FIVE CHANGES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 162, 11 July 1945, Page 3

FIVE CHANGES

AUCKLAND RUGBY

TEAM FOR SATURDAY

Five changes have been made by Mr. F. W. Lucas in the personnel of the Auckland representative Rugby team to play the Northern Combined Services at Eden Park on Saturday. A. Cooper, D. Barchard, A. Johnson and B. Waldegrave, who are required by the Services, have been replaced by J. Brinsden, P. McKay, G. Bourke and P. Fox, while B. Taylor goes in in place of W. Smith, who was injured last week. Ponsonby's club strength is indicated by the fact that it has six representatives in the team and also an emergency back. The much-debated M. N. Paewai has been included as first back emergency, but it is significant that the other reserve, Glen Hook, is a five-eighth, so that presumably Paewai has been selected as a reserve half-back only. Though he has shown up to advantage occasionally this year in club football, McKay must be considered a trifle luckv to make the team, particularly ahead of a player of the calibre of Paewai. Although McKay has possibilities as an inside back he failed to impress against Navy last week, and rarely was he able to maintain contact with the versatile Hook, who frequently made some excellent openings.

Apart from a possible weakness in the five-eighth line the team impresses as a solid, well-balanced combination. Brinsden, the Technical Old Boys' winger, deserves his chance to make good, while Bourke and Tavlor are two of the most promising forwards Auckland has had for some time. Pat Fox, who has been brought in to replace Johnson as the hooker, represented Auckland last year after coming from Otago, where he was a prominent University and Otago representative. The Auckland team is;— Full-back, R. Sorenson (Marist); threequarters, J. Dunn (Manukau), C. Kingston (Ponsonbv), J. Brinsden (Technical); fiveeighths, P. McKay (Ponsonby), L. S. Rae (Marist); half-back, P. Tetzlaff (Ponsonby). Back row, D. Christian (Otahuhu); second row, J. Gunning (Ponsonby), M. McHugh (MaristJ, R. Taylor (Ponsonby), W. Edwards (Grafton); front row, J. Gilmour (Grammar), captain, P. Fox (University), G. Bourke (Ponsonby). Reserves: Backs, M. N. Paewai (Aotea), G. Hook (Ponsonby); forwards, G. Jerkovich (Training College), D. Dwan (Grafton).

A particularly bright curtain-raiser should be provided to the main game, when Sacred Heart College, the unbeaten secondary schools' team, will play Auckland Grammar. TWo secondary school matches will be played at King's College, when Mount Albert Grammar will meet King's, and Otahuhu Technical High School will play Takapuna Grammar.