Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, AUGUST 13th., 1934. RUGBY REVERSES.

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 August 1934, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. MONDAY, AUGUST 13th., 1934. RUGBY REVERSES.

ZEALAND has too wide a margin of victories in her Rugby contests with Australia to begrudge the latter her great win on Saturday, and the Dominion’s congratulations will be none the less sincere because the home team’s triumph was proof of the progress the Rugby code is making in the Commonwealth. If it was no real surprise to find the Australians winning,—recalling their performances against the Springboks,— the extent of Saturday’s reverse to the All Blacks was unexpected. The next Test will be awaited with added interest, when the result may be reversed. The cabled report of Saturday’s play was not very detailed, and no adequate explanation is yet forthcoming as to the strange reversal of form in Ihe second half, apart from the visiting backs being outplayed. It is a general complaint throughout New Zealand that “backs to-day are not so good as they used to be, ’ ’ and it was apparently a weakness in the rear division that caused the All Blacks to lose on Saturday. The defeat should do good in helping to overcome any excessive confidence prevailing in Rugby Union circles as to supremacy over all other nations. It would be folly to go to the other extreme and despair. It seems, however, that the team to tour Britain next year, has yet to be picked. If it was a “Black Saturday” for national Rugby, there was occasion for lamentation locally, West Coast losing the Seddon Shield to Marlborough by a narrow margin. The visitors’ win was well deserved, they making more use of scoring opportunities. The home side was not at its full strength, and there is sure to be discussions as to what might have been had all the best men been available. However, there will be no desire to diminish any of the lustre Marlborough won, and their custody of the Seddon Shield will, perhaps, cease when the Coast team next visits Blenheim.

Possession of the Shield has helped Coast Rugby Union finances, at a time when great help was needed, and has developed the standard of local Rugby. On the debit side, Shield matches have had detrimental effect on club games, public and perhaps executive interest being mainly reserved for the former. None should claim that this was in the real interests of the code, or of the players as a whole. The present season is too advanced to bring about a desired revival in the inter-club programme, but it is to be hoped that the Union

efforts next year will he more in the recognition of claims for consideration of those players who themselves never, hope to be representatives but without whom, the | code could not exist.