Test will be necessary. Not only will it prove beneficial to the teams meeting the visitors but it will also be of considerable' value in preparing players for the important tour next year. It is understood that certain recommendations along the lines suggested have": been made by the New Zealand selectors (Messrs W. T. Parata. A. J. Griffiths, D. M^Stuart and W. Drake), and it is' to bet-hoped that .the New Zealand Unions realising that the prestige of New-Zealand-on the Rugby field is at stakedwill ~take r the steps necessary to ensurS* that the Dominion's representa-tives--are-properly fitted for the big gamestahead. 7 The writer has no doubt that 'the members of the New Zealand Unions-are fully alive to the position, and that they are prepared to see that the players. are assembled in sufficient time teggo through a course of training as wasjjdone before the third Test two years ago. It is more than likely that the tweiity players , who .'■ have been chosen in;: view of the first Test with New South-"Wales will assemble'at Dunedin early in the week after next. As the .second Test is to be played a week after the first," it is probable that the team"will r remain .together, .or so many mettibers 1 as are required.

NORTH AND, SOUTH IN THE MUD.

T#?e gloomy outlook last Saturday prompted an enthusiastic "supporter of Rugby to suggest that the Dominion Meteorologist, upon:, whose shoulders rests the burden of predicting .weather conditions, should be presented -with a. season ticket. Judging by the manner in which the weather generally puts th'o damper on important events when they are set down to be played in Wellington, something must have happerwd at .'Sometime or other to cause such harsh treatment in the matter of "weather, and something is needed now to remove the disagreeable state of affairs. Otherwise the New' Zealand Rugby Union will b»

IN VIEW OF BIG EVENTS

TEAMS SHOULD ASSEMBLE FOR TRAINING

well advised to try some other locality for its important events. There may bo some regret now that more notice wad uot_ taken of the .Wellington. Rugby Union's attitude earlier in. the season about the playing of the North-South match in Wellington. It was not wanted here. And there may have been heart-burnings on the part of the local officials when they saw the surface of their fine ground, to which much attention has been- given in the past two seasons, being churned into mud. Such was their luck in having another interisland .fixture allotted. to them. After last Saturday's experience they may be more emphatic in their desire to see the North-South match next year played elsewhere. Joking apart, however, the event last Saturday was looked forward to with great interest, as is visually the case when the inter-island match is played in Wellington, but particularly so on this occasion, because of the action of the selectors in bringing to light a larga amount of new blood for big football. It was a great disappointment, therefore, to find that after a beautiful day on Friday the local weather conditions changed to their worst for Saturday. Steady rain all the morning wiped out all hopes of ' attractive football, and nothing more j Jhan a repetition of the Springbok-New Zealand third Test could be expected. As matters turned out,, the experience was •worse than" that; 'there was 'fair"-more mud; and in consequence the players had a harder row to hoe. But the way in which the contestants, the forwards iv particular, entered into s stirring mud scramble, and made play under almost unijlayable conditions, " amply repaid some 6000 spectators for risking an afternoon in the wet. The spectators were furnished-with evidence that from various parts of the Dominion there had been obtained some players %vho compared favourably with those who have already made their mark in recent' years. The great pity is that the day was not fine, as the players did sufficiently well under most trying conditions to suggest that in fine weather they, or most of them, would have contributed to a display well up to the standard of the more attractive previous inter-island matches. The gamo and its- iiacidents did not provide the material for much in tho way of description, and most of what there was to be said about them has been fully reported in "The Post." The game was rather more than a straggle in the mud; it was a mighty struggle in which the mud-coated players brought to bear all their forces in support of their claims for higher honours; it produced something above the usual' run of play under such conditions, efforts at play which is not often seen other than on days when the weather is most favourable, ,and those efforts were attended with -a- measure of success: it was "a game* in which every man 'tried to do his best; and.it was a game which, in spite of the conditions; was satisfying: -■ The pluck aM determination of the ■forwards in-, particular^ was good to : watch; amusing sometimes when'a player was dumped in the mud, or when someone indulged in a headlong slide over the churned-up ground, and when the unfortunates had to seek the aid of thf referee or the line umpire to remove mud from their-eyes; and inspiring on other occasions when the forwards, of fine physique, engaged' in loose rushes in. which foot conti-oj of,the:leather was maintained in splendid fashion. Tha courage shown, on defence, mainly on ii! c o3rt °* tlla backs,,.notably those of the South Island, was'also an interesting part in the struggle; an occasional bolt by a back added-.aspectacular touch that.was hardly expected, as also did the performance of, the South full-back, Sinclair, in repelling numerous advancss h$ accuracy in handling, and force and direction with his kicking. ■;.-• ' : With those good features, distinctly so under, the circumstances,, there, were other features which gave the impression 'that thfe qualities of some of the players -had been over-estimated. Of course, the.day was .right against the-backs showing much form, but the efforts of sonie'of the players made'it quite 'apparent that they were not in the same class as quite'V'number who 'were not selected.On the'day the merits of the sides were best indicated by the result Which placed them on an equal basis, but it is more than likely that a fine day would have thrown a. different light on the strength and ability :of the teams. There may not have been much difference in the forwards, but the backs of the South Island would in all probability have won the day, 1n" spite of a couple of weak points in the inside positions. ELECT AND TJNELECT.. -' ' - Sinclair, of Otago, concerning whom many good things have been heard from Dunedin this season, stood .'but on the day as a full-back of the typo for which New Zealand has been looking since Kingston lost his proud place through ail unfortunate accident. Tho tall Otago man did great service to the South, handling and dispatching the greasy ball with ■accuracy that was surprising for tho day, and he booted strongly and wall, showing good judgment and direction. Though ho had no opposition, hia performance was quite good enough to entitle him to the honour which the New Zealand selectors have now handed out to him —full-back in the New Zealand team.' Stewart (Bay of Plenty) was the 1 unlucky man of the day, probably more so

