RUGBY FOOTBALL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21405, 5 August 1931, Page 7

RUGBY FOOTBALL

THE AUSTRALIAN TEAM TWENTY-FIVE PLAYERS CHOSEN (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) , SYDNEY, August 4. (Received August 4, at 10 p.m.) After a number of conferences the Rugby Union selectors have chosen 25 players for the New Zealand tour, as follows: —Full-backs, Dr A. Ross and J. Steggall; wing three-quarters—W. Hemmingway, H. Tolhurst, and B. Palmer; centre three-quarters—C. Towers, P. Clark, and H. Herd; fiveeighths, D. Cowper and H. Primrose; half-backs, S. Malcolm and G. Bennett; forwards —front row—W. Cerutti, E. Bonis, M, M. Blair, J. Ritter, and E. Love; second row—F. Wyatt, B. Judd, and M. White; locks, F. Reville and T. Perrin; breakaways—J. Clark, Palfreyman,. and O. Bridle. The average age of the members of the team is 23 years. The backs average 11.7 in weight, and the forwards 13.7. Malcolm will be the captain. Three States have secured the following representation: —New South Wales 14, Queensland 9, Victoria 2. The selectors concentrated on a judi cions selection of experience and youth, with the result that the team is regarded as a strong one and likely to give a good account of itself. Lindsay, of Queensland, would have been selected but for an injury he received last Saturday.

The tour will be opened at Dunedin on August 22, and one test match will be played, at Auckland on September 12. Ross, who has been chosen as one of the full-backs, is regarded as the equal of Nepia. He is a very consistent goal kicker, and in one recent match he kicked no fewer than 14 goals out of 18 attempts.