TODAY’S MATCH.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1924, Page 6

TODAY’S MATCH.

GAME AGAINST SWANSEA. •STRENGTH OF WELSH TEAM. PROMINENT MEN ABSENT. To-day the All Blacks enter Welsh territory when they will play Swansea. The result of this match will be posted out-side the Daily News to-morrow morning and the details of th© game will be published in Monday’s Daily News. In the tour of the 1905 All Blacks, the match against Swansea proved one of the hardest games the team had to contest. It was the last match played in Britain, being set down for December 30, just three months later than this year, and the All Blacks won by four points (a potted goal by Wallace) to a try- • A correspondent writing from England

says:— Counties and clubs who have engagements with the All Blacks during the early part of the tour may be handicapped by the absence of players with the British team in South Africa and of players who have given up the Rugby game. In regard to the latter there has been somewhat of a sensation at Home by the decisions of some players to go over to the professional code. Among these players are some Welsh internationals, and, although it is reported that the Welsh clubs are likely to give the All Blacks harder games and cheek their unbeaten record, some difficulty may be experienced in finding players as capable.as those who are now in the Northern Union ranks, Melville A. Rosser, of Penarth, and J. Jones, of Swansea, who were both capped for Wales last season, have with the Leeds Rugby League Club. Both are centre three-quarter backs.

Jones was top scorer for Swansea last season, and Rosser was invited to accompany the British Rugby team to South Africa. E- Watkins, the Neath and Welsh international scrum half-back, who played in all the big matches for Wales last season, has signed for the Halifax Northern Union Club. A report that he received £lOOO for his signature, is denied at Halifax. His co-operation with V. Griffiths, of Newport, in the big matches last season was one of the few bright features of what was iperhaps the most disastrous season in the history of Welsh football. A report from England says: “The Welsh Rugby Union cannot regard these departures with complacency. To lose three international players in a week is serious, ’ and, though South Wales has always proved a happy hunting ground for Rugby League agents, the standard of play lias become so low (in international matches at any rate) that the obvious desire was to retain as many players as they could, particularly those of international standard.”

In addition to those losses, Swansea and Newport will be without the services of other prominent players for the matches with the All Blacks. Rowe Harding, Swansea’s star three-quarter, is with the British l<*am in South Africa, as also are two of Newport's star players—Neil McPherson and Dr. W. J. Roche. It will be remembered that these two Newport players were concerned in the trouble created by the Scottish Rugby Union in objecting to the presentations which were made to the members of the Newport team in appreciation of a fine record last season. The fact that I'such prominent players are not available will have no doubt caused the Rugby officials at Swansea and Newport to take all possible steps to strengthen their ranks for the matches with the AU Blacks. Judging by the. latest cabled messages from Home, both clubs are confident that they can make a good showing against the New Zealanders, in spite of the fact that a number of last season’s leading players are not available.