Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1935. THE ALL BLACKS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 245, 30 July 1935, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1935. THE ALL BLACKS.

The people of New Zealand, whether they be sports, lovers of sport, or not consciously classed in either category, will wish the All Blacks the best of luck on the tour on which they are about to embark. The Dominion’s reputation for sportsmanship will be in good hands. “We will count our success on the tour by the friendships we make,” said the manager (Mr V. R. Meredith) at a dinner to Auckland members of the team; “and we will count our record by the memories we bring back, not the points.” But good sportsmanship is not antagonistic to strenuous striving after victory; indeed, if there be not such a laudable endeavour true sportsmanship is lacking. New Zealand’s world-wide reputation in Rugby circles has been meritoriously won. There have been reverses. Memory goes back to a series of them in Australia and South Africa. But taking the years all through there is ample warrant for a claim of supremacy. The disasters encountered are not to be lamented; they are to be viewed as part of the expected outcome of trials of strength. No country can reasonably anticipate an unbroken succession of triumphs. That would be bad for the game. Defeats are an essential element in progress; they teach lessons that have to be learned if excellence is to be maintained. After all, the good principle of “the game for the game’s sake” involves a readiness to see others excel. Nevertheless, to set out with a desire to win is just as much a part of the essence of these contests as is this readiness, and the team now choseii is expected and trusted to put this desire into action, subject to the overruling wish that in every match the better side will win. Those who are about to depart are at once the recipients of sportsmanly wishes for a successful and enjoyable tour and of public confidence that they will, on and off the field, uphold the good name of the Dominion.