ALL BLACK OFFICIALS WORRIED

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 55, 7 March 1939, Page 5

ALL BLACK OFFICIALS WORRIED

PENDING TOUR OF AFRICA ARTICLE IN JOHANNESBURG PAPER

A suggestion that New Zealand Rugby Union officials are worried about getting a team of All Blacks to South Africa in 1940 is the basis of an article in a recent issue of the Rand Daily Mail, Johannesburg, written by that paper’s New Zealand cori respondent:— 1 The New Zealand Rugby League I Council has accepted an invitation to j send a team to England next year; I and this decision has caused some j concern among a number of local j Rugby Union officials, particularly in | view of the preparations that are beI ing made for a Rugby Union team to j tour South Africa in 1940, states the article. The professional tour will take place before the trip to South Africa, and what is worrying the amateur officials is that a few of the Rugby Union stars may be tempted to throw in their lot with the league game in the hope of securing the trip to England. A writer in the New Zealand Sports Post has only recently stated that “the possibility of a trip to England is certain to appeal to some union men, perhaps even more so than a visit to South Africa. And nowadays many young fellows near the top don’t care what Rugby game they play, if !here is a chance of making an extended tour abroad.” Keen on New Talent The New Zealand Rugby League authorities are certain to make every effort to strengthen their forces. They are keen on giving a good account of themselves in England, but to do so they will have to choose a much stronger team than that which toured Australia last season and met with some very severe setbacks. The likelihood is that they will attract most of the leading Maori players, for the Maoris are still feeling sore about their experiences in 1928, when not one Maori was included in the team for South Africa.

Rather than wait for history to repeat itself, many Maoris are certair to connect up with the league organisation.

This will not greatly affect the strength of the prospective Rugby union team for South Africa, for at the moment there are no outstanding Maori stars like Nepia in New Zealand, although there are a good many exceptionally fine representative play-

South Africa will be affected chiefly if some of the outstanding stars like Sullivan are attracted to the rival code. It is comforting to know, however, that many exceptionally lucrative league offers have not tempted the brilliant young New Zealand back,

and there is every prospect that he will be one of the party for the union. It will be appreciated by South Africans how keen the All Black authorities are to keep their strength at the very peak, for thqy are desperately keen to wipe out the 1937 defeats, and they realise that they can hope to do so only with the very strongest of teams.