RUGBY

Southland Times, Issue 21431, 27 June 1931, Page 14

RUGBY

(By

“Onlooker.”)

' CURRENT TOPIC.

Southland versus Otago on Wednesday. Galbraith. Shield games will be resumed this afternoon. IF, Blues can reproduce the form they 'showed against Star they should just about stop Pirates’ winning trot. Twenty-two players will be taken on the northern tour of the Southland team. There ■will probably be four extra backs and three extra forwards. The maroons leave Invercargill on Thursday week for New Plymouth direct, where they play Taranaki first. Tho other games arc against Wanganui, Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury. The Wellington game is a shield challenge. Last Saturday's trial game was voted the best- ever staged in Invercargill. The “gate” amounted to £123. ' It is now probable that two managers will accompany the Southland team on the North Island tour. Good news is that both Lindsay Niven anti Don Grant will be available for the Southland team on tour. . It is reported that Frank Kilby is playing as well mJ ever and is likely to seriously threaten Corner for the All Black half position against Australia this season. Jack Mattingly is out and about again arid hopes to be right and fit before the 22 are selected for "the touring team. If Mattingly can pass the doctor he should be taken away, lie will soon get fit. “Wampy” Bell has set the fashion for local referees by wearing a neat little beret while controlling a game. The Eastern Bistric: iive.-eighth, O’Shea, looks to be certain of an invitation to tour with the maroon;. He is a heady little player and with a bit. of speeding up off ■ the mark should develop into a topnoteher. There is little between him and .. Niven. With Oil. Porter as the last line in the Southland team the maroons will have plenty of, confidence. He is in lip-top form'at present and it will.be interesting to compare him with Bush, the Otago fullback, who was regarded as tip to New Zealand standard during the recent tour of the New Zealand Universities’ team in Sydney. Should Blues defeat Pirates to-day the blacks will still retain their lead in the Galbraith shield competition. At present they are four points clear of the next team (Star) on the list. With Porter and McKay both in the Southland team the maroons will not be so badly off for goal-kickers. Niven, also, is a good place-kick. The trial teams looked well when they lined Up on Saturday. The new sets of

jerseys must have hail a good effect on j the players as there was a vast improve- ; ment in I lie standard of play compared 1 with that of the Town-Eastern game on ■ ths King’s Birthday. Th:: holding of so many scats in the j "cflicial” bay last Saturday was■ responsible ; for much complaint from late' visitors to | the Park. If the attendances at the last j two games are any indication of what to i /' expect at future big games, now that one | half-holiday is being observed, the sooner ■ th? Rugby Union sets about arranging for I more stand accommodation for its patrons the better. : In view of the fact that the trial on ' Saturday' was not a Town-Country test I what about a Town-Country game before ; , the rea'cn closes? Such a fixture would prove a- great draw. Undoubtedly one of the brainiest footballers playing in Otago to-day is Billy -Bathgate, fir. t five-eighth in the Taieri team, says a 'Dunedin writer. Right from the commencemant of the season Bathgate re: I les down in this position, mid never lets up till the end. He has a remarkably safe pair of hands, while no player in the local competition kicks to the line more accurately than Bathgate. No matter how tight the corner, Bathgate always manages to Vp. elude his opponents and get in hia kick. On ; attack he shows plenty of initiative, while 1 on defence he seldom misses his man. Bathgate is a nephew of Jlughie .Murphy, one-time Southland champion Rugby man. Hughie is domiciled at Wyndham, but llQicly, if ever, loses an opportunity to come in to see a good game on the Park. It is certain be will'be on deck on Wednesday. I noticed bum among the crowd bn Saturday. 'Bathgate is no stranger to Rugby Park. There is no doubting his qualifications as a five-eighth. New caps in the Southland team to meet Otago are I). Grant, M. Ussher, S. Fowle and Murphy. All arc country players. Bert O’Toole would appear to be suffering “.McEwan's*’’ luck. It will be remembered that, round about. 1926 and 1927 Bert McEwan, the Pirates wing-forward, was known as the “national” emergency. McEwan was chosen as emergency for nearly every representative game and it did not matter how many alterations were made or how many new men were included McEwan was always the emergency. In 1928 McEwan developed into a top-notch rover and was in the running for All Black honours. The following year he failed to make the Southland touring team, chiefly due to an arm injury keeping him out. of the game. Last yeat he was in the Eastern District, and although playing good football was not considered for representative honours. Now he is back in Invercargill and in the running again. Will he make the touring team this time? He should. He is one of those utility men who can play in front or back and is just the sort wanted on a tour.' O’Toole is not available for the northern trip, so lie must be regarded as unlucky to miss the Otago game. O’Toole was one of our best forwards last, season, and also this, but looks to be. just unlucky to miss the bus. He may get a chance in the Australian or Wairarapa games at Invercargill later in the season. McKenzie, the Western District forward, who has been included in the list of country emergencies to keep in special training, appears to me to be fortunate in • receiving preference over other good forwards. He showed nothing out of the ordinary in last week’s trial. Four forwards who come to mind who hav; claims much stronger than McKenzie are Les George (Blues), Robinson (Pirates), Sinclair (Star) and Clode (Blues). Wellington and Taranaki meet at Hawera to-day. The showings of both teams will be watched with great interest in Southland in view’ of tiie fact that the maroons meet both teams very shortly. Jack Hore, Ali Black front-ranker, will be seen out ;.vith -the Otago team at Rugby Park bn Wednesday. Of the 71 games played between Otago and Southland, Otago have won 37, South- • land 28, and six have been drawn. Mr Alex. McDonald, South Island selector, will probably be a visitor to Invercargill on Wednesday.

