KIWIS RETURN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 161, 11 July 1938, Page 11

KIWIS RETURN.

AUSTRALIAN TOUR. "" • MANAGER SUMS UP. HEMI PROVED THE STAR. Affcr a tour of Australia, which was considered successful in every wav, the members of the New Zealand Ru~by League team returned to Auckland from Sydney by the Aorangi this morning Out of nine matches played five were won. three were lost, and one, the final match ot the tour, was drawn. Mr. J. A. Redwood, who was comanager of the team with Mr. W O ( arlaw, said that the New Zealand play-' 11:1,1 ?amccl a lot in experience, and ! they were to go again they would be a .to per cent better side. The tour ■ ’id been a financial success, and Austra-

~an critics considered that it was the rert .New Zealand team that had toured ;he Commonwealth. It was desirable that in i«ture there should be annual tours. N.S.W. Visit Planned. There is at possibility that a New S( ' ntl ‘ M ales country team mav tour New Zealand this season, but ‘so far dual arrangements have not been made, t was emphasised that to make the tour a success the visitors would have ;o go to other places in New Zealand resides Auckland. Referring to the New Zealand players, Mr. Redwood said that J. Hemi proved to bo tiie outstanding hack, and greatly impressed the Australian critics. He would be long remembered in Brisbane lor a sensational goal. When Hemi set I lie hall 10 yards on his own side of half-way there was laughter', and calls of, “Don’t waste time.” It turned into a roar of amazement when the ball was put high over the cross-bar, and dead I).tween the posts. After that they cheered Hemi every time he got the ball. Mr. Redwood had warm praise for W. L ittleton, the Richmond hack, for his. wonderful defensive play, and added: “We just hate to thiilk what we would have done without him.” He also epoke well of J. Smith, the young North Shore player, who was fielded in every match. Kay proved to be the best penetrative back.

Referring -to the New Zealand forwards, Mr. Redwood said that neither Satherley nor Orman, the Buller player, could overcome the opposition they met in the big matches, but the latter showed up well in other branches of play. Coutts ran into good form, Brodrick played one sensational game in

Sydney, and McLeod was always lctley had the misfortune to he injured when playing against Queensland.

Mr. Redwood mentioned the two defeats of New Zealand by Queensland, and said that the latter played a very close formation game that was almost like shepherding, and the New Zealanders found it a very difficult type of play to counter. He regarded both the State teams as practically equal ln playing strength, and went on to say that New Zealand would have to concentrate' on big, strong forwards, who could also hold their own in open play. The bright open play of the New Zealanders made them very popular with ,the Australian public, and the New South Wales League authorities had done everything possible to make the tour a success. Standard of Play. The coach of the team, Mr. T. A. MeClymont, an old representative player, dealt with the tour from the , analytical angle. He considered that the New Zealand standard of play was ' on a par with that of Australia, but he did not think that the Australian standard was as good as it was three years ago. Considering the different conditions in Australia he thought that the New Zealanders had done very well indeed. The grounds there were hard, tho ball was twice as lively as in .New Zealand, and players had to be like toe dancers, light on their feet, and ready ( to move fast off the mark. He said that the Australians were masters at playing the ball, and he had noticed that Australian schoolboys showed great skill, in that connection. Some of the touring players had failed to reproduce their New Zealand form. Australia had a fine lot of young players who needed more experience to bring them out, and generally the Australian standard was very even. Mr. MeClymont dwelt on two incidents of the tour—Hemi’s great goal at Brisbane, which he. said was the best f, effort he had ever seen, and a try by J. | Smith in the second match against Queensland. Smith went clean through the Queensland backs with a waltzing k- run that had everyone baffled. Reception to Team. ( 6 The New Zealand Rugby League Council will tender a reception to the team at the Commercial Hotel at five o’clock this evening. ====£= >