ALL BLACK TEAM FOR TO-DAY

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25206, 10 June 1947, Page 8

ALL BLACK TEAM FOR TO-DAY

RUGBY FOOTBALL

MATCH AGAINST A COMBINED SIDE SEVEN PLAYERS INJURED (Rec. 9 p.mJ SYDNEY, June 9. The All Black team for to-morrow is:— Full-back: T. R. D. Webster. Threequarters: W. G. Argus, P. Smith, J. K. McLean. Five-eighths M. P. Goddard, M. B. Couch. Half-back: V. Bevan. Forwards: N. H. Thornton, K. D Arnold, R. A. Dalton, C. Willocks, R. M. White, L. S. Connolly, J. McCormick, J. G. Simpson. i F. <G. Hobbs was chosen to play tomorrow, but withdrew because he is suffering from a bruised leg. Dalton, who replaces him, is ordinarily a front-row forward. He will now go into the team as a lock, and White will play on the side of the scrum. Seven New Zealanders are now incapacitated, the list being: F. R. Allen (strained tendon), J. B. Smith (twisted knee), P. L. Tetzlaff (slight head wound), H. J. Frazer (after effects of concussion). Hobbs (bruised leg), L. A. Grant (hurt knee). D. F. Mason (after effects of concussion) . ' ' It is now revealed that for about half an hour in the first half of Saturday’s game, Tetzlaff was practically Unable to see, his vision being blurred by a kick on the head. No doubt this accounted for the inaccuracy and slowness of his passing. Frrzer remembers nothing about the second half of the gaibe, in 'which, nevertheless, his efforts were homeric. Both he and Mason have now almost recovered. The All Black managers say they expect all players will be fit for selection in Saturday’s test. The team trained hard again this morning making every effort to acquire the fitness it could not attain because of the few games played before leaving New Zealand. The fact that the players are not yet fully fit probably accounts for the way they are feeling hard knocks in the early matches. To-morrow the All Blacks will play under the second one-armed referee in three games. Mr W. Chapman is a “limbie,” as is Mr J. Griffin, the referee for the Canberra match. The Combined Side for to-morrow is virtually the New South Wales second team, which recently drew with Queensland. It has been strengthened by the inclusion of E. Davis, a 14 stone Victorian front row forward, who narrowly missed selection for the test. Among the emergencies is M. Hone, a 14 stone South Australian forward.

The Combined team includes Shehadie, Stenmark, and Kraefft, all of whom played for New South Wales this year, as well as Furness, last Saturday's hooker, and J. Turnbull, an Australian representative before the war The backs include R. Cawsey, who is considered by many to be unlucky not to have been preferred to B. Schultze for the New Zealand tour last year as half. On one wing is Preston, another who was thought unlucky to miss the New Zealand tour. The pack is nearly as heavy as that which represented New South Wales on Saturday. W. Dawson, the hooker in the team in New Zealand last year, is an emergency. Another is E. Masters, son of H. Masters, the 1922 All Black, who is now a New South Wales and Australian selector. The weather has been fine since Wednesday and the ground should be in splendid order. After the match the All Blacks will be the guests of honour at the annual Rugby ball. Comment on Saturday’s Match “The Australian standard of football has greatly improved since the matches .in New Zealand last year, but we are not alarmed,” said Mr Norman McKenzie, commenting on the All Blacks’ play. “We hope to improve in the match to-morrow and in the first test.” "Repeating their shock win of 10 years ago over the Springboks, New South Wales scored three tries to New Zealand’s one,” says Ginty Lush in the "Daily Telegraph,” commenting on Saturday’s game. "New South Wales won comfortably by excellent forward play and the ability of their backs to change quickly from defence to attack. Old-time players rated the game the best they had seen at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Seeing the half-back Burke almost kicked off the ball when he went down on it in the open, midway through the first half, the New South Wales forwards realised the need for sustained rough play." Writing in the Sydney “Sun,” S. C. King, a former Australian international, says that Australia’s urgent need is for a goal kicker equal to R. W. H. Scott. "The state side deserved its win, and three tries to one faithfully reflected the merits of the respective teams.” he says, “but neither New’ South Wales nor the Australian team can hope to continue offsetting the accurate kicking of Scott with tries ” He adds that neither New South Wales nor Queensland appears to have the required man. While noting the failure of Cornforth and Walker as place-kickers, he expresses the opinion that Eastes could have topped off his two tries by improving the scoring position. before grounding the ball. "It is hard to believe that the AH Blacks will not improve their team and play considerably.” he concludes. “At times their attack was jolted in the centre and their forwards lacked condition, while Tetzlaff made too many mistakes to be repeated