Rugby TEAM LEAVES FOR JAPAN

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28514, 18 February 1958, Page 6

Rugby TEAM LEAVES FOR JAPAN

First Match On Sunday (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, February 17. Clutching several * books on Japanese life—including two Eng-lish-Japanese dictionaries and happy in spite of rain showers, members of the New Zealand Rugby team which will tour Japan this and next month, left from Whenuapai this morning. The rain reduced the crowd at Whenuapai io about 150. One of the most difficult parts of the tour, said the manager (Mr G. A. Brown) would be to make certain that the players were match-fit as early as possible on the tour. The assistant-manager and coach, Mr J. L. Sullivan, said he had been told that the biggest player who player against the Cambridge team in Japan in 1953 was 14st and a little under 6ft. However, he did not foresee that any of the games would be easy, especially as his players were unfamiliar with each other’s play and the Japanese had been preparing for’the tour. Whatever happened, said Mr Brown, the team would do its best and the tour would, to say the least, be “distinctly different.” W. J. Whineray, the AU Black prop and captain of the touring team, said he would not, as had been suggested, play in Auckland this year. He would probably be in Hamilton or Waikato.

With stops at Sydney, Darwin, Manila and Okinawa, the team will arrive in Tokyo at 5.20 p.m. tomorrow New Zealand time.

It will be back in Auckland on March 28 and in the meantime will play nine matches. The first is against Waseda University next Sunday.