ALL BLACKS CHOSEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 June 1935, Page 5

ALL BLACKS CHOSEN

SELECTORS’ LONG SITTING

GILBERT AS FULL-BACK

[PEE PBEBB ASSOCIATION.]

WELLINGTON, June 16.

The All Blacks Selection Committee sat for five and a-half hours attar Saturday’s final All-Black trial game here to complete the picking of the team for England. Ten had previousbeen chosen, leaving nineteen to be selected. The' Committee at 11.5 p.m. announced the final selection as follows: —

Full-back: G. Gilbert (West Coast). Three-quarters: G. F. Hart (Canterbury). C. J. Oliver (Canterbury). T. H. C. Caughey (Auckland). N. Ball (Wellington). H. Brown (Auckland). N. Mitchell (Southland). j • Five-eighths: J. B. Page (Wellington). E. Tindill (Wellington). D. Solomon (Auckland)., J. Griffiths (Wellington). Halfbacks: B. Sadler (Wellington). M. Corner (Auckland).

Hookers.: W. E. Hadley (Auckland). A. Lambourn (Wellington). D. Dalton (Hawke’s Bay). ■ 1 Front Row: J. Hore (Otago). C. Pepper (Auckland). G. Adkins (South Canterbury). Locks: T. Reid (Hawke’s Bay). J. Best (Marlborough). R. King (West Coast). W. Collins (Hawke’s Bay). Flank Forwards: R. M. McKenzie (Manawatu). J. E. Manchester (Canterbury). H. F. McLean (Auckland). J. Wynyard (Waikato). F. Vorrath (Otago). A. Mahoney (Bush Districts).

THE FINAL TRIAL. WELLINGTON, June 16. Rugby which showed something of a good All Black standard was revealed yesterday before 30,000 spectators in perfect weather, when the Possibles beat the Probables by 25 to 11 at Athletic Park. The teams were:—

PROBABLES. Full-back: R. Busti (Auckland). Three-qtiarters: N. Ball (Wellington), T. H. C. Caughey (Auckland), H. Brown (Auckland). Five-eighths: E. Tjindill (Wellington), first; J. Griffiths (Wellington), second. ** * - ' Half-back: F< D. Kilby (Wellington). 1 ' ■ . Forwards: Back row —A. H. Andrews (Wellington); middle row—A. Mahoney. (Bush Districts), C. Steere, (Wanganui), R. Ross (North Auckland), H. Mataira (Hawke’s Bay); front row—P. Fastier (Taranaki), D. Dalton (Hawke’s Bay), R. Hull (Wellington) . . ' POSSIBLES. G. Nepia (East Coast). Three-quarters: E. Holder (Buller), N. Mitchell (Southland), G. Bullock Douglas (Wanganui). Five-eighths: D. Solomon (Auckland), J. R. Page (Wellington). Half-back: M. Corner (Auckland).

Forwards: Back row —F. Solomon (Auckland); middle row—T. Harrison (Taranaki), N. Trass W. Collins (Hawke’s Bay), J. Wynyard (Waikato).; front . row —J. - Leeson (Waikato), A. Lambou t rn (Wellington), C. Pepper (Auckland). Emergencies: B. S. Sadler (Wellington), H. Lilburne (Wellington), W. Hadley (Auckland), T. Reid (Hawke’s Bay). Mr H. J. McKenzie (Wairarapa) was the referee.

Forward play of bpth sides was up to the best All Blaak traditions, but the form in the rearguard was inclined to patchiness, though good individual form was revealed. The Probables’ forwards commenced well, but after the play had settled down, the Possibles’ pack raked the field in sterling rushes, to help their team to a fourteen to nil lead within twenty minutes of the start. The play then evened up, and at the interval the Possibles’ lead was 14 to 11. In the second spell the Possibles drew away again, and they added. 11 points while the Probables failed to enhance their score. In two fine packs, W. Collins, of Hawke’s Bay, stood out as a great heavyweight' forward. During the middle stages of the game he burst through the ■ rucks ... with remarkable vigour, and dashed away to set his flank backs in action. J. Wynyard, of Waikato, who is one of New Zealand’s tallest forwards, was brilliant in the line-out and rucking play. T. Harrison, the Taranaki Maori, played his best game of the trials, and was right up to standard as a great rucking forward. Pepper (Auckland) played with bulldog determination, and he led many rushes. On his form, he played J. Leeson (Waikato) out of the All Blacks, in spite of Leeson’s very fine game.

