BEFORE THE TEST

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 37, 12 August 1921, Page 7

BEFORE THE TEST

TEAMS IN TRAINING

WILL SPRINGBOKS WIN?

BOTH SIDES CONFIDENT,

, (IX TEUiORAPH.) (from oim spicui uponnt.) ' DUNEDIN, This Day. \ The centre of interest, not only in Rugby football circles, but, one might almost say, in New Zealand itself, today haa followed: the movements of the South. African footballer* wherever in the Dominion they may be far th» moment. Their progress through the had has so far been a modest repetition of the triumphant tour of our greatest and best team—the original All Blacks. The Springboks have by this time beaten all our strongest provinces, and lo»t but onoeto one which was considered not good • enough to furnish a New Zealand representative—Canterbury. Critics* thought the visitors anight go down before Southland, and, when Southland instead went down, pinned their hopes on Otago. Now that last 'forioru provincial hope has failed, and there.is nothing for it but the Test—the First Test against New Zealand's chosenl fifteen. The testing ground is Dunedin, and tho day tomorrow, Otago has been the field of footballing interest for a.week or more, and Dunedin the centre.

As Mr. J. M. Galloway said at th« dinner to the teams after the Otago ra&toh on Wednesday : "Rugby football is more than a local game; it is an Imperial game (spelt with an initial capital or without)." They • were told [he added) the League of Nations would bind the Empire, but Rugby would do it as well. Never were truer words spoken. The visit of the Springboks to New Zealand may have effects in South Africa never imagined till now. Mr. G. A. Bennett, manager of the South African team, in reply, paid a tribute to what the New Zealand Service team had done to revive Rugby 'in South Africa, and he declared the interest in the coming Test match would be just as great in South Africa as in New Zealand. The result would be published in the Saturday morning papers in South Africa, and people would not sleep on Friday night, waiting to know the fate of their 'representatives. He agreed the visit would do a tremendous lot to bring. the two young nations together, and that football would always bo a great-bond of friendship between them. . OPINIONS OF SPRINGBOKS'. ' •... . SKIPPER. From Mr. T. B. Pienaar, ,skipper of the Springboks, came a little gentle criticiem, which, coupled with talks your representative has had here with members of the team, may serve to illustrate the South African point of view. The Springbok captain expressed the opinion that we had bettered our forwards at the pxpense of our backs, and, after what they had heard of the AH Blacks, they were disappointed with the standard of back play so far. He considered that the wing-forward had greatly helped to spoil back play, because he wm more often than not offside. The "ames. had not been as open as he would like to have them. He recognised it was a battle of the sciences. This brings one to what is undoubtedly the absolute bugbear of the visitors—the wing-forward. ' No words can be too stroni? for their abhorrence of the wingforward. They ban ccc no Rood in him at «U; they would like him to be abolished altogether. They admit that our interpretation of the rules in regard to holding the ball is different from theirs, , but they submit that they follow the English rules more exactly in that respect. There is no hacking at a. man lying on the ball-in South Africa, and there have been complaints of this practice here. -,s 1 A ROUGH GAME. The matoh,against Otago was undoubtedly the '-roughest by far they have yet experienced. How the trouble arose it is difficult to say now, but, unquestionably "stench" wasdeaJt put, and strong language used. Each- side blames the other. The South Africans put the stall, of it down to the rough handling of some of their men by two prominent Otago forwards, but there is no doubt that, ,had the referee not intervened, there 1' would have been a nasty scene. Mr. E. M'Kenzie will have to watch this aspect of the Test game on Saturday. The Springboks are rather sore over it, and tho Otago men,just as much so. As vto bad language on the field, it should be repressed with the strongest possible hand by referees, and the unions should support them. Some unpardonable words are reported to have been used in both the Southland and the Otago matches. For the good name of New Zealand, with go much at stake in these games, the conduct of our men on the field should be above reproach, no matter what the other aide may da However, it is to be hoped that after this the incident may be closed. A GREAT TOUR, The visitors ore having a great tour, in spite of some deficiencies in organisation. They left Timaru, for instance, for Invercargill without knowing at what hotel they were going to stay at the Southland city. At Greymoutih some of the team had to sleep on the floor in the hotel where they stayed, while members of 1 the Boxing Association that was meeting in Greymoufh at the same time had separate rooms. At Invercargill there was an awkwardness over an entertainment given by the Orphans' Club for the visitors, \^ho were not notified until a few minutes before the show was due to start. Not that the Springbbks themselves have complained about these or similar details, but they are, undoubtedly, faults in organisation. BOTH TEAMS IN CONDITION. Both teams are said to be in the best of condition, and both aV© confident of the game on Saturday, ! all of which should make the Tost one of tlio most interesting contests ever seen iv New Zealand. The visitors, unmistakably, aie now- what "Drop-lrick" declared them to be after the Wairarapa match ti month a^o —the most formidable body of footballers that lias ever visited those shores for a generation. The secret lies in their individuality ac players and their will to win. One of tae party told me last night that the Springboks have always kept a good deal in reserve lor the Tests. They took Canterbury too lightly, and were deservedly defeated. They learnt th«ir lesson, and beat Otago and Southland. All the team are fit, except Siedle, who has been undergoing teratmeiit for an injured knee ever since^ he landed in New Zealand, and De Kock, whose ankle is still giving him serious trouble. Apart from a litfcle excess of weight, inevitable with so much, travelling, the Springboks hard as nails, and it is a fact that tfey ha tf a. ontljitited every team they have met yet. They don't get going for about twonty minutes, perhaps to let our men blow themselves out. Most of tlwar scoring is second spell work. They have been training quietly at the Caledonian Ground, away from the eye, and

