RUGBY Warm Welcome For Lions At Napier

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28922, 16 June 1959, Page 6

RUGBY Warm Welcome For Lions At Napier

NAPIER, June 15.

The warmth of Napier’s reception to the British Lions this afternoon was too much for some members of the team—internationals of long standing had tears running down their cheeks as the city and Hawke’s Bay welcomed them.

The manager of the team (Mr A. W. Wilson) said later he was not far away from tears himself at the reception. “We have never seen anything like it before. We were all very deeply moved, ft was a wonderful reception and one we will never forget." he said Brought from the airport in a fleet of private cars carrying a lion rampant on the radiator grilles, the touring party was met by a band and then played through the city streets lined with thousands of spectators. More than 4000 persons were at the esplanade soundsheli to hear Mr Wilson and Lions captain (A. R. Dawson) express their thanks tor the welcome. It was reminiscent of the many receptions that were accorded the Springboks throughout the country three years a’o, and a magnifleent start to the New Zealand tour.

Many members of the team could not help recalling that their arrival in Australia passed almost unnoticed. Now they find themselves the social lions of Napier as well as Lions on the field.

Kun at MeLean Park

Th,ey had their first sight of McLean Park, where they are to play Hawke’s Bay on Saturday, from the'air as they flew in from Auckland. This afternoon they had a loosening-up run on the ground, which they found greatly to their liking. They were not so keen about the weather, however. After the almost balmy temperatures they enjoyed in Australia the keen wind blowing straight from snow-covered mountains was not over-welcome. But the Welsh members of the party did not mind very much. “Just like home," they said. The team for the opening match of the tour will probably be selected on Wednesday evening after the party’s injured are inspected. The tourists were entertained at a reception this evening by

the Mayor of Napier (Mr Peter Tait) and the City Council, at which a friendly warning on the strength of New Zealand Rugby was given by a city councillor, Mr N. A. Mckenzie. a life member and "grand old man’’ of New Zealand Rugby.

Mr Mckenzie told the players of the fiercely competitive nature of the game in New Zealand. Mr Mckenzie. who spent several weeks in the Wellington Public Hospital after a heart attack a few months ago, said that the visit of the Lions had acted as a stimulant to him. He hoped to see most of the 25 matches throughout New Zealand. Waming"of the folly of saying that a team would play the open game, Mr McKenzie said that any team which did not play to its strength would be most foolish.

The Lions’ captain said he agreed with the old Irish proverb that the result did not matter as long as the team won. Two of the Lions did not come to Napier. The tall Scottish half-back, F. Coughtrie. and the Irish wing, N. H. Brophy, have gone to Wellington for specialist treatment but will rejoin the team at Napier on Wednesday Coughtrie has a strained back and Brophy a broken foot bone. Hawke’s Bay Team

The Hawke’s Bay selector (Mr C. Le Quesne), has made extensive changes in the backline m choosing the team to play the Lions.'

B. L. Wilson, the Hawke’s BayPoverty Bay 100 yards champion, has been brought into the representative team on the wing foi the first time this season, and the Olympic boxer. T. P. Donovan has been selected as the first fiveeighth. Donovan is the only new provincial representative in the team. In 1955, he was twice a reserve as a half-back.

The pack has speed and weight. The average weight of the pack is 14st 111 b. The team is: G. Jamieson; B. L. Wilson. D. Scrimgeour. L. Kaai; G. Lawrence, T. P. Donovan; B. Neale; L. Cooper; T. Johnson /captain), R. Sharplin, M. A. Coutts, R. Palmer; N Thimbleby, P. Cooper, D. Tombs The referee will be Mr C. R. Gillies, of Waikato, who refereed a test match during the Wallabies tour of New Zealand last year The referee for the second match of the Lions’ tour, at Gisborne the following Wednesday. will be Mr A. Fleury, of Otago, who refereed the North-South match in Wellington on Saturday