DESERT RUGBY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 283, 1 December 1941, Page 4

DESERT RUGBY

WANGANUI PLAYERS IN LIMELIGHT MATCH WITH SPRINGBOKS SI I’EKB ALL BLACK PACK "To-day. along with countless others. I had the pleasure of seeing cur 2nd. N.Z.E.F. divisional team beat a South African team by 8 points to nil. and I say in all humility that the score might easily have been twice as high and still a fair indication of the play.” writes Driver Allan Reeve, serving with the 2nd. N.Z.E.F. in th** Middle East, to Wanganui friends, in a letter dated November 8, just three weeks ago. "At the Possibles v. Probable trial a couple of weeks ago Wanganui was strongly represented by Knox Welsh and Dave Barton (of Wanganui and Old Boys*. Leo Conner and Bernie Dow (Marist*. Morrie Shevvan (Technical Old Boys) and Dave Whillan* (Kaierau), and all of them played A 1 football.” continues Reeve. "Knox and Dave played first and second five eighths, respectively, for New Zea I ar.' to-day. and though both played grandly. Knox was inspired. Several time* he cut the South African defence t > ribbon*, strong though it was and ' paved the way for Jack Sullivan playing centre, to take his pass and score the only try of the match under the posts. Our pack was a superb cn* in Ihe light and even better in th* loose, although, man for man. th* South Africans looked bigger r.nd re* - t a inly they were redoubt able forwards of lhe true Springbok type. Anyway it was a grand game and exciting at that. "A shower of rain (yes. we d«* get tain in the desert* made the grotn-1 hard hut a little heavy and slippery with the appearance of clay and r picturesque note to- the performance was the barbwire strands of the fence which kept us soldier spectators off the playing area. It was an unbel ev able sight a quarter of an hour bef lhe start of the match, watching th* streams of grouns of khaki-clad li ures crossing the desert from al’ angles tn lhe ground, a few hundred yard> from the Med tcrranean. O'e head, bombers and fighters carried '»•■* with the busines of war. If only Je: \ had known we vver° there he cot:'! have had such a haul but he didn't" Reeve mentions that in lhe day tin * thev never saw a Hun plane, and only twice to his knowledge and memoi v had bombers dropped "eggs” within twelve mi l - 4 nf that lnc n litv at nisht