All Blacks’ Match at Pretoria Was Not “Minor Test” Game

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 417, 27 July 1928, Page 13

All Blacks’ Match at Pretoria Was Not “Minor Test” Game

EX-SOUTH AFRICAN CORRECTS CABLE

A SCHOLARLY citizen of Auckland, formerly a resident of Pretoria, writes to The Sun, putting history straight in respect of the All Blacks’ recent match at the Transvaal capital. He shatters the cabled suggestion that the game was “a minor test,” and asserts that, as a pointer for the remaining test matches, it was entirely devoid of significance.

The ex-Pretorian writes as follows: The match, due to some error in transmission, is invariably described as against Pretoria Districts —in point of fact it was played against Pretoria District, a subdivision of the Transvaal Union, and for all practical purposes Pretoria District is equivalent to Pretoria City, the administrative capital of the Union, but at the same time only a small town of 50,000 white inhabitants. Pretoria boasts four first division teams—Pretoria, Harlequins, University and Pretoria Police —and from these four clubs the district side was selected; there was no strengthening from outside sources whatsoever. Of the 15 players the Harlequin’s Club contributed eight—Gush, de Wet, Dobie, Ivotze, Chapman. van Druten, Mortimer and Geere. Pretoria contributed three —Mclntyre, Kruger and Nykamp, while University, with Liebenberg, Glatthaar, and the Police, with Straclian and Geyser, contributed two each.

It would seem, therefore, as if the man who cabled about the match being a minor test had entirely lost his sense of proportion. The All Blacks were pitted against a small town, more than half the side being supplied by a single club. As a pointer for the remaining test matches the game was devoid of significance. , STRONG CLUB SIDES At the same time Harlequins and Pretoria are two of the strongest club sides in the Transvaal, and for several years have almost monopolised Transvaal honours between them, while the University can always field a formidable fifteen. Last year Pretoria, the Transvaal champions (during the current season their place had been taken by Harlequins) who some weeks ago administered to their great rivals the almost record defeat of 21 points to 3, followed this up by a win over University, by 24 points to 0. The side is, or was until recently, coached by Mr. V. Neser, who refereed the first test match at Durban. Mr. Neser, who was the first Transvaal Rhodes Scholar, captained Oxford University and played for England on several occasions. So far, during the present tour. Pretoria has contributed three players to the South African side, the two great forwards Kruger and van Druten, without whom at the present moment no South African side would be complete, and Dobie, who played in the threequarter line in the second test, but who will be fortunate if he finds himself selected again. Tho only other player from the capital likely to secure consideration is Mortimer, a magnificently built forward tho grandson of an English Church clergyman who had six sons all over six feet three in height. Mortimer is certain someday to wear the Springbok jersey, but so far he has not secured more than provincial recognition. MEMORIES OF N.Z. ARMY TEAM The game would be played on the municipal sports ground on a wellturfed surface. It is interesting to recall that the first game played on turf in Pretoria was that in 1919 between the New Zealand Army team and a local representative side. At that

time only half the field had been planted in kikuyn grass, but the experiment proved successful, and the new grass, originally introduced from Kenya, was generally adopted for football purposes. RIVALRY FROM SOCCER

A further point of interest may be the relative popularity of the two codes. Rugby and Association, in South Africa. One frequently hears the excuse made for the comparative non-success of the All Black side that South Africa concentrates solely on Rugby. This is far from the truth. South Africa is not, it is true, familiar with the League form of Rugby, but Association is widely played and has a large following, far larger than in New Zealand. South Africa is much nearer home than New Zealand, and frequent visits from [England, not only of .representative sides but even of club sides, have done much to popularise the round ball code. The last Soccer party to tour the Union, the Aberdeen Football Club, have hundreds of recruits for the Association game by its dazzling displays. However, in three of the largest secondary schools in Johannesburg Soccer is the only recognised form of school football. The first division in Transvaal Rugby consists of 12 clubs, four from Pretoria and eight from Johannesburg and the Reef; the first division in Transvaal Soccer consists of 10 clubs, two from Pretoria and eight from Johannesburg and the Reef. The Hutch section of the population has a strong predilection for Rugby—the great majority of Soccer adherents belong to the English-speaking section.