BIG RUGBY TOUR

Evening Star, Issue 19710, 10 November 1927, Page 10

BIG RUGBY TOUR

SOUTH AFRICAN PLANS MATCH PROGRAMME ALTERED HEAVY TRAVELLING., [Sr KOI AC TO TUB ' STAR.'] CAPE TOWN, September 80. In view of tho amended sailing date of the All Blacks from Now Zealand next year tho South African Rugby Board has mado considerable alteration to the itinerary. The revised programme, with tho dates of matches now supplied, will reduce the amount of travelling for the Now Zealanders by some hundreds of miles, but there wdl still bo numerous long journeys. In fulfilling all engagements the All Blacks will cover some 6,000 miles by train. , Night journeys by train _ will be necessary, according to the itinerary, on eleven occasions, and there will also bo much travelling by day. From the afternoon of June 4 to tho evening of June 5 the team will be travelling from Cape Town to Kimberley. Then will follow a journey—a sight-seeing trip—of about two and a-halr days to the Victoria Falls, and in the hope that New Zealand will agree to this arrangement a match at Bulawayo has been included in the programme. From the Falls to Bulawayo there will be a night journey by train, and a day and a-half will ho spent in proceeding from Bulawayo to Johannesburg. _ Other one-night journeys will be:—Kimberley to Pretoria, Johannesburg to Durban, Maritzburg to Bloemfontein (26 hours), Aliwal North to London, Kingwilliamstown to Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth to Oudtshoorn, and Oudtshoorn to Capo Town (24 hours). Some relief' from travel will be obtained at intervals during the tour. For a start tho team will have ten days in Capo Town, during which two matches will be played. Later on the team will be in Johannesburg, first for five days (with one match), and then for ten days (with two matches, including a test). They will spend a week in Durban (where the second test is to be played), and nine days at Port Elizabeth, whore the third test lakes place). Finally, tho team will bo in Capo Town for eleven days, playing two matches (including the fourth tost). The programme lor tho tour is now as follows: — May 21.—Arrive Durban, per Euripides. May 22.—Proceed by Euripides to ’ Capo Town, arriving there on May 26. May 30.—First match, at Cape Town. June 2.—Second match, at Cape Town, Juno 4.—Leave Capo Town for Kimberley. Juno s.—Arrive Kimberley. Juno 6.—Play at Kimberley. Juno 7.—Leave Kimberley for Victoria Falls. Juno 10.—Arrive Victoria Falls. June 11.—Leave Victoria Falls for Bulawayo. Juno 12.—Arrive Bulawayo. June 18.—Play at Bulawayo. June 14.—Leave Bulawayo for Potchefstroom via Johannesburg)!. June 'l6-19.—At Johannesburg (no match). Juno 20.—Play at Potebcfstroom. June 21-25.—At Johannesburg, playing a match on 23rd. June 26.—Leave Johannesburg; arrive Kroons tad. June 27.—Play at Kroonslad. June 28.—Leave Kroonslad for Kimberley via Bloemfontein. June 29.—Arrive Kimberley. June 30.—Play at Kimberley. July I.—Leave Kimberley for Pretoria. July 2.—Arrive Pretoria. July 4.—Play at Pretoria. July s.—Leave Pretoria; arrive Johannesburg. July 7.—Piny at Johannesburg. July 14.—First test., at Johannesburg. July 15. —Leave Johannesburg- for Durban. July 16.—Arrive Durban. July 21.—Second tost, at Durban. July 23.—Leave Durban; arrive Ma- ’ ritzburg. July 25.—Play at Maritzburg. July 26.—Leave Maritzburg for Bloemfontein. July 27.—Arrive Bloemfontein. July 23.—Play at Bloemfontein. ' July 30.—Leave Bloemfontein for Ali- ' wal North via Rurghcrsdorp; arrive Aliwal North._ August I.—Play at Aliwal North. August 2.—Leave Aliwal North for East London via Burghersdorp, August 3.—Arrive East London. August 4.—Play at East London. August 7.—Leave East London; arrive

Kingwilliamstown. August B.—Play at Kingwilliamstown. August 9.—Leave Kingwilliamstown for Port Elizabeth. August TO.—Arrive Port Elizabeth. August Fl.—Play at Port Elizabeth. August 18.—Third test, at Port Eliza-

beth. August 19.—Leave Port Elizabeth for Oudtshoorn. August 20.—Arrive Oudlshoorn. August 22.—Play at Oudtslioorn. August 23.—Leave Oudtsbooru for Cape Town. August 24.—Arrive Cape Town. August 25.—Play at Cape Town. September I.—Fourth test, at Cape

Town. September 4.—Leave Cape Town per Ceramic for New Zealand via Australia.

The original proposal was for the team to disembark at Durban and play the first two matches of the tour at Maritzburg and Pretoria.