MAORI TEAM SELECTED

Taranaki Daily News, 24 June 1935, Page 7

MAORI TEAM SELECTED

THE TOUR OF AUSTRALIA

TWO TARANAKI MEN INCLUDED.

G. HARRISON AND G. NGAIA TO GO.

MANAGER AND COACH CHOSEN.

By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The following team has been Selected to represent New Zealand Maoris on the Australian' tour.next month:— Full-back: G. Nepia (East Coast). .Three-quarters: W. Phillips (King Country), J. McDonald (Marlborough); J. Hemi (Wairarapa), G. Ngaia (Taranaki), C. Smith (Hawkes Bay).

Five-eighths: T. Chase (Wanganui), N. Kotua (Nelson), J. C. Reedy (East Coast).

Half-ibacks: H. Harrison (East Coast), C. Mellish (Marlborough). Forwards: H. Fronin (North Auckland), R. Mitchell (Bush districts), K. Reedy (East Coast), W. Cooper (North Auckland), J. Kershaw (East Coast). G. Harrison (Taranaki), L. Kawe (King Country), H. Mataira (Hawkes Bay), P. Parata (Otago), B. Rogers (Poverty Bay), J. Greening (Hawkes Bay), P. Smith (Hawkes Bay), T. Whitley (Bay of Plenty), J. Brodick (Bay of Plenty). Mr. Kingi Tahiwi will be manager and Mr. W. J. Wallace will be coach. The team will sail from- Wellington on July 4, arriving at Sydney on July 7. The programme is:— July 10, v. Warwick; July 13, v. Queensland, at Brisbane; July 17, v. Toowoomba; July 20, v. Queensland, at Brisbane; July 24, v. Western, at Dubbo; July 27, v. New South Wales, at Syd-, ney; July 31, in Victoria, or v. Western,', at Bathurst; August 3, v. Victoria, at Melbourne; . August -5, v. New South Wales, at Sydney; August-7, v. Newcastle, at Newcastle; August 10, v. New South Wales, at Sydney. Thfe team will sail for New Zealand on the evening of August 10. There is a possibility that one of the matches at Brisbane will be against an. Australian fifteen.

TEAM WITH ALL BLACK TALENT. SURPRISING OMISSIONS MADE. (By “Side Row.”). Of the 11 backs selected all except three, Kotua, J. C. Reedy and H.-Harri-son, have appeared in the trial-matches, and of the 14 forwards all except four, Fronin, C; Parata, Greening and Broddick, have ' played before the New Zealand or Maori selectors. Several of the names are new to . big Rugby but the team has a ’background of talent proved by experience among the top flight of' New Zealand players. Nepia, Hemi, Smith, G. Harrison and Mataira were all in the running for the AH Black team to tour Britain. It' may be that some of them were reserved-purposely to strengthen the team for. Australia. The outstanding forwards in. the team on present form are Harrison and . Mataira. Harrison has shown by his play that his selection for the recent All/ Black trials was fully justified and. his main, consolation for not securing a trip to England was the certainty of inclusion in the team for Australia. Many .of numerous photographs of play in . the trial game series show Harrison continually on the ball. Mataira, whose form when with the All Black team in Australia last year was one of the outstanding features of that tour, has not fully reproduced. his ■ pristine form, but is he.vefjifeldss a fine.- forward who will find; Australian conditions familiar. The backs will be well served by proved players. The evergreen Nepia will be accompanied by the promising -Hemi,' whom experience in Australia will helpi to keep in the running for the New Zealand team of the future. C. Smith was unlucky not to be one of the All Black 'wingers for England, and Chase’s play this season has been particularly impressive. McDonald and Mellish are regular members of Seddon Shield teams in Marlborough. George Ngaia,. Taranaki’s representative‘in the backs, is one of the fastest players in the province and has a lightning swerve. Although somewhat insecure on defence, Ngaia relies on attack and has a useful penchant for a particularly powerful drop-kick. Some surprise will no doubt be occasioned by the omission of four players whom “Side Row” believed should have secured places easily—Ropa Watson (Nelson), D: Hull (Wellington) and Kingi Wetere and tui Robinson (Taranaki). Watson learned his football at Waitara primary school and the New Plymouth Boys 1 High School and represented Taranaki On many occasions.before going to Nelson four years ago.. He also led the New Zealand Maori team on one occasion.’3. W: Best, the Marlborough All Black,-, told “Side Row” at Wellington last week-end that Watson was playing as well as evey, and his omission is mystifying. Hull, a second Hemi in build, was good enough to be chosen for the final All Black trial.

