RUGBY TESTS

Southland Times, Issue 21090, 23 May 1930, Page 8

RUGBY TESTS

NEW ZEALAND UNIFORM

' WHITE JERSEYS TO BE USED UNION ADHERES TO DECISION (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, May 22. The New Zealand' Rugby Union has decided to adhere to its original decision on the ■ question of colours for the AU Black team in the Test matches with the British team. The New Zealand representatives, therefore, will take the field in white jerseys, black shorts and black stockings with white tops. . , This decision was made at a meeting ot the New Zealand Union this afternoon, the proceedings being held in committee; A letter is to be sent to Mr James Baxter, manager of the British team, expressing the union’s appreciation of the sportsmanlike action of he and his team in offering to play in white jerseys, but stating that the union considers its original decision should be adhered to. CASUALTY LIST BOTH FULL-BACKS CROCKED. New Plymouth, May 22. ■ There are 10 changes in the British team from the team which met W anganui. Sobey’s injury to a knee cartilage is worse than had been feared and will keep him out for a matter of weeks. Both Bonner and Bassett are crocked. ‘Bassett is still nursing an ankle sprained aboard the ship. Accordingly Jenkins, the .Cornish winger, has to play full-back on Saturday. Nevertheless the team appears strong. Reeve's first appearance will be ■watched with interest as he is credited with phenomenal speed in practice. The team had a practice on arrival at New Plymouth to-day and are all charmed with the Pukekura Park grounds. MATCH WITH TARANAKI THE BRITISH SIDE. New Plymouth, May 22. The following is the British team to play Taranaki on Saturday: Full-back.—R. Jennings. Threequarters.—J. Reeve, C. D. Aarvold, T. Murray, J. Morley. Halves. —R. S. Spong, N. Poole. Forwards. —D. E. Knowles, D. Parker, H. O’Neil; B. H. Black, J. McD. Hodgson; I. Jones, G. R. Beamish, H. Wilkinson. The captain, Prentice, will not play owing to an injured ear, and Sobey (vice-captain) will not be able to play perhaps for two or three weeks because of an injury to his knee at Wanganui. The Taranaki team will not be chosen till to-morrow. The British team to-day for the first time witnessed chopping and sawing sports when they visited the Lincoln Road sports Club’s carnival where several champions were competing. BRITISH BRAWN WEIGHTS OF TOURING SIDE. SOME STURDY THREEQUARTERS. (Special—Copyright.) Wanganui, May 20. Three of the British Rugby team now in New Zealand played in matches against the 1924 All Blacks. Jennings, the Cornish centre, played for Cornwall that year when he was only 17. To-day he is a strapping threequarter very much of the New Zealand type, with broad shoulders and sturdy lim’bs. Though a centre in club and county Rugby, he has been played at wing threequarter in all the British team’s practices to date.

