Sportsman's Notebook Rugby Tour Of France Unlikely To Eventuate

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28343, 31 July 1957, Page 6

Sportsman 's Notebook Rugby Tour Of France Unlikely To Eventuate

An invitation to New Zealand from the French Rugby Union for a team to tour France in 1959-60 is unlikely to be accepted. The French proposal >as for a tour of four' or five ? matches, including two tests. The secretary of the New Zealand Rugby Union (Mr G. Geddes> said to “The Press’’ yesterday that the invitation from France had not yet been recevied, but the union had already told France that it would npt go there until France has made a New Zealand tour. A proposal a few years ago by the French union for a New Zealand tour was unacceptable to New Zealand because a very short tour was requested by the Frenchmen. New Zealand has played in France several times—in 1905, 1925, 1926 and 1954. France has not yet undertaken an overseas tour, but is preparing for a tour of South Africa in 1958. ¥ * 9fi Assault-At-Arms The Y.W.C.A. Fencing Club, one, of the new clubs formed in Christchurch this year, met a team or junior fencers from the Christchurch Swords Club in an assault-at-arms this week. The Swords Club team won by 13 bouts to 3. Mixed teams of two men and two women took part. Results were:— Christchurch Swords Club.—C. Thomas. 3 wins, 1 loss; R. Farrow, 3 wins, 1 loss; Miss P. Eliott, 3 wins, 1 loss; Miss P. Smith, 4 wins. Y.W.C.A. Fencing Club.—W. Hadley, 4 losses; R. Clapp, 4 losses; Mrs D. Cowlishaw, 1 win, 3 losses; Miss J. Borlase, 2 wins, 2 losses. * * * Fijian Rugby With an unbeaten record for its five matches so far this tour, the Fijian Rugby team will play King Country at Taumarunui today; The Fijians have already beaten Bay of Plenty, Auckland, and North Auckland, and have drawn with Poverty Bay and Taranaki. The rest of the team’s itinerary is as follows: August 3, v. Manawatu, at Palmerston North; August 7, v. Wairarapa, at Masterton; August 10, v. New Zealand Maoris, at Wellington; August 14, v. Marlborough, at Blenheim; August 17. v. West Coast, at Greymouth; August 21, V. Southland, at Invercargill; August 24. v. New Zealand Maoris, at Dunedin; August 28, v. Mid-Canterbury, at Ashburton; August 31, v. Canterbury, at Christchurch.

, Matter Of Style The South Canterbury table tennis team, which will meet the touring Japanese players, T. Tanaka and I. Ogimura, at Timaru this evening, will be captained by S. A. Bremford. Bremford is the only leading player in New Zealand who uses the pen-grip style of holding the bat. This style went out of fashion among topclass players years ago, and has since come back into prominence largely through the exploits of the Japanese players in the last five years. The meeting will, therefore, be between a survival of the old-time pen-grippers, and the more recent Asiatic version. 7* * # Mervyn Rose Mervyn Rose, a former Australiari tennis champion, and his wife, Mrs Coral Rose, are - considering settling in New Zealand. They may leave Australia because of restrictions on international play laid down by the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia, says the latest edition of the American magazine, “World Tennis.” * * * World Rugby The Italian Rugby Union may stage a world Rugby championship in Rome in 1960. Mr T, McCormack, the Australian Rugby Union chairman, revealed that the Australian union has been approached through the Department of/External Affairs to discover how such a suggestion would be received in Australia “Australia will certainly be interested,” said Mr McCormack. “This could prove one of the biggest football galas ever, if all Rugby Union countries take an interest.” “Apparently the Italian Rugby Union took some positive action' to try to have Rugby Union again included as an official sport at the Rome Olympic Games. We gather that this request was refused. and now Italy wants to stage a carnival in Rome soon after the Olympics,” said Mr McCormack. Playing Fields at Riccarton Preliminary preparations for the laying of playing fields on the new university site at Riccarton have already started. They will be north of the “Ham” homestead Surveying is now in progress and it is hoped that levelling ana draining will continue ready for sowing in the spring. “We want these grounds to come into use a’ the earliest opportunity,” said the Rector (Dr. F. J. Llewellyn).