RUGBY.

Waikato Times, Volume 114, Issue 18986, 1 July 1933, Page 19 (Supplement)

RUGBY.

SPRINGBOKS FOR TEST.

MEET WALLABIES ON JULY 8. FEW NEW PLAYERS. Besides the weight in its scrum, the South African team for the first Test against the Wallabies at Cape Town, on July 8, is notable chiefly for the retention of forwards of long experience and the inclusion of young three-quarters. There are only six players in it who are new to Test Rugby, hut two of the six have had plenty of other experience. J. P. Nel, big forward from Natal, who captains the side, is 30 years of age, and has been playing “big" football for a dozen years. He played in all four Tests against the British team which toured South Africa in 1924, in

the four Tests against the New Zealand team of 1928, and In the four International matches played by the Springboks who toured Great Britain and Ireland In the 1931-32 season there. Next in age to Nel Is Kipling, 14.6, hooker, who played for Grlqualand against the British team of 1924 and the All Blacks of 1928. He, too, played in the four international matches of the tour of Great Britain and Ireland In 1931-32, when he was 27 years of age. M. M. (“Boy") Louw, of Western Provfnce, must be 27 years of age now, or Just on It. He played in two of the Tests against the All Blaoks of 1028, and in the four international games of the 1931-32 tour. A frontrow forward, though he stands 6ft lin and weighs 15.5, Louw is also very active In the loose. His younger brother, S. C. ("Fanie”) Louw, Is an inoh shorter, and weighs 13.8; he is a seoond-row forward. Nel, Kipling, and the Louw brothers were among the first eight forwards selected for the British tour, just on two years ago, but “Fanie" Louw did not play in the International matches of the tour; he was Injured before the first °f them. , Tallest Man In Team.

F. Bergh, from South-Western Districts, was the tallest man In the Springbok team which went Home close on two years ago. He stands 6ft 3iin, and his weight when he was selected for that tour was 15*3. He was 24 years of age then. Bergh played in the four international matches of 1931-32. Y. Geere, a prominent Transvaal forward, now about 24 years of age, 6ft tall, and weighing about 14.4, has not played in international Rugby yet, but he was in the trials for the selection of the team to play the All Blacks of 1928. Dalton and Froneman are “new” players.

D. Craven is the scrum-half who weighed 12.8 when he left South Africa for the 1931-32 tour and became over 14.0 in England. He may have lost some of that weight again in his own country. ITc played In three of Iho international games Craven is a Western Province player, now about 22 years of age.

Bennie Osier, famous fly-half, also of Western Province, needs no commentary on his career. This veteran of Test Rugby must now be 31 yeirs of age ,or just on Ibai. The centre three-quarter, F W. Waring (Western Province) and .1. White (Border) were. 22 and 20 years of age, respectively, when llicy went on the British tour. Warm >•' played against Ireland and England. White against Wales. One of the eriiii.isms made against Rennie Osier on Ihe tour was that, ns the pivotal player, he failed, through overmuch use of “safety-first” methods, to bring out 111 0 latent talent of those young payers.

Now to International Rugby.

The wings, J. H. Gage and L. Barnard, are new to International Rugby. Gerry Brand was a wing three-quar-ter when he played for Western Province against the All Blacks of 1928, but on the British tour, Jn whioh he played In the four International matches, he won a great reputation as full-back. He was 24 then. J. G. Tindall, eeven years older, who had been full-back in the four Tests against the 1928 All Blaoks, and who was a veteran of the 1921 tour of New Zealand, was secondstring full-back for the British tour, The Australians’ pack for the Test match will probably average quite a dozen pounds a man lighter than the South African pack. They will be without Aubrey Hodgson, who had been showing great form as a looseforward until he broks a wrist In the match with Combined Pretoria. In that matoh, too, the Wallabies lost their sorum-half, clever S. J. Malcolm, who dislocated a shoulder. Their reserve half-baok is W. G. Bennett, of Queensland. FIVE TESTS LISTED. The itinerary has been mapped out as follows: July 1: v. Western Province (probably Country Clubs) at Capetown. July 8: v. South Africa (first Test), at Capetown. July 12: v. North-Easterns, at Burghersdorp. July 15: v. Orange Free State, at Bloemfontein. July 22: v. South Africa (second Test), at Durban. July 29: v. Border, at East London. August 2: v Border at Queenstown. August 7: v. Transvaal, at Johannesburg. August 12: v. South Africa (third Test), at Johannesburg. August 16: v. South-Westerns, at Oudtshoorn. August 19: v. Eastern Province, at Port Elizabeth. August 26: v. South Afrioa (fourth Test), at Port Elizabeth. September 2: v. South Africa (fifth Tes), at Bloemfontein September 6: v. Western Province Town Team, at Capetown. September 8: v. Western Province, at Capetown. September 11: Leave Capetown by Ceramic.