RUGBY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1563, 5 October 1912, Page 12

RUGBY.

£ tßr Akisxonutna 1 THE SPRINGBOK STARS. iTrjal Gaines at Capetown. When tiio last mail left, trials in vie\ of .tho visit.of. tho South African team t England were taking Jilace at tho nurser ■ oMhe-game- in South Africa—tlio Hugb ; 'Uwon ground that lies iu.tlio shadow o lablo Jlountain. J«o expense had been spared in sccurini tho; presence of-likoly men—they hadbeci brought from tho Victoria Falls district iFtn Nnta '» • fro'" and iron ■tho_ Transvaal (18.strong); whilo tho Kim borley. men, hplders ot the CuTrie Cup strong." The series o: •Till matches,, extending • for ten days during whielr*lG big games were to *b( Tilayotl, may cj'ft (he International Bonn ■inything bctwe.?u >£1200 and £1500, as 101 , chosen, players participated. - Natureiof,the;Three-quarter Line. , liisiie.-Cox, 'of Cape Town, writing tc tho "Athletic;'News,says:— p.-, . Tho trial' matches inll not' oonclndc until the day before tbo noxt mail sails, by, which time it ; is hoped, that tho final selections will be" made. So faT nothing is :kr.o">vn, but. if form in the eight games which have been played is any criterion —and it • should to-then. it will bo a ■team consisting of a big proportion of Western Province backs, with a fast and weighty- lot of forwards klrawn- in the main from. Transvaal. and Griqualand W£st, and supplemented by the best of the' Eastern and Western Provinces, with pet-haps Dr. Daneel, the , old Edinburgh University player, and John Hogley, of Rhodesia. ~' F do not intend to usurp the functions ■of -,tho Selection Committee, but there art certain players whom it is impossible to overlook. Tho first is Richard Luyt (pronounced 'late"), tho finest centre , siikc JapioKrigo wis at his best in 1903, . a -.true artist, to whose worth the • last .Eilglish team can testify. He should on . merit have been chosen for the last cricket teamj whilst he was a grand control in 190G, but is now absolutely In a class by himself. 4s a partner, a young Elserby College Fjndent, C>. M. Wrentmore, n big-built, strong runner, with,any amount of '/c----soilrce. has pla.yed' suiih phenomenally eood football that ho cannot be overlooked. , In v'.physdque ho, is not. unlike Jack Hir.sch,-of •the bnt his pldy marks'"a.'.\gre'a.t;;hdvance.,on that of tho' I*l ttor. v v -(' , s < Another cbiitoe.,.Will, probably bo Jack Morkcl, as sound' tm- a- bell; a stockilybuilt, speedy,'.-brainy. player, good tackier, and strong'kicker; In point of fact, I would placo-him next to Luyt but for , Wjr.entmoi-c s . wonderful form in the trials. 1 The fourth'. centre-'may,be Dirk Do. Villiers, who played for South Africa against England in. ,al{. three matches.out hers; but he has had to play behind poor forwards, and his defence , has not been as sound'.as.'.it. should be. , > The three' first-mentioned players are nil drawn -from tho Western Province, and they aw sis a trio superior, to my mind, to Krige, Da VillieTs, and Hirsch, by. reason of their grand defensive abili--ttea. Flfers on the Wing. . : - There is one wing three-quarter who is •an'.absolute certainty. This is the' young South African College boy, "Wally" Mills, .whose swerve is snipe-like in its character, and whose pace is., almost equal to- that offXoubfier. .Ho is not a hard, straight runner, 'Jbut is: blessed with a phenomenal swervo; .frequently beats tho defence by the way \in which he- cuts .right-inwheri ■ making apparently for- the corner. J. Stegmsinn, brother of A. C. Stegmann,' is a duplioato. edition of the 190G player, who has Just notified that he • will not be available, as he goes up for his final divinity examination in" September, and when the tour commences will .probably bo tho Rev. 1 ' A. C. Stegmann. ' With regard to tho other- wings,- the choice rests 'between Carter, of the GriqHas ( . Vandcr ;Hoff, of tho Transvaal, and IlU.jMorkel, ,i.of . W??tern. Province—all youngsters;' b'ttt big 'youngsters, "and very' Imrd to stop (when on tho run. i.: • _ \ln fact, tWigh thero is no such a ly-qnde'rful try-eetteT iis Loubser, the wing

tjrrevquarters \will-be a fur-more dangerous .quartet', than.', the lost:'four sent, over, fd* the reserves were not up to tio Quality of the stwo mentioned. ;•■■"■, Notable -Half-fasasks..: ; ■';•'' >"So '/iariaa jconcerns;the half-backs "no. ri thing can bo definitely stated, except that Ered'Luyt; who ihas beem .tho best half in; the;country for the. past three years, lis-'a certainty, t - . i 'Dobbin is almost certain to be chosen, as.his experience:is invaluable; but Dobbin's versatility is now restrained, and /Ho; will'not* .take the risks that he used to: ... _■/'.''■'."'..'■'' . I '.Fred Luyt. is a genius for making openings,- and-has played -with his brother .Kichard.for so many years that they /work'".together in it way that is sometimes- akm to .marvellous'." I '31'C.ulIocu, a fearless, scnimmapre half, [Dobbin s' old Griqua partner, is" almost I certain, to be, chosen, and the fourth will be—at-least I think so—linmelman. of the l.AVestevn Province,' who give a grand exposition with Fred Luyt yesterday—an- ' other absolutely fearless and quick-footed ■ Mlf. '■'■•'■' iTHere again, the average: will be found Inigher than on the last tour, foi Carolin mover realised his South African form . . lof '01, whilst ,Mare-'as~a half-back was a. failure'.,,,," '•.',, . .' ;■■ • ' Marshurg, tho Tedoubtable and fearless, 55,a11-that just now, but he-is not, nor ever will be,'a wing three-quarter. Unless they .give him a trial at full-back, ■you will not seo Marsburg with the team. ■'•If, however, ho gets his chance, then the (fearless Griq-ua player will walk into tho team,' for our full-backs are not so good ' tis'thoy, might be—the pick being King. bf-;S.A. College and ,the Free State, and Gerard Morkel, of tho Western Province; the latter a very powerful kick, strong ■. teckler," "but 1 somewhat' indolent; .'.Plenty -of- Forwards^ Now with tho forwards there will be, '*o far as'form' goes at present, very : few of tho Old Brigade. Douglas Morkel "will walk into the team, and ■ his kicking is as good as ever. Millar will also .probably be included; whilst Knnu" though ,;not so good ns-in the past, may And his •/reputation and experience carry him . :: * .; Of;'the almost certainties there • aro '-Slniiri, of the, Transvaal; Cronjc, tho Old ..Oxonian and Rhodes Scholar; Thompson, • of Western, a bald-headed battler of 21 /years; "Boy" Morkel, another of the favjnous tribo of tho Morkels of Western Yander-Heever,', of the Free 'State, who should hnve. been chosen in -•1903, a regular gladiator; Van Vunren, :;of Eastern Province, who tea little better' •than Brink used to be, and of the same .type: Francis/ofthe Transvaal; T. Lonw, ;of Rhodesia; Delaney, Snell, and Ledger, ~of the Griquas. ' '.-..• ;; I do not think- you 'will find many ■changes in this selection; and you can jtake it for granted'that this forward division will spell ■•■■7s -per 'cent iinpro'voiment on tho last lot, more particularly ;jin regard to scrum work' and outfield ■ tactics. ... -'..'■: :.: ,"■„"■.