NEW ZEALAND TEAM

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 31, 6 August 1923, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND TEAM

TWENTY PLAYERS CHOSEN.

The New Zealand selectors (Messrs: A. J Griffiths, W. T. Parata, and D. M. btuart) have chosen the following twenty players from whom the team to represent New Zealand in the first lest with New South Wales, at Dunedin, on the 25th August, will be selected :—

Backs. Sinclair (Otago), full-back. J. Steel (West Coast), three-quarter, bnodgrass (Nelson), three-quarter Mackareth (Otago), three-quarter. Potaka (Wanganui), three-quarter. - Peina .(Wanganuij, five-eighth or three-quarter. Bell (Southland), five-eighth. ?• Tilyard (Wellington), five-eighth. MCarthy (Canterbury), half-back. J. Mill (Hawkes Bay), half-back. Forwards. ?;.»? I'? I-eary (Cantert>ury), hooker. M'Meeking (Otago) hooker. L. Williams (Otago). lock. J. Richardson (Southland), support. Eighlon (Auckland), eide or back row. FringJe -(Wellington), support. M. Brownlie (Hawkes Bay), side or back .row.

Gemmell (Hawkes Bay), back row. 1«. Petersen (Canterbury) side or back row.

Jacob (Horowhenua), wing-forward. ("By Drop-kick.") The North and South teams which took the field on Saturday did not comprise the best players of the Dominion, and since the New Zealand selectors have confined their preliminary choice ol players, with one exception, for the New Zealand team to meet New South Wales m the first Test of the coming tour to those who played on Saturday, there is no doubt that on the 25th inst. JSew Zealand' will not be pittin" its greatest strength against the visitors. It seems that there is a certain amount of experimenting being made this year with a view to finding the players for the big tour next year. If that is the case it is ill-timed. There is time enough to experiment when New Zealand is certain that the "Ashes" lost to New South Wales last year can be regained. The knowledge of what New Zealand's best fifteen could do against the visitors would indicate whether the way was dear for trying out players who are likely to be at their best next.year, but until New Zealand is certain of her ground there should be nothing in the way of an experiment. If, as the selectors have proposed during the past few years, a different system of bringing out players was brought into operation, there Would probably be no need for experiments in inter-Island or international matches. The selectors, those of the North Island at any rate, are evidently not satisfied that they have seen all the best of the players, and the general . opinion is that a number of players who are worthy of wearing the fern leaf this year were not included in the Island teams. Maybe some of them were not available; but it does not follow that they should be overlooked because they took no part in the NorthSouth match. Players could not be judged on the game, such as. it waa, on Saturday. It was no"t a day on which the real football qualities could be produced. And yet, that was the only suitable occasion on which the New Zealand selectors were able to view the aspirants for New Zealand honours! With the exception that Richardson, who could not play on account of a broken rib, was chosen, they are picking the New Zealand players from those who battled under adverse conditions on Saturday. True, there were some players who, on the day, did well enough to suggest that they were worthy'of inclusion in the New Zealand team, but generally it was not a day on which the real footballer could be judged. Sinclair was outstanding, and there can be iio doubt that he has a just claim to .the full-back position in the New Zealand team. Snodgrass, M'Carthy, and Tilyard played well on the day, but the other backs did not give many glimpses of the qualification necessary for promotion to the highest rank, in New Zealand Rugby. Even Steel did not show up, except on defence. A few of the backs were obviously out of their class. To sort out the eight best forwards, on the day, waa well nigh an impossible task, but the selectors have named the nine who, in their opinion, were the best. In that nine the names of Stewart (South .Canterbury), and Irvine (Hawkes Bay) are not to be seen, and these two forwards were as good as any on the paddock, other than Jacob and Williams, who could always be picked out. The whole trouble is that the selectors have not been given a reasonably good opportunity of seeing the best players from all the districts. Had the system which they proposed two years ago—the playing of A v. B matches in each island prior to the North-South match—been adopted this year, they would have been able to announce a team in which New Zealand's Rugby supporters would have had greater faith than that which is indicated in the twenty names shown above. Are these players not among the best twenty in New Zealand :—Bellis, Cupples, White, Standen, Fletcher, E. Roberts, H. E. Nicholls, Fea, Ifwerson, V. Badeley (who scored 17 points for Auckland on Saturday), Lucas and Perry (Otago)?