RAPID RISE IN RUGBY

Evening Star, Issue 23301, 24 June 1939, Page 10 (Supplement)

RAPID RISE IN RUGBY

From Junior fo All Black in Two Seasons "NUGGET" PRINGLE'S CAREER Post-war Impressions of Wellington Player [By Racket.] The rise of A. (“ Nugget ”) Pringle from junior to international football within two years of taking up Rugby was one of the features of the post-war development of the game in New Zealand, and though this erstwhile fine All Black forward is a Wellington product, he was well known in his playing days to Otago Rugby followers, having played here for Wellington, To-day he is employed at Dunedin’s Chief Post Office, being just as popular in his official capacity as he was in his playing days. He has also figured in senior cricket in Dunedin as a member of the Kaikorai eleven.

Alex. Pringle played Rugby while attending Berhampore (now Wellington South) School, and others who were to become well-known in Rugby circles later on and who attended school with “Nugget” were Cliff Porter (afterwards a member of the Athletic Club and captain of the 1924 Invincible All Blacks), Don Matheson (Berhampore), Bill Malin (Berhampore), and Frank Malin (Poneke, Wellington, and North Island), while a fellow-pupil was H. E. Wilson, the New Zealand and Australasian champion hurdler of after years. “ Nugget ” started off at school as a front-ranker, and was nominated for the Wellington school reps., but, strange as it may seem, he did not get in the team because he was too big—at the age of 13 he stood sft lOin! In 1913 the future All Black left school, and joining the Post and Telegraph Department, he had no opportunities to play football, as he was working on Saturdays, and the first game of Rugby he saw apart from one or two mid-week representative games was the memorable battle in the mud between New Zealand and the 1921 Springboks, the final test at Wellington, which resulted in a draw. BACK TO GAME. “ Nugget ” was then 21 years of age, and the call of Rugby was beginning to claim him, as he had a few games that year in interdepartmental teams. The P. and T. played the Police and other such sides, and it is interesting to recall that the C.P.O. Pastimes Club won the Ronaldson Cup, played for in Wellington by Public Service teams, and in the P. and T. team there were eight Wellington reps, at the time. They included J. D. King (who was afterwards associated with Pringle in club and representative Rugby—he was manager of the Wellington touring team last year), and Tim Troy (Marist and Wellington rep.). C. K. Griffiths, a five-eighth who played for Oriental, worked in the Post Office, and he persuaded Pringle to play for the Oriental Club. So. in 1922, Pringle, who then stood 6ft 4Jin and weighed round about 14.10, turned out as a member of the Oriental junior fifteen’s pack. Coach of that team was Bob MTlraith, but just prior to June 3 Freddy Roberts (famous All Black halfback of former years) approached “ Nugget ” to play in the senior team. Pringle was a little diffident about his ability to hold his own in senior company so early in his career, but Roberts was adamant —“ You play for the seniors or not at all,” was the injunction, and thus, on Juno 3—a few weeks after his entry into grade football—- “ Nugget ’’ played his first senior game against Marist on Kilbirnie Park. REP. IN FIRST SEASON. The Wellington selectors that year included two famous ex-All Blacks in A. (“Rangi”) Wilson and Freddy Roberts, and they were so impressed with the possibilities of the tall young Oriental packman that in his first season of Rugby Pringle gained a place in the Wellington representative side for every match in the North and South Islands with the exception of that against Hawke’s Bay, in which Wellington lost the Ranfuiiy Shield, this being the beginning of the brightest era in Hawke’s Bay Rugby. PATH TO SUCCESS. There were no secrets about Pringle’s path to success. His object on the field always seemed to be to follow the ball, and wherever it was he tried to be there. By the time the ball was kicked off he was on the line and ready to follow up with all the pace he could muster. In passing, “ Nugget ” remarked that far too many forwards today stand flat-footed before the ball is lucked off and they do not get under way quickly enough. The value of the big fellow’s following up was strikingly shown in a match he played for Wellington in 1923 against a New Zealand Maori team. After the kick-off ho sped straight in line with the ball, fielded it, and sent it across to “ Snowy ” Svenson (afterwards one of the 1924 invinciblos). who scored.

Amonp Wellington representative players at this period wore Tom Price (a brother of “ Dodpcr ” Price, now president of the Wellington Pupby Union). Mansfield (Old Hoys). Tom Grotty, Jack Shearer (the Ponekc player, who represented New Zealand in 1920), .1. T). Kin" (a member of the Oriental Club). Wally Barclay (an Old Boys player who was also a well-known cricketer), W. Mahoney (Marist). A. Thomas (who toured Australia with the New Zealand team in 1925), Gordon Gibson (Old Boys). E. Christopherson (Poneke), W. Faber (Old Boys),

Sammy Standen (a Berhampore player, who was a member of the New Zealand Army team in South Africa in 1919), Mat. Corner (a North Island representative five-eighth), and Tom Muir (an ex-Southland representative, who played for Oriental, and was afterwards living in lj)unediu). Wellington was beaten at Carisbrook by Otago in 1922, in which year the Dark Blues had an unbeaten record. During the game, Standen, the Wellington skipper, suggested that “ Nugget ” should have a kick at goal. . He had two attempts from half-way, the first of which struck the crossbar, and the second bounced underneath. Mark Nicholls had been transferred to Auckland at the time, and the following day a caption in the paper read, “ Successor to Mark Nicholls Arrives.” The joke so far as members of the team wore concerned was that “ Nugget ” had not had a kick previously, nor did he have any further attempts on the tour! '