that M'Leari who was on the traip en roijte for Wellington, while the game was in progress. Though M'Lean has been seen in Wellington as a temporary full-back, it came as a surprise when lie was chosen as full-back for the North Island team. He may be good in that position, but, even though he has neglected the pack to some extent this season, he is a fine forward being wasted. A repetition of his form of last season would make him worthy of a place in the New Zealand, pack this year. It is stated .that his.delay in starting out for Wellington was due to an attack of influenza. Stewart was unlucky because after being chosen as a wing-tliree-quar-tf> „V V? ca Tled UP°" to fill the role oi full-back. He'thus had no opportunity of showing what he could do in the position for which he was selected, and the emergency brought in to fill the vacancy gained a place among the twenty chosen to assemble at Dunedin for the _ first Teat. It was no fault of Stewart s that the change was made in tne-leam. and he should'have been given a place in the twenty, before Peiua. who was very lucky to get in the North IsJand team. Stewart played as full-back, against the Springboks when- they visited Rotorua, and the knowledge of that fact no doubt accounted for his appearance on tlie-fiekUast Saturday as fullback for North Island. Of the wing-three-quarters Snodgrass showed up to best advantage under the adverse conditions, his try capping a fairly good performance: But the writer was not impressed with his work on defence and where was he when Peina scored? _Steele had no opportunities except on dofence, and he made good saves on several occasions. His action in merely kicking the ball away from the advancing fowards instead of "goin^ down to if was more in the nature of heady play than an attempt to dodge

- Grenside and Peina showed nothing to justny their promotion to the New Zealand team, although the latter has pace. and : very often that is useful in good company, in spite, of the fact that th» possessor has no other special football qualities. . . , .

Ihe centre-three-quarters Mackareth and Potaka were keen, button the day they were certainly not up to the standard expected of inter-Island players Both are among the chosen twenty, and players such as V. Badeley and Lucas, both playing exceedingly well in Auck. land, are overlooked.

