SOUTH AFRICA IS KEEN TO SEE ALL BLACKS IN ACTION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 76, 11 April 1949, Page 5

SOUTH AFRICA IS KEEN TO SEE ALL BLACKS IN ACTION

South Africans were looking forward to the coming tour of the All Blacks with an intense air of anticipation and enthusiasm and the tour would provide one of the most attractive series of tests ever presented to any public, stated Major A. D. Cilliers- when interviewed at Tauranga recently. Major Cilliers, who is at present visiting the Bay of Plenty, is a member of the Western Province Rugby and Cricget Unions. He said that the intervention of the war and the subsequent cancellation of the 1940 tour had made the South African Rugby public more keenly interested than ever in the tour to take place this year. \

Travelling Controversy Referring to the recent controversy on the travelling issue, Major Cilliers pointed out that train travel in South Africa was of a standard equal to any in the world and that the iongest trips could be taken with the minimum of fatigue. The nearest indication of the South African team that he could give was the fact that 93 players had been invited to the South African trials and that his general impressions from those players invited was that the selectors were looking for hard, straight-running backs with strong attacking powers and for tall, heavy forwards, known to be honest, hard workers who had a fair turn of speed and were capable of taking part in passing rushes.

One member of the 1937 team, Jan Lotz, the middle hook, had been invited to the trials for the 1949 team, continued Major Cilliers, and he thought that names such as Ben du Toit, Ebbo Bastard, Stachen and Van Reenen would give the New Zealand public an idea of the standard of the players the South African selectors were looking for.

Young University Flayers i A large number of University players had been invited to .the trials, said Major Cilliers, and these players were the youngest participants in senior Rugby in South Africa.

J Major Cilliers remarked that having heard accounts of the play of the All Blacks he was keener than ever to get an opportunity to watch ; at least some Rugby in New Zealand before his return to South ' Africa and expressed a hope that the possibility of his returning to South Africa in the same ship •'■s the All Blacks would eventuate.