SPRINGBOKS ARRIVE IN NEW ZEALAND

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27987, 6 June 1956, Page 14

SPRINGBOKS ARRIVE IN NEW ZEALAND

Warm Welcome At Whenuapai MORE THAN 200 AT AIRPORT TO GREET TEAM (New Zealand Press Association) • AUCKLAND, June 5. More than 200 persons, including members of New Zealand’s Rugby hierarchy, were at Whenuapai this afternoon to give a quiet but none the less warm welcome to Dr. Danie Craven and his 1956 Springboks. When the aircraft. Aoteroa 111 stopped at the edge of the tarmac a ragged cheer went up, but apart from this and a round of applause for the players as they went into the airport terminal there was no spontaneous welcome by the crowd. Two of the players, Basie van Wyck and M. Hanekom, were on crutches and others showed signs of the Australian section of the tour, which the Springboks finished undefeated. The team was met first by the president of the New Zealand Rugby Union (Mr A. Kirkpatrick), the chairman of the executive committee of the union (Mr C. S. Hogg), and other Rugby officials who included Messrs D. S. B. Heather, D. Ross, and T. H. Pearce. Mr F. R. Allen, who captained the 1949 All Blacks id South Africa, greeted the party later. A telegram which he had sent to Dr. Craven and the players, wishing them a warm welcome to New Zealand from the “forty-niners” was one of the messages the visitors appreciated most.

The Springboks went quickly through the customs formalities —including having the Springbok head, which they will present to the first team to beat them,’ fumigated—and were then mobbed by the eager crowd, many of them with autograph books. After they had dinner at their hotel, the South Africans attended their first official function, a civic reception at the Auckland Town Hall. Eight of the Springboks are injured, but apart from three of them, Van Wyck, Hanekom, and A. I. Kirkpatrick. who broke a shoulder blade early in the tour, all should be fit to play after three weeks in New ZeaDr. Craven said there were only 19 players from whom to choose the second test side which beat Australia 9-0 at Brisbane on Saturday. The players still on the injured list are B. Pfaff, P. G. Johnstone, and R. G. Dryburgh (all with pulled leg muscles), A. C. Koch (knee injury), C. A. Ulyate and the team’s vice-cap-tain, J. (Salty) du Rand, who injured a rib in a recent game. “So far we have decided not to send for any replacements,” said Dr. Craven at a press conference. “We’ll Give You a Jolly Good Go” “We know New Zealand is out after our blood, but we will give you a jolly good go for it.” said Dr. Craven. Although he said he was not “quite happy” with the form his team had shown in Australia, there were prospects of the side growing into a very good One. “We need time to settle down,” he added.

“As far as I am concerned, a South African Rugby team will never again cover such long distances by air,” he said. “Flying between Australia and New Zealand—it was a very /pleasant trip—is all right, but not over such a long distance as between South Africa and Australia,” he said. Apart from the half-back, T. Gentles, at sft 3in, and the flanker, C. J. de Nysschen, at 6ft 6in, few of the players seemed away from the average size of New Zealand players. First impressions seemed to suggest that the All Blacks will be as big, if not bigger. All of the visitors were most approachable, and had it not been for their bus leaving for the city it is likely thev would have signed autograph books until the crowd was completely satisfied. Dr. Craven, who was with the assistant manager (Mr H. de Villiers), the captain (S. S. Viviers), and the vicecaptain at the press conference, told a questioner that he was exactly the same weight as he was when he was playing in New Zealand—“only a little older.” The standard of Rugby in Australia was quite high—the best he had seen from Australians, said Dr. Craven. Australian Referees “We had no difficulties with referees’ interpretations there, and don’t expect any here. We have come here not to beat the referees but to beat the teams we are against,” he said. “We had a wonderful time in Australia and really became great friends with them, and we only hope the same spirit will prevail here, ’ said Dr. Craven. The Australian section of the tour was really too short, the Springboks having to meet the top teams too early in the tour. In 1937, he recalled, the Australian section of the tour confistedof 11 matches, as against six this

time. Consequently the team had not yet properly settled down. Mr de Villiers, who is recognised as one of South Africa’s best referees, thought that Australian referees let players get away with too manythings. “The referees were good and they were honest, but their-, interpretations of various rulings were quite different from those we are used to.’’ he said. The general approach to the game by referees, players, and administrators was also quite different in Australia from that in South Africa. Mr de Villiers was the Springbok representative at meetings with the Queensland and New South Wales referees, and said he was looking forward to meetings with New Zealand referees in the coming weeks. The visitors will leave for Hamilton by rail-car at 11 a.m. tomorrow, and will probably have their first lighj training run in the Afternoon.