FOOTBALL

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18617, 12 July 1930, Page 16

FOOTBALL

When Mr R. R. Masters, a Canterbury selector, and former All Black was asked his opinion concerning the team that met Britain in the second test at Christchurch, said that the team would have to be put on the field in a fitter condition and with more young players to brighten it up. The inclusion of young players would sharpen the attack and also make for better fitness. Young players when chosen for such a big game, made sure that they took the field thoroughly fit. training strongly at every opportunity before the match. On the other hand "the old heads”, who had established their reputations, did not go to the same length to prepare for a match, although each one knew in his heart that he required walks every morning and runs at opportunities to fit himself for the game. Mr Masters did not favour an earlier assembly of the team for training purposes—in any case the New Zealand Union had crabbed itself in that direction by the passing of the rule forbidding the assembly of teams more than two days before the match. He thought, however. that the playens should be more thoroughly trained when they did assemble. and each one should train on his own as soon as he knew he was chosen. Discussing the selection of the team, he said that young players should be chosen in some positions, but not having seen the trial games, he could not suggest just who should go out, and who should be the replacements. He thought, however, that if I played at all Nicholls should be a : second five-eight, and Cooke was undoubtedly a centre-threequarter.

To many, who witnessed the second test match in Christchurch, it has become apparent that New Zealand must have a better representation of youth in her fifteen test footballers if she is to maintain her prestige against the British invaders whom she greatly impressed during the tour of the 1924 team. Mr S. F. Wilson, a former president of the Canterbury and New ; Zealand Rugby Unions stated in | Christchurch the other day: “The ! team is screaming out for youth.” He thought that the forwards should be livened up by the inclusion of one or two young and keen players, and the back division should bo brightened by more initiative than the present set. Mr Wilson expressed the opinion that the selection of some young men of Mark Nicholls, despite his value as a goal kicker, was too Glow and lacked penetration, and the.best place for A. E. Cooke to use his ability was in the centre. Mr Wilson differed from S other good judges in regard to the i physical condition of the team. He 1 thought the players w r ere fit enough—i they had lasted out the game better than their opponents—but some of the i tactics should be improved. The backs stood too shallow so that they were not going at full speed when they had the ball, and were too far up to double back on defence when an opponent broke through. Just now when the well-wishers of New Zealand Rugby are wondering | what should be done to improve our ! chances in the forthcoming tests, and j incidentally are making suggestions i for the improvement of the Dominions ; representatives, the selectors appear to have been overlooked altogether. As ! a matter of fact if our Selectors are 1 to judge upon their effort thus far. j they have failed lamentably. A team : to beat the Englishmen must be com- ' posed of men with initiative, resourcefulness and enterprise, and above all they must be young. The Britishers to get into their stride, so to speak, must have a second or two free from molestation, and the side that will not give them breathing space once they get the ball, will prevent them from swinging into action. This was demonstrated here on the Caledonian

Ground when the visitors met the Combined team. The selectors who were present at this match saw what was required, but have apparently ignored it. It has been said, and not without a great deal of truth, that we have too many selectors and it might be as well for those in authority, when considering the matter of dropping some of the "has beens” from the All Blacks, for them also at the same time to make arrangements to do away with the present selectors. There are in the first place too many of them, and this causes the work of selecting a team, to develop into a business of bargaining among the selectors. The fewer selectors we have the better it will be for the game of rugby. It will do away with the, "You support me and I will support you.” The present method engenders parochialism, and with parochialism we cannot expect to see our best players in action as a national side against visiting teams.

The Zingari football club will hold its annual ball in the Caroline Bay hall on Wednesday, July 23. This will be on the night of the South Canterbury v. Wanganui representative football match. The visitors will be the guests of the Zingari club at this function.

Local club fixtures will be resumed to-day when the Old Boys seniors will meet Waihi on No. 1 ground at Fraser Park, and Zingari will play Star on No 2 ground. Temuka and Celtic will try conclusions at Temuka.

Referring to the Second Test a northern writer has the following to say:—That victory was just about as lucky as was the British win at Dunedin, probably a little more so, because obviously 15 international players should be able to beat 14, when there is evidently little, if any difference in the strengths of the teams. The position is still indecisive, and will not favour one side or the other until the fourth Test is over. There will always be the impression in both the first and second Tests that neither result was a true indication of the play, but if anything at all definite has come out of these two games it is the fact that Britain has produced a great international side which has brought home the realisation that since 1924 New Zealand football has not improved; rather the reverse. It is conclusive of this statement that 60 many “old hands” have been called upon to represent New Zealand, the selectors apparently having the idea that only a very few of the xecent “stars” are worthy of the All Black jersey. And yet those wrho have had their chances have more than come up to expectations, and most of those, with reputations behind them, have failed to come "up to scratch.” Even the mighty Cooke did not pla3 r as well as he has in the past, and Lucas apparently is completely off form. Lilbume and Mill both failed in the first Test, and the half-b*£k who took Mill s place, Comer, delivered the goods, and played well up to All Black standerd. Hart, on the wing. has also justified his inclusion, and while Oliver has not been particularly impressive at least he ha 6 been as good as any of the older players. Surely, then, if the new men that have been included in the teams have proved themselves, others could and w’ould do the same. In the backs there is a fine five-eighths available in Innes. of Canterbury, and it is open to question if Minns, of Auckland, is not worth a game. Also it is very much open to question if Cooke should not be played at centre three-quarter; it cannot be said that he should be

dispensed with, and in view of Mark Nicholls’s performance on Saturday it would be hard to find another first five-eighth. But Lucas, apparently, is unable to reproduce his form of six years ago. and if Innes were brought in as second five-eighth and Cooke shifted out to the centre position the line would be considerably strengthened. And the introduction of fresh blood need not only be confined to the backs, though it must be admitted that the forwards are just about as strong a lot as could be fielded. McLean (Wellington) was considered unlucky not to be selected after the Possibles v. Probables game in Wellington. and Purdue and Collett (Southland) both played great games in the trial match. However, though the All Black team may or may not be improved on, and whether or not it has played as well as it can play, all honour must go to Britain for the magnificent battle it put up on Saturday. playing one man short for a spell and a half. First to lose Sobey, then Reeve, then Hodgson and then Murray, Britain has been extremely unfortunate and it says a whole volume for the great players that are in the team that they could give just as good as they got even though one of their best men. and he occupying the most important position, had to retire. Two men held the scrum-half position, first Ivor Jones and then Prentice. One is left wondering if it W"as with the idea of giving Jones a chance to repeat his Dunedin effort that Prentice took over the half’s job toward the end of the game; if so, it was a plan that came off to perfection. As far as lost chances are concerned, honours—if they can be called honours—are easy, as each side apparently lost one certain try, Lucas being the New Zealand offender and Aarvold the British.

Instead of cooking root vegetables, try grating them and servo raw.