One on the Nob

NZ Truth, Issue 1030, 22 August 1925, Page 12

One on the Nob

The Auckland Union has issued ■ challenge for the Ranfurly Shield, t» match to be played at Auckland <S September 12. Hitherto AucklaiW have-not been considered likely cn;3 H ierigers for the Shield, and this -afl| challenge has come somewhat asl surprise. If the Hawkes Bay Unig accepts it then it will be setting tflj team the great' task of defending tH Shield on three occasions m nine da^B and at the same time do all the travflU Hng. Following Taranaki, WellingtH has to be played at Wellington oh SeHE tember 6. The team has then to W turn to Hastings on> Wednesday, Se^ tember 9, to play Otago, leave tne following morning and then <ii the Saturday, if they are still the holders attempt to ward off Auckland's challenge. After its already strenuous season this seems, indeed, a hard task to set the team as its final effort. The- above paragraph is from a recent issue of a Hawkes Bay paper. ' It is of interest to all "Truth's" Rugby readers because of a warning m an article appearing m our columns relating to Hawkes Bay's attempt at the annual meeting ofthe-New Zealand, Rugby Union to confine Ranfurly •Shield matches to the home ground only. Mr. Norman McKenzie had stated Auckland for one would not challenge . Hawkes Bay on the latter' s tour as Auckland was anxious to lift the Shield on the holder's ground. . "Truth" asked "could the leopard change* its spots,", and recalled a challenge, by Auckland m 1920 when % the holders (Wellington) went north in' 1920 during the "absence of the New Zealand representatives m New South Wales.

History repeats itself — the leopard is still "spotty."