KEEN BIDDING FOR HONOURS

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 104, 4 May 1935, Page 30

KEEN BIDDING FOR HONOURS

FORKING TJP TO NEW ZEALAND TRIALS

(Although the weather could have, feieten.'better, many of the local Rugby ■•'■ Jpotballers stepped off on the right j toot when the- championship competi-' ilpns were set under way last Saturday. As indicated in the notes and comments, published in "The Post" on Monday, not a few of the senior A '■ grade players gave an excellent account of themselves, and there was the evidence that plenty of others will be the .better for their1 first outing of the season under championship condi- , tions. The look-out for candidates for the New Zealand team gives much , added keenness and interest to the first ■ division championship in its early stages, and first indications are that the-battle for honours is going to be .a J keenly-waged affair.' Two drawn : games out of four played in the opening series of the top division competition matches is certainly a good sign. . In its' drawing of matches the Wellington Rugby Union's management com- , jnittee .is obviously doing its best to keep interest alive from- the Jump,, and so far as the second series !is concerned it has - catered well for followers of the game; in dividing the '■ draw to provide for matches today as well as oh Monday (Jubilee Day). Today the, two unbeaten teams in the first divisions were to meet each other, , and this opens the way for more inter- ; est in the matches to follow. Right up to the playing/of the trials for the selec- '■ tion of the New Zealand team local ; club -Rugby should be more eventful ' than is usually the case inthe first part :of ..a season. And in making its plans to cater for the players and the public during a period when interest is going to run particularly high the local man- • agement is adopting a sound policy and at the same time taking a long view. : Until the selection of the New Zealand, ' team—about the-middle of June—players and public alike will be mostly '. concerned with form in the light of re--1 quirementsffor the tour of .the Home countries. And on last Saturday's showings, making allowance for the fact that-teams were only working into form, there should be a really good " offering of material from Wellington ' for the important trials.