RUGBY

NZ Truth, Issue 1018, 30 May 1925, Page 10

RUGBY

Some SorryfSelecting PROVEN PLAYERS PASSED./ ' Suggested Rep. Side. (By "Tackier.") " . The last three seasons has witnessed representative football m Wellington at a very low ebb. Our , -club football has been of a -much higher standard than; that seen m outside provinces, .yet strangely., enough,, when it came to the rep. games we had to play second fid r die., Will it be such a; case this .year?- : ■ ■ .■', ' ':::. .'. '" . ".'-' : : '•; ; Since the task of selecting/ Wellington rep. teams was „ lifted -from the shoulders of Messrs. Alf. Griffiths, Cliff Ramsden and Ned Perry, there has been much comment on! the.manner m which representatiye v honors were handed out.' - i ■ v ■■■ The selection for the^last three years has been entrusted to proven footballers, men of the" calibre: of Messrs 1 . Pred Roberts, Billy^-Wallace and Rangi Wilson,; and others not proven; - ThisVyear another change was made and Clem Green took the seat of Billy Wallace, and the selection comiriittee' now comprises Messrs. Wilson, 1 Green and Buck. ■When the names of the selectors were first announced' they did, hot give the. , public and players ' any confidence. iTo one and all it "was evident that- a ,clean sweep was \necessaryr7T-that new blood should: be tried. Howeveriithe i executive of 'the Wellington^ : > Union m it's wisdom decided '■", to retain : two, of last year's failures, and with Wallace not Standing, Green was given the other position. ' .: The Big Three have completed their first task— that of choosing a team to meet the All Blacks next Wednesday. In all, the selectors had five matches tb go on before picking "their team, and perhapsi at this early stage of ,the se son they" may be excused for initial blunders, but the fact, remains that the twenty-one players selected are not the ibe'st twenty-one . m Wellington today.' ' ' ■ :>>■■■. v. / /;.;;:;,■'■' '.;■ ;."•■ . The players. selected to: go into trains Ing are: Mark Nicholls, Harold ("Doc") Nicholls, HaAykins (Petone); Waltex-s, Goodall, De^ere (Berhampore); Porter, Svensbn,; Osborne, Duncan, Warwick (Athletic); Gibson,", Bi Wilson. (Pon- :■ elce);; Walpole, Martin-Smith, O'Regan (University); Muriel Sly - (Oriental) ; H.iirn, ; Bedell (Old Boys) ; Fisher (Hiitt). \i". i •.:'■■"=■.■ ■. "On reading over tne above names one wonders „ what ©is., wx-ong with: the -'Shearers,- : -' Mat > Corner, , ; Cummings, Hickey: and Fred Tilyard. Some of these should replace.- Hawkins, Murie, GibsonV'Bedell,, Wilson, and Walpole. . Then again. 1 , Duncan (Athletic), is picked 'before' his 'namesake from. Berhampore. ; To the; writer's mind the 1 most harshly dealt ; with player; is Jack . Shearer, easily; one q( our [\ best forwards; : Is it a case i of ', personal spite that he; is given the cold, shoulder?; .The 'writer, if the., task of selecting , the : team was to come his >Vay, would go for ' • I many drastic : „ changes.' New bibbd Avould be my motto. ■; TJo my way of ..thinking the twenty-one ;to go into training -should have been: Backs— falters, Hickey, Cummings, F. Tilyard, Svensbn, Corner! M. Nicholls,; Warwick;" Fisher, and Doc Nicholls. 1 Forr wards— Martin-Smith, , Barclay, S. \ Shearer, Duncan (Berhampore), Sly, Gopdail, J. Shearer, Deere, Mathiesoni; O'Regan, and Porter. ■ ; ■ 0 -From this a great team could be .-'selected, say one similar to this: •■• "■,; "• ''.-'■■ 'I Walters <.'■.■,■'•■':."'"'''■ iSvensdn, i Cummings, N . Tilyard ,V ; . . Corner,.. M. Nicholls .v ■'■'.',;..■"-■ • . : Warwick^ ,-%' ' . • ■^'■■:\ ■■.'.■■'•■ .-■• ;;■■ '-'■■■'-'■'..■ •.'''-:"'■!■•> -'' Porter. :: Deere, Sly (back row) , : ; . ';.' , J; Shearer, ;;> Goodall ' Martin-Smith, Barclay • (hookers.) v Perhaps the above team will 'causjj a lot of people to gasp, but gasping won't : win /matches. . '■•'.■/■■. '..'..;. : - . .'!•" ■ : ■'' ■■■■!■ ; Walters of course meets with univerBar'favor. ' '^''■■■' '■r... ',';. .■■'■. \ .-■<■' ' TheUhree-quartei^, line will not. Let it first.be said tlia't Syenson is a better wing than centre i .and \ying he ; must ;. play. Cummings^ is a; ; boy of great promise, and. with' • good inside men will go ; to great heights. .Tilyard as thfe other wing will meet with a' storhi of :' criticism, but how: many people 'have seen the big fellow play m that ppssy? The Avriter has, agaih'st Otago 1 at Dunedin some years back and he was a success/ Tilyard, to :-my mind, should never play m any closer, than centrehe is too big and\needs ground, to. work m. : ■■ . '. : '.:' v , ■'■,■■■.■.■.■■•■■. ;-?■■ "V. -.■! T^ePetone. five-eighths, Corner and , Nicholls,; are, the combination and it should, not be broken. ?;; „ As vi _to. the. half . position Warwick is fully"entitled '.', to the honor and the same niust besaid of Porter, at wing- : ..forward/ '■'■■■■■■■''■'„ .; - ■' ■:':''.'."'■'.. .-. ■ ;■/• •-.-.' ':■' '.':■ '5y .putting Maijtin^Smith and Barclay ,d°wn-, m theVfront row' you, would have two men of ; the' same: build, and -, two . menr'"whb.':.'can 'hook,', nptwith- •' standing 'the ; .fact vthat ; Martin-Smith does not play in'that position for his ■ club. '. .' '.'■'■"• . :'^:\ :-,:■ ;' : -' ; ,: '.>■■;..' ''■ With DXmcan .(^Berhampqre) lock you need two; good breakaway forwards and Jajck Shearer ;• and Goodall are the two best irt Wellington. . . ; -~ TheVba'ck '.^rbw " bould be finished off with ,;Sl'y,.; a good. mari f , and 'Deere, who islgoiii^better; eyery ganiei: They both generally ;play .on the side, I , (but this is '/easily got'qyer. : \- ■ :/ : ■'■" :\> ; i; ';■■■"' .. ■•;:• .". That -is how a Wellington rep. team appears ,. to :;. '' Tackier/ 1 y." ,Now, what about your objections?". 1 c \ 1; .