Tui Robinson, Okaiawa’s tricky fiveeighth, made a great impression on the selectors at the Maori trial match at Hamilton on May 22. He played for the Maoris against the British team and the All Blacks in 1930.

Kingi Wetere, erstwhile captain of the New Plymouth Boys’ High School team and captain of the Taranaki Maoris, made a name for himself on the Taranaki fifteen’s southern tour of 1933. Wetere has not played much football this season but it takes only a match or two to make him fit, when there would be no superior to him in the pack.

NEPIA IN GOOD FORM BRIGHT MAORI GAME AT GISBORNE PRINCE OF WALES CUP CONTEST. By Telegraph—Press Association. Gisborne, Last Night. Scintillating Rugby was provided on Saturday when Tairawhiti (Poverty Bay, East Coast, Bay of Plenty and Hawke’s Bay) and Waipounamu (South Island) representatives met to decide the holders of the Prince of Wales Cup and the Jack Ruru Memorial Cup. Though Tairawhiti won by 13 points to three, the game was much more even than the scores indicate. Special interest attached to the appearance of the full-backs Nepia and H. Phillips (Marlborough). Nepia gave a brilliant exhibition, his kicking being deadly accurate and tackling most effective. Phillips played a great game, practically up to All Black standard, and was little inferior to Nepia, whose exclusion from the New Zealand All Blacks caused great Surprise on the coast. ■The best of the Tairawhiti side were Nepia, D. McKinley, T. Howell, J. Reedy, Harrison, Matai, A. Whiteley, Reed, K. Reedy and Kershaw. For Waipounamu the best were Phillips, J. McDonald, Watson, Mason, Tom Robinson, Purdue, B. Ward, T. Witere and Parata. . Play opened with a series of Tairawhiti back attacks and then Kaua broke through. Watson, however, stemmed the attack brilliantly and then an indecisive period followed until Reed and Pohipi

broke away, dribbling well until checked near quarter-way. The Spoiling work to this stage was excellent.

Tairawhiti gradually worked downfield and Harrison made a great dash through the ruck. J. Reedy then showed out in a dashing run which was stopped by Phillips just in time. Good work by B. Rogers assisted" Tairawhiti to make progress and J. Reedy was well tackled by Phillips. Howell was prominent in subsequent play but Nepia checked a fast forward attack brilliantly. The first, score came to Tairawhiti when Whiteley, following up fast, gatherer a bouncing ball to score wide out. The kick missed. Tairawhiti opened the second spell brilliantly and slashing attacks saw Smith and Howell prominent. A good dash by McKinley saw the winger forced into touch but shortly afterwards Nepia placed the team on attack with a good i kick, and D. Ward made a fine dash. Then the Waipounamu backs got away, Nepia saving brilliantly. Kaua gained ground with a good side-step, but Mellish cleared well. Passing by the South Islanders promised well but good tackling broke up the attack. Soon afterwards from a good passing rush the ball went out to Pohipi, who scored for Nepia to convert. Within a few minutes passing between Toby Robinson, Watson and McDonald saw the last-named score a good try. Shortly before time more bright passing saw C. McKinley cap a movement which gave him a try, again converted by Nepia. making the final score:— Tairawhiti 13 Waipounamu .. 3