ATHLETIC SPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1494, 17 July 1912, Page 2

ATHLETIC SPORTS.

FOOTBALL,

PROPOSED ENGLISH TOUR, COMBINED AUSTRALASIAN TEAM (Rec. July 16, 10.55 p.m.) Sydney, July lfi. The council of the Rugby Union has considered a letter from the English Rugby Union, slating that the South Ai'riqan Union has accepted an invitation to send a team to Britain for the 1912-13 season, as the guests of the English, Scotch, Welsh, and Irish Unions, and asking if a dale could be arranged and a combined Australian and New Zealand team sent. The council has replied that whilst not agreeing to the proposed combination as the settled policy of.the union for future tours, it is agreeable in the interests of the game to join Queensland and New Zealand in sending a team (o meet any special case. There would, however, bo difficulties with regard to the selection and gathering of the team.

COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES. The next Rugby matches of importance arc those in which the North and South Island country representative teams will be engaged. On this occasion the South Island team is to tour the North Island, and vice versa, an idea which is calculated to promote a greater spirit of rivalrv in the games. The South Island team will arrive in Wellington from the south this morning, and will leave for Auckland by tho Main Trunk express, under the management of Mr. Tom Bain, of Christchurch. The team is as follows.—Marl-borough—-Southgate, Sheridan, Sheen; Buller—Nolan. French, Fisher, Hale, Atchison; Nelson—Best, Hammond; Jl'Evoy, Haase, and Knapp; West Coast —Richards, M'lntosh, Church, Nelson, and Irving. The team's first match will be played against Auckland on Saturday next. The North Island team, which will assemble in Wellington on Monday next, and proceed south the same evening, is as follows:—Poverty Bay—Nicholas and Kaipura; Bay of Plenty—Phillips, Tapsell, and Montgomery; Hawke's Bay—Downing Ormond, and Manning; South Auckland —Fake, Lennard, and Cook; Manawatu— Harkness and Ford; Bush—Morris and Stewart; Wnirnrapa—Desmond and Urubc; Horowhenua— Seiascia. The manager of the team will be Mr. C- Buchanan, of Christchurch. The team's first match will be played at Christchurch on Thursday of next week.