BRITISH RUGBY TEAM

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 105, 16 February 1950, Page 5

BRITISH RUGBY TEAM

ALL PLAYERS FULL INTERNATIONALS VERY STRONG SIDE (N.Z.P.A.—Copyright) * LONDON, Feb. 15. “The British Rugby football team to tour New Zealand -and Australia will be of unprecedented strength, every player being a full international,” says Hylton Cleaver, in an article specially written for the New Zealand Press Association. “This will be the first time in history that such playing power has been available. “In the past the difficulty' of being granted long leave was such that touring parties were completed by trials players who had never played for their countries. This time no such expedient has been necessary, chiefly because the services committee succeeded in securing approval on a high leVel for servicemen to be granted leave on full pay and allowances. They will show the flag and improve recruiting, and the example has been followed by big employers. “The university authorities are an outstanding exception. This unfortunately breaks up England’s three-quar-ter line. Oxford University’s representation in this season’s English side meant nearly'.half the fifteen. There was one brilliant Cambridge wing. “As some of these were New Zealand or South African undergraduates, the only English caps to make the trip will be Ivor Preece, England’s captain, who plays at fly half, G. D. Rimmer, scrum half, and J. C. R. Matthews, second-row forward who captains Harlequins. This puts the Mother Country in a rather invidious minority, but it caimot be helped while the universities take their present view. “Of the 30 players chosen, Wales will provide 13—very nearly their entire team—lreland nine and Scotland five.

“No captain has yet been named, but as Preece, of England, Mullen; of Ireland, and Williams, of Wales, are all captains, the decision will no doubt be made before the team sails. They might even be invited to elect their own captain on the boat.

Irish Participation

“Perhaps the most fascinating fact is that Ireland, having contracted out of the British Empire, forgets all about this political eccentricity whefl it comes to Rugby football, and cheerfully arranges to play in the colours of Britain on this trip. Northern and Southern Ireland, bitter antagonists on the subject of partition, are co-operat-ing with the greatest goodwill, and we may even see Karl Mullen, Irish hooker and captain, leading Great Britain on to the field in the first test. Only those who have experience of Irish logic will understand such sweet unreasonableness. “There are certain notable omissions—some players cannot get away from home or business for six months, or have only just been married. Otherwise W. I. D. Elliot, captain of Scotland, and V. Roberts, England’s finest forward, would certainly have been in the back row of the pack. “And there are some pointed positional moves, W. B. Cleaver, who made his name as Cardiff’s fly-half, is listed as fullback, second choice to G. Norton, of Ireland, who is indisputably the best in -the four Home countries. Malcolm Thomas, another Welshman, is shown as a wing, although he plays at centre as often as not, and G. D. Rimmer, who comes in as the spare scrum half, has recently been dropped from the English side in favour of W. K. T. Moore, who presumably cannot travel. “At least five doctors have managed leave, and among the other players are two policemen, two miners, a colliery manager, a traffic manager, an accountant, two schoolmasters, a poultry farmer, and'a dentist.

Most Experienced Players

“The most experienced players will be Mullen, Kyle, McKay and Jones, with 15 caps each. All brit Jones are Irish, and Ireland has been the international champion at Home for two seasons, though it has begun to lose ground now. Jones, an Olympic sprinter, withdrew from the Empire Games team because he wanted to travel with this one. “Bleddyn Williams and Cleaver have 12 caps each. Ivor Preece by comparison comes low with seven, but for several seasons he was kept out of England’s team, which he now captains, by N. M. Hall. “G. H. Budge, a Scottish discovery this season, was 28 years old before he was capped. He lived in Canada for some time and plays ice-hockey and baseball. J. E. Nelson got the first of his 10 caps against Australia in 1948. J. M. McKay was a commando in war time, and Willis is the accepted successor to the great Haydn Tanner as scrum half for Wales.” The Rugby Union writer of ‘The Times” says that, the team is as well equipped all round as any that has left Britain. He adds that _ greater “stars” have appeared in earlier tour- v ing sides, but this is the first time the selectors have picked only players with international experience. “Sporting Life” says that Mullen is. the most likely candidate for the captaincy of the team, with Preece as hii» ddputy. j