Galbraith Shield Rugby Competition Begins With Three Games Today

Southland Times, Issue 23793, 15 April 1939, Page 15

Galbraith Shield Rugby Competition Begins With Three Games Today

By

ONLOOKER

All the familiar scenes of the Rugby field will be enacted at Rugby Park this afternoon when the 1939 season will open with games in the Galbraith Shield competition. Three senior matches have been set down for decision. The draw may be regarded as a good one and as all teams are well up to the strength of last season some interesting football may be expected. Pirates, last year’s champion team, has been drawn to play Old Boys, Marist meets Star and Invercargill will play Bluff. The prospect of selection in the Southland team to tour the North Island this season has appealed to most of the Senior players and already a good amount of training has been carried out. There will be few if any unfit men in today’s matches and as the playing conditions promise well it may be not too much to expect a high standard of Rugby in the opening games. All teams have had practice games and a fair degree of combination may be looked for. As is generally the case in the first-of-season matches most interest will be

taken in the new players who have linked up with Invercargill football. The work of the two outstanding backs in the Pirates team, C. K. Saxton (halfback) and J. McPhail (three-quarters), should be worth seeing, particularly as Saxton is an exponent of the dive pass and Pirates will be fielding a back division equal in strength to the backs of a provincial side. In addition to Saxton and McPhail’ in Pirates there is R. H. Ward who has rejoined his club after a seasori in Hawke’s Bay. Two years ago Ward was one of New Zealand’s foremost forwards. New men in Invercargill’s ranks are J. W. Fleming, the former Eastbourne (Wellington) inside back who will play at full-back, and B. Tapley, a track

sprinter who formerly played for the Southern club in Dunedin. With Tapley, A. G. Sutherland and R. G. Mahony available Invercargill looks like having one of the fastest back lines in the competition. The George brothers and S. Purdue will form the backbone of the Invercargill pack. Old Boys has not recruited anyone outstanding. The team will rely on most of the material which was available last year to form what should be a solid team. A. W. Wesney will lead the backs and W. L. Crawford will be in the pack. Star’s gains are W. Sherriffs and G. H. Graham, two sub-union forwards who showed up in the Ranfurly Shield games last year. They should help to put Star back in the proud position it occupied for many years. Not much is known about the young Marist team which shaped so well last season. Even without addition this team should develop into a strong side this year. M. P. Grace will be the key man of the backs and several good young forwards are available again.

BLUFF’S LOSSES Bluff has lost four of its regular backs of last season and is about to lose another within the next few weeks. J. A. Copp, D. Hamilton, S. J. West and C. Mason will not be playing and J. Ballantyne will be leaving the district after the first two games. Mason and Ballantyne will be hard to replace. Mason was a good type of back and Ballantyne was invaluable to the side both for his goal-kicking and his general play as a three-quarters. The forwards will be selected from Rdbjohns, Urwin, Ramsay, A. West Ennis, Findlay, Crawford, J. Hamilton, Aston and Raymond. The two lastnamed are country forwards who are likely to do well in city Rugby. It is good to know that J. Hamilton's leadership will not be missing from the team. He has been training hard and looks fit for the opening game. Two defections from the forwards are J. Burke and L. Harbord both of whom have retired. The forwards as a whole lack weight but they are experienced and should give a good account of themselves. The backs will be a fast lot. Rose is a newcomer from New Plymouth. At practices he has shaped well. E. Calder will be behind the pack once again, Sutherland will play full-back or wing three-quarters, and Sylvester, Nixey Heads, Ashwell and/ J. Calder are others available for positions. WHAT THEY SAY! Through thq seasons, famous All Blacks have praised the remarkable patented features of the 0.8. Football Boot. For instance J. »A. Hooper writes: “Despite the hard Australian grounds my 0.8. Boots gave wonderful protection to feet and ankles.” 0.8. Football Boots are sold in two weights —for forwards and backs—2l/- pair—at leading shoe stores.—Advt.