any little tricki tbey may be reserving" for the discomfiture of their opponents they keep up their sleeve. PROBABLE SOUTH AFRICAN TEAM. Officially the team will not be published till the day of the match, but unofficially the following selection for South Africa will probably be found not far from th« mark: Full-back, G. P. Morkel; three-quarters, Zeller, Meyer, Cl&rkeon, and H. Morkel; halves, Miohau andTownsend; forwards,"Boy" Morkel; Ellis, Kroger, Walker, Hairy Morkel; Mostert, Mellisli, and Van Rooyen or Dv Plesuc. x , , ; If the ground is heavy, Van Heerden may replace Zeller, who M not at hi* beat in the mud. Pienaar -will be taking a _well-earned re«t, and "Boy" Morkel will doubtless captain the team. <i '.» THE NEW ZEALANDBR6. ;^ ' The New Zealanders h*ve been train- 1 ing at both the Carisbrook Ground and > Tahuna Park. As they have all ba^'.'a . hard season's football, tactics are tijti order of the day for two hours or 'so every morning. J. W. Stead, the ciAll Black, has charge of the backe, and Alex. M'Donald,' also one of the 1 ola, die-hards, ii coaching the forward*. Ytk\ terday M'Lean, one of the very best > forward*, had the ill luck to injure his', knee in> a line-out piece of work, and will hardly be fit to play on Saturday. Foßarty will take bis place. ' Otherwise the New Zealand team will be as they stand. Teddy Roberts is here, and Ford, of/ Canterbury, also, and there are persistent rumours that /Roberts at least will be called on. Che hopes so, but •th,ere is no certainty at present.' The a two Nicholls are in good form, but it * has yet to be shown whether Mark has . the temperament yet for Test football, ' It is impossible to say which side will win, but, contrary to most critics, I am inclined, to give the Springboks a much better, chauce than has been accorded them after each provincial game. The weather, after being bitterly cold' at Invercargill, has been in Dunedin as warm as a Scottish heart that hides behind a somewhat dour exterior. \

The Carisbrook Ground was good on Wednesday,, and, all well, should favour the visitors on Saturday, provided the rain holds off