All Black Selection

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 137, 13 June 1938, Page 15

All Black Selection

•CERTAINTIES " SUGGESTED.

List of Twenty—Deductions from North--South Game—Berghan a " Find " As Five-eighth. (By Telegraph.—Special to " Star.**) V WELLINGTON, this day. Though the selection of the 1938 All Blacks will not be completed until Tuesday or Wednesday, it is believed that the greater majority of the following-players can be regarded as certainties for the Australian tour:— Full-back: Taylor (Otago). Three-quarters: Mitchell (Otago), Sullivan (Taranaki), Phillips (King Country), Morrison (South Canterbury), Wesney (Southland). Five-eighths: Berghan (Otago), Crossman (King Country). Half-back: Saxton (South Canterbury). Forwards: Quaid (Otago), Dalton (Hawke's Bay), Jackson (Hawke's Bay), George (Southland), King (West Coast), Wynyard (Waikato), Williams (Canterbury), Milliken (Canterbury), McKenzie (Manawatu), Carson (Auckland), Parkhill ( Otago ). There are twenty names in this list and the touring team for Australia will include 25 men (12 backs and 13 forwards), so five names have still to be added. Presuming the list to be more or less correct, a highly-important vacancy that the sole selector McKenzie must be cudgelling his brains about is the extra half-back:.

If Russell (Waikato) is out of the running because of his proneness-i-tq'^injury r^-_i t is-^likely that- Tindillp provincial half.and 1935 All; Black, will be called upon. TincSill, though slow compared with the acrobatic Saxton, is a sturdy type of half, with sure hands, and he would be extremely useful on the overseas tour. He also plays five-eighth. Except for Berghan, the Rugby find of the season, the fiveeighths in Saturday's match were not impressive from an international viewpoint. Even Crossman disappointed. For the additional five-eighths positions with the touring side, Hooper (Canterbury) and Griffiths (Wellington) have strong claims. Hooper, with his speed off the mark and deceptive swerve, would probably be better on the harder grounds in Australia. His brilliance in the first Test at Wellington last year is still recalled. If Griffiths goes in it will be on the strength of greater solidity and firmer defence. Coming to the three-quarters, Dick (Auckland) had little chance to display on Saturday his undoubted scoring ability, but his speed and covering-up saved North frequently in the second spell. In fact, he.improved as the game went on. Fulton (Wellington), centre, who showed up prominently in a-recent provincial match against Taranaki, is another candidate for any vacancy in the three-quarter line. He played impressively as wing in the final All Black trial last year. Incidentally Wesney (Southland) is another sound utility back—five-eighth, threequarter or full-back. Forwards still in the running in addition to those mentioned above are Lockington (Auckland), Lambourn (Wellington), who would be reserve hooker, Mason (Buller), Pearce (Auckland), Mac Donald (Marlborough) and Trustrum (King Country).? This list does not exhaust the possibilities, of course. The sole selector is not tied down "to players who appeared in the inter-island game, and it is quite on the cards that the final choice, as in past years, will contain two or three surprises.