RUGBY IN AUSTRALIA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 201, 26 August 1935, Page 16

RUGBY IN AUSTRALIA.

THE MAORI TEAM. A TRIUMPHAL PROGRESS.. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, August 20. Though the Maoris got away a week ago, Rugby Union officials here are still chuckling over the tour and counting up the profits. One good result of the holding up of the Wanganella was that the Maoris were able to play their longdeferred and eagerly-expected match at Newcastle. It must be remembered that Newcastle, which draws on most of the Northern District towns and clubs, can field a team which can extend our best State fifteens to the utmost, and in this case they had made every possible effort to strengthen the side. The Maoris, on the other hand, were still feeling the effects of the strenuous tour and the last fierce Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on the previous Saturday; and as Nepia and C. Smith were unable to play because of injuries, the tourists were hardly able to do themselves justice. However, Hemi and several of the forwards rose to the occasion splendidly, and the Maoris won easily enough—though the Northern team was.by no means disgraced. When the' Maoris got back to Sydney they found their hosts, while still most courteous and amicable, evidently facing the future with ill-suppressed anxiety. For the shipping strike had started, and if the team were marooned indefinitely in Sydney—well, it would cost the Rugby Union £40 a day for board and lodging, and that would soon eat up the profits. However, the Marania got away on Thursday, amid a perfect storm of enthusiastic cheers and "Kia Oras"; and as I said, the Rugby Union has been counting its money ever since. Without going into too many financial details. I may say that the "gate" from the three Tests in Sydney gave the State Rugby Union a profit of about £750, while the profit from the ten matches played by the Maoris in Australia exceeds £1250. It had been arranged that New South Wales out of its profits would reimburse the Victorian and Queensland unions for any losses incurred in their States. But the Maoris were a real "gold mine" to Queensland, which secured a handsome profit of £500 on the tour; and though it cost £500 to send the team to Melbourne the Victorian union benefited very substantially from the visit. Altogether the tour of the Maoris has been a great success, not only in an athletic but a financial sense, as it has extended valuable pecuniary assistance to the unions in every State in which the team played.

These results are regarded here as remarkably eatisfactor}', because they were almost wholly unexpected. It should not be forgotten that when the tour was first proposed it was not greeted with so much enthusiasm here. The honorary treasurer of the New South Wales Rugby Union said in council that he was strongly opposed to the tour, that it would certainly mea7i heavy financial loes and that he refused to be responsible for the season's finances if the Maoris were invited. He even expressed strong doubts about their playing ability, to say nothing of their drawing capacity. He predicted that the tour would result in a loss of at least £1000, while completely disorganising the club and inter-State programmes.

Evidently members knew very little about the playing powers or the records of the Maoris, and one delegate went so far as to describe them as "a degenerate and dying race, of no class as footballers." I have always hoped that this particular Northern Suburbs man watched the Maori forwards running over the light blues in the last Test. But he was by no means alone among footballers here; for, before the tour started, I heard many men who believe that they know something about the game declare that the Maoris would not have a chance against New South Wales. However, a few members of the council present at ths vital meeting who knew what they were talking about stuck to their guns, and in the end they carried the proposal in favour of the tour, but only by 15 votes to 14!

Now, after all this controversy and anxiety, they find that instead of losing £1000, as was threatened, the New South Wales Union stands to make close on £1000 profit, and the other two States have secured a handsome credit balance as well. It is all eminently satisfactory, of course, and very naturally Rugby Union men over here are full of compliments to the Maoris and congratulations to the little country that can produce such splendid men and teach them such football. GRADE GAMES. JUNIOR GRADE. Grafton 3, beat Otahuhu 0. Suburbs 11, beat 'Varsity 0. Ponsonby 10, beat Waitemata 3. Technical 40. beat North Shore 3. Newton 42, beat Northcote 0. THIRD GRADE. Manukau 21, beat Waitemata 3. College Rifles 18, beat Takapuna 0. FOURTH GRADE. Eden B 23, beat Marist 0. Technical 0.8. 3. beat Eden 0. Suburbs 17, beat Takapuna 0. FIFTH GRADE. Manukau 17, beat Grammar 0.8. 5. Technical 0.8. 31, beat Howick 3. SIXTH GRADE. , Eden 24, beat Manukau 0. Parnell 12, beat Takapuna 3. Newton 16, beat Marists 5. JUNIOR BOYS. SENIOR. Newton 42; beat Northcote 0. INTERMEDIATE GRADE. Ponsonby 31, beat Eden 0. Parnell 3, beat Suburbs 0. Takapuna 5, beat Otahuhu 3. Manukau 14, beat Newton 3. Marist beat North Shore by default. SCHOOLBOYS' GAMES. CALIXTUS SHIELD. Final: Western Suburbs and Eden Park drew— no score. SEVEN-A-SIDE. Suburbs beat Manukau by default. PUKEKOHE V. KAIPARA. REP. HALF-BACK ELIMINATED. Team chosen by Mr. H. Pleydell to represent Pukekohe aguinst Kaipara at Pukekohe next Saturday : —Full-back, M. Boyce (White Star) ; three-quarters, R. Brady (Patumahoe), N. Sandin, Harlin (White Star) ; five-eighths, F. Loughrin (White Star), A. Wilkinson (Old Boys) ; halfback, C. Shepherd (Patumahoe) ; forwards, A. Moffitt, J. Massey (Old Boys), B. Guise (captain), E. Reynolds, L. Adams (White Star), C. Carter. L. McAlpine, A. Havard (Patumahoe). Reserves: Backs, C. Lawrie (Old Bovs). N. Parris (White Star) : forwards, J. McCombe (Old Boys), B. Baker (White Star). i N. Parris, the South Auckland representative half-back, could not obtain a rrtace i 'in the team.