League Team's Successful Tour

Chronicle (Levin), 5 March 1948, Page 5

League Team's Successful Tour

Press Association)

(Per

WELLINGTON, .\iarrh 4. "A wonderlul lour — it must have 'been oue oi' ihe most successful trips ever undertaken by a 1'ootlmll team.' This was how the New Zoaland Rugb\ Leugue team's tour oi' Great Briiam and France was deseribed by th nianager ( Mr. J. A. Redwood) w lien ln« teunr" arrived in Wellington yestenh\ aboiird the l'ort Ilobart. Mr. Redwood said that the Xew Zeu landers had played magni liceni l\ under seriuus handicaps. Fiigli.sv Lenguo l'oot ballei's nlaved as it tinui i

life depended 011 the outconie of tln g'ame, and it relleeted great eredit 011 ihe Xew Zealanders that they had beaten Hnglund in a Test. "Aclually we should have won tln* first Test." said'Mr. Redwood. " \\ , were ihe imluekiest team under Ihe sun that day. " -Mr. Redwood went on to say that an\ suggestion that the second fest was . " readv " was utterly ridienlous. Ii Tiieant the loss of £4 to eaeh F'nglish player when the Test side lost a ina: eli. They received tio toi a win, £s for a draw and £(5 for a loss, so oue could appreciate the fact that the Fnglisii rnen were at it hammer and tongs from start to Jinislt. "The taekling of our bovs in this game, and iji the inateh against Wigen was thrilling to wateh, '' he said. "Vo the last "0 minutes of the Wigan gam. we were pinned in our twenty-live, bu the Englishmen — the whole team con sisted of internationals — could not firnl a gap. This match and the second Test w ere our best. ' ' Asked about the diffieulty encounler ed by the Xew Zealanders in securiug thc ball froiy the scrums, JMr. Redwooii sai.l that the fanlt Iay in the dill'eren. inj erpretaiions of th'e referees. Tive j teaj.i at no stage -cauglit up on a uni- i versal interjiretatioji of the hooking J law. Fifty per cent. was the most thc j

-New Zealanders e\or se-ured of the bal. from the seruins. Mr. Redwood said he saw the Austraiian Rugby team jdaying againsi Eancashire. .Indging by tuai jnirt icul-i. matcli, the standard of Rugby iu j.'no land was well below that of the Leagm feams some oi which, he said, would have overwhehued the Australians hao they ever been matched. League was amazingly popular in Englandr This was testified by the fact that over hau a million jieople jiaid to see the Xew Zealanders in action. This did not iucle.de the attendances in France whicli, he estimated to total about 100. ()()(). A series of injuries at the outset oi

tne tour and regularly unwholesome 1 ood had t.aken their toJl of members «f the team, said the co-inanager (Mi. L. Hunter). • Tlie lack of stimulatin ' tood had materiallv alfected the team's later performanees. 1'Oth he and Mr. Redwood expresse-1 themselves as having been verv nnpressed with the standard of ]}]a\ in France. When thev left Fnghinii prospect s of the Frencli tour of Aus" tralia and Xew Zealand were bright. ''Sudi a tour would be a grcui at traction, ' ' said Mv. Redwood, ''as th1- rench play a dashing brand of footF.a 1 1. ' ' Through out their (our, said Mr. Rod wood, the team was regarded as consistmg strictlv of amateurs. In France they had to sign papers to that ell'ec;. Uad they l>een professionals thc gate" would liave been niore hea\ ilv taxed. Fhr Ihe oap'tain, Pat Smith, ihe houfeeotning is one crowded with tr»pidations. Although he is walkiug ail nsrht now, he eame aboard the shin in Fngland on crntehes. Ile received a seiious iniiirv to his knee dnring th'* last garne in France, and as yet he does not know the full extent of the injurv. U it turns out to be. a reeurrence pf cartilage trouble, he said he would probably have to give the game best. Both from his point of view and that of

followers of the game such an outeomc would be trag'ic, as Pat, together with most of the team, is auxious to get int--football. togs again. "After all," In said, "it is a month since we playeil our last game."