WELLINGTON RUGBY

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1027, 18 July 1930, Page 7

WELLINGTON RUGBY

STRONG TEAM WILL BE FIELDED RANFURLY SHIELD PROSPECTS Special to THE fil'.V WELLINGTON. Today Either Wellington Rugby is at a very high standard this season or else it is only mediocre, or even worse. This may seem strange tc these who are resident outside Wellington, but it is very aoparent to those who watch the game week by week. So far there has not been a great j deal by which the game could b I ! gauged, so that while some people sa l that the game is of high standard others declare that the very fact that i the senior championship has see-saweo | to such an extent tills season has beei because the teams are very level ao<: ! there is no team with an outstandin^ . set of backs or a highly efficient pa; If the latter is true then it is prob * able that Wellington football is no j nearly so good as some of its advocate . declare. On the other hand, there arj certain matches already played which I’ should tend to classify the province For instance, in the match against thBritish team the best team won on tbday’s play, and that team was Well ? ington. Then what was practical] Wellington’s second fifteen was sen. jto New Plymouth to meet Taranak j and returned home with laurels thick . upon its brow, even though the Tara- | naki province is said not to be undu -

strong this year. However, taking everything into con - sideration, one can only arrive at th* conclusion that Rugby football is in good fettle in Wellington at presen* and the provincial side should bc stronger this year "han it has been fo: some considerable time.

If justice is dene to players by the sole selector. Mr. J. N. Millard, then the next provincial side chosen should see some startling changes.

For instance, judging by the standard of club play which, by the way. is the only standard by which provincial representatives can be chosen, then an almost entirely new threequarter lin may be seen in future provincial matches. Petone. Eastbourne an«i Hutt are each playing a very important part in the final decision of the local championship, mainly because o good backs coupled with hard rucking forwards. Eastbourne and Hutt both adopt shock tactics in winning thei: matches, and very effective they ar - finding it. so that everyone is looking forward to next Saturday when thes»two teams will meet in the sec one. round.

As both teams are near the -top of the table it means that particular attention has been drawn to their individual players, and one is inclined to ask what the secret of their success is. Hutt only came out of the B grad last year, while Eastbourne has never hitherto been up among: the leaders, or even over half-way in a field of ten. Both adopt the same tactics, or very nearly so. The backs stand deep with the result that they are able to get going before they receive the ball in a passing rush, and in defence it is a speedy back that is able to get past them. Eastbourne, of course, has no: achieved all its success from this reason alone. It has some very fine individual talent in the team. Dinnis? at threequarter. can hardly be kept ou of a provincial team this season, and Eric Foley, at first or second fiveeighth, is in like position. Foley has been likened to a younger edition of Mark Nicholls. and certainly his successes have been along the same lines. He does not care whether he scores himself or not, but he makes so many openings for others to score, and • s so often in the picture, that he is always popular with the public

at Athletic Park. Hutt’s wing threequarter. X. B* who was given a game in one of the recent trial matches, is one of the be?' scoring men in the Hutt team, if not in district, and now that he la come tinder the tuition of A. E. Cook** he is showing even greater improvement and he is almost certain to be included In future provincial sides. Apar: from the players mentioned, the onlyother back who is playing anything like high-grade football is Rushbrook. winger for Old Boys. He seems to have returned to something of the form which secured him a place in the Zealand team which toured Soutit Africa a couple of years ago. but in seems hardly probable that he -will be able to oust Oliver or Ball from thawing positions, providing they are bot?t available.

Turning to the forwards for i-> moment, there do not seem to ba many changes likely on the pack whicl faced the British team on King Birthday. The only new man who is really clamouring for a place is J. Dellabarca, the speedy Eastbourne side-rank forward, who has scored a number of tries this season on account of his great speed, and the fact that he is always up with the play and. therefore, able to take advantage of any opportunity that may come his way.

There are quite a number of other good forwards, but none are sufficiently outstanding to be able to displace the present pack.

Berry and Emerson were included in the team which went to Hawera on July 2 to meet Taranaki, but they were really only included because of other players not being available. There is a possibility that when the time comes for a "Wellington provincial team to be selected that several of the players who have been standing by to represent New Zealand will not be available on account of loss of time, in which case there are certain to be further changes. For instance it is quite likely that Porter will be unable to play for his province after having spent at least four weeks in national football, in which case the choice of selection would probably fall on O. Price, the Eastbourne wing - forward, who played very successfully against Taranaki. There is yet some time before the next provincial team is chosen, but a forecast of the Wellington team should work out in something like; the following manner, the players whose names appear in parentheses being the alternatives should the chosen All Black be unable to play:—Fullback. L. K. Heazlewood; threequarters. D. J Oliver (J. Dinniss or C. Rush brook' A. E. Cooke (G. Broderick). N. Ball. five-eighths, M. Xicholls (J. R. Page). E. Foley: haJfback. F. D. Kilby; wingforward. C. G. Porter (O. Price): forwards. E. Coulston. J. Jessup. W. Peck. A. C. McPherson. H. F. McLean (S. H. Cave), J. Dellabarca, EBarry. To those who have seen the progress of club football, this would be considered a very strong team, and it would probably go a long way toward success in interprovincial matches. Whether Wellington has any ambition in relation to the Ranfurly Shield remains to be seen.'Tmt if a full-strength team can be sent South for the purpose it should have little difficulty in returning with the trophy, even though a stronger province than Southland may hold the j shield when Wellington goes in qu'st ' of it.