RUGBY O’Sullivan To Play In East Transvaal Game

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29270, 30 July 1960, Page 7

RUGBY O’Sullivan To Play In East Transvaal Game

(From GRAEME JENKINS. N.ZJ’jil Stag Correspondent)

JOHANNESBURG, July 29. Subject to a final medical clearance later today, T. P. O’Sullivan will be the All Black right wing against Eastern Transvaal at Springs tomorrow. The scaephoid bone in his left hand, which he broke in the match against Rhodesia, has not completely knitted, but two doctors have said he is fit to play if heeded. The opinion of a third doctor is now being sought.

So far no alternative player for the position has been named but it is believed the Waikato forward, E. A. R. Pickering, and the Mid-Canterbury wing, D, H. Cameron, are standing by. i A. H. Clarke, who wrenched a shoulder in the match before the second test will play at first fiveeighths, although he is not yet completely fit. In the forwards, C. E. Meads will play for the fourteenth time in 17 matches.

The team is: D. B. Clarke; T. P. O’Sullivan, K. F. Laidlaw, R. W. Caulton; S. G. Bremner, A. H. Clarke; K. C. Briscoe; W. D. | Gillespie; D. J. Graham, I. N. Mac Ewan, C. E. Meads, K. R. Tremain; W J. Whineray, R. J. Boon, I. J. Clarke.

Eastern Transvaal has the reputation of being an “awkward” team to play. It is not rated very highly but is capable of providing an upset. Probably for the first time on the tour, the All Blacks tomorrow will face a team which has no recognised “name” player but in spite of this or possibily because of it, Eastern Transvaal is regarded as having a wonderful team spirit. Eleven years ago F. R. Allen’s team went down by 5 points to 6 at Springs, which is about 40 miles frpm Johannesburg. - The team will travel to Springs on the morning of the match and return soon after. It will make a one-day trip to Pretoria next Wednesday to play Combined Services. One of the Easem Transvaal front-row props, T. Lombard, is a former captain of Oxford Uni-, versity. The captain of the team is the number eight, I. Maree. One of the locks, H. Nel, and the second prop, H. Dinkelman, have all been in the team for several seasons while D. Watt, the scrum half, is a former Transvaal representative.

One of the interesting points about the match will be how the All Blacks fare on their return to high veldt. Their last appearance in a high-altitude game was in the first test at Johannesburg. Since then, apart from their matches in Rhodesia, most of their appearances have been much closer to sea level. At the start of their tour they were inclined to disregard the altitude as having any effect on their play, but there was a change of mind about this after the first

test. Springs is not on the same level as Johannesburg, but is still at an elevation of more than four thousand feet, the same as Pretoria, where the tourists played Northern Transvaal last month. The weather for the match should be fine. The Eastern Transvaal team is: W. Villiers; G. Liebenberg, J. van Niekerk, I. Botha, M. Lubbe; D. Mulder; D. Watt; I. Maree; W. Nel, H. Nel, A. Muller, R. Derecksen; T. Lombard, J. V. Grobler, H. Dinkelman.