RUGBY ITINERARY SAID TO PUT STRAIN ON BRITISH TOURISTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 March 1950, Page 7

RUGBY ITINERARY SAID TO PUT STRAIN ON BRITISH TOURISTS

Whereas nearly all previous Rugby touring teams have opened their programmes in the North Island, this year’s British team will depart from precedent’ by playing its first match at Nelson on May 10. This is not altogether inappropriate, whites a special correspondent of the New Zealand Herald. It was at Nelson on May 14, 1870, that College v Town met in the first game played in New Zealand under Rugby Union rules. Thus, this year’s tour begins in what may well be regarded as the cradle of New Zealand Rugby. It will be the first time sinpe the 1921 Springbok visit that a major overseas touring team (leaving out Australian sides) has included Nelson in its itinerary. From Nelson the team will go to Westport to play Buller, and then to Greymouth to play West Coast. Here again there is a departure from previous procedure. Hitherto, all matches played by major touring teams on the West Coast have been against the combined strength of the Coast unions. As the challenging union which drew with the redoubtable Otago, Ranfurly Shield holders last year, scoring two tries to one, and with a record ot 11 matches played, seven won, three drawn, and one lost, Buller could be said to have won the right to its own test. Itinerary A Severe Strain Actually, it would not be too much to say that the itinerary at least in the early part, places rather a severe strain on the touring team, which has 'little enough time to become acclimatised before its opening match. Buller cannot be” taken lightly by any visiting side, as Wellington realised last year 'after the chastening experience of being beaten at Westport by 24 to 11. These West Coast matches, too, are apt to bring tempers to an edge, as Philip Nel would no doubt recall. The Welshmen in the British team will find there a Rugby atmosphere akin to that of their own valleys. After their West Coast engagements, the British team will spend two days travelling to Dunedin, with an overnight stop at Christchurch, and will then have only one day’s respite before facing the full strength of an Otago team drawn from last year’s victorious side, plus the powerful Otago contingent which went to South Africa. On the following Tuesday, the British' team will play Southland at Invercargill, and will then return to Dunedin for the first test on the following Saturday, which will be only the sixth

match of the tour.

While making due allowance for the difficulties in arranging the itinerary, it. is hard to resist the conclusion that greater consideration might have been shown to the visitors, who will have little time to settle down before playing some exacting games. Harding’s AngloWelsh team in 1908 opened its tour at Masterton, the 1921 Springboks and the 1930 British team opened at Wanganui, while the 1937 Springboks, who played Auckland in their first match, had had 11 games in Australia and already had been moulded into a powerful side.

Earlier Tours

Naturally, memories of earlier tours are kindled by studying this year’s itinerary. It was at picturesque Cook’s Gardens, Wanganui, that van Heerden, in 1921, excited the crowd by his hurdling tactics. It was ..on the same ground nine years later that W. H. Sobey, in his team’s first match, suffered the knee injury which ended his Rugby career. Wanganui on that occasion • could not cope with the British team’s speedy attack, nor could Taranaki, Manawhenua, or Waira? rapa in the matches that followed. It was left to Wellington in the fifth match to check the touring team’s victorious march. This year’s British team, with its hard core of seasoned Welsh and Irish forwards, rpay offer stronger resistance against the shock tactics which are often saved up for application against /successful touring teams. If so, no provincial pr even All Black team will be able tp eon-, front them confidently once their somewhat exacting early ments have allowed them to get into their stride.