It is to be regretted that the selectors dropped Mahoney from the Southland team. His generalship alone justified his induction in the team. It. is strange that lie has not. been included in the list of emergencies. L. K. (“Toucher”) Heazlewood, who has represented both Otago and Wellington, and is at present playing for the Zingnrt-Rich mond Club in Dunedin, has been transferred to Auckland. Heazelwood is a first-class full-back, and would probably have represented New Zealand last year, but for the re-appearance of George Nepia. SOUTHLAND TEAM A WELL-BALANCED SIDE. The team announced by the selectors (Messrs A. J. Geddes, Harold Strang, and A. Mitchell) to represent the Maroons against Otago on Wednesday was very well received and the general consensus of opinion locally is that the selectors did their work well. At first glance the team impresses as- a much better than average side. It is well-balanced, fast and solid, There was plenty of good material offering and in its final choice the*selection committee had to pass some of the likies over. This is a good- position to be in and although it makes for disappointments there is no doubt that the disappointments are offset by the benefits as the result of the unusually keen competition for places. Those left out will get their chance again. After the displays of the country men on the King’s birthday it was plainly evident that the sub-Unions would have - a big say in the prevision of players for the team. Southland has been fortunate in its country nursery for years past now and it has become a recognized thing with town enthusiasts that the farmers have just claims for consideration. , These claims have been strikingly substantiated this season by the inclusion of no fewer than seven men. in the first Southland fifteen. That they will prove themselves worthy of the confidence placed in them there is not a shadow of a doubt. The back division is solid without being brilliant. With perhaps one exception they picked themselves. At the same time there were three or four who must have run the favoured ones very close. Both Pickering and Anderson must have knocked very hard for wing positions, while in the fiveeighth line the team would not have been weakened one whit, with the inclusion of O’Shea (Eastern). Thomas (Pirates) is another who was not far behind in the race for the half-back position. Southland is fortunate in having so many good men to spare.

Porter is the one and only full back in the province to-day. He will give the men in front of him no occasion for heart attacks. The three-quarter line is as fast as any that has represented Southland, and is strengthened in its defence by Townsend, who seems to be happier when on defence than on attack. Given a fair share of ball this line should be capable of scoring tries. The five-eighth line is solid, but a shade slow. However, the solid part is preferred to pace and unreliability. Niven and Grant are clever footballers and what they lack iiy pace will be more than made up for in enterprise. The half position is well secure. Usshcr has shown that he is not likely to be upset by “Big” football and should the pack in front of him function as it is expected to we may expect to rec good things from this boy. . As usual the forwards arc both big and fast. Only once last year did the Southland pack fail. Their record was a good one and there is no reason why the 1031 pack should not do as well. It is a very well-balanced scrum and should not want for weight and strength. I preferred Duff to Southern for the lock • position, but. no doubt experience weighed with the selectors when they made their final choice. Southern, will not let the side down. He is a good all-rounder. Duff should get a place in the touring team. O'Toole is just

“stiff” enough to miss. With so many good forwards ottering someone had to go. The Star captain will probably get his cap later in the season. The wing-forward job is in the hands of Agnew, an inexperienced man, but a distinct possibility. He may develop into a good rover. Mahoney appears to have been shabbily treated. My judgment must be horribly at sea, especially when the Star man is not included in the list of emergencies. In his absence the position of captain should go to McKay, the Blues’ captain. CONCERNING FOWLE A DASHING FORWARD. The inclusion of Fowle, the Western District forward, in the Southland team was well received locally. Rugby Parkers were greatly impressed with his tireless dash, and should he reproduce Saturday’s form in games to follow it is not too much to ..say that there may be higher honours ahead for this young fellow. He is one of tho Metcalfe' type, but is. a .much better dribbler than the Pirates’ slugger. ■As far as I can see Fowle is just one year late. In other words, he should have been capped last, season. His form in the Country Day games of 1930 was every bit as good as this, and at the time, strong claims were made on his .behalf by this paper. The following comments on the Country Day fixtures are culled from the Southland Times of June 4 and June 7 (1930) “Findlay and Fowle were two of the most prominent. In my opinion, Fowle was the best of the whole of the country forwards. Here is another ease of an oversight on the selectors’ part. Fowle has not been included in the list of rep. trainees. Not a big. man, but certainly not a small one, Fowle possesses plenty of dash and is as good a dribbler as any of the better known forwards. His ball-control under the greasy conditions last Tuesday morning was an eye-opener. It is to be hoped the selectors will have another lodk at this man before they, finally pass him over.” And again: '■'Fowle (Western) wax the outstanding forward on the field. He was at the head of almost, every rush and showed both good ball control and ability to handle.” The name of Findlay is also mentioned in the foregoing paragraphs. This man, a husky 14-stoner, should, in my opinion, have been included in last Saturday’s trial. He was outstanding on Country Day, anil is just the type to. stand the strain of a tour. Findlay is a wing-forward. Gil. Porter thinks very highly of him and remarked on Country Day that lie ,had been playing good football all the year round. Perhaps It is not'too late for the selectors I to give Findlay another look over. He is due it. For the first time in seven years Oxford beat Cambridge in the annual small bore rifle shooting match,’ with a score of 768 out of a possible SOO.