RUGBY INVASION OF SOUTH AFRICA.

Otago Witness, Issue 3870, 15 May 1928, Page 53

RUGBY INVASION OF SOUTH AFRICA.

SPRINGBOKS PREPARE. CAPETOWN, March 29. Synchronising with the departure of the All Blacks from their home shores, Rugby football in South Africa will be embarking on what promises to be its most memorable season in the history of the game. Throughout the country in a fortnight’s time the season will be in full swing. Already prospective players for the trial games have been nominated from those provinces which will not be meeting the All Blacks until after the first test. The question of playing trial matches with a view to having South Africa at its best for the test with New Zealand has been a very live topic of discussion since last season, one oF the strong advocates for the trials being “Boy” Merkel. The Transvaal Rugby Union con sidered the matter at its annual meeting, and made strong recommendations for the playing of trial games. General feeling on the subject has evidently stirred the South African Rugby Board to action, as it hasnow sanctioned the playing of a series of trials, first at Port Elizabeth, and then at Durban. The players taking part in the games at Port Elizabeth are to come from the following provinces which are not meeting the All Blacks before the first test at Durban on June 30: —Northeastern Districts, South-western Districts, Eastern Province, and Border. A Western Province represenative team is to be sent to Port Elizabeth to meet the players from the other provinces mentioned, so that the claims of the latter to inclusion in the South African team will be tested to the full. These trials will take place between April 21 and 28, and the players impressing the selectors will be invited to participate in the final trials at Durban during the week preceding the first test. The best talent from all parts of South Africa will be on hand for the Durban trials. PRELIMINARY SELECTIONS. At the invitation of the South African Rugby Board the undermentioned provinces have nominated players for the preliminary trials, as follows:— Border: Scrum-half: Cheshire. Fly-half and centre: Southwood. Centres: Cornell and Duffy. Wings: Klemp and Evans. Forward: Flemmer. North-Eastern: Centres: Nel and Heerden. Forward: Van Heerden. South-Western: Wing: Boshoff. Scrum-half: Filmalter. Centres: Albertyn and De Kock. Forwards: Le Rouse, Ross, and Robertson. Eastern Province: Full back: Shaw. Scrum-half: Humphrey. M ings: Slater, Coetzee, and Keey. Forwards: White, Dold, Louw, Steel, Van Heerden, Crockart, and Richards. CAPETOWN TEAM. Opinions have been freely expressed to the effect that the morale of the All Blacks was likely to be weakened at the outset of the tour, as they would be meeting the champion side, Western Province, in the first match at Capetown. Western Province is the strongest team in this country, but the writer has no fears of the All Blacks being defeated at the hands of the champions, though the game will, no doubt, be hard. Moreover, information given to the writer by the secretary of the South African Rugby Board weakens the case of those who hold that the morale of the All Blacks will be weakened in the first match. The New Zealand team will open its tour with a match against a combined country club's team at Capetown on Wednesday, May 30. (According to cabled advices the Euripides: on which the New Zealand team is travelling to South Africa, will be late in arriving at Capetown, and steps arc being taken to have the first match cancelled.) The second match for the New Zealanders (this will now probably be the first) will be against the Town representatives at Capetown on Saturday, June 2. Likely players for positions in the back division of the Town team are : —Tindall, Van Nickcrk, Rousseau, Kcet, S. Osler, Starke, N f >, I>e Villiers, and B. Osler (who is favourably mentioned as captain of the Springboks)., Outstanding Town favourites arc Mostert, Van Drutcn, Melck, and Van Wyk. The Town side promises to be one of the strongest that the All Blacks will have to meet. Tindall, barring any loss of form, has probably the best chance of selection as the Springbok full-back. K. Starke and Van Nickcrk, along with Prinsloo and Slater, have prospects for the wing positions, while S. Osler and Rousseau are in the running as centre-three-quarters. P. de Villiers and Devine are claimants for the scrum-half position, and B. Osler, Francis, and probably Sieff are available stand-off halves. That makes the Town back division look stfong.

NOTES OF INTEREST. An indication of the charges for matches is given in the following announcement of prices of admission to tho Natal-New Zealand match, to be played at Maritzburg on June 23:- Covered stand seats, 15s and 10s; open stand seats, 10s; ground, adults 2s Gd (if tickets are purchased before the day of the match), and 3s (at the gate) Kruger, who toured New Zealand with the 1921 Springboks, recently notified his intention of retiring from the game, but he has been prevailed upon to alter his decision. He is still a good player, but not up to his 1921 standard in New Zealand. Phil Mostert, who is thought by some as worthy of the captain’s position, has slowed down somewhat since he toured New Zealand. But he is still very much in the running for further honours.