Tilyard was the pick of the five-eighths and was on the day one of the four best backs. He may not be the equal of players such as Fea and Ifwerson but as the New Zaland selectors were making their choice on that game he could not be'overlooked. He is a solid defensive player, and can: work well when ho on attack, as ho did in the fine movement which enabled North to draw !^vVi Vitl\ ', S?uth- A correspondent ( £ f^"^ 6 ' writea suSgesting that, as the Wellington and North Island and Aew Zealand selectors-have been impressed' b,y.Tilyard's'play,.the newspaper critics' should consider if they have done this player justice. Tho correspondent adds: "Tilyard is not up to the standard of some •of our former New Zealand five-eighths, but why blamo the selectors?" . "Drop-kick" has not neglected- to recogniso Tilyards good work when it has come under notice, nor that of any other player for that ;mattcr.'but would remind "Not Poneke" that the New Zealand selectors themselves expressed disappointment at receiv.ng- only two straight-out nominations for the position of first five-eighth. Page -Johnson, and Bell showed plenty of faults, and .little that was good. The trio was keen. Pago in particular. urS? \ the ha!*-faacks did a lot of work •™y n m°re tha" Mill- and °f pair M'Carthy, achieved most success. Ihß ( South,player, who was at one time at bt. Patrick s College, was particularly good on defence. It will be interesting to see how tho form of either on "a better, day compares with that of. E. Roberta and H. E. Nicholls. H. Jacob is still a fine rover That was quite evident last Saturday. Knos the South Island wing-forward, was well in the picture for the first twenty minutes of the game, but after getting a knock he was not so prominent. Perhaps ; the mud. made him indistinguishable, as it did most of the forwards for the greater part, of the game. WhUe the, two packs were made up of fine players, in stamp/and vigour, it is doubtful'whether Bpnie'of those engaged m the battle, had'a prior claim Jo others -who were not chosen, others such as Cupples, Whyte, Fletcher, West, Standen, Casey, and Donald. Nevertheless they were ai good lot, always eager for work, and launching into all that was going for the forwards with great vim. It must have been a job for the selectors to sort out eight, but-they did it. Richardson, who did not play on account of an injury, could not be overl O°i*i "? cl™osi?g the Payers for the first Test. The, other forwards chosen, 'in addition-:to ■'Jacob, were: M'Gleary and M'Meeking (hookers), Williams (lock), Petorsen, Gemmell, Brownlie Bighton, and Pringle. Williams 'wan one of the best forwards on the ground last Saturday, and Righton and R. Stewart were not far behind him, with the others close up. Hard though their task may have been, the selectors should have been able to find a place for R. Stewart. Irvine, too, seemed to be good enough on the day to be in the' best eight ; Perhaps some of the players who have been dropped for the first; Test may receive a call before the final Test is played with New South Wales. If not then, they can come again next season with -better prospect* as practically two teams will be required to make the tour to England. : . CHARGES FOR BOYS. Correspondents have written epmplninin<r of the charge made for boys to gain admission £o Athletic Park last 'Satur-«By.v.'-"T-S." asks.: "Is such treatment fair to the little fellow who is always asked^ to travel more than the - men each' Saturday, and who earns less, and is treated to less. There are no plums for this little chap, no rep. games, no rep. trips, no hot showers, no seats provided to view the rep. game, but just the impost of Is on the top of his tram fares every Saturday, which aro higher, in comparison to those, of the men. playing nearer town. There is certainly only one thine that counts to-day, gate. and even the little chap of tender years is askod to suffer." Another correspondent refers to the charge for boys as a.n indiscretion, and states that many small boys who arrived at tho gates with less than 1 B had to go away disappointed. "Daily we hear," states the correspondent, "that the good old game is not supported as of yore, and daily the discussion arises as to whether our Rueby is as good as it usad to be. Now let the management of the Eusby Union ask itself: How arß

these boy s to learn if they are denied the teachings of the fine points that such games 6how? . . . It quite upsets an old Rugby player, the father of a bo.y, when he finds his son leaning towards Association, which he undoubtedly is, simply because he is better catered lor by a class of men willing to put their game before self, and one muat admire them for it." The correspondent refers to _ the possibility of the schoolmaster losing interest in the Same, and to the growth of Soccer, and concludes :— •'Sometimes it is as well to look through the other fellow's glasses, and only lately when in Sydney a very prominent All Black, whose name now is a household v»'ord, told me that in his opinion Rugby as a premier sport is doomed. Verbunt sap. Look after boys, the players of the future No game.'no' sates, no players without pur boys."

