GIANTS OF PAST

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20031, 1 September 1939, Page 10

GIANTS OF PAST

OLD-TIMERS’ RUGBY

ALL BLACKS TO PLAY P.B. GREATEST FIFTEEN BROWNLIES AND GRIFFITHS (By “Emegency”) Giants of the Rugby past will be seen in action at the Oval to-morrow, when teams designated the “Saracens” and tile “Barbarians” will meet in the principal Rugby attraction to be offered.

Included in the teams will be five All Blacks,' all of whom are expected to take the field for the Saracen?,. These "are the Brownlie brothers, Maurice and Cyril, Jackie Griffiths, Henry Brown and Jimmy Mill. The last-mentioned, however, is a doubtful starter due to the death of his mother in a private hospital last Tuesday.

Both Maurice Brownlie and Griffiths captained . the All Blacks, Brownlie leading the New Zealanders on the 1928 tour of South Africa and Griffiths leading tne national side against the 193 G touring Australian team in Ne w. Zeal an d. Griffiths has played a few games in Tokomaru Bay this season and will be in good fettle for the match.

The Brownlie brothers need no introduction to followers of the code in any part of the world. Maurice Ls generally acclaimed as one of the best forwards ever to take the field in the history of the game, while Cyril has a long and distinguished international record.

1935 All Black Player

Henry Brown was a member of the New Zealand team in Britain in 1935 and prior to this was a well-known Auckland representative player. He is now living in Gisborne, as a bank official, but did not play serious senior Rugby in Gisborne, turning out on occasions for Old Boys Colts.

It is regrettable that there is some loubt about the appearance of Mill, in “Emergency’s” opinion, Mill is the finest half-back seen out since 1923, the first year in which he gained all Black honours and, at the height of his form, had few, if any, peers in the world.

Blathwayt, who is to play full-back for the Saracens, formerly played in this, position for Old Boys, while Crawford and Phillpotts are wellknown to footballers of a few years ago. Ivan Bramwell, the half-back, played for Old Boys, Poverty Bay and the North Island and was recognised in his day as one. of the best scrum workers in the Dominion. In the forwards. Bull was wellknown while at High School, while Barker was a very fine forward and a popular figure in Gisborne Rugby several seasons ago. Stichbury, the lock forward, is now a leading referee, while the front row men, McIldowie and Swan, are both ex-players of some standing, the latter having played for New South Wales. Arthur Toye is a player of recent vintage md, prior to coming to Gisborne and

playing for Marists, he played repre sentative football for Auckland.

P.B. Greatest Team ?

The Barbarians include mostly players of the great Poverty Bay fifteen which defeated Auckland on Eden Park in 192 G. Members of the party which* made this trip are Wally Langlands, A. Woods, F. Bennett, G. Murland, V. Caulton, Piki Smith, K. Walters, R. Harrison, K. Spence, H. Webb, N. Tasker, K. A. Woodward, and E. R. Thomas. This team is claimed to be one or the finest ever to leave Poverty Bay and, by its great victory over the northerners on their own ground, proved itself worthy of this high acclaim.

On that occasion Langlands was magnificent at five-eighth, while Murland was brilliant on the wing, this being said to be by far the best representative game he ever played. Langlands is the measure by which the class of all other five-eighths is judged in Gisborne and his equal has not yet been seen in local teams. Bennett was a magnificent centre, while Caulton was 1 a goal-kicking back who won several games for the Bay off his boot. Piki Smith played as half-back for the Bay for several -years: ‘

In the pack are well-remembered hooking stars in Woodward and Thomas, two fine hookers who seldom met their match in club or interprovincial football. Woodward was perhaps the smallest first-class front row man in inter-provincial football in his day, but it can be truly said that he was a great forward. Thomas flayed for the North Island and was a good forward. Of the rest, Tasker, Bob Harrison, K. Spence, “Snowy” Webb and Keith Walters are fit to rank among the best forwards ever to take the field for the Bay, Spence and Webb, in particular, being outstanding men in their representative years. Walters and Harrison were versatile players, equally at home in the backs or the forwards.

The two newcomers, Henry Harris and McPhail, were both representative players of high calibre, McPhail having figured in All Black trials. These old-time players have been training for the past few weeks and are confident that they will give Rugby followers a good exhibition of the game at the Oval to-morrow.

A reunion dinner is to-be held in the Gisborne Hotel on Saturday evening. The referee will be Mr, K. R. Waite, Mr. O. R. Olsen being unable to control the game owing to illness.