Rep. Season Looming

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 367, 30 May 1928, Page 11

Rep. Season Looming

Candidates for Southern Tour Loft Restores Marists Attack THE arrival of the representative season—an important one for Auckland—has been signalised by the selection of the team for the Waikato match on Monday. Auckland has a match with Canterbury, in the course of a Southern tour so attractive that it will bring out many candidates for rep. colours. Challenges for the Ranfurly Shield have been issued, and hopes run justifiably high.

So many Auckland Rugby players are of uniform ability that the selection of the party to go South will not be easy. Though the selector will, naturally, as far as possible, retain his victorious combination of last year, there are several improving players knocking Insistently at the door. * * * Falling by the Wayside In club Rugby fancied teams continue to'fall by the wayside. Grammar and Grafton showed evidence of this tendency last Saturday. If the process continues the way may be clear for Varsity and Ponsonby to fight the championships out between them. Goal-Kicking de Luxe Two classic goals, placed from opposite touch-lines by Heard (City) and Bush (University) were features of Saturday’s play on No. 1 ground. Heard’s effort, which won the game for City, has prompted a vagrant rhymester to pen the following: “Our ears had not erred, When we heard from the herd, ‘Will City go under, eh what?’ And ’twas no feeble Heard That kicked like a bird, And responded: ‘Certainly not!’ ” Keene as Onlooker A. H. Keene wanted only a wheel chair on Saturday, and he would have looked the complete | invalid. As it was, with a stick and a ' chair on the member’s verandah, and a longing light in his eye as Varsity hammered or was hammered in turn, he looked sufficiently forlorn. Keene will be out for three or four weeks, at least. Last season it was a sprained ankle that placed him on the nonactive list at about the same stage of the proceedings.

Blakey’s Half-Hour After a spell on the line through injury, Blakey enjoyed another halfhour as Varsity full-back, on Saturday, before lie again had to be carried off. This ill-luck for a very sound player would have been Varsity’s ill-luck, too, had Bush not been on the side-line. The Seven Brimbles The stocky Brimble, who is always in the thick of any scrummage in which Manukau is implicated, belongs to a Rugby family that puts all other claimants to the description into the shade. Besides this Brimble there are six more, each one of them plays in a different grade for Manukau. That is, there are seven grade teams, and seven Brimbles, one for each. Saturday in the Brimble family is a big day. Now bring on your records. Blue and White Indicated The cows in the Waikato will yield curdled milk if C. E. W. Macintosh plays at Hamilton in the sanguinary socks he has been airing lately at Eden Park. In British Rugby uniformity as to leg wear is not considered “the thing” —even international teams wear any old hose; but in New Zealand the wellturned out player wears his club’s livery as a matter of course. Apart from that, it takes niore than a pair of red stockings to impress V. R. Meredith,, and Macintosh is to be complimented on a rare performance in win- j ning to the Auckland representative team after only four matches in New Zealand. J. G. O’Brien’s Departure No man ever fielded an overhead ball more sweetly than J. G. O’Brien, former Auckland rep., Services, and All ■ ■ i. .i i ■■ .1 Black fullback, who is leaving Auckland for Morrinsville. Since retiring from the game at which he was so skilful and courageous an exponent, “Jack” O’Brien has served Rugby ably as treasurer to the Auckland Union. He toured Africa with the Army team of 191 D, and some of his recollections were recently published by “The Outspa.n,” of Bloemfontein, South Africa. * * * Dashing Howard Overlooking, for the moment, the team chosen for the Waikato match, one cannot avoid seeing in Howard, of Marists, a representative candidate of much promise. With hands like a back, tons af pace, and a substantial frame, the ex-Waikato man has been a great asset to his club this season, and though B. Fletcher has put up some sterling performances, that are only justly rewarded by his inclusion as rover in the latest rep. team, many are surprised that Howard was not given the chance while ;|t was going. Wearers of the Blue In Stuart, who captained the B reps, in one match last year, the Marist club has a centre who may perhaps be considered for still higher honours if the experiment of playing L. Hook as rep. centre fails to come off. Though he has hardly fulfilled last season’s promise, Stuart has been sound, and at times brilliant, this winter. Wright, his colleague, rose to the heights last Saturday, but has been inconsistent. Jeffries stood aside on Saturday through boils and the effects of knocks. The team has a likely lad in reserve in Larsen, last year’s Sacred Heart fullback, but it took the return of quickfooted Johnny Loft to give the attack its old speed and precision. Honour for Cashmore N. Cashmore, last year’s University half-back, has been selected to play half-back for Hawke’s Bay. Is it possible that the astute Norman McKenzie in Cashmore, a plucky and resourceful half, latent possibilities that were overlooked when he was in Auckland? Falwasser as Five-eighth Albert Falwasser, chosen as Badeley’s partner in the Auckland five* eighths line, is not new to the fiveeigliths position, and brings the right qualifications to the job. He played five-eighth for his school, M.A.C., at Hastings, again for the Marist Club in

