AUSTRALIAN TEAM.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 197, 20 August 1931, Page 14

AUSTRALIAN TEAM.

Arrival in South Island. “RUGBY IS BOOMING.” All fit and well, the Australian Rugby team arrived in the South Island by the ferry steamer from Wellington this morning, and went on to Dunedin by the first express. They will play their first match against Otago at Dunedin on Saturday, and after meeting Southland at Invercargill, will arrive in Christchurch next Thursday for the match against Canterbury. Increased Attendances. “Rugby has been booming in Australia this season,” stated the manager of the team, Mr T. C. Davis. “It is remarkable how the game has gone ahead in Queensland, so much so that we showed a profit on the Queensland tour. Nine Queenslanders are with our team, and we have brought two from Victoria, where the game is going ahead. In spite of the depression attendances at club games have increased. “The New South Wales Union has found that with the adoption of the old rules the play has not been slowed up, as was feared in some quarters. It was considered only fair and just that New South Wales should follow the lead of New Zealand in reverting to the old rules.” Tall and Youthful Forwards. The Australian team has a fine-look-ing set of forwards, all of whom are youthful. The tallest of the imposing bunch is T. Perrin, the twenty-year-old forward from New South Wales. He is 6ft 3in in height and built to scale. L. J. Palfreyman (New South Wales) is another packman who stands above his fellows. The rest of the thirteen forwards, except W. H. Cerutti and B. Judd, are making their first trip to New Zealand. Backs who have been here before are C. 11. Towers and S. J. Malcolm. The last-named is captain on this tour, which is the first to be made by an Australian representative team since 1913. Tourists invariably bring new fashions with them, and sartorial artists will be interested in the number of leather overcoats seen on the players. They state that these cowhide coats are very warm and hard-wearing, and are the “rage” in Sydney. All coats were on this morning at the Christchurch station, as the south-west wind combined with a light fog, made the conditions wintry. A Representative Side. The visitors were welcomed at the station by representatives of the Canterbury Rugby Union and the Canterbury Rugby Referees’ Association. Old friendships were renewed and reminiscences exchanged. The following players, fourteen of whom are from New South Wales, nine from Queensland, and two from Victoria, are travelling:—Full-backs, A. W. Ross (N.S.W.), J. Steggall (Q.) ; threequarters, W. Hemingway (N.S.W.), H. Tolhurst (N.S.W.), B. Palmer (N.S.W.), C. H. Towers (N.S.W.), P. Clarke (Q.), H. Herd (N.S.W.); five-eighths, H. Primrose (N.S.W.), D. L. Cowper (Vic.) ; half-backs, S. J. Malcolm (N.S.W., captain), G. Bennett (Q.) ; forwards, W. H. Cerutti (N.S.W.), E. Bonis (Q.), M. R. Blair (N.S.W.), T. Ritter (Q.), E. Love (N.S.W.), F. Wyatt (Q.), B. Judd (N.S.W.), M White (Q.), J. Clark (Q., vice-captain), F. Reville (Q.), L. J. Palfreyman (N.S.W.), O. Bridle (Vic.) and T. Perrin (N.S.W.). The Australians will play eight matches in New Zealand, as follows: August 22—v Otago, at Dunedin. August 26—v Southland, at Invercargill. August 29—v Canterbury, at Christchurch. September 2—v Seddon Shield District, at Nelson. September s—v Wellington, at Wellington. September 9—v. Maoris, at Palmerston North. September 12—v New Zealand, at Auckland. September 16—v Waikato-King Country, at Hamilton.