RUGBY FOOTBALL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 305, 6 October 1938, Page 2

RUGBY FOOTBALL

TEAM FROM FIJI. PROPOSED VISIT IN 1840. When Mr Stanley Dean, chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union returned from Fiji with the Maori footballers, of which ho was joint manager with Mr Harding Leaf (Hokianga), he stated that the Islands wore desirous of sending a team to New Zealand in 1940. On September 19, the chairman of the Fiji Rugby Union, Mr ,T. B. K. Taylor, is arriving at Auckland, and has been authorised to enter into negotiations with the Dominion authorities in furtherance of the proposal. Distinguished Career. Mr Taylor is a native of Whangarei, with a fine record in representative football. He commenced his career at the Whangarei High School, and on leaving took up rowing with the Whangarei Club. He played senior football and represented the rowing club in various grades for three years preceding the outbreak of war. Enlisting in 1914 under age, he was detailed as a member of a guard which was stationed at the Awanui wireless station until early in 1915. In May, 1915, becoming of age, he again enlisted and was drafted to the Ist Battalion of the Rifle Brigade at Trentham. He proceeded overseas with the battalion in October, and attained the rank of regimental sergeant-major in 1917. He was with the regiment throughout until October 13 at Passchendaele, where as the result of gas received some time earlier and trench fever, he was sent to hospital. He was in hospital in France and England until May, 1918. He was invalided to New Zealand and discharged from the forces. Taylor resumed football shortly afterwards, and gained a “place” in the Auckland representatives in 1922. In 1920 and 1921 he rowed for the Waitemata Boating Club in Auckland, being a member of the crew wffiich won the Interprovincial Fours at Hamilton in 1921. He finished rowing in 1921 and did not play football in 1924. He resumed in Wellington in 1921 T and represented that province from 1925 until 1929, with the exception of 1928, when he was out of the game owing to illness. A member of the management committee of the Wjellington Rugby Union in 1930, he left to take up an appointment in the Colonial Service in Fiji in October of that ye*r. For Auckland (when a College Rifles forward) in 1922, Taylor played against Canterbury, North Auckland, Otago, South Canterbury, Taranaki, Wellington (twice), Wairarapa and "Waikato. As an Oriental, Taylor’s career in the Wellington representative fifteen was: Against New Zealand, 1926; Marlborough, Bay, 1926 (twice); Otago, 1926-7-9; Southland, 1926-7-9; Canterbury, 1926-7-9; Taranaki, 1927; Manawhenua, 1927 ; Auckland, 1927-9 ; Wairarapa, 1927.

A Disputed Match. It is rather a coincidence that Taylor should have played for both provinces which are still disputing the right of the 1922 game to stand in the records. He went south in 1922 and played at Athletic Park when Wellington won 19-11. There was an overseas League match at .Auckland three weeks later, and Auckland persuaded Wellington to send a team up as a counter attraction. It was a hastily got-up fifteen and. was beaten 54-0. Mark Nichols (Grafton) played his first and only game in the blue and white jersey, and with him that day were Karl Ifwersen, Fred Lucas, Don Wright and Lai Wiseman, (a New Zealand University winger, now chairman of the Auckland Aero Club). Taylor played in. the two matches. His appearances against Auckland Province were at Eden Park in 1927 and 1929. Auckland won the former 21-3 (after Charlie Rushbrook had scored the opening try of the game). Wellington was successful, 22-16, two years later, when Cliff Porter and Nicholls demoralised Auckland in the final spell. Manukau’s old comrade, L. K. Heazlewood (played for both Islands and the four major provinces), kicked five goals for the Wellingtonians.