Similarly A. L. Novis, who only returned from the Rhine occupied territory with the last batch, of British forces last September, in time to embark on a most successful season in services and international Rugby, was picked on the wing against Wanganui, though. English critics agree that his gifts can best be employed ia the centre position. * Two others who played against the All Blacks in England six years ago are Dai Parker, one of the Welsh team that was overwhelmed in the great vindication, and H. Rew, the broadly-built British forward. Rew played for Devon. He was originally a member of the Exeter Club, but now plays regularly for the Army and Blackheath. His bright red Army Jersey, embroidered with “G.R.,” a crown, and the letters “A.R.U.” catches the eye at practices. In due course no doubt it will go the same way as Another bright red jersey, which was coveted by a Maori maiden at Parikino last Sunday. Knowing the way of barter, she produced from some hidingplace a plaited shawl that was equally coveted by the owner of the jersey. An exchange was effected without difficulty, and the last seen of the jersey was a red patch waved gaily to and fro from the. bank as the riverboat cast off and slid down stream. Wanted a Jersey. The sequel was enacted next morning, when the proud possessor of the shawl suddenly recollected that he had no jersey to practice in. A hasty appeal to the Wanganui Rugby authorities produced a blue and black Wanganui representative jersey which filled the deficiency admirably. The British team without exception re-, frain from turning out to practice in the blue and gold jerseys which are their regular colours. These they keep solely for matches. The effect at a practice is one of bewildering variety. Green, red, blue, and hoops of all widths and tints mingle in a picturesque medley. 'Many historic clubs are thus represented. There are even a few international jerseys which those who know them may readily identify. Arriving in Wanganui at race time, the tourists were given a cordial welcome. Some of them have found the hospitality showered on them rather too lavish. Others enjoyed every minute of it. Foster’s Hotel, where they stayed, was decked with blue and gold, and a large kiwi in friendly embrace with a lion was poised above the entrance to the lounge. This centrepiece of the decorative scheme was flanked by two brand new footballs, each resting on a vase. After the races on Saturday evening some bright soul conceived the idea that it would be a good idea to have some football then and there. The subsequent entertainment was' greatly enjoyed by all. In practising, the visitors made the mistake of using old balls. Quickly damped by the dew, these balls were considerably heavier than the new ones to be used in the match. On Monday the disparity was very - apparent in the difference between the handling and kicking of the' British team using old balls, and the Wanganui side, which, using new balls came on to the ground to practice immediately the British team had finished. Whereas the visitors with the heavy balls had seemed sluggish in their work, with the buoyant newer cues the Wanganui team appeared much more tradesmanlike. There was a great difference apparent, however, in'the bulk of the teams, and here the difference was all in favour of the tourists. The. Question of Weights. There are ,somc big men in the British side, apd they are not all confined to the pack. Unfortunately the absence of authoritative figures makes it difficult to make hard and fast comparisons with other teams. No heights at all are available, and' the weights given are largely approximate. The average of the British scrum against Wanganui was given as 14st. 21b., but it is doubtful if it was so high. Like the weights, the ages published were largely fhcee given by the players themselves. In

