RUGBY

Te Ao Hou, Spring 1953, Page 41

RUGBY 1953 has been a boom year for Rugby generally, and Maori players have made their contribution to the success of the season both in provincial matches and in the All Black trials. Three Maoris or part-Maoris, Keith Davis (Auckland), Doug Hemi (Waikato) and Vince Bevan (Wellington) have been chosen to tour Great Britain, France and the U.S.A., and to them we extend very hearty congratulations and good wishes for a successful tour. It is interesting to note that all three play for major unions—in fact, unions which have held the Ranfurly Shield in the last two years—but nevertheless the series of trials was most exhaustive, and selection scrupulously fair. As it was, several other Maoris must have gone very close to selection, notably Tommy Goldsmith, of Wanganui, and Brownie Cherrington, of Northland. Goldsmith won a tremendous reputation throughout the trials for his resolute defence. He had the difficult task of marking Ron Jarden on several occasions, and many tributes have been paid to the manner in which he did so. Cherrington, as usual, proved to be a tough proposition for whoever had to mark him, and when one remembers the success of Jim Sherratt in England with the Kiwis, one has the feeling that an aggressive winger like Cherrington could possibly have the same success on this tour. No mention of Rugby for 1953 would be complete without reference to the East Coast Ranfurly Shield challenge at Wellington. With three exceptions the team was wholly Maori, and this was their first challenge for the Shield. Although they lost by a large margin they were by no means disgraced, and, in fact, their forwards more than held their own. In the backs they were outclassed by superior speed, experience and combination, but they should take consolation from the fact that so were Auckland and Taranaki. Also, Wellington have provided six backs for the All Blacks, and two of these could find places only as emergencies against East Coast. One must also pay a tribute to the Taranaki Captain, Lance Hohaia, for his splendid contribution to Rugby in 1953. This big man led his province with great skill, and played some splendid football himself. When one considers that he is by no means in the first flush of youth, his performance is all the more meritorious. Another pleasing feature of the season has been the encouragement given to Maori Rugby by the provincial Unions. Wellington, Wairarapa, Horowhenua and Wanganui all sponsored special Maori representative matches, and in these games a very high standard was set. Doug Hemi and Vince Bevan The Wellington-Wanganui Maori game was played as a curtain-raiser to the final Shield match, and a vast crowd of about 40,000 was treated to—and fully appreciated—a feast of thrilling football. Sol Heperi and Tommy Goldsmith, both Maori All Blacks, were the respective captains, but the players who really took the eye were Hugh Kawaru, Kara Puketapu

and Maihi. These youngsters will go a long way. The Prince of Wales Cup challenge between Tai-Tokerau and Tairawhiti was played this year at Whakatane, on the same day that Wellington met Waikato for the Shield, and it says something for the attention paid to Maori Rugby that the chairman of the N.Z. Selection panel, Mr Tom Morrison, chose to see the Whakatane game in preference to the Shield match at Hamilton. The game itself was played with the verve, dash and touch of unorthodoxy usually associated with Maori football, and we understand that Mr Morrison took away a favourable impression of the talent latent in our players. One experienced observer has said, however, that several promising players failed to show to advantage in some of the fundamentals of the game, without which no player can hope for high honours. He said that several backs, for instance, marred splendid football—and also their chances of an All Black trial—because they could kick with only one foot. This applied particularly to J. Marks, of Tairawhiti, who in all other respects played magnificently. Tairawhiti won the match, and for them J. Marks, A. Douglas, L. Raureti, W. Carrington, T. Murray and H. Potae played well. In the Tai-Tokerau team, Cherrington, Beasley, Ngawati and Ngakuru went well. Unfortunately, the ‘Master’, J. B. Smith, had an off day. Those who were present say that the game was one of the best for years, and many tributes have been paid to the Ngatiawa people for the manner in which they handled the welcome and other social arrangements at Wairaka Pa. In closing our notes on Rugby it is only fitting that we refer to the passing of an outstanding Rugby personality, Mr ‘Dolph’ Kitto, who was associated with Maori Rugby for many years. Dolph was a member of the Executive of the N.Z. Rugby Union for a long time, and took an active interest in the promotion of the game among our people. It is perhaps fitting that among the pall-bearers at his funeral there were two Maoris. Ben Parkinson, the president of the Wellington Referees' Association, and myself.