Rugby Team Strengths Forecast Brighi Competition Games This Season

Chronicle (Levin), 21 April 1949, Page 7

Rugby Team Strengths Forecast Brighi Competition Games This Season

Saturday will see the official commencement of rugby in the Horowhenua, when the first games in the competition will be played. This seasoii should see the strongest senior teams iieldea for some years. There have fortunately not been many retirements among the top grade players and much new blood has come to light. . . . Foxton's return to the union after a season with the Manawatu will make a welcome addition to the game in this district. The formation of a new senior team at Paraparaumu ! was an excellent move and a sound fifteen should result. The i establishment of this senior team in the southern end of the ! union has filled a much needed want, and it has already j drawn seven or eight players from Paekakariki who previously 1 played in Wellington.

, Rahui should field a strong team. It has -acquired Bruce Wall, the Horowhenua rep. -five-eights of l ' ear, and who played for the combined team. Winterburn, a i'orward of merit in Ihe 1947 Horo.vhenua , reps., is also turning out for Rahui. In th a Otaki team Hakaraia impressed as a fikely half-back in the, friendly game against Petone on Haster Monday. Huff, their' fullcack, showed promise as a goal xicker for so early in the season. Hui Mai shou.d have a sirong ;eam, it being much the same as vhat fielded last season with the regrettable o3s of Brian McCashin. t is understo d that he wiil be vvearing a white jersev this season. Alhletic are also fairly strong and will be captained, as last year,- by Dick Denton. It has acquired thal ■jromising 15-stone front row for,vard, lan Doyle, and Parsons, a Dromi/ing full-back. Both, it is anderstood, played for Varsity B in vVe iington last season. They also .oast of ano.her outsider in Webb, vho will be playing half-back. A oss to their back line will be the .etirement of George Hudson. K. DeCastro, who played a game for Johnsonville seniors last seasoii, nit wh) wa^ out with an injury for the resc of the season, will be oack here this season and will be an assst to Ath etic's back line. Ross Smith and Bill Galloway, two dependab'e players, will be back again with Ath etic and also Bi-uce Lind, a promoted junior whq shows promise as a winger. Wanderers have lost the services >f Scewart Bartholomew, a sound forward. Hapai Winiata has not vet recov3red from his injury of last season and Selby has retired. r "r saar back. Gordon Seiascia, suffered a leg injury in a friendly game ' this year and is in hospital. It is'unlikeiy Lhat He will be playing for some time. Wanderers wil1 have Lincoln and Milroy leadin'g the forwards with a promoted junior, A. Royal, to lend a hand. Shannon has once again quite a strcng team and has acquired Doug Fuller from Central Hawke's Bay. An ex-Shannon player, he represented Horowhenua in 1947

and should be a tower of s'.rength to the back line. The team is otherwise much the same as that. of last season. Not much is known of Foxton's strengl'h, but it shou d field a very strong side. The teams appear to be training harder this vear and this is probaby due to the fact that Horowhenua- has the first representative engagement — a Bebbington Shield challenge early in Ju y. The Maorw Pakeha game is also on.y a short time away — the King's Birthday weekend — and it wili be piayed in Shannon to coincide with the jubilee celebrations of the Shannon c.ufc. Lower Grades. There shou'd be keen competition among the juniors. It is a pity that Foxton has not a team in this grade, as it has always been so strong here and has more 'than a few times wrenched the junior championshio. in the Horowhenua. A good competition should result in the junior grade. Ropata, who played for Waikanae juniors last season, is now p.aying for Onslow. It is a pity lhat the juniors will have so much travelling this year— at least for S0m§ of the teams — as after an hour in the bus, a team is far from its best. In the third grade, College Old Boys team is much as it was last year. Ath1 etic should have a fair team. Hui "Mai should be hard to beat in this grade. Ic has an exceptional.y good back line. Rahui and Shannon also have teams in this grade. It is to be hoped that encouragement will be given the formation of midge; teams again this season. In this regard Geoff Seiascia did a good job last year. It will be remembered that . Foxton had fivejmidget t.esmis last. season, and they were cer'tamly a popular a'.traction. This is a matter which the union could well take up and encouraga, and it is hoped that all the clubs will respond. It is a great thing for the future of clubs to have ihis training medium for young footballers and it wifi certainly pay dividends in the years to come.