at least one instance the age given conflicted with that published in an English newspaper when toe team was picked. When approached on the question of weights,. Mr.-Baxter replied that it. was not their custom to bother much about such statistics. He explained that in Britain they were guided, largely by a man’s play, irrespective of his weight. At the same time, most followers of Rugby, will : see the force of the opposing argument that weights help in a remarkable degree to show., w-hc-ther’a player is keeping in strict■ training, quite apart from the assistance they give in packing a balanced scrum. One of the biggest men in the team, D. A. Kendrcw, is aiso the "baby” of it. Kendrew is only 19, . and scales. 14st., 101 b., though i not all of it is‘bone. and muscle. Among the backs, Reeve with bis 6ft of height and his tost. 101 b. is a powerful threequarter, very much of the Robilliard type, with more - pace and perhaps less natural ability. If Reeve does, nothing else in New Zealand he will be useful for cutting off runaway 1 tries. In a practice at Wanganui he overhauled Novis after conceding a start of something like 10 yards in 50. Spong is another solid man, but he is all breadth and depth. Jennings weighs tost. 81b. and Knowles tost.,. though he certainly does not look it. The neatest specimen of all, the threequarters, .is Novis, a beautifully proportioned man of 12st. 21b, with . a most elusive run.. Morley is the lightest man in the team, but he is full of tricks and his footwork is in the Elvy class. ' ' Beefy Bassett. Bassett is the same weight as Reeves but considerably shorter and "dumpier.’ -A most conscientious footballer, Bassett trains as though he really meant it. He runs along catching the ball, picking'it up from the ground, and then kicking it left or right foot with a very _ well-judged if not tremendously powerful kick. - ■ ■ Aarvold is a tallish threequarter, equally at home on the wing, at centre, or at fullback. By all appearances he has a great command of pace. 1 Murray, a qualified medical man at 24', seems neat rather than sliowy, while student of the same profession, has a -great pair of hands and an elusive weaving run oddly inconsistent with his abbreviated build. . Among the halves Poole and Knowles may impress New Zealanders more than the - crack international pair, Sobey and Spong. Both the reserves look natural footballers, and Poole has a really brilliant dive pass from the base of the scrum. Bowcott is a trim, fast type, with a straight run that may provide many good openings for his outsides. THE ALL. BLACKS PLAYERS FOR FINAL TRIAL. NOTES ON THE SELECTION. The Christchurch Times makes the following comments on the players chosen to participate in the final trial at Wellington on June 11: Some surprise will be caused by the noninclusion of W. Dailey (Canterbury) as half-back, and the . substitution of Holden in that position. On form in the South Island trial match Dailey was the better, even when the greater help he received from his hookers, .Cottrell and Hore, is discounted. Holden gave out some very erratic passes and did not have the generalship of his opponent in initiating attacks. Dailey’s defence was also better, and his omission from the team for the final trial suggests that he may be more or less of a certainty for All Black honours, and that the selectors have adopted the procedure of trying out others on the chance that they may discover someone who has the ability to oust the Canterbury man from the position. This may be the case also with one or two other positions. Though Dailey played better than Holden yesterday, he was only in patches the famous Dailey of a couple of yeans ago. J. Harris (Canterbury) and G. Porter (Southland) were not, on their showing yesterday, in the same class as Heazelwood (Wellington). Both performed fairly well, and there was little to judge between their play, but with Nepia and Heazelwood in front of them they had little chance of getting into further trials. There are not many good wingers offering in the Dominion just now, but one of them is Minns, the Auckland flyer. He is practically a certainty to wear the All Black jersey. Hart (Canterbury) and D. Oliver (Otago) were about on level terms in the trial on Wednesday and neither gave the other any quarter. Scrimshaw (Canterbury) and Solomon (Auckland) are contenders for the wingforward position, but there is a possibility that the - selectors, in giving both men a try-out, are still keeping an eye on the veteran, ■C. G. Porter (Wellington), who was matched against Solomon in the North Island trial. Scrimshaw played' a dashing game on Wednesday. Cottrell (Canterbury) and Hore (Otago) were the better pair of hookers, and the selectors could not very well go past them. They will be' together again in Wellington next month, against the Wairarapa pair, Irvine and Reid. Steere and Harvey, the opposing locks, are great battlers and do sterling work. Collett (Otago) gained the approval of the selectors by his great showing in the trial. Collett is comparatively new to big matches, but should give a more finished, display with experience. Purdue (Southland) played himself into the team. He is a weighty forward with a fair amount of pace, and is valuable in the tight. Another forward who made a good impression was Sim, the North Otago forward, who did exceptionally well when given a place in the second half of the trial. -He can handle like a back, and has a surprisingly elusive run. He has been chosen as a reserve. Sidelights on Wednesday’s Trial. Following are some - excerpts from the Times’ report of Wednesday’s trial:— Lilburne was first to handle into the. Probables’ twenty-five. Holden sent his men away from a ruck, but the rush ended when. Scrimshaw got off-side for his pass from D. ■ Oliver. Geddes got away and passed his man, but McClymont spoilt a bright piece of work by tackling Porter, when the latter did not have the ball. From near half-way, Geddes, with wonderful command of the ball, dribbled through half the" Probables’ team, and Scrimshaw scored from the effort. Holden could not feed Lilburne much, though his forwards were better in loose rushes, which Were responsible for their two tries. Dailey was playing his usual bright game, and was outshining Holden, though the latter’s forwards gave him little scope. Hore, Hazlett, Ron Stewart and Cottrell were the outstanding forwards on the ground. ‘ ' f Trotter made a good dash, but was well grassed- by Porter: McGregor flashed through and over the line, but Lilburne beat him for the ball. Dailey’s defensive work in the face of forward rushes was magnificent. Trotter, who had begun badly, put in two or three clever runs. Scrimshaw was showing , out better than the ' opposing wing-forward, Bird. Bird, whom Scrimshaw had overshadowed at wing-forward, had a knee hurt, and was replaced by McKay. Holden, whose play was brightening up as the Black forwards won more of the scrums, made a lightning pot at goal following a scrum on the twenty-five line, and succeeded. Harris put his backs bn side with a. run and a strong line kick, which Geddes fielded with only a few inches to spare. Wilson, coming across fast, just got his man. Lilburne, who had had difficulty in taking some of Holden’s erratic had few opportunities. . “ , “A GRAVE BLUNDER.” DROPPING OF W. DALLEY. (Per United Press .Association/} Christchurch, May 22. What amounts to.a Rugby sensation has been caused in' Canterbury, by the dropping of W. Dailey, the famous international half, from the final 'All' Black' trial,'

He has been playing brilliant club football all the season,’and although he was not over-prominent in the second spell of yesterday’s South Island trial, it is contended ■that this was but a; temporary lapse and that the selectors have made a grave blunder similar to that of 11)21'when Teddy Roberts was first dropped and then recalled.