REPRESENTATIVE RUGBY

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 128, 2 June 1919, Page 8

REPRESENTATIVE RUGBY

At 2.45 p.m. to-morrow the Rugby representatives of one of the finest battalions in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force will meet Wellington first representatives on Athletic Park. Tho Maoris are a fino combination, and their four matches on the present tour should have given them good combination. Two notable absentees aro Kaipara (killed in action), tho North Island five-eighth, and French, who lost an arm, was .the beat forward the Maoris possessed. Two fine players in Captain Vercoo and Captain J. H. Hall, tho North Island representative, aro Iplaying to-morrow. Both are South African war ..veterans. "The Maoris aro not playing a wing forward, the serum consisting of seven men, with two, halves, and as the Wellington selectors have chosen a winger tho result should bo interesting The teams are as follow:— Pioneer Battalion.—Full-back, Corporal Edwards; three-quarters, Lieutenant 11. Wilkinson, Lieutenant W. Barclay, Ser-, geant Mapu; five-eighths, Sergeant F. ■' Barclay and Sergeant R. Rodgers; halves, Lieutenant H. Jacobs, Captain R. Verooe; ' forwards, Sergeant Tui Carroll, Private P. 0. Tapihana, Captain J. H. Hall (lock), Lieutenant J. Ormond, Corporal Pirihi, Lieutenant A. Auhana, and Corporal To Urupu. Wellington.—Full-back, Matin (Poneke); three-quarters, M'Arthur (Poneke), Corner (Potone). Heley (Athletic); five-eighths, Jackson ('Varsity). L: Algar , (Poneke); half-back, Pollock (Poneke); wing-forward, Gair (Oriental); forwards, Bruce (Selwyn), A. Parker (Petone), ,T. Beard (University), Paton (Athletic), Taylor. (Poneke); Ryan (Athletic), Marks- (Poneke):-- Emergencies: Backs, M'Cabo (Athletic);'- -forwards, Dcvine (Poneke), Ivcm>(Setwyn). E. Roberts, who Was in the original selection, was injured in the. AthleticPetono match on Saturday, and will notbo able to play, while W. Thomas (emergency back) is not available. Their places are being taken by Jackson and M'C'abe. The referee will be Capt. T. H. Jones, who officiated throughout the big Rugby tournament in Egypt in February and March, 1916, in which the Maori Battalion was defeated 3-nil-in tho final (for the first and only time abroad) by a powerful fifteen from tho Welhngtan Battalion. . „ , . As the Pioneers aro wearing black jerseys, Wellington will play m the old-tamo representative colours, yellow and black.