FIRST TWO GAMES

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 125, 29 May 1928, Page 10

FIRST TWO GAMES

COUNTRY AND TOWN ARMY TOUR RECALLED

(By "Drop-kick.")

11l their first two 'matches of their tour the All Blacks have engagements similar to those made for the New Zealand Army team on the occasion of its visit to South Africa in 1919. The first match of the present tour is to be played to-morrow against a team from the Western Province country clubs, which provided the first game.for the Army team. The second match, as was the case on the Army team's tour, will be against a team representing the Capetown clubs, to be played next Saturday. v The Army players, in their first two matches in Capetown—or, to be more exact, at Newlands, some few miles from Capetown—felt the effects of the voyage from England; indeed, they were very hard-pressed to avert defeat. Strong opposition was experienced in both games, the second—against Town —being probably the harder of the two. Tne first match was won by 8 points to C, and the second drawn, 3-3. It is not unlikely that the experience will be the same with the All Blacks, that the Town team, to be met on Saturday, will be a harder proposition than the Country. Information, from various sources in South Africa points to the fact that a number of Town players are likely to find places in the South African Test teams. And it'has to be borne in mind that the province with Capetown -as headquarters is regarded as the strongest in South Africa; though tho Town team will not represent the West' crn Province's full strength it should not fall far short of rt. . Whatever the result of to-morrow's match, tho game on Saturday should afford a better line on the prospects for tho tour. . CROWDS AT NEWLANDS. Big as the crowds were on- (lie occasion of the Now Zealand Army team's matches in Capetown, they promise to be far and away greater for the opening games of the All Blacks' tour. Although work on an extensive scale has been dono to provido much more accommodation, it is considered that thousands will bo unatile to gain admission to the ground at Newlands. It was estimated that there were twelve thousand at tho match between the Army team and the Country districts, and overfifteon thousand at tho match, New Zealand Army v. Town. A big advance on those figures is expected to-morrow and on Saturday. Writing of those who follow the football at Newlands a Wellingtonian states: —"The football crowds at Ncwlands are, I suppose, the most cosmopolitan that ever attend a football match. Three parts of the spectators, and more are coloured— there are South African blacks, Cape eoloureds, Malays, and Indians, in particular. Of the whites, the majority, I should say, are Dutch. Then there are the English and the Jewish races, Czocho-SlovaMans, Bussians, French, Belgians, and other races. The Malays have their own stand, and with their red-and-black fezs they add a sparkle of colour to the surroundings. The Malays are keen supporters of the Euglby code and know,..every point of the game. They are quick to perceive a fine move or a neat bit of play, and they applaud well. They never criticise bad play, but look only for the good points shown by players. Part of the ground is enclosed for the remaining coloured enthusiasts, and from this quarter there is a great babble of voices." DITPBRBNT FORMATIONS. ' The battle of styles is bound to arouse considerable interest, as it did •when the Army team made its first appearances in South Africa, and it-is interesting to recall somo of the comment passed after tho matches with Country and Town in 1919. A section of it ran as follows: — " 'Seven will beat eight,' sny the New Zealand theorists. 'Prove it,'.saysHie South African school. If tho All Blacks succeed in proving their theory —they have not yet done ho to their entire satisfaction—we in this country think that we know how we can best utilise the services of that extra man. With a firm belief in their convictions, tho All Blacks have Tbecn subjected to a

most gruelling experience in their two opening matches, aiid our forwards — who have had little praise and not a little criticism since tho season opened—have every right to bo proud of their performances. In 1914 the Transvaal and tho Griqua players asserted to-me that Western Province forwards were streets ahead of the Western Province backs. They paved the way for every great victory; perhaps there has been a tendency to judge collateral form by that high standard. That two Western packs—one, the Country, admittedly a great honest pack, and tho other, tho Town—could take up our visitors' gage as they did, and light this skilful formation and more skilful exponents at their strongest point, was moro than anyone dare hope for. That they outstayed tho visitors si Jittlc bit was inevitable, for, added to tho long voyage, remains the fact that they have played no football since the 17th April —and three months' abstention from the game is not conducive to a superabundance, of skill and polish." Except for "an exhibition game and odd 'practices, the present All Blacks have had no football for practically seven months. ' CLUBS, AND FLAYEKS. Inter-club football in the Western Province has been in full swing since April, so that tho players to oppose the All Blacks in the two games this week should lack nothing on the score of fitness. Representative matches have also offered chances of developing combination.. Among the clubs playing* in. and around Capetown this season are the following:—Stcllenbosch, Van der Stcl, Hainiltons, Gardens, University, Somerset West, Malmcsbury, Maitland, Moorreesburg, Paarl, Villagers, and Wellington. If the division of Town and Country is made in the same way as when the Army team was in South Africa, to-morrow's Country team against the All Blacks will como from such clubs as Wellington, Malmesbury, Paarl, Moorreesburg, etc., whilo the Town representatives will be supplied by such strong clubs as Stellenbosch, Somerset West, Gardens, Hamiltons (Sea Point), University, and Villagers. . Some interesting liotes regarding play and players are jnst to hand from Capetown. J. van Niekerk, one of Capetown's leading backs, injured a knee during a practice game early last month, and it was expected that he would be out of action for some weeks. K. Starlce, another outstanding three-quar-ter, played brilliantly for Somerset against Gardens, who wore beaten by 41 points to nil. A- first-of-the-season "-match between Hamiltons and Stollenbosch was very disappointing. Nolte and Eksteen (tho latter a new arrival from Eastern Province) were the outstanding backs for Stellenbosch. Nolte, at fly-half, was full of vim and initiative, and completely overshadowed Osier, who played a very minor role indeed. The latter was probably biding his time, and with the prospects of big encounters ahead he was evidently not taking any unnecessary risks. "But," said one critic, "knowing his pristine glory, it was irritatingly anomalous to see him reduced by Nolte to a state of complete impotence." Forwards always -to the fore in this game were Jan. Picnaar, Daneel, and Theunnissen. Osier, Tiudall, and Van Wijk, of the Sea Pointers (Hamiltons), arc regarded as three certainties fon international honours, while Keet, Guthrie, Louw, and George Pienaar are considered to have good claims to recognition. Discussing the prospects against t)>c Now Zealandors, a Capetown critic stated:—"Even now our centres and halves are not of the standard wo could wish for. Wings, full-back, and forwards are as good as ever they have been, but the uncertainty of the hub round which the wheel turns may well prove our undoing when wo are faced by the might of New Zealand."