A GOOD SOLID TEAM, WITH FEW SURPRISES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 188, 10 August 1931, Page 7

A GOOD SOLID TEAM, WITH FEW SURPRISES.

MEN CHOSEN MAY GAIN ALL BLACK HONOURS.

The fact that the North Island team to play the South at Wellington next Saturday was made known before the South Island team was finally chosen may have caused the selector (Mr A. M’Donald) to rearrange his players somewhat so that those men looked upon as more or less certainties for All Black honours would not be playing directly opposite North Island certainties. The team as chosen should be a good solid combination, both back and forward.

Strang, the 1928-30 All Black, plays equally well at half-back or second fiveeighths. The South Island have no other very outstanding first fiveeighths, but the North have one in Lilburne, and it would have been folly to have matched Strang against him, as the selectors would eventually have had to drop one of them or rearrange their positions. There is no top-notch half-back in the North Island, so that is Strang's opportunity in the South team. At first five-eighths, Strang trould have been preferred to Day, but with the rearrangement the Canterbury man gets a position opposite Lilburne. Strang will play opposite Kilby next Saturday, and will probably win the duel. The rearrangement, while giving Day a chance, leaves out Simon, the clever half from Otago. Since the retirement of Carleton the South Island have lacked a really good centre three-quarter. Crosbie (Southland) and Innes (Canterbury) have done fairly well in the position this season, but the selector’s verdict goes to Fookes (Otago). He is a brother of the man who played for Canterbury College a few seasons ago and who, after returning to New Plymouth, was nominated as wing-forward for the North Island team, but failed to gain inclusion against Solomon. Fookes played for Otago against the British team last year, and is a solid and reliable centre. Next Saturday he will have a big handful in Cooke. The duel between Oliver (Canterbury) and Mark Nicholls should be interesting. They are of entirely different types, and the selectors will be faced with the problem of deciding whether Oliver’s speed is of more value than Nicholls’s experience.

Porter (Southland) was probably Bush’s runner-up for the full-back position, but Bush is the better man. He did very well on the New Zealand Universities’ tour in Australia. Geddes (Southland) could scarcely have been omitted after his great duel with Hart (Canterbury) in the Southland-Canter-bun' match, which the selector witnessed. Some Good Forwards. Cottrell and Hore, the All Black hookers of last year, are again alongside each other. Max, the lock from Nelson, has not figured in first-class football, but has a reputation for fine play. M’Neight (Buller) played against the British team last year, and was one of the best forwards on the ground. He is a battler all the way, and should balance the scrum well with the heavy Purdue on the other side. Metcalf (Southland) played a great game against Canterbury, and on the day’s play could scarcely have been ovei*looked. The same applies to Manchester (Canterbury), who, though lacking the extra weight that counts, makes up for that deficiency by great dash and the use of football brains. Andrews has played himself into the position of wing-forward, but Solomon wil keep him busy. Both have much the same style of roving play. Andrews is scarcely twenty years of age; he was at the New Plymouth High School last year. Trevathan, the emergency from North Otago, is an unorthodox type of second five-eighth who is hard to follow, but who generally gets where he | wants to. He plaj-ed a great game ! against the British team at Timaru iast season. North Island Team. The North Island team is: Full-back: \Y. Kerr (North Auckland). Three-quarters: D. L. Olliver (Wairarapa), A. E. Cooke (Hawke’s Bay), N. Ball (Wellington). Five-eighths: M. Nicholls (Wellington), H. Lilburne (Wellington). Half-back: F. D. Kilby (Wellington). Wing-forward. D. Solomon (Auckland). Back row;: C. Anderson (Hawke’s Bay), W. Batty (Auckland), j Side row: H. F. l&’Lean (Wellington), —. Cameron (Waikato). Lock: E. R. Steere (Hawke’s Bay). Front row: K. Reid (Wairarapa), S. Hadley (Auckland). Emergencies: Back, Watson (Taranaki), forward, N. Wanoa (Hawke's Bay).