Our National Field Game

NZ Truth, Issue 1017, 23 May 1925, Page 14

Our National Field Game

Doings m Town and Country Notes About the Players and their Play

(By "Tackier.")

' The 1925 All Blacks are selected! " Left at the post— the 1924 All Blacks. , ¥he Sydney 'Varsity boys are here, 'and the tour is opened. . Only three of this year's All Blacks Donald, Bell and Righton. ' "Tackier" tipped. •Ted McKenzie for the Sydney manager's job. The team will like the big fellow, • 'Varsity are at the head of the competition m Wellington, and a lot of people want to see' them remain there. Kaikorai .stumbled when they met 'Varsity A at ..Duriedin" test Saturday. They were' beaten by 14 points to 9. The New Zealand ißugby Annual for 1925 is published. Copies . may •be ..obtained from. G. W: ;;Slade, ; . Ltd., ( publishers, Wellington. ' ' ; , ''/,' .■ - It is pleasing to see Denny Wise, the Dunedin Pirates' wing, get a chance m big football. Sure to make good, this boy. • Ces Badeley is travelling New Zealand with the All Black moving picture. Ces, always a good speaker, explains, different phases of the play. The New Zealand and the Sydney 'Varsities meet m their test match at Dunedin to-day. In the New Zealand team most, of the names are familiar. Marist upset Berhampore at Wellington last Saturday. The Greens played hard right throughout, and they would have been unlucky to - havelost. . Apparently the Technical A team m the Wellington seventh competition is after a. thousand points this season. In three games to date they have scored 177 points and ' have yet to have a point scored against them. Law", the Manawatu 'winger' m the 1925 All Blacks, hadvthe good fortune to play three great games last season m the presence of at .least one N.Z. selector. W. A. Guy was present at Stratford for the Taranaki—Man'awatu match, Norman McKenzie saw the colt m the Hawkes Bay— Manawatu game and nearly the 'whole bunch were up at Palmerston the day Law showed out against Steel andßobilliard. He hasn't struck- form yet this season but he's a wing.^urely and simply and isn't lijcely.-'to do anything sensational playing all over the universe. Wairarapa followers of Rugby are anxiously 1 awaiting!, ' Harvey's .re^appearance, but^ttie 1 All BlackV,is; ; not fit yet. There are persistent rumors to the effect : th^. ; Har^y!iV 1 -r'e"tirement" will prove permanent; 1 but lans present intention is ; to-^play; as soon as he is' well enough. Great .excitement at Pahiatua last Saturday. Red Star having' the Wairarapa * bye trekked ; ;"to ' " Bush to take on Hamua who the; odd-man -out m that vicinity. Despite the ringingin of All Blacks Nepiaand Paewai; Hamua went to the pack by a couple of points (6 — 8). J> Wonder whether the St,ars- will want to take Hawkes Bay on*' solo on June 3?.. After receiving deputations from the majority of Wellington's senior clubs, Harold Sly; the Mariawatu forward, threw m his jersey with Oriental. A good joke! When the -late Arch. McMinn (who' scored two tries when New -Zealatnd, beat Australia' at Dunedin iri." : .'-19O5)0twas returning to Palmerstori: North he travelled with Stan. Wickham,- Jimmy Henderson and Co. The succeeding -.game to the test was > against Haykes Bay-Manawatu-Horowhenua :a£, Palmerston North;The;. Aussies wouldn't . |> elie.ve -4t : ; (.iiyX it was nevertfrelessVa^v;facty when Archie told them the selectors of the combined ' team had passed him over. New Zealand; rep. not good enough for Manawatu! Three years later he scored one- of the, mostfybjilliant tries ever .seen in si (, the MHhaijinratur-Horo-whenua' match , against -V Harding's Anglo -Welshni6n.^^; Jack Stalker was the Manawatu^paptain and the referee was none other than Ted McKenzie, chairman", of the 1924-1925 New Zealand selection conimittees. , * ■';.■ .Featherston now, have three Donalds playing m the forwards, Hhe newcomer being lan, a younge^ibrother {of Jim and Quentiri. Lan has all the ginger so characteristic of • his brothers' play, but has some, way .to go, yet before he .reaches their 'standard"/^ •" ' The* Rugby ;/Annual for 1925 ? -is out. There are a*■ couple of -errors m the ■3Meiv Island.'? section and the writer, would like -to l '"see theni':' corrected' nex.tyear; In the 1919 game. W.^ Bain is given the half-back's position arid'Begg *is .put amongst the ..forwards. This is a : transposition; Billy ! "Bain •■ ; was va' iiobker, and, is still,, and „ a good one. top, while Beggr was the half,' a position v he occupied for '^arsity m Dunedin. ... ■■ ; '■■■'■'■■. -;••■<•'. ' ''■ I--,"' .-. ■'• ■'■'.' - : , Tihe pther mistake i, is m the 1923 match. The South .{lsland tries are given as having.been- scored by- Snodgrass and Stewart. , Snodgrass* got his try all rights after skidding along the greasy surface; for -about eight yards, but the try. credited, to Ron Stewart was- obtained by^Len; l Williams.. The North-^South ' game is to be played ; at Invercargill . this year. It is 'jiist about time that thfe; match was played elsewhere than ■'Wellington. The Southland Union 'have a fine ground m Riigby Park, albeit (that' the going may upset the northerners. „ . . \ ■(• Prior to their leaving ;f or Sydney the 1925 All Blacks are to play a game

against .Wellington and it has been set down for Juhe;3. ' . ■ :

