AUCKLAND TEAM’S SOUTHERN TOUR.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIX, Issue 1109, 13 July 1911, Page 10

AUCKLAND TEAM’S SOUTHERN TOUR.

Already much interest is being centred in the forthcoming Southern tour of the Auckland representative team, and opinions have been freely expressed as to whether the Aucklanders will be found equal to retaining the Ranfurly Shield for the 1911 season. The A and B teams, selected on the completion of the first round, both gave pleasing proof of their merits on July 1, by handsomely defeating Thames and Northern Wairoa respectively, and there is every reason to believe that this year’s team for South will be a powerful one. The Aucklanders will undoubtedly miss the services of AFrancis in the forwards, as his leadership would certainly have made it-

self felt, there being no question about the tall Ponsonby player being the best forward in New Zealand. Still, this is the only player of note Auckland has lost this season in amateur football through the existence of the League game. The- club matches in Auckland this season have, with few exceptions, been very ' evenly contested, four of the games being drawn, while the football played has been of the vigorous order. There is not a great deal of difference in the respective merits of six of the seven teams competing for the championship, and this fact has had a beneficial effect upon Rugby in Auckland, both as regards the standard of play and the attendances at Alexandra Park each Saturday. Should the games be as stubbornly contested throughout the second round, a particularly good combination should be got together for South, and Auckland can be relied upon to worthily uphold the Rugby prestige of the northern city in the four interprovincial matches they play during their tour of the Dominion. The number of matches to be played in the South by the Auckland representatives has been narrowed down to the four principal fixtures in Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch and New Plymouth respectively. Altogether the team will be away just over three weeks, and with only four matches to play in that period they will not have too strenuous a time of it; in fact, they will not want more than three emergencies on the trip, and even if these players were to become disabled in the first three matches it is an easy matter to arrange for a couple more men to join the team at New Plymouth for the final game against Taranaki. The Aucklanders will have four hard matches to play, and should be thoroughly tested in each game. Auckland promises to be well off both for backs and forwards, particularly as regards the latter, and Mr. Gallaher will have by no means an easy task in selecting the representatives for South. The first match will be played in the Empire City against the Wellington representatives on September 2. The Auckland team then journeys to Dunedin, where they meet the chosen of Otago on September 6. The match against Canterbury, at Christchurch, follows on September 9. The return trip will then be made as far as New Plymouth, where they play Taranaki on September 14, this match bringing the tour to a conclusion.