AWAITING SPRINGBOKS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 246, 17 October 1936, Page 4

AWAITING SPRINGBOKS

NEW SOUTH WALES READY LESSONS OF N.Z. TOUR PLAYERS AND COACHES TO CONFER At the council meeting of the New South Wales Rugby Union in Sydney on September 28, it was decided that a conference of coaches and leading players who toured New Zealand with the Australian team which has just returned, should be held. This scheme is a good one, but is the union wise in so narrowly limiting the conference to those who played in the last Australian team. There are many champions of just a few years ago, who toured New Zealand. England and South Africa, whose knowledge of football and the characteristics of the play of the other countries would be invaluable. Particularly is this the case with players who appeared in South Africa, for they can prepare our coaches with what to expect from the Springboks. So it would be worth the union’s while to reconsider the idea and bring in the co-operation of the great Australians of yesteryear. Mr. Gordon Shaw, manager of the Australian team just returned from New Zealand, had some interesting things to say. He said that the great thing that Australia lacked was a captain. In both Tests if Australia had had a man to pull the backs together the results might have been very different. Mr. Shaw avered that the forwards were splendid and more than held their own with the New Zealand forwards. In the last 20 minutes of both Tests Australia went under owing to unfortunate incidents, but up till then Australia had been on top. Mr. Shaw also stated that for weeks before the New Zealand team was selected, men toured round the various centres in the Dominion looking out for talent for the All Blacks team. Mr. Shaw said that he heard that nearly £6OO was spent in this way to make sure that New Zealand was represented by its best possible side. Mr. W. J. Breckenridge, Australia’s former international forward, said that he considered that the footballers in Australia to-day were equal to any we have ever had. But we needed more co-operation among our coaches, former star internations and the present players.

MEMORIES OF N.Z. TOUR

HAROLD JUDD LOOKS BACK MAORILANDERS WONDERFUL HOSTS Mr. Harold Judd, one of the best all-round and most deadly tackling forwards in New South Wales and Australian packs, who accompanied the Wallaby team on its recent visit to New Zealand, has made some interesting comments on the tour to the Sydney Referee. “The New Zealanders are as wonderful hosts as ever,” he said, “From early morn to midnight they are handing out hospitality with lavish hands. “Mr. ‘Kilty’ Smith, president of tte New Zealand Union, treated us grandly. And so did Stanley Dean, V. R. Meredith (looking very well indeed), and Ted Sullivan. They were all extaerdinarily kind. New Zealand is the land of hospitality and good fellowship. They are just as hospitable to-day as they were in my playing days. “I met many of my contemporary players,” said Mr. Judd. “They all desired me to remember them to hosts of friends on this side. “Among many I was delighted to meet again were Morry Wood, the brilliant five-eighth, W. S. Glenn, who played with the Wallaroos in Sydney before he joined up with the wonder All Blacks of 1905, W. T. Stead, another clever and fleet five-eighth, whom you will recall as vice-captain on the great tour under Dave Gallaher; Jimmy Duncan, the daddy of the 1903 team; Jimmy Hunter, the corkscrew five-eighth; George Tyler, the Auckland hooker; Fred Murray, another fine Auckland forward; Charlie Purdue, who used to play with Marrickville; Syd. Orchard, George Nicholson, Opie Asher, Oily Riley, the Aucklander, who played with the Randwicks over here, and Alick Downes, the cricketer. “I do not think New Zealand football has improved recently. Our boys, with a little more experience and the right tactics, would not have lost either Test. They were beaten mainly through weak tactics, but, of course, that is everything. “In the second half of the second Test in the last 25 minutes our forwards got the ball from the scrums and line-outs, but the New Zealanders (backs and forwards alike) in the loose, scored tries off the many mistakes by our backs. “The Australians were not allowed to penetrate. If they had put in a short grubber kick they would have upset the close marking of the New Zealanders. But there you are—that is knowledge of the game. “After the first match in which Hayes, the captain, was injured, the Australian back play was woeful. Most of the men had little idea of position. They needed some one to take charge of them. When they put up a wonderful game in the first match against Auckland under terrible conditions of ground and weather, I thought they were going to have a splendid tour. But the loss of Hayes and Cerutti in that first match threw them out of gear. “The backs were leaderless. In the first Test they kicked straight to fullback Pollock, time and again. He is a good full-back, but our men made him a better one by kicking to him as they did. “Wells and Tori Read were the best New Zealand forwards in the Tests. Mitchell is a fine centre. These were the three New Zealand stars. But honestly if our team had been handled with the skill of a Lawton, they would not have lost either Test. ’ Asked if he considered the Australians trained as seriously as teams

in his day Mr. Judd replied, “That, of course, I cannot very well discuss. In my day we had our ideas. To-day they have theirs.” The old Sydney forward is a big man these days. He says that he hau many a smile of greeting from tremendously big New Zealanders, with whom he had clashed in the pack and on the line-out in the games of old.