Inter-Provincial Rugby To-morrow

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 192, 11 May 1937, Page 14

Inter-Provincial Rugby To-morrow

Wellington Will Field Experienced Team

(By THREE O'CLOCK.)

r FHE Wellington representative side which the selector, Mr. M. F. Nicholls, assisted by Messrs. A. McDonald and F. Kilby, will place in the field against Canterbury at Athletic Park to-Jnorrow, will consist of men of proved ability. The union has an over-supply of first-class backs and forwards, so that there is little difficulty in replacing the cricketers E. W. Tindill and J. R. Lamason, last year’s captain. Of the 21 men chosen for training, H. R. Pollock, J. M. Watt, J. L. Griffiths, and B. S. Sadler, in the backs, and J. Wells and J. Lambourn in the forwards, are All Blacks; L. H. Edwards, C. M. Le Quesne, and H. L. Baldwin in the backs, and Fraser Smith in the forwards, have represented the North Island. Of last year’s Wellington side, A. G. Hansen has gone to Hawke's Bay, W. Crisp,' J. Fleming, F. O. Leahy, K. Guy, C. J. Pringle, and M, W. Devine have earned selection again. A. H. Andrews and R. R. Hull have left Wellington. Crisp has been preferred to J. Vartan (Poneke) on his fine displays for Eastbourne in the club matches to date; as well as his effectiveness -as a substitute for Pollock last year. Crisp is a cool customer, fields well and judges his kicking. He will share the place-kicking with Baldwin. L. H. Edwards (Wellington) has had little opportunity this year to show his worth, having been changed about between wing and centre. On the wing he will have to correct the fault of running infield. However, he has speed, weight and determination. Baldwin (Wellington College Old Boys) may be the permanent centre-three-quarter on this year’s form. He is much happier there than at first fiveeighths. Fleming (Eastbourne) would also go better further out. C. Hudson (Petone) is also in fine form this year at centre-threequarter for his club, and it is too early yet to say what arrangement of the three-quarter line the selector will adopt. He should try R. Veitch (Wellington) with C. M. Le Quesne (Poneke) as the five-eighths. Veitch can produce brilliant football. With Sadler to give him the ball in a flash, he would have more time to plan his work than he has had in club games. His play needs more variation, though, and this will come with experience. Le Quesne. coming to Wellington from Hawke’s Bay with a great reputation, has suffered from J. .L. Griffiths’s disappointing form. Veitch would serve Le Quesne quickly, and the two might develop into a first-class combination. If Veitch cannot make the grade just yet he has plenty of football ahead of him. His defence is excellent, 1 and this is the only redeeming feature of Griffiths’ play this year. Mr; E. J. Roberts, the famous ex- ( All Black, ‘is coaching King, the East- ; bourne half, and sees in him the successor to Sadler. King is only 18 years old, J and, says Mr. Roberts, has the makings 1 of a champion. However, to fill the position of second string this year he will have to compete with C. O’Halloran (Pe- ! tone), who has been in the limelight every Saturday.

Forwards Knocking at the Door. With a little more weight Q, Wales (Athletic) would be the logical successor to Andrews in thg back row. His work in the loose has been outstanding. L. Bydder (Old Boys) is a similar type of player who may yet play his way into ■the side. B. Ropata (Marist), after good club work last y_oar. is now showing more tiger, and his keenness may be rewarded. F- C. Leahy (Marist) will have to get back to last year’s game. He has not been pulling his weight lately. C. M., Ongley has been sharing honours with Pringle in the Poneke pack this year. The other forwards selected have all retained rand even improved on last year’s form. Another pleasing fact is the number of men ready to take their places when they drop out Such are F. Cassidy, Hutt’s recruit from Waikato, V. Gotlieb (Old Boys), R. Cleland (Petone), and others. The pack will be a well balanced set of sound scrummagers, keen line-out men. and tigers in the loose. The Canterbury Side. Canterbury will also field an experienced pack, although many of the backs have yet to prove themselves in big football. South Island forwards are O. Hattersley and H. Milliken. J. G. Rankin, the All Black rover, is there, but H. Deavoll has only just returned to club football after a season off with an arm injury. Among the backs, G. T. Nolan is a well-known full-back, reckoned by many the equal of “Mike” Gilbert. G. B. Eathorne is a winger with a rare turn of speed. He has been in and but of the Canterbury team, and Nolan at full-back when the latter left \ for the West Coast early in the 1935 season. K. S. Mortlock and C. H. McPhail, Canterbury’s best backs, were evidently not available. J. J. McAuliffe is an experienced half, a Canterbury representative for many years. Athletic Park Extension. It is expected that the extra space to be provided at Athletic Park by moving back the wall at the north-west corner and building up a well-graded slope to a new back wall will result in at least 3000 more people being able to gain admission to the ground. The first and hardest part of the work, the filling in to a depth of 15 feet and more of the space behind the present wall, is already well under way. Mr. A. V. Swanson, who erected the big grandstand, is the contractor, and the price is £6OO. The present back fence will be placed on top of a five-feet concrete retaining wall. Spectators on the new area will obtain a splendid view of the field. There is no doubt that the extra room will be needed for the Springbok matches. Eden Park, which welcomed over 40,000 when the British team played the third test at Auckland in 1930, is held by the New Zealand union to be too small for the numbers expected this year, "and the third test on September 25 will be 1 played on the Epsom Showgrounds. ’

