FOOTBALLERS RETURN

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 133, 9 June 1927, Page 18

FOOTBALLERS RETURN

N.Z. UNIVERSITY TEAM

SYDNEY'S HARD PLAYING

FIELDS

"The grounds are like cement on the other side, and the members of the team, more or less, are all suffering from the effects of the hard playing fields," said Professor Boyd-Wihon, manager of the .New' Zealand University Rugby representative team, which yfste?d Cay. frOm Sydaey by the *»"»!■ • The team aid not meet with much success on the tour. In tho three Test games played the Sydney University team won tho rubber, the New Zealand i fif*e,f nonly ginning the second match. The New Zealand side opened its tour against Manly, a team about half-way down the championship ladder, and scored a win by 26 points to 11 "It was seen in this match," said Professor Boyd-Wilson, "that our forwards were more promising than the backs and that was the trouble right through Ihe grounds were by no means to the liking of the team; in fact, tho playing fields affected our players more than anything else." THE TEBT MATCHES. - Referring to the three Test matches, the manager said that, in the first place the Sydney University team was uu- ! penor^to the New Zealand fifteen \ Ineir backs combined beautifully, and I the men on the wings were faster. It ! was a fast, brilliant game, and the Sydney men showed themselves to be great opportunists. The New Zealand forwards- played well, but the backs were disappointing. In the second match New Zealand adopted different tactics, and never allowed the Sydney team to get away with the play. The visitors had the better of the game, and the forwards "played like demons " For the final Test the New Zealand team endeavoured to continue the same tactics, but for some reasop the forwards did not get going for about fifteen minutes, and in. that time the Sydney fifteen put on 8 points. Play in the second half was very fast, and at one time New Zealand led 15-14. Sydney however, put on another three points before tho end, in spite of the fact that the New Zealand forwards finished very strongly. N.S.W. TEAM TOR ENGLAND. Professor Boyd-Wilson said he thought that the New South Wales team for England would be a very powerful one. "Judging from the calibre of the players in the New South Wales team in the match against the combined universities, and thisi was a try-out match for the benefit of the selectors, I think the selected team* will go a long way. in England," he said. , In the match with the University fifteen the backs in the New South Wales team were altogether too clever for the Varsity men. There was much very good material in the team." Professor Wilson has a very high opinion of Sheehan and Ross, and considers them likely players for the English tour. The members of the team found the refereeing of the matches in which they played very satisfactory.. RUGBY IN SYDNEY. Speaking of senior grade football in Sydney, Professor Wilson said that the leading teams, such as Glebe-Balmain and 'Varsity,- were equal, if not superior, especially in back play, to any club team in Wellington. The backs I played a very fast game. They were very nippy and sure, and the "wines" were not crowded. ,