Tlie correspondents have -written without a knowledge of- the true position. As has been previously mentioned in The Post," the local Rugby Union is doing a good deal for the youngsters, whose numbers on the Rugby field continue to swell, and from whom'few, if any, complaints are received. There are some: thousands o£ youngsters in Wellington who would be bright and early at Athletic Park for an inter-Island match if the gates ware 1 thrown open to them, and! when the regular patrons, whose patronage is of great value, and is appreciated, arrived on the' scene to discover that the seating accommodation, say on the western bank, was already taken in by the youngsters there would probably be far more criticism of the Rugby Union's action than that made last Saturday. The Wellington Rugby Union last Saturday not only studied the.interests of its patrons, but also those of the youngsters.' The charge of Is for boya was made in order that the patrons would be more certain of securing suitable accommodation, but that charge was made only up to a certain time. About twenty minutes or so before the start of the inter-Island match, the charge for boys was discontinued, and all boys were then admitted free 01 charge. There was no need, therefore, for boys who had less than a shilling to go away disappointed. By waiting for a little time they would have been able to see the came -without being called upon to pay. The criticism of the Rugby Union's action- is, therefore, not justified. As. to the statement that Rugby is doomed as a- premier sport, that Is a matter of opinion. . j NOTES. Auckland are not among the claimants for the Ranfurly Shield this year. On present form they appear to be capable of recovering it. The Canterbury team, on paper, looks to have the goods, and if all is well with the southerners next Wednesday they! should extend the Bay. Canterbury will be benefitted by their match with Wellington to-day—and to-day's■• Wellington team, as chosen looked a better side than that which was unlucky against the Shield holders. Otago would also have a good: chance of defeating Hawkes Bay, but they are not meeting the Shield" holders on their northern toiir. , • W. Devine, who has been playing for the local Marist team as lock this season, and who had been showing a return to his best form, has been transferred to Christchurch. E. Eellis, who could not find a place in the North Island team this year, probably on account of the fact that in some games earlier in the season he was not the "tiger" of other seasons, showed greatly improved form in the Wanganui-Southland match, form good enough to entitle him to a.place in the New Zealand team. To Aute .College are to play the winners of the Auckland Grammer School-New -Plymouth High School match, which was set ,down lo be played in Auckland to-day. These are games in the Moascar. (Jup competition. The exclusion of A. White from- the South Island team caused considerable surprise locally (says a Southland writer). Last season he was one of the best scrummers in the All Black team that toured Australia, and his form this year has been, quite up lo that of last. He played a splendid, game against the Maoris, being second only to Richardson, which would prove that he is still up to New Zealand rep. standard. The omission of. White from the South Island team is comparable only to that of "Teddy" Roberts from f the All Blacks in 1921. ] Before meeting Auckland to-day Taranaki had a record of three successive victories. It was unlikely that they would make it four to-day if Auckland ■were able to repeat their form of la6t Saturday. The following item by "Touch" in the 'Hawkes Bay Tribune," will not' find favour with those Wellington supporters who witnessed the recent WefiingtonHawkes Bay match: "One misguided Wellingtonian deliberately obstructed Cyril Brownlie in the first spell, and con- , eluded his effort by 'coins for a skate' I upon the ground, a suitable reward for his temerity, and only brought about by an amiable shake from his large op-i ponent. Altogether, one did not need to look far to appreciate the work done by the useful brothers; and to this critic they seemed at the close to be into it as much a 6 they were at the beginning." A Wanganui writer who was present at the match had something different to say: "At times some of the players reverted to rough tactics while ■ 'shepherding' occurred often., A stricter referee would have ordered one Bay forward off the field. The Bay pack of six quite easily held the opposition, and this left one free to fulfil th© role of chief chucker out.' Time and again this player hung on the outskirts of the scrums and tight play, and if any opponent was making a nuisance of himself he was grabbed and tossed out, and the atowd generally—laughed. One wonders what they -would have done had .the 'chucker out' been on the opposing side! On the lines-out, too, obstrvction was frequent. The tossingout? stunt finished H. Nicholls ten minutes before the end. He was slung out vigorously, twice within a few seconds, and the second time he remained out as a case for the ambulance. This sort of thing was not Rugby, and it gave the impression that the crowd were rather used to seeing it." M'Cabe, who was playing for Athletic in Wellington prior to this season, was the star back in a recent town v. country match in Christchurch. Brown, who formerly played as full-back for Southland, was next to M'Cabe on the list of merit. His straight running, his quickuess and resolution in turning into an opening,'his surenessin handling and sending the ball on, were well ■worth watching. The liberties he took are excused by his dash. Those who saw his display will be disappointed if he does not gain a place in the representative side. Brown was to play as' centre-three-quarter for the Canterbury team against Wellington to-day.

v'-..--..,.-.. POSITIONS OF THE TEAMS. ">*v- •.••■.-.-. - Point?. ' Olismp. i.-:-: '■ Played. Won. Lost. D'n. For. Atf'st. Points. ... -Petone. 13 12 o l 22s "77 25 Athletic B 11 2 0 169 52 22 Ppneke 13 9 2 2 361 76 20 Mavisfc •/ 13 8 4 1 102: 81. 17 Berhampore ■■: 13 6 7 0 113 133 ' 12 .— .Wellington 13 4 8 1 98 132 9 ■ ;,.',".. ;,..:■■•■■•.■• second sectioiy: uj, Oxiental ...,» 12 . 6 5 1 S9 82 13 --'-'OMBoys .:..'. ■ 12 5 7 0 130 126 10 " 'Varsity .................; 13 3 10 0 114 175 6 Selwyn ....i. 12 2 9 1 . 56. 122 5 •Hutt (.....,.. '. 13 0 12 1 35 240 1