FIRST MATCH FOR RANFURLY SHIELD

Southland Times, Issue 23538, 18 June 1938, Page 15

FIRST MATCH FOR RANFURLY SHIELD

Selectors Faced With Task Of Recasting Team In Next Six Weeks

By 01

INLOOKER

The disappointing showing of the Southland team against Bay of Plenty was not a good advertisement for a union holding the Ranfurly Shield. There were too many weaknesses in the back division, and although the conditions were not favourable to accurate handling this department of tne game was shown in a bad light. In six weeks Southland will be called upon to play its first Ranfurly Shield challenge, and by then the Southland selectors will have completed a thorough combing of the many players in town and country who are likely to be considered for the big representative . programme which begins on July 30. The game on Saturday would serve as a good starting off point, and as events turned out, the game, its result and the weaknesses disclosed could be looked upon as “a blessing in disguise.” The selectors now know, in plenty of titne, what will be required to round off the team into a side capable of playing the highest standard of inter-pro-vincial Rugby. Probably there-will be several changes. There is no doubt that changes are necessary and will be made, but until the selectors know what material is at their disposal they are not likely to try much more, if any, experimenting. Two Southland players have been chosen for the New Zealand team, and it is probable that there are several players in country districts who will be given a thorough tryout. Whatever is done it can be taken for granted that the next time Southland takes the field (against Otago at Invercargill) it will be a much better side than that which was fielded against Bay of Plenty. Whether the selectors will play any trial matches other than the annual Country-Town game is not yet known. That game has been arranged for July 16. The following week the Southland sub-Unions’ team will play Otago subUnions at Dunedin, and the week after that the Shield match will be played. It may be necessary to hold a trial game on July 9. On the other hand there will be other games between the sub-unions. The Sports Trust games begin early next month and there are other games which will be followed by the selectors. As in past years it is probable that ■week-end training will be carried out, and in a week or two the selectors will probably select about 30 players to go into training. Their .selection is awaited. In the meantime the form of those players who failed, more or less, in the Bay of Plenty game on Saturday will be keenly watched.

well he grasped it is known by the thousands who saw the match. It was his clever pivotal play which made the “new” Otago team the strong force it proved. He linked up almost perfectly with Howden, the Otago half-back, and many times made excellent openings for the Otago three-quarter line. After that match many encomiums were showered on Berghan. He had given a display of first five-eighth play seldom equalled in the heavy conditions in which the match was played, and it is questionable whether Carisbrook (Dunedin) patrons had seen him to such advantage. Later in the season his play in the Wellington-Otago match at Athletic Park (Wellington) was so outstanding that Wellington writers declared almost unanimously for him in preference to D. Trevathan, who by then was wanted by the New Zealand selectors as New Zealand’s first five-eighth. Berghan began his football in North Auckland and before going to take classes at Otago University he played in the Auckland University team. He quickly found a place in the Otago University team, and later played for the South Island Universities against the North. After that match he was selected fqr the New Zealand University side, a team chosen solely for the purpose of awarding New Zealand University “blues.”