News From Other Centres. The 1035 All Black forward, Cyril Pepper, was in trouble with the Auckland union last week after fisticuffs with W. McGrory, 1934 Auckland representative, in the Manukau-Marist Old Boys game on Saturday week. McGrory’s statement that no blow was struck was robbed of its strength by Pepper’s admission that the referee was right in ordering both off the field. They were suspended for two playing Saturdays, including all intervening matches. This will include the Coronation Day games, Auckland v. Waikato, at~ Hamilton, and South Auckland, at Eden Park. If Taranaki played C. Paterson in the backs against the South Africans on July 31 he would probably earn a lone distinction. He was a member of the Kaponga seniors when the Springboks were here in 1921, Instead of retiring on well-earned laurels, M. M. N. Corner is to turn out for Takapuna, a senior B team in Auckland. Corner’s decision to assist the club in his own district is receiving much favourable comment in the northern city. He was an All Black half from 1930 to 1935. Takapuna will be still further in the Rugby spotlight in September, when the All Blacks for the final Test with the Springboks, at Auckland on September 25, go into training quarters across the harbour for at least a week. I Ranfurly Shield Fixtures. I Otago’s Ranfurly Shield fixtures so far are: July 31, Southland; September 4, Buller; September 18, Marlborough; September 25, Hawke’s Bay. ■ More good news for the selectors is the form of J. M. Taylor at full-back for Pirates, Dunedin. In a recent game when the side won 20-0 Taylor scored 14 of the points. He potted a good goal, kicked a penalty goal, converted-a try, and then joined in a back movement to score a try which he converted himself. He-was riot the only full-back to score a try and convert it on that particular Saturday.' The feat was performed by R. Bocock for Eltham. D. McCormick, for University, Christchurch, scored 'an unconverted try, and so did A. T. Black, Christchurch club full-back. The fullback can often race up to make an extra man in a passing rush if he is on the alert.

C. McKinley, a Poverty Bay representative and Maori All Black, is to play for the North Shore club, Auckland. McKinley has played in the senior ranks for several seasons, and brought much credit to his club in hie representative selections. According to a Gisborne paper, he “has held. a mortgage on the centre three-quarter position in the district team for the past three or four years, and has never failed to acquit himself well in representative matches, while his services also have been in demand for Tairawhiti Maori district teams, as well as fox - last year’s Maori side which.played the Australians at Palmerston North McKinley was a decided asset to Gisborne Celtic, winners of the Marist tournament held at Palmerston North during Easter. On the Saturday he had a field day, scoring four tries, against Napier Marist. He impressed as a winger of speed and determination. His brother, J. McKinley, is a first-class line-out and loose forward in the same team. A. B. Campbell, Waverley’s fast centre three-quarter and North Island representative, is out thw season on account of a head injury. Dave Solomon again. From an Auckland report of the Ponsonby-Grammar Old Boys game on Saturday week: Ten minutes before half-time D.’ Solomon relieved for Ponsonby with a typically brilliant dash, which led to the best try of the match. Frankham secured from a scrum and combined with Solomon and Hay for the latter to score, after a movement carried out with dazzling speed, which thrilled the spectators. . Solomon was the outstanding player on the field, but many times spoilt a brilliant effort by holding on too long. With speed off the mark, a baffling swerve and determined running he repeatedly tore the defence to ribbons and proved a very difficult player to bring down.

Two Likely All Blacks. Both J, F. McLean and J. Dick are revealing All Black form for Grafton, Auckland. Dick appears to bo developing the style of footwork wlijyh makes J. M. Watt such a dangerous winger. McLean has been the leader of his side in each of the club games to date, and his splendid form is great news for the All Black selectors. Referring to his form in the Grafton-College Rifles match, the “New Zealand Herald” said:—A noticeable strategy that he employed was reminiscent of the play of J. E. Manchester, the captain of the 1935 All Blacks. From a kick-off McLean would field the ball and send a long, quick pass across-field to his backs. This on one occasion resulted in a spectacular try. McLean again secured from the kick-off, turned to repeat the move. but. feinted suddenly and raced away unfield with the ball instead, with his eager forwards in attendance. Another smart try followed. Auckland referees submitted as capable of controlling international games are Messrs. C. F. Pauli, J. G. C. Wales, G. Peace, J. A. Malcolm and G. W. Henderson.

Sydney Dispute Ended. The dispute between the New South Wales Rugby League and the Rugbv Lmon over the use of the Sydney Cricket Ground for the big fixtures this season was ended at a conference in Sydney recently, when the League offered to forgo the dates June 19 and 26 a for which it had tentatively been allotted the use the ground. As a result, sportsmen will have the privilege of witnessing the following important fixtures in the Rugby League, Rugby Union and Soccer codes at the Cricket Ground on seven consecuS? r turd “.ys:—,Jun e 5, Rugby League v ’ Queenland) ; June 12, Rugby (A.b.W. v. Queensland) ; June 49, T USb L. V, niOn < N -S-W. v. Springboks); June 26, Rugby Union (first Test match) ; July 3. Soccer (N.S.W. v. English ama- . teur teain) ; July 10, S.occer Hirst Test 'match); July 17, Rugby Union (second Test match).