BLAZING THE TRAIL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 162, 28 June 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

BLAZING THE TRAIL

First Tour of South Island By Hawke’s Bay Team Old Players and Games The fact that the Hawke’s Bay representative team will tour the South Island this season recalls to mind that it is just on forty-one years since the first Hawke’s Bay team invaded the southern portion of the Dominion. Hawke’s Bay had some particularly fine footballers in those days, worthy forerunners of the mighty Ranfurly Shield team of thirty odd years later. Though Hawke’s Bay was unable to send their full strength away on their first SQUthern tour—Jack Taiaroa, Uru, Wyvern Williams and Percy, among others, being absentees from the team —the writer has a distinct recollection of them playing a solid game against Otago, though the letter carried too many guns for the Black and Whites; but Otago was probably the best team in New Zealand then.

♦ fU'D followers of Rugby in Hawke’s ” Bay who remember Stoddart’s British team—the greatest overseas combination to ever visit New Zealand —will recollect that in the previous season 1888) the Britishers were just able to defeat Hawke’s Bay by 3 points to 2. That will give some indication as to the ability of Hawke’s Bay to play football in those far-off days; and even if the trip South was not a success from a result point of view it did not mean that the Bay did not know how to play the game. Far from it. The worst beating the team received was at the hands of Otago, and Hawke’s Bay was unfortunate in meeting the Southerners at a time when they were putting into operation the lessons taught them by Stoddart’s team the previous year. STODDART’S LESSONS Dp till the advent of the most famous of all British football teams to visit us, our passing had been somewhat crude. We indulged in the long pass, and our back play was of a very cramped and haphazard character. Stoddart and his men gave us the shorter pass, and initiated us into a style of back formation which became known as “the three half backs,’’ from which developed our half-back and two five-eighths system. Stoddart’s men taught ns to run straighter—one can in one’s mind’s eye see Speakman, the fair-haired Anderton and Stoddart clapping on the pace on the old Caledonian ground in Dunedin against Otago and the South Island, with the Middlesex player going straight as a die for the line—and meeting his fate in the shape of the deadly tackling of Billy Thomas, the Otago full-back proclaimed by the British team as the greatest full-back in the world: and long after Stoddart still considered him the best full-back he had ever seen. It was Otngo who first put the lessons taught by Stoddart’s men into

practice. They were the first to exploit the three half system, and to work the short passes wherever possible. The Otago backs knew their lesson well when they met Hawke’s Bay at Dunedin, and Otago was given credit for having probably the best back team in New Zealand those days, among whom were Pat Keogh, the finest half-back the Dominion has ever seen, Alick Downes, “Chummy” Noel, Gus Restieaux, W. J. Cran, “Osy” Crawford (who in latter years played for Wellington), Jimmy Duncan, Tom Lynch, J. B. Thomson, W. Thomas and J. Hope. In forwards, Otago had giants, m I. W. W. Hunter, Tom Sonntago, J, R. Montgamery, Dick Isaacs, Peter Anderson, Jack Stephenson, A. Esquilant Gibson, of the Taieri, Dave Torrance, E. Morrison and Harry Tressider. A batch of these players Hawke’s Bay met at Dunedin in 1889, and can one be surprised at the result, because a big proportion of them would have got into a New Zealand team had one been selected at the time. As it was Anderson, Downes, Hunter, Lynch, Morrison, Sonntag, Stephenson, Thomas, and Thomson all played for the South Island against the British team captained by A. E. Stoddart. TRIP SOUTH IN 1889 The Hawke’s Bay team left Napier early in August 1889 on the trip South. The players were: Backs, R. Le Quesne. Lowry, W. Wi Hape, James, Mcßae, Duncan Friday Taku; forwards, Robson, White, Hughes, Hiroa, Nathaniel. Morrison, Swan, James Ross, Saunders. Corbett, John Fleming, Hawkins and Johns. The then secretary of the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union (the late Mr. E. D. Hoben) accompanied the team as manager. This was about the period when Jack Taiaroa. Cuthbert. Stewart Hill, Taku and Williams played for the Hawke’s Bay Countv senior team; Percy, Ross, Hawkins, Strachan,

