another record BY OTAGO: TEN ALL BLACKS

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 October 1948, Page 3 (Supplement)

another record BY OTAGO: TEN ALL BLACKS

Otago has added another record to its achievements in the 1948 Rugby season by having 10 players included in the New Zealand team for South Africa. Auckland runs the Ranfurly Shield holders very dose with nine—also a notable achievement—and South Canterbury can be proud of holding third place with three All Blacks.

Some provinces which have previously figured largely in All Black selections fared poorly in this instance. Canterbury supplied two and Wellington and Hawke’s Bay one each. Neither Taranaki nor Southland, both of which have distinguished themselves in the past, managed to produce a single international. The

remaining players were equally divided between Waikato and Wanganui.

The clubs with the largest representation are Ponsonby and Grammar Old Boys (Auckland), each with three.

The previous record for union representation in an overseas touring team is held by Canterbury with, eight members of the 1928 team in Africa, Auckland sent seven players to Australia in 1903 and in 1926, and Wellington sent seven in 1893. There were seven Aucklanders in. each of the 1905 and 1935 teams which toured Great Britain. The 1928 team in Africa had four players from each of Auckland, Wellington, and Hawke’s Bay, two each from Otago and South Canterbury, and one each from North Auckland, Taranaki, Wairarapa, Nelson, and Southland. The 1928 tourists had 15 players from the North Island (as in this instance) and 14 from the South, compared with 15 on this occasion. Previous years in which touring teams have had equal North and South representation were 1922 (12 each) and 1938 (13 each), both to Australia.