Irwin, Hemi, Brown Back In All Blacks

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28981, 24 August 1959, Page 12

Irwin, Hemi, Brown Back In All Blacks

(Ante Zcatana Pres* Association/

HAMILTON, August 23.

Three All Blacks who were dropped previously by the selectors have been included in the New Zealand Rugby team for the third test against the British Isles at Christchurch on August 29. They are M. W. Irwin (Otago), R. C. Hemi (Waikato), and R. H. Brown (Taranaki).

The players they replace are E. S. Diack (Otago), D. S. Webb (Northland), and L J. Clarke (Waikato). Diack and Webb have played only one game for New Zealand.

The team which was announced after the British Isles-Waikato game on Saturday is: Full-back: D. B. Clarke (Waikato). Wings: R. W. Caulton (Wellington). R. F. McMullen (Auckland). Centre-threequarters: R. H. Brown (Taranaki). Five-eighths: T. R. Lineen (Auckland), J. F. McCullough (Taranaki). Half-back: K. C. Briscoe (Taranaki). Back Row: R. J. Conway (Otago). Side Row: R. R. Tremain (Canterbury), C. E. Meads (King Country). Locks: S. F. Hill (Canterbury), L N. Mac Ewan (Wellington). Front Row: M. W. Irwin (Otago), R. C. Hemi (Waikato), W. J. Whineray (Auckland). Reserves: M. F. Whitta (Canterbury), A. H. Clarke (Auckland), D. S. Webb (North Auckland), E. A. R. Pickering (Waikato). Irwin, who has had something of a chequered career in AU Black teams, is playing good football at present. The return of Hemi to the hooking position was not altogether unexpected, although he has had little Rugby since he

was dropped after the first test this year. The presence of Irwin, who is more than 15 stone, and Hemi, who is not far oft that weight, will give the All Black front-row a much stronger look than it had for the last test, but it also looks like being out of balance with Whineray, a com-

parative light-weight, on the other side. Otherwise the scrum is as it was, with the fiery Otago forward Conway holding his place against keen opposition from Pickering. McMuUen has been moved out to the wing in place of Diack. Brown first played as a centre for New Zealand in 1955, and this was his regular position in All Black teams until the fourth test in 1956 when he moved into first five-eighths. He played there in all subsequent tests until the third test against AustraUa last year when he was again at centre. He was first fiveeighths in the first test against the British Isles.

McMullen played on the wing against Australia last year, but he must be considered lucky to hold his place with a number of promising young wings eager to have their chance. There are many who say that Clarke at full-back should go after his rather indifferent showing in the second test and again for Waikato against the Lions on Saturday, but it would be a courageous action indeed to leave out such a potential match winner as Clarke.