Pringle was always noted for the excellence of his line-out play, and his remarks on that department of the game are therefore of considerable interest. He expressed the opinion that too many forwards stand flat-footed in the line-outs. They do not keep their eyes on the ball, and quite often attempt to take the ball one-handed. Another point he stressed was the feeding of the half-back or the first fiveeighth from a line-out, which he does not consider is carried out sufficiently, an exception here being F. H. Vorrath. NEW ZEALAND HONOURS. After representing Wellington in 1923, “ Nugget ” gained selection in the North Island team, which was captained by H. Jacob, of Horowhenua, and included such players as Len Righton, Maurice Brownlie, Alf West, Bert Grenside, Sam Gemmell, Quentin Donald, 11. Patterson (Taranaki), Bill Irvine, T. Bevau, W. (“Pat”) Potaka, T. Peina, Jimmy Mill, A. Stewart, Harry Hall, Fred Tilyard, and the late Dave Johnson (who came from Taranaki and represented New Zealand in 1925). Manager and selector was the late Alf. Griffiths (father of J. L. Griffiths, 1936 All Black captain).

In the South Island team were that sterling forward, A. (“Sou”) White, Eric Snow, the late “ Jimmy ” Sinclair, lion Stewart, Len. Williams, L. Peterson, G. Stuart, D. G. Mackay, M. L. Page, Wally Knox, Brian M‘Cleary, J. R. (“ Wampy ”) Bell (one pf the most versatile players produced in post-war Rugby), Dave M'Meeking, Jack Steel, the late J. G. Mackereth. A. Snodgrass, “Jock” Richardson (captain), R. G. Tunnicliffe, W. Watson, W. A. Reid, and Father M'Carthy (the clever Canterbury half-back). The South Island selectors included the late Donald Stuart and Wally Drake.

On a imiddy and well-soaked ground at Athletic Park, Wellington, the game ended in a 6-all draw.

The same year, less than two seasons after beginning grade Rugby, “ Nugget ” Pringle gained a place in the New Zealand team against New South Wales, which had won the “rubber” in Sydney the previous year. A cauliflower ear kept Pringle out of the first test, but he "played in the second test at Christchurch, scoring a try as the result of fast following up.

Tim first test at Dunedin Now Zealand won by 19 points to 9, and the “rubber” was regained at Christchurch, when New Zealand won by 64 to 6. R.G.B. (“Jimmy”) Sinclair did some magnificent place-kicking in that game, converting five tries and kicking a penalty goal.

The New Zealand team for the test at Christchurch comprised 11. G. 11. Sinclair, W. A. Ford, F. W. Lucas, P. Pcina, Dr A. E. Perry, 11. Bell, P. M'Carthy, E. A. Beilis, A. Pringle, J. Richardson, L. Peterson, L. Williams, A. West, D. M'Mecking, and 0Donald.

“ Nugget ” has other cause to remember the 1923 season, because during the season he bad one ear lanced five times and the other seven times!

OMISSION CAUSES SURPRISE.

At the end of the 1923 season Pringle was counted one of the near certainties for inclusion in the New Zealand team for the tour of Great Britain in 1924, but, though he represented Wellington and the North Island, ho did not succeed in gaining selection in the team that was to make history, and his omission caused a lot of surprise at the time.

Actually Pringle took part in four trial matches in the North Island, and his was another case of the folly of a player taking part in a trial when a slight injury prevented him from reproducing the form of which he was really capable. So many players, however, go on to the field in a trial regardless of whether they may be in top gear, and at such times the selectors would be better advised to warn a man against playing. Pringle suffered from a contused thigh muscle, and played in the final trial against medical advice. He had been showing form right through, but had a lapse in this game, and with it went his prospects of AH Black selection.

Misfortune again greeted the big fellow at the beginning of the 1925 season. It will be recalled that in that year a New Zealand team was despatched to Australia comprised of players who had not been in the invincible All Blacks of 1924, and before the_ first game of the season \V. F. Hornig (president of the New Zealand Rugby Union and also president of the Oriental Club) approached “ Nugget ” in the dressing shed and asked if he would be available for the tour of Australia, adding, “ ‘ Nugget,’ you’re in the team,” The match that day was between Oriental and University at Lyall Bay, and in the second spell, while defending the northern goal, Pringle suffered a broken leg from a very heavy tackle. The same year “ Nugget '' was operated on for a broken nose sustained the previous season, and to cap off a year of ill-luck he was operated on for appendicitis! His enthusiasm for the game could not be quenched, however, and he was out again for Oriental in 1926, taking part in all the home matches for Wellington that year, and gaining representative honours again in 1927. He played in one trial match at Wanganui before the New Zealand team was selected for South Africa, and his last game of Rugby was played for the Oriental senior B team in 1928, “ Nugget ’’ being asked to play to combat W. Peck, a good line-out forward with Hutt. Breaking away from a scrum with the ball at toe, he endeavoured to kick the ball but caught the Hutt halfback in the mouth, the unfortunaSe Hutt player suffering numerous fractures of the jaw. This decided the big fellow to end his Rugby career, but for several years subsequently he was a member of the committee of the Oriental Club.

FEATURE OF DUNEDIN RUGBY. One feature of Dunedin Rugby noted by “ Nugget ” Pringle has been the splendid manner in which the forwards heel the ball from the loose rucks, which is constructive football. He is also of the opinion that scrummaging is better in the South Island than in the North, and the way Otago teams of recent years have been moulded into powerful combinations has been a credit to Mr V. G. Cavanagh, who has had so much to do with the coaching of the provincial fifteens. For 15 years “ Nugget played m the senior grade of the Wellington Mercantile Cricket League for the Pastimes Club, and m one game he knocked up 112. A medium-fast righthand bowler, he had some good averages, and since coming to Dunedin has played for Kaikorai both in the senior and intermediate grades.