BRITISH RUGBY TEAM

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 180, 2 August 1938, Page 10

BRITISH RUGBY TEAM

TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA PLAY IN OPENING MATCH J. WHITE, SPRINGBOK CENTRE'S OPINION. EAST LONDON (South Africa), July 12. In an interview after the opening match of the tour, in which the British Rugby team beat Border 11 points to 8, J. White, Border's captain, said: “I think they are going to develop into a very good side. Their three-quarters are very fast and plfy an unorthodox game, and once they settle down will be dangerous. “Reynolds is as good a man as I have seen in the fly-half position. The forwards wil' have to do much more shoving in the scrums if they are to hold their own against some of our South African packs. “The loose forwards have a tendency not to go into the scrum but merely to lean on It and to break very quickly. This was shown occasionally. when, after they had hooked the ball, we pushed them off It." Rugby enthusiasts to-day were able to reflect on the flashes of dazzling brilliance which were given by the visiting players in the course of their victory over Border yesterday. The visiting team consisted of fifteen individuals, who were mostly unacquainted with one another’s play and had only a week's meagre practice after a long boat voyage. But they worked in harmony from the start with an assurance, which augurs well for the time when they realiy begin to weld into a smoothly working combination. Great Fly-half. Reynolds established himself as a great fly-half by his straight, incisive running! and once the pack begins to | function with the maximum efficiency | as a scrummaging machine, the South ' Africans should be treated to displays of classic Rugby. Although they won the ball from the tight yesterday more often than their opponents, the Britons never seemed to possess real solidity in the | scrums, most of the players packing I too high. It seems, however, that they have but to overcome this difficulty to develop into a splendid comI bination. I The Border players did not give a ! particularly lively exhibition, and the impression which most of the critics seemed to carry away from the ground was that they were lucky to lose by only three points. The play of the home backs could not have assisted the South African selectors In their search for an inside three-quarter to oppose the visitors in the Tests. Springboks' Views. Critics are still guarded in their judgments of the tourists. Two former Springboks, Frank Mellish and W. C. Zeller, who came from Port Elizabeth and Natal respectively to see the match, were extremely reticent today with regard to predictions as to how the Britons would develop, al- ; though they were obviously delighted | with the form shown by the visitors j at the start of their tour. Major Hartley, the manager of the I British side, told Reuter to-day that | they were glad to have begun actually | the playing part of their tour at last. The conditions of the players showed ! that the training on board ship had i been as beneficial as could be ex- | pected. “One thing that yesterday’s | game revealed was that there is exj ceUent team spirit," said Major Hartley. "We have learned, too, that, irrespective of the results of our matches, they will be played in a fine spirit. I would like to say how much we appreciated the attitude of the spectators yesterday. At times the cheering was so great when the British players registered a success that one would have thought the home side and not the visiting team was being applauded."

Border opened the scoring rather 1 against the run of the play, when Kopke was successful with a' penalty kick from thirty yards out. A few ! minutes later Giles made an opening in the Border twenty-five and Unwin put in a determined run to score. Jen- | kins failed with the kick. Unwin gave the visitors the lead when he again secured the ball and beat two opponents with a brilliant » run and crossed the line for Jenkins ! to convert. Just before half-time Rey- ■ nolds failed to find touch from the 1 British twenty-five, and the' Border forwards started a movement which ended in Evans diving over in the 1 corner. Kopke converted to make the 1 scores level at half-time. (8—8). The British side clinched the issue when Macrae dived over after a scuffle on the British line, when the second half was quarter of an hour