N.S.W. Drops Seven World Cup Players

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31987, 14 May 1969, Page 20

N.S.W. Drops Seven World Cup Players

(New Zealand Press Association)

SYDNEY.

The New South Wales Rugby league selectors omitted seven of last year’s successful World Cup team when they chose the state side to play Queensland today.

The most notable player missing was the former World Cup captain, J. W. Raper, who has been an almost automatic selection in the State side for the last 10 years. Others included the half-back, W. J. Smith, and goal-kicking full-back, E. Simms. Raper and the other discarded players will now have to battle for places in the Australian team to tour New Zealand. The team will be named next Sunday. Five country players, in- ■ eluding Father J. Cootes, a 27-year-old football - playing priest from the Newcastle industrial area, have been included in the State side. Father Cootes scored 16 of his side’s 20 points in a Coun-

'try versus City match on Saturday. The three New South Wales members of the Australian selection panel will spend Sunday at Brisbane before picking the 20-man team for New Zealand that night. While they are in Brisbane, most of the top candidates for selection will be playing in Sydney. "The selectors will have second-hand information relayed to* them concerning form shown in the Sydney games.

Rally Win.—The London-to-Sydney marathon finisher, I. Vaughan, and R. Forsyth have won one ot Australian toughest toid competition events—the 2000-mile BP rally—in a FOrd Falcon G.T.