Napier, and now has a spell as fiveeighth for Manukau. But it is accepted that, both for Hawke’s Bay and the New Zealand Maori team, he has done his best work on the wing. Bay’s Lost Glory Hawke’s Bay’s team for the Wairarapa match—it is just a year since Wairarapa scored a Rugby sensation by lifting; the shield —lacks many fam T iliar names. South, who has returned to Napier from Wellington, is back at centre. Otherwise the team shows evidence that the Auckland selector is not the only one who is doing a little experimenting. * * ★ Fletcher has a Shot Charlie Fletcher showed all his old quick-thinking when he had a snapshot for the props in the match between City and Grammar on Saturday. His effort narrowly missed. The Fletchers, with their keenness and tenacity, are great assets to City, which has a hard-figliting pack. No excessive courtesies were asked or given in Saturday’s hurly-burly. Full-backs Galore There may not be a world-beater among contemporary Auckland fullbacks, but there are some able performers whose work touches a high all-round standard, among them being Fraser (Ponsonby), Johnston (Shore), L. Schnauer (Grammar), Cornthwaite (Marists), and Jacobs (City). Not the least of these is Jacobs, who achieved one pick-up and kick on Saturday that was worthy of the famous Aucklander, Kingston. There can be very little between Jacobs and the rep. team, as his tackling is fearless. Playing for Training College, a weak team, V. Butler drops out of the picture somewhat, but he is reputed to be playing as well as ever, and is a trifle unlucky to be displaced from the representative team by the versatile Paewai. Varsity in B Grade ' Varsity’s senior B team is the only B grade team so far undefeated. If the A team could wrest the senior championship from Ponsonby, and the B team continue on its winning way, an interesting position would be created. But it is a big “if.”

Rifles had Donald, an ex-Wanganui collegiate winger, and son of the wellknown Auckland sportsman, in the team last Saturday. Teape, of last year’s College Rifles team, is playing good Rugby in Christchurch.

Wellington appears to have discqvered a half-back of real class, quite up to Kilby’s standard, in Coman, of Petone.

Knight was unable to turn out for Grammar against City on Saturday on account of an injury received to his arm during the week. Latest advices indicate that he should be fit to take the field at Hamilton on Monday.

The South Auckland Rugby Union has accepted offers of matches between its representatives and the Auckland B and Thames representatives respectively. The former match will be played at Auckland on July 21, and the match against Thames on a date to be arranged.

The old and thorny question of residential qualification has cropped up again. It was reported at the South Auckland Rugby Union’s meeting yesterday that a player residing in the Manukau Sub-Union’s territory was continuing to play for an Auckland city team, without the consent of the subunion. It was decided to draw the attention of the A.R.U. to the matter, which is viewed with concern by the Manukau Sub-Union.

Manukau is decidedly unfortunate in that Harris, its powerful kicking custodian, will be compelled for the next few weeks to follow the fortunes of the side from the hank. In the la,st few' minutes of the ManukauUniversity game on Saturday, the exHawke’s Bay man broke a cartilage in his leg and as a result a few weeks’ rest will be necessary. Pars About Players D. Carter, Uni- 1 versity half-back, stood down last Saturday on account of indisposition. Babbage, who in his schooldays was capped for Wanganui College, was an effective substitute. Watene, the Manukau centre, has a brother playing good Rugby for M.A.C. Hastings, the school that produced Nepia and Co.

SUB UNION SERIES SOUTH AUCKLAND MATCHES The South Auckland inter-sub-union Rugby competitions will begin on July 7. The draw for the seniors is as follows: — July 7. —Franklin v. Waikare, at Tuakau: Waiuku v. Manukau, at Waiuku; Pukekohe, a bye. July 14.—Manukau v. Franklin, at Papakura: Pukekohe v. Waiuku, at Pukekohe; Waikare, a bye. July 28.—Pukekohe v. Franklin. at Pukekohe; Waikare v. Manukau, at Te Kauwhata; Waiuku, a bye. August 4.—Waiuku v. Waikare, at Waiuku; Manukau v. Pukekohe, at Papakura; Franklin, a bye. August 11.—Franklin v. Waiuku, at Tuakau: Waikare v. Pukekohe, at Te Kauwhata; Manukau, a bye. The draw for the junior competition was left in the hands of the secretary, Mr. W. J. Short. THE WAIPA UNION TEDDY SHIELD CHALLENGERS (From Our Own Correspondent) TE AMAMUTU, Tuesday, Challenges for the Teddy Shield were received by the Waipa Rugby Union on Monday evening from Cam-

bridge, Otorohanga, Te Kuiti, Pio Pio and Te Awamutu High Schools. A cheque for £2 2s from the Waikato Union for the encouragement of school football was acknowledged with thanks, and also a donation from Mr. Loomb of 10s 6d.

The resignation of the secretary, Mr. Morgan, was accepted with regret. Mr. H. T. Haselden was appointed to the vacancy.

Karamu Club applied for the transfer of three ex-Huimai players, J. Tunooh, Moses Hunapo and T. Hare Hunopa, which were granted. It was agreed that the deferred match with Cambridge junior representative team be played on June 16. Mr. C. Clarkson was appointed selector for the third grade representatives.

It was decided that all senior games begin at 3 o’clock, instead of 2.30 as formerly. For allegedly playing a junior player last Saturday, an appeal was lodged by Mangahoe Club against Karamu. A special meeting will be held on Friday next, when W. Bell, the junior concerned, will be required to attend.