Ghris. .Mcßae, -who plays for Marist (Wellington); must be one of the biggest men playing football to-day. Mc r Rae has great height, and if he would only move himself on the line-out he would be a splendid asset to his team. Somehow or the other his feet seem to be made of lead, and Mcßae will not jump for the ball. Another thing about him : he is too, careful. It would be great to : seetliim .get annoyed— he might then shpfy- us something! In "the 'Marist^-Wellin^ Wellington last} Saturday .■there .-^fire three pugsi m faction, two jVoh thl& Berhampore side T^nd the! remaining bine for Marist. /■ Towards the close of the game a Berhampore' player .= tried to plant a \ef hp6k,ion> a; Greenijerseyed man, but •; lie :?wasn't pne of the pugs. It is only the ordinary mortals who would -try that— the pug has too much self-restraint. .

Published last week by the New Zealand Union, and edited by Mr. T. A. the v-.w'ell-.known reiaree and member of the New Zealand; ex- . ecutiye, "School Football," Th.j book -is' 1 -! dedicated ; T 'tp bpyS-y attending . fie schools m. Zealahd;: and contains nine 1 chapters dealirig, with ; diffeieot aspects ! of the game., : Cominq'at -the time it doe's, the- book is sure to ~be. devoured from ' cover to cove^ by every lad m. the country, and there ; is not the least doubt but, that the' contents w.ill m years to c6flife' i have.' iav:wdnclerfui ■ effect on our foptballi ''School ' Foptbalt'' is/ going to' prove an adniirabie • text-bbbk^ and "trackler'' would nqt^hes^tiLteiri advising, a ;lot pL our senior" players to ■ study it. v It was ; a. y^ry' Vise' thought on ;the part the New Zealand Union to^issui; the book, and the right gentleman to' edit it was^ selected. - - : >'■■■' '■'■ ,'■■. ;-■ :^.\!^--\'~-.', ' The football public of :New; ZealaEd would like to i see' the New 'Zealand Union arrange i mateh f between last year's Air Blocks and. the; present team after the latteiv;returri.3f rony Sydney. ; ThV;Ghristchurchßpys' % High; School had two representatives, m the All Blacks last' year,, namely, Parker and Dailey. This yeax they -have two

more— Harris (Canterbury) and Dickson (Otago). . The^ All Black team announced at the beginning of the week has met with general approval, one and. all agreeing that the selectors have • carried out their task well. The only fault the writer can find; with it is the' inclusion of Thomas. If there are not better forwards m New Zealand than Thomas, there is something wrong somewhere. The non-inclusion of a forward and a back from last year's team is, to "Tackler's" mind, a' mistake. On paper it appears as though a leader for both the vanguard and -the rearguard will be wanted before tlie tour, is over. A coach told the writer last week ,that his tearii would. give their opponents a good shake. T>he coach was the Marist official m Wellington, and if his team only administered a shake last Saturday, what's going to happen when they decide to have a decent win? The Otago selectors have been subjected to criticism for having nominated only two players for inclusion m the New Zealand team for Australia. Several players who would have been nominated were not available, and the selectors rightly limited the. nominations to those who, m their opinion, had reasonable claims for inclusion. .-.•■■■ v Wise, one of the Otago representatives •m the team, is a young player with most of his football, m front of him. He is a dashing wing, and learned the game at the /High School, under the guidance of Jimmy Duncan. The choice of D.ickson came as a surprise down South, for good forward though he was a couple of seasons ago, Dave has not since been en-titled-to be termed a classy forward. Sammy Piki, the diminutive half who played behind the Merivale pack som'e years ago, has been transferred from Nelson to Dunedin, • and is due m the Southern city any time now. The Otago Union has granted the President of the local Referees' Association tbe privilege of sitting on the Union as an .associate member. This is a move that will undoubtedly be of benefit to both bodies. ' . When/ the lease of the-- Caledonian Ground m Cknedin-is offered at the end of the setisqn .. there is-' likely to be keen competition for 'it, arid as a result the new; rental is likely to soar -toi dizzy heights. ' • The selector of the New ; Zealand" '"Varsity team for the test at Carisbrook to-day has, chosen Syd. Cabot as wing-forward. In club ■ games m Dunedin Syd. is not considered good' enough 'to find a place m the- students' A team. • Someone's ., judgment must be at 'fault, •.•••'