A. Lambourn (Wellingotn) hooked well, but he lost possession through a structural weakness in the scrum.

On the opposing side, A. Mahoney (Bush Districts) did great line-out work. D. Dalton (Hawke’s Bay) showed ability both as a hooker and as a hard rucking packman. R. Ross (North Auckland) and R. Hujl (Wellington) revealed form that was on the verge of the best All Black class. Neither H. Andrews (Wellington) nor F. Solomon (Wanganui) appealed, as both interfered with, rather than assisted, their forwards. Both Kilby and Corner received an equal share of the ball. Kilby played a fine game, but Corner was the more nif>py, revealing a youthful vigour which offset the tactical superiority of the opposite half.

E. Tindill (Wellington) playing the first five-eighths game of his career, revealed form which brought him

right into line for selection. G. Nepia was a last-minute full-back in' the 192$ team and he made good. Tindill ■ is a last-minute 1935 five-eighth, and his selection may prove similarly successful. J. R. Page (Wellington) again revealed good form. D. Solomon (Auckland) showed a brilliant < defence, which practically made him a certaintv, though his general live-eighth play was not over-impressive.. J. Griffiths (Wellington) played solidly again, shining in defence. N. Ball (Wellington) played an impressive I wing three-quarter game to score one brilliant try from half-way. T. H. C. Caughey (Auckland) came into the picture late, with a series of devastating runs. ‘ N. Mitchell (Southland), H. Brown. (Auckland) and E.» Holder (Buller) played sound and solid football as three-quarters- Neither Holder nor G. Bullock-Douglas had a real chance to show their best form, as the play did not go their way often. At full-back, Bush (Auckland) was better than G. Nepia (East Coast), .who was the idol of the crowd, but neither of them was up to the best All Black standard, except in kicking. Mitchell - (Southland) and R. Ross (North Auckland) and Ball retired during the game with minor injuries. H- Lilburne (Wellington) and ‘G. Orman (B.uller) replaced the firstmentioned two. B. S. Sadler (Wellington) was slightly injured when ; sitting on a temporary stand, which collapsed during the game. ;

PLAYERS INJURED .

WELLINGTON, June 17.

Several players were injured in the match on Saturday, but nothing of a serious nature occurred. Ball was carried off on a stretcher, but recovered in the ambulance room.

WESTPORT AND HOLDER.

WESTPORT, June 16.

The non-inclusion of Eddie Holder in the All Black touring team, stated a Buller Rugby Union official, came as a stunning blow to many of his admirers in the Buller District. About half of the community waited for the wireless announcement of the team late on Saturday evening, never dreaming that Holder would not be included, but thinking that Orman as a hooker, might also be regarded as worthy of the honour. Holder has been scoring tries and goals in almost every big match in which he has played in the last five years, and he, was described by an overseas team as the best three-quarter they had met on tour in New Zealand. Holder, who is better and speedier now than he then was, is regarded as singularly unfortunate in being excluded.

PREVIOUS TOURS. i

The All Black team chosen is made up of sixteen forwards and thirteen backs, where the 1924 team contained 15 forwards and 14 backs. The 1924 All Blacks played thirty matches in Great Britain and France, winning all of them, to score 721 points against 112 points. They defeated England by 17 points to 11, Ireland by 6 point's to nil, Wales by 19 points to nil and France by3o to 6. No match was played against Scotland. 'Their nar rowest victories were against Somerset (6-0), Gloucester (6-0), Ireland (6-0), Cambridge (5-0), . Newport (13-10), Llanelly (8-3), and England (17-11). The 1905 All Blacks played 33 games in Great Britain and France, winning 32, losing the match against Wales (0-3), and scoring 868 points against 47. The 1928 New Zealand team which toured South Africa played 22 matches, won 16, lost 5 and drew one, scoring 339 points against 144. The matches lost were against the Western Province —Combined Town (3-7)’, Transvaal (0-6), First Test v. South Africa (0-17), Third Test (6-11), Western Province (3-10). The second test was won (7-6) and the fourth (13-5). The match against the Northern Provinces was drawn (18-18).