RUGBY TEST WITH ENGLAND

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 278, 24 November 1945, Page 7

RUGBY TEST WITH ENGLAND

“KIWIS” MATCH TO-DAY FAMOUS TWICKENHAM GROUND To-day the famous Twickenham ground in England will be the scene of another tense Rugby match when the “Kiwi’ Rugby fifteen will pit its strength against England. The New Zealanders have now played six matches. Five have been won and one drawn. They have scored 94 points and had 55 registered against them. The record is as foil ws:— v. Swansea 22—6. v. Llanellv 16—8. v. Neath 22—15. v. Northern Services 14 7. v. Ulster 10—9. v. Leinster (draw) 10—10. The match to-day recalls some of the stirring sides of other years, particularly the personnel of the New Zealand Army team of World War I, which gave such a good account of itself. both in England and in South Africa. Names that come to mind are O’ Brien, J. G. McNaught (now principal of New Plymouth Boys’ High School, and an old boy of Wanganui Technical College), Ford, Jack Stohr, a famous Taranaki player before the outbreak of World War I—his displays in the Taranaki-Wanga-

nui matches are still remembered— Fea, J. Ryan, Kissick, Brown, Singe, who later turned over to the League code, Hassell, Rang! Wilson, Moffatt, Beiliss, Alf. West and Fogarty. Both West and Singe are dead. The Twickenham ground, where the game will be played to-day, saw the 1924 All Black team beat England with a depleted team, C. Brownlie being ordered off in the presence of the Prince of Wales, now the Duke of Windsor.

The same ground saw the defeat of the 1935 New Zealand side which went down to England by a wide points margin. This was the game in which the late Prince Obolensky made his famous runs which had the AIV Blacks nonplussed. Th.« New Zealand team to play today is largely composed of men who have played in recent matches. Saxton will cantain the fifteen. The inclusion of Rhind and Simpson is reported from London to have added strength to the pack. There is no indication as to whom has been dropped other than Bond. England’s team to play the New Zealanders will be captained by J. Heaton, who first played for his country in 1935 and has six caps to his credit. With H. F. Wheatley (Cov-

entry), a forward who has won seven caps between 1936 and 1939, he is the only man in the team who played in the last full international match before the war. The learn is as follows:—Full-back, Pateman (Coventry); three-quarters, G. Hollis (Hull), J. Heaton, F. K. Scott (St. Mary’s Hospital), Marriott; half-backs, Hall and P. W. Sykes (Wasps); forwards, T. Price (Gloucester), W. O. Chadwick (Richmond and Blackheath), G. A. Kelly (Bedford), D. B. Vaughan (Harlequins), J. Mycock (Sale), H. F. Wheatley (Coventry) F. Bole (Cambridge University), G. Hudson (Gloucester). The team is regarded as largely experimental and tentative.