ARRIVAL HOME

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 449, 15 December 1930, Page 11

ARRIVAL HOME

BRITISH RUGBY TEAM MR BAXTER’S PART On their return to the Home countries the members of the British Rugby football team which visited New Zealand and Australia this year gave interesting accounts of the tour to interviewers and others. Advice by mail from England states that Mr James Baxter, the manager, had something to say regarding the tour further than the remarks he made on landing at Plymouth, some of which were cabled to New Zealand. Mr Baxter’s attention was called to the suggestion made in some quarters that he had dominated the selection committee and had been mainly responsible for the choosing of the teams. So far from that being the case, he said, the teams were always chosen by a committee consisting of himself as chairman, and Prentice, Sobey, and Farrell, with other members of the party invariably called in, and there were occasions when he was outvoted on some particular choice- But, as in all other matters, there was perfect understanding and loyalty as between players and manager, and complete harmony prevailed from start to finish.

Of the courtesy and kindliness extended to the party everywhere, Mr Baxter was very enthusiastic, and speaking of New South Wales, where it has recently been stated publicly by an official of the Rugby League that the British party “played games against several men who have played in the Rugby League >n recent years, and have been paid for it.” he declared that the people in New South Wales who have control of the game are among the most delightful sportsmen he has ever met, and that, no irregularity could have happened with thsir knowledge-

Scotland’s Representative The Edinburgh Evening News has an interview with W. S. Welsh, the Scottish International forward. “On arriving at Hawick,” says the News, 44 Welsh was greeted by a very large crowd, and it is indicative of his enthusiasm for the Rugby game that later in the evening he went down to Mansfield Park and did some training in order to work off the stiffness incurred on the homeward voyage. 4 ‘Speaking about the enthusiasm which prevailed in New’ Zealand and Australia, Welsh said that it was little short of remarkable. People had come from all parts to see the British tourists playing. In the last Test (in which he played) there was a crowd of 42.000, and the smallest crowd in the New Zealand games was 8000- On that occasion, of course, the game had been played in one of the small centres. Wherever he had gone he had met people from the Mother Country, and he was particularly delighted to meet a large number of Hawick people. Perhaps it was the fact that he was the only Scotsman in the party, but he had been greatly sought out, and on one occasion he was delighted to meet three men who had formerly played in th? Hawick team. Nven in Colombo, he had met old opponents in C. G. Kerr, the former Watsonian forward, and Alec Mcleod, who used to play for Jcdforest before going to the London Lettish. In New' Zealand, too, he aner Dr Gunn, the former Royal High School internationalist•‘ln Australia he was delighted tc meet most of the Waratahs who had been in this country in 1927-28 Among the Australians whom he played against at Melrose, and who were still to the fore in their own country, was Tom Law’ton, who had played ex ceptionally well when Australia bea Britain by 6 points to 5, and anothe eld frijnl in Breckenridge, the for ward. Welsh said that he was ver interested to i< arn that Breckenridge had been tarried to a Glasgow girl whom he met when he was over wit! the Waratahs. “Welsh said that he thought tha

the tour provided a great oj-jortun’ty lor strengtl ening enthusiasm in the Rugby game. So far as he was ctijjcd, he had been very glad of the cpportuuay of studying cue tactics and methods of the leading international players, and he was sure he had (to put it in his own words), ‘learned a thing or two.’ “The pitches in New Zealand, he thought, were superior to those in Australia, but the best pitch on which he had played was that at Colombo, which was like a billiard table, and it was set amidst beautiful surroundings. Welsh was proud of the fact that he had brought home with him his blue jersey, on the breast of which’ are three golden lions. These were the colours of the British tourists while they were on tour. He also brought back with him a white jersey which was given to him by one of the New Zealanders. Welsh said there was a tremendous storm over the suggestion that New Zealand should change their colours from black to white, but eventually the difficulty was got over, and the New Zealanders had very sportingly sacrificed sentiment for convenience.”

Hodgson’s Views * J. M‘D- Hodgson, the Northern and Northumberland forward, has given some impressions to the Newcastle Journal. “On tour we had a simply wonderful time,” said Hodgson, “and I shall never forget my visit with the touring team to a country where Rugby football is almost a religion-” Hodgson spoke of the large attendances at the matches, the heavy travelling, the climate, and the conditions of the grounds. Asked about the playing standard in New Zealand, Hodgson said the game was of keener quality than in England, but the teams did not go out so much for the open game. The forwards were exceptionally good. In New South Wales, however, the English type of Rugby was seen, with the eight-for-ward formation adhered to, and the ball given plenty of air. On the question of the Tests, Mr Hodgson thought that with a bit of luck the British side might have won three out of four. The bounce of the ball decided against rncm twice, and again a tactical error cost a certain victory. “It was simply touch and go-” He praised the fine forward play of the New Zealanders—a “very tough lot” —but said the different interpretation of the rules had something to do with our forwards not getting the ball so much. There seemed to be some doubt in the minds of the New Zealanders whether the rule as to the ball passing both feet of a forward in each pack did not mean “past both feet of one man” (only). This gave the frontrow forward opposite the loose head on the side where the ball was being put in liberty to hook with his inside foot. When interviewed by a Westmorland Gazette representative, Sam Martindale, the Kendal international, said he had had a magnificent trip, adding that he weighed 15st 31b, compared with 13st 121 b when he left England. It was not through lack of work, as he had very little time to himself.