RUGBY FOOTBALL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18203, 26 September 1933, Page 4

RUGBY FOOTBALL

NEPIA’S REAPPEARANCE MARVELLOUS HANDS The one. representative of the Poverty Hay and East Coast district in the North island team, George Nepia, appears to have given the public a iirst-class display in the North v. South Island Rugby football game, prior to receiving an injury which resulted in his replacement. The Dominion critic states: ‘‘Nepia’s reappearance cye>jtesl considerable interest. lie has sbifl marvellous hands for iielding the ball, and' can kick as powerfully as ever, but his play lacked the smoothness and precision lor which it was noted in 1924-25. Heplayed witii supreme confidence and occasionally, in breaking up attacks, revealed his old cunning by enticing opponents to beat themselves The public probably expected too much of Nepia, who left- the impression that he is on the down-grade, but probably a few games in the best- company would bring iiim back to his lornier standard. It is asking a good deal of the famous All black fullback that he should even approach, in these days, the form lie developed ill the course of the tour of Britain and France, which added so miU'li to the lustre of New Zealand s reputation in Rugby football. If Nepia were as young as lie was in 1924, he could hardly be expected to reach his old form without competition of the right class. Those who recollect that he Was only tried out as a fullback by way of experiment during the All black trials preliminary to the selection of C. G. bolter's team, will recognise that Nepia's brilliant reputation was made, under circumstances calling for the most admirable football qualities, but also offering the most favorable auspices for the development of latent talent. Nepia has not shown bis highest class for instance, in any match he has played at Gisborne, and probably his All Black form overseas has never been approached by anything he lias done in New Zealand, though he has given many outstanding expositions of the fullback game. He is one of those to whom the old saving applies: “The harder the going, the better lie goes.” Rut it takes the higlip'-' dandard of physical fitness to promoi the type of football that established Nepia as one of the world’s greatest Rugby fullbacks of all time, and no man can attain perfection of condition in the circumstances and environment of Nepia’s recent employment. It was a triumph for the Maori fullback to furnish a display, in the North v. Sonth Island match, sufficiently good to warrant the statement that a few games in the best company would bring him back to his former standard.