NOTES AND COMMENTS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume LVIII, Issue 20, 19 June 1926, Page 6 (Supplement)

NOTES AND COMMENTS

(By SIDELINE.) The Maori team to tour France will play Auckland on July 17 and Wellington on July 21. They will leave for Sydney on July 23 and will play a match at Melbourne on July CI. The team will arrive at Marseilles on September 3 and the first match in France will he played ibn September 12. W. Ennis, the ex-Taranaki rep has joined up with the College Rifles team, Auckland.

I J. Dunn, vice-captain of/the 1921 N.S.W. team, which had such a successful run in New Zealand and beat an All Black second 15 at Christchurch, is now in Auckland, but has not yet decided which club he Will play for. j Petone and Athletic are running neck and neck in the Wellington senior competitions, each having; hjul live wins.

j There .are eight challenges, for the Rairftirly Shield'this year. Two mat-

ches have already been played and then will come on matches against Manawatu, Wellington, Auckland. Canterbury, S. Canterbury and Southland. On paper, Canterbury appear to have a great chance of lifting the Shield in Christchurch, provided either Wellington or Auckland has hot wrested the trophy from the Bay beforehand.

At the age of ,39, Moffaft, the New Zealand lock of the Springbok year, is still going strong at Wellington, One of .his comrades in the All Black team against the Springboks was Ned Hughes, who first represented New Zealand in 1907. and made a remarkable comeback after the war, winning his last New Zealand cap at. the age of. 43, ■...•-■'.'•

i Auckland thinks there is some- ' thing wrong in the selections of the North Island and Now Zealand.teams. •Like all other unions, they didn't get 'enough men in and therefore suggest ;that something is wrong somewhere. ;They all growl except Hawke's Bay! j A South Canterbury paper considers It. Stewart, of Timaru, to be the hest forward in New Zealand to-day including Maurice Brownlie. It' the i southern papers will keep on saying 'this folks down that, way will begin to believe it. j A new arrival to Stratford is Gascon, who has taken a position at the I Radnor Road School. He will proI bably turn out in a week's time after 'he has had a run or two. He previously played for Dannevirke in the backs. From a southern paper: Blake, the North Island centre, has earned his position by all-round consistency and a brilliant exhibition against Wairarapa on Thursday last, and while the nomination of Lucas was in order it i rf thought that Fahvassej', who is playing in Taranaki, is hotter than . either Lucas or Greenside.—lt ■ali most looks as though it were written in New Plymouth

THE ALL BLACKS. :' COMING 'POUR. FIGHTS FOR, THE "ASHES." Tile first All Black visit to Sydney after the war was in 19*20. On this occasion three tests were played and New Zealand Avon the lot. The following season New South Wales sent a. team to 'tour New Zealand. . On; thi s tour only on© test match was played and it was won by the visitors' by 17 points to nil. The game: was played at Lancaster Park, but? only a. second All Black team war* engaged, the first being lined out the same day against the Springboks,. In 1922 a New Zealand side was. sent over to Sydney, and that party has the rather unenviable distinction of being the only New Zealand team. to lose two out of three tests in Sydney. They won the first test, but ]ost the second and third. The "ashes," however, were regained the following year when a. New' South Wales Rugby team toured the Dominion. New Zealand won tin; three tests that year, the second and third very decisively. In 192-1- the All Blacks paid a visit; to Sydney before leaving for their tour of the Old Country. Much to the surprise of followers of the game here tliev lost- the first..test, '.New South Wales winning by 20 ..points to 16. However, the team Were^stiffor-

ing from the effects ol ' a particularly stormy passage across the Tasnian, and naturally failed to produce their best form in the first game, airlanding. In the second and third tests they showed something of what they were capable and won both games comfortably,' the third tes:fc- by SS points to 8. The 1925 All Black team wax made up,of player s.;who .did' not make the trip to ...the previous season, and that they succeeded in winning the threp tests'was; ample proof of hefty strong -Jlughy i'cotbaH is in New Zealand. Last season, also, •a, -N©w -South toured' the Dominion. Only "one test match was played, and it was won decisively by the New Zealanders by S'G ''points'', to 10. , The following are .the results of; the matches played be tween.. New.;. !Le& ■ land and New South Wales since thy war •

/ 1920 . New. Zealand won 26 to Jsn-.:-,-;-*,-;.,.« New Zealand won 1-1 to (J. New Zealand won 24 to 13. 1921 New South Wales won 17 to 0. '1922 New Zealand won 29 to 19. New South Wales won 1-1 toi %/S. "'-'■ Nfcw South Wales won S to 6* : ' New Zealand won J 9 to 9. , ,&' New Zealand won 34 to (j. :• •-- New Zealand won 3S to It. v' . . 1921, New South Wales won 20 to 16. New Zealand won 2l to 5. . : f ! New Zealand Avon 33 to S. • , 1925 Now Zealand won 26 to 3. New Zealand Avon 4. to fl. New Zealand won 11 "to 3. New Zealand Avon 3G to 10. Sines the Avar seventeen matches, liaA'c been played between New Zealand and Noav South Wales, and; of these New Zealand have Avon thirteen and New South Wales torn-. In ths.se games the New Zealanders have scored 350 points and 107 lnu-e been scored against them. THE NEW ZEALAND TEAM. A FEW THINGS' ABOUT THEM. The following from the Nmv .Zealand Times is of interest:— Nicholls on his showing on Saturday cannot be passed over for the captaincy. He was disappointing in his play I'm- the first twenty minutes, but all through his generalship Avas splendid. Porter Avill strike trouble on the other side with a strict referee. He is round en the hall ahead of the ball now .and again. A New Zealand fonvard pack with Lomas and [rvine as bookers, Harvey lock. Stewart and Finlaysou on the sides, and the Brownlies at the back should take some stopping. The pack will be polhaps the heaviest that has loft these shores. What's more, they're speedy. Now Zealand i s weak in centres- at the present, time. This may compel Sheen to come into the five-eighths 'line in Australia. He could play next to the half with Nicholls second and Cooke centre. Blake does nob \ impress as an All Black, although bis form on Saturday may not be a. true guide. The picking of D. Stuart, Avbo-ip'] not a hooker, threw (he South. Island'. scrum out of gear. It was hard luck \ for Mills, the other front rank: niairj', > who is reported to be a fine nlaye4< in that position. It will teachwthc? selectors., the lesson that seven players don't make a scrum. < Alley seems to be prominent too ■ quickly after the scrum has broken up to a first-class lock. Que dne|'. not like to dub him, a Ilis prominence too- soon after, the j scrums" on Saturday gives ■■ if&iS' ",*;i-«>:"j suspicion. :; >V-| * * * * ' • - v '. Neither of'the two locks (zame as well as Moffitt. telv he is not encloAved Avith perpet-,:.:' ual voutli, ' Mi