THE MAORI WAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 199, 23 August 1935, Page 8

THE MAORI WAY.

UNORTHODOX RUGBY.

INDIVIDUAL BRILLIANCE.

A CHAT WITH W. J. WALLACE.

Comment on the Maori All Black tour of Australia flowed from the tongue of Mr. W. J. Wallace, co-manager and coach, in a chat after the team had had a "pipe-opener" at Victoria Park this morning. They arrived by the early

train. High praise was lavished by Mr. Wallace 011 the performances in Australia of George Nepia, the famous full-back of the 1024 team to Great Britain. "In tho early part of the tour, up until the time lie was injured, he played brilliantly and he deserved all the Australian papers said about him," said Mr. Wallace.

"He measured well up to liis past performances and it was easy to see how he won such a big reputation in England. He was a fine captain."

Half way through the tour Nepia had a ligament behind his knee injured, but he played 011 in spite of his injury and continued to perform brilliantly. The bruise had now started to come out and it was necessary for Nopia to undergo electric massage treatment this morning, but that will not stop him f.rom leading his men against Auckland to-morrow.

The Maori team as selected by Mr. Wallace after this morning's run will be: —

Full-back: G. Nepia. Three-quarters: W. Phillips, G. Ngaio, C. Smith. Five-eighths: J. Reedy, H. Harrison. Half-back: C. Mellish. Front row: K. Keedy, H. Whiu, W. Cooper. Middle row: P. Rogers, P. Smith, J. Kawe, G. Harrison.

Back of scrum: J. Brodrick. Reserves: J. McDonald and H. White ley.

The absence of Hemi, the centre three-quarter, will be a disappointment, but he is suffering from a badly bruised ankle and did not make the trip to Auckland. After the match to-morrow the team will disband, the two South Island members journeying to Wellington with Mr. Wallace on Sunday night. On Hard Grounds. On their Australian tour hard grounds were one of the problems to be contended ■ with by the Maoris, said Mr. Wallace. The" only soft ground they played on was in Melbourne, when they beat Victoria 28-16. That day the Maoris played their best game of the tour. Everybody thought that Victoria would win, but on a ground that was more like those in. New Zealand the Maoris were brilliant.

"We have had a tremendous amount of travelling," said Mr. Wallace. "Practically half our time was taken up on trains. Then we had a rough trip over on the Marania, a match on Wednesday against Wellington and then the train trip to Auckland. I think they are a tiied team, but I am hopeful that they will freshen up after a good night's rest."

Sound judges of the game in Australia contended that the 1935 Maoris were the best team of Maoris ever to tour the Commonwealth, said Mr. Wallace. They had a spectacular, exciting style all of their own. Their defence was excellent and they were always quick to cover up a mistake. The European style of play was to endeavour to make an overlap when on attack, but that was not in the Maori style of play. There was much individual brilliance, although much of it was ineffective. They played essentially unorthodox football, but it was certainly successful in Australia. The Maoris understood tactics and played to a plan perfectly. Much of their success was due to the skilful operation of carefully-laid plans.

High Tackling. Although the Australian papers had said little about the defence of the Maori teams, Mr. Wallace declared it was one of the strongest features of their play. The Australian papers had commented upon the fact that the Maoris tackled high, but Mr. Wallace had found it necessary to teach them to tackle waist-high. He found that the members of his team, tackling low; on hard grounds, were being dragged after their man and that lumps of skin were taken off knees and legs. It was too easy for such injuries to become septic and serious and that was why he had taught them to tackle round the waist.

Mr. Wallace was full of praise for the hospitality received on the trip. It was his fifth trip to Australia—he has been there three times as a player and twice as a manager—and never before had he encountered such hospitality.

Greatest Full-backs. An amusing story was told by Mr. Wallace against himself. At one function in Australia Brian Palmer, a mem!)er of the 1931 Australian team to New Zealand, proposed the toast of the Maori team. He said he was delighted that the two greatest full-backs of all time—'Nepia and Wallace—should be presfent, but lie felt that he should give the palm to Nepia, because he was a better singer than Wallace. Mr. Wallace naively replied that he had never seen himself play, but if he were placed on the same pedestal as George Nepia he was indeed a proud man.