N.Z. TEAM IN AUSTRALIA

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17750, 29 June 1929, Page 21 (Supplement)

N.Z. TEAM IN AUSTRALIA

TOUR OPENED TO-DAY. THE LIST OF MATCHES. The following is the Itinerary of the New Zealand team’s Australian tour: — June 29.—Now South Wales, at Sydney. July 3.—Newcastle, at Newcastle. July 6.—Australia, at Sydney. July 10.—New South Wales, at Sydney. July 13.—Victoria, at Melbourne. July 17.—New England or Clarence River Unions. July 20. —Australia, at Brisbane. July 24.—Queensland, at Brisbane. July 27.—Australia, at Sydney.

PREPARING TO TRAVEL. THE BIFTING OUT PROCEBB. BACKS RISE TO THE OCCASION. WAIKATO’S WIN OVER KING COUNTRY. (By “Drop Kick.”) The Waikato Rugby Union will senrl a team on tour next month, and the sole selector (Mr T. A. Cooper) is now busy surveying the material at command from which to select the forces to meet the elect of Hawke’s Bay, Wairoa, Poverty Bay,, and Bay of Plenty. With J. Tuck gone from the district and J. R. Fitzgerald on the injured list, useful players are missing, but indications point to quite a good side being got together for the tour. Waikato played their first match when they were beaten by Auckland on June 3. They made their second appearance of the season on Wednesday last, when they comfortably accounted for King Country at Te Awamutu by 27 points to 8. The backs won that game. They took a little time to settle down, but in the second half they were found operating very effectively, and, all told, gave a pleasing display. Of the forwards the same cannot be said. They lacked speed for one thing, and did not workin unison for another, while they packed their scrum badly. This department of the representative selection will require tightening up a good deal. Allowance must, of course, be made for the fact that it takes time for a set, drawn from different districts, and strange to the play of one another, to mould into a unit working as one and not as seven individuals. It must not be inferred, however, that the pack seen out on Wednesday will be the final selection. These games form part of the modus operandi for sifting the wheat from the straw. The Side on Top. Stan Thomas was' often in the limelight. The Waikato full-back gathered the ball in quite his best style. He did not hesitate to race up as far as possible before getting in his clearances. It was with the latter that he was not always getting the maximum in length, but it was seldom that lie did not gain ground. There was only one occasion that the invaders got past him, but then it was a low shot that angled away as the Morrinsville man was rushing across to counter a dribbling rush at his 25. Graham and Anderson, the wing three-quarters, filled their important positions with every satisfaction. Anderson was the more effective of the two, his marked speed being in evidence on many occasions, and several times he raced clean away from the opposition. He took part in most attacking movements, and scored three tries'. Anderson could be tried- out in the centre position. My impression is he would shape well there. Graham, with adequate ball supply, proved a hard customer to stop. Neither he nor Anderson was the last word in defence, however. Two men were seen in the centre position for Waikato. P. Clarkin played there until near the close of the first half, when he had to retire owing to injury. He got in some useful work, but had blemishes in his play in dropped passes, while there were times when he held on too long. Full-back or on the wing suits him better. A. H. Griffiths, who supplanted him, was very nippy, using his pace to advantage and side stepping to good effect. The five-eighths, Storey and Quin, paired quite well. Both were right on their game. Quin’s work was very snappy, and marked by straight running. Storey was a bit slow off the mark at times, but he always supported well away from the orthodox line of attack.. Although he' did not have a surfeit of opportunity from the set scrums, Mitchell, the half, who captained the team, made the most of his opportunities for opening up the play. He stood up to the solid opposing" pack without flinching and sent his backs off from the ruck on many occasions.

Kay, the rover, proved a capable connecting link with the rearguard division. In the second half of the game the To Awamutu man was very active, and his excellent condition enabled him to see the play right out.. The Waikato forwards were beaten on the lines and In the loose. They were too Impetuous in the scrums, and often broke up before they should. There was a need for better combination among the front line of the attack. Robinson and Holmes, the hookers, were having some say, but for the main part they were well beaten for possession. Itw as not altogether their fault, as they were, frequently, not getting the weight to the degree that was essential. Robinson played a fine game in other departments, being right up with the play throughout. Simpson, Fleming, and W. Bourke toiled well in the tight. Halstead had hard luck with several goaling efforts. Edwards was eager, but green to big play. The IVlen From King Country.

W. Wetere, the full-back, was fairly safe, but was on the slow side to combat bustling tactics. He got flve of his side’s eight points by his boot, but his kicking was not up to his customary standard. Puki, Peebles, and McLeod, who formed the three-quarter line, each accomplished some useful work individually. McLeod was the better of the trio. It was only the sound tackling of Thomas that kept him out of a certain try on one occasion. Hickey and Jones, the five-eighths, were willing workers, but their attack lacked variety. In the second half their defence was breached more than once.

Finlay,\ the half, had plenty of opportunity from the scrums, but he was often too slow in getting the ball away. Kay and Robinson gave the half* plenty of legitimate attention, hbwcvcr, and this did not make his path any the easier. Skelton, the rover, and. the skipper of- the side, was quite a useful man,

but he was not so well versed in the “tricks of the trade” as his vis-a-vis. The forwards were a good set, of whom Eden and Flewell, the hookers, did their important job veTy successfully. K. Wetere, the 15.0 young Maori lock, who played for New Plymouth High School a couple of seasons ago, was the “daddy of ’em all. His forte was his line-out play, and he did the work of two men. If Wetere were playing in one of the big centres he would soon reach the top rank. While by no means finished, the pack was very dashing in the loose. Their ground work gave Waikato a lot of trouble, but they could not finish the advances, and tired over the concluding portion of the game against the pace and persistency of the thrusts of the winning side.

■ ITEMS OF INTEREST. Souter, the second -Otago man chosen for the 1929 All Blacks, has an excellent record in Rugby for a young player. In 1926 he was a member of the Otago junior representative team, and the following season he was in the Alhambra first grade team. In his first year in senior football he was picked to represent the province, and was a member of the Otago team that toured the North Island at the end of the 1927 season. In addition to being a good hooker, Souter is a splendid forward both in scrummaging and in the loose, and another qualification is that he is a first-class place kick. ;

Ilazlett will be available for Southland this season. It was thought at first that he would be able to play only against Otago at Invercargill, but he has now stated that he will be available to tour with the Southland team.