Inexperienced League Team For Tour Of England

Press, Volume C, Issue 29587, 9 August 1961, Page 13

Inexperienced League Team For Tour Of England

rpHE New Zealand Rugby League team which leaves for its tour of England and France today, is the least experienced side to represent New Zealand for some time. With 10 of last year’s World Cup team not available for various reasons, the selectors had to start almost afresh in their search for players. With so little experienced talent offering, the selectors, have done a reasonable job, although some selections lacked both logic and consistency. The selectors, after witnessing the representative games early in the season, selected 30 players for the national coaching school at Christchurch. The five games held during the school and the match against Australia were in a sense merely trials to enable the selections to choose the test team to play Australia, and the team to tour England and France. But in doing so the selectors fell down badly in their choice of players, and in playing others out of their normal positions! In their policy of selecting players from every League, the selectors included from the minor Leagues at least four players, who were of a standard that failed to warrant their inclusion.

r With the announcement i that W. Sorenson was not . available for the tour, and s with a dearth of class first > five-eighths in the running, : the selectors included but one first five-eighths in the ■ school—G. Matthews of ' Manawatu, whose play fell , well below that expected of a ’ player under consideration J for New Zealand teams*

The selectors were then forced to bring R. Billington of Canterbury into the first five-eighths position. Normally a centre or second fiveeighths, Billington had represented Otago, South Island and Auckland in those positions with some distinction, but at first five-eighths, this essentially attacking player was all at sea. Billington was practically assured of selection in the touring team, but playing at first five-eighths his chances were extremely slim. ’ Why the touring team could not have been chosen at a later date than immediately after the second test against Australia is a mystery. The annual interisland fixture was not played this year because it was thought that it could not be fitted into the representative programme. The match would have served as a valuable trial, and with nearly five weeks lapsing between tbe team’s selection and its departure for England, and with no representative games bring played in that period, there was ample time and opportunity for the game to be played. Instead, fee selectors sorang a surprise by arranging a troal to be played on the morning of the second test No nominations were called for and as only one Canfer-burv-player was included— A N. Amer—the Canterbury league sent a letter of protest to the New Zealand council at the poor representaton oi Canterbury players in that trial. Players in the Auckland side which met Australia can also

be considered to have been done a grave injustice. When the game was played the Monday after the second test, the New Zealand team had already been announced. There seems no apparent reason why the selectors could not have announced the touring team after that game. As it turned out. the final trial did not completely satisfy the selectors, for three players who did not take part found their way into the touring side—J. A. Bond (Canterbury), who replaced G. Menzies after he had withdrawn from the original selection—R. Hart (West Coast) and R. W. Harrison (Auckland). Although Bond thoroughly deserved his place in the team —he had outplayed both Menzies and G. M. Kennedy in the Canterbury-West Coast fixtures this season—he was repeatedly passed over by the national selectors throughout the season, and his inclusion in the team appears to be sympathy with the Canterbury League’s protest. It is difficult, too, to understand the sudden dropping of R. R. Griffiths and T. Reid after both tfad been included in the test squads against Australia. Griffiths was brought from the West Coast to Auckland as a reserve for the first test, but was subsequently passed over for the second international

and the English tour. Because of injury Reid did not play in the first test and altoough his form in the second was the least impressive of the New Zealand forwards, it was thought that he 'would have been certain to make the touring side. With so many untried players among the tourists—six from Auckland have yet to play for their province—and others who have gained selection on one. trial match alone, the selectors have taken a gamble. But like so many touring sides, it is often the least experienced and least expected players who develop best on tour, and some finally play their way into the test team.