Patterson, Knight, Robinson. Howard and Hughes for the Harners senior team; Gibbons, Stanton, Braddon, Goodall, C. Kennedy, Childs, N. Ken. nedy, Bryson, White, G. Fleming and Cato for the Napier Club; Wi Hape, Nathaniel, Manawaroa, Deymond, Kirker and Allison for the Te Aute seniors, and Wi Duncan for the Heretaunga seniors, and when Dempsey, Howe, Morrison, Fleming, Swan, Mcßae; Le Quesne and Davey were associated with the Pirates Club. The trip to Timaru was a pleasant and successful one. Otago secured the victory over Hawke’s Bay by 3 goals and 7 tries to nil. Canterbury placed a strong team in the field against the Bay. including J. Donnelly, Bean, “Dutchy” Evans, Plank, Riley and Weekes, who had played for the South Island against the British team in the previous season. The visitors put up a great fight and won by a goal to a try. MET WARBRICK’S TEAM During the team’s stay in Christchurch they met Warbrick’s Maori fifteen. Hawke’s Bay was represented by Le Quesne, Taku, Lawry, James, Mcßae, Wi Duncan, Corbett, G. Fleming, J. Fleming, Hawkins, Hiroa, Nathaniel. Robson, Saunders, White, and the Maoris by an excentionallv good team comprising Billy Warbrick. Madigan, W. Wynyard, Gage, Elliott, “Tabby” Wynyard, Fred Warbrick, Williams,. Ellison. Maynard. Rene, Taare, Taiaroa, Alf Warbrick and Arthur Warbrick. Taare was a Hawke’s Bay plaver. Matches commenced late in those days four o’clock being the time of the kick-off; in the Britain v. South Island match at Dunedin in September 1888. the time of commencing was 4.15 p.m., the hour at which a match generally concludes now-a-days. The Maoris won by 13 to 2. For the winners Taare scored three tries, A. Warbrick (2), “Po” Wynyard. Williams. Ellison, and Taiaroa one each,' of which Williams converted one and “Pi” Wynyard another. Robson and Corbett scored for the Bay, who had the better of the game in the last 20 minutes. A try in those days counted one point. The tour was a strenuous one, for Hawke’s Bay played the Maoris on a Thursday, then went by steamer to Wellington to play the Empire City representatives on the Saturday, and across to Blenheim to nlay Marlborough on the Monday The Wei lington team included such fine players as A. J. Stuart (a member of Stoddart’s team which visited New Zealand in 1888) Bob Sim (a splendid full-back), the redoubtable Sid Nicholls (father of Mark and “Ginger” Nicholls), Moorhpuse. Fraser. Reieh, Moore, Sammy Cockroft (the All Black and Queensland representative), Astill and Johnson. It was a particularly solid disgrace to Hawke’s Bay, with the strenuous programme of matches and travelling carried out, to be beaten by 12 to nil. The best players in the Hawke's Bay team that day were Le Quesne, Lowry, Friday, Wi Duncan, Robson, Swan, Corbett and Morrison. One report of the match stated that “the Hawke’s Bay men played very selfishly, passing being conspicuous by its absence.” MATCH AGAINST MARLBOROUGH On the Monday Hawke’s Bay met Marlborough at Blenheim. Hawke’s Bay were the favourites but in the first spell James received a bad kick in the head and Morrison injured his knee, both players retiring, and thus crippling Hawke’s Bay's chances of winning. Marlborough secured the victory by 4to nil. The visitors, were a much lighter team than Marlborough, particularly in the forwards. Duncan, Hiroa, Robson, Corbett, Fleming and Swan were reported to be the best Bay players. The Marlborough fifteen included such wellknown players of those days as Speed. Charlie Ball (who now resides in Masterton). W. Redwood. Nesbitt, F. Dodson. Hale, Mowatt and Gilig. Janies was so seriously injured that he did not leave Blenheim that night with the team en route to Wellington and home.