BRITAIN NERVOUS ABOUT TOURING RUGBY REPS

Chronicle (Levin), 4 August 1949, Page 3

BRITAIN NERVOUS ABOUT TOURING RUGBY REPS

WELLINGTON, August 3. The difficulities which are likely to be eucountered in endeavouring to asscmble a full-strength British Rugby team to tour New Zealand and Australia next season, are outlined in a letter which lias been received by Mr S. S. Dean, ex-chairman of the N.Z.R.F.U. The writer of the letter is Mr L. E. L. (Bru) Donne, secretary of the Pour Home Unions Rugby Tours Committee, whicli deals solelv with tours exchanged between the British unions and the Dominions. ' "We are- all a little nervous about getting together a reasonably representative team of the four Home- unions for such a long tour," writes Mr Donne. "Unfortunately, youug fellows have uever been able to get away from their jobs in these islands cpiite as easily as seems to be the case in the Dominions. The position seems to be more diflicnlt now, probably due to the fact that there is less leisure and young fellows coming ba'ck from the w'ar, and from their eompulsory inilitary -service, are endeavouring to carve out careers for themselves. J do hope, however, that our fears areunfounded and that a good side can be got together. Change of Uniform "One point which I think New Zealand will appreeiate is the fact that, for the coming tour, the Home unions are going to depart from their traditional playing costume of dark blue jerseys, white shorts, and red sockings, and change the colours to red jerjerseys, white shorts, audi red stockseys; white shorts and blue stoclcings. • j ' ' Consequently. m international • games, New Zealand will not have to depart from all black as was fche case in 1930. This is, perhaps, a relatively uniinportant matter but 1 mention it to show that the Home unions are in a much more 'elastic' frame of mind than they were in the 'bad old days.' " Mr Donne concludes hi,s letter by remarking that the New Zealand erieketers have made quite a name ' for themselves both on and olf the held. He is quite. sure that, as a result of this tour, New Zealand will lind a well-earned place in the cricket world.