LONG-DISTANCE RUGBY TOURS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 18, 5 February 1937, Page 12

LONG-DISTANCE RUGBY TOURS

'Alagpie")

The Record of the Famous Army Team of War Days

LESSONS TAUGHT BY SPRINGBOKS

(JBy '

v "nor to 1905, long-distance Rugby tours were undertaken only by British sides» and as early as 1888 Stoddardt's team came out to Australia and Rew Zqaland, and then in 1899 another, nnder the captaincy of the Rev. IVEr. ^fsllineip: visited Anstfalia. In 1004 Bedeli-jSivwrigbt's British team came to Australia and then on tp New Zealand, when they were defeated in the solitaiy Test played. lt was the r.esult of thig match that gfave New Zealand the urge to trayel the seas, and in 1905 the original AH Blacks made history in a tour of Englapd, Scotland, Ireland and Wales,

"Op to fhis time not much vres known put here conceyning the prowess of the SoutE Africans as exponents of Bugby. I should say 'that very few in this Dqininion realised that Rugby was UCtually played over there, but they were soon to learn, ln 1906 the first Springboks, under the captainey of Pau] Booe, toured Eugland and of 29 games pi^yed they won 26, lost 2 and drew 1. VYales, who dexeated the All Blacks by three to nil in 1QQ5, went under to the Springboks by 11 to 0, but Scotlapd avenged this defeat by defeating the visitors by six to nil. E'nglapd xuanaged a three-all draw, and then came the comment at the couclusion of tho tour where in a general valuation the Springboks wero adjudged a better side than the All Blacks. Comparisons are odious, I know, but there came into existence then a geseral deaire that New Zealand apd' South Afriqa should try conclusiops. In 1912 the second Springboks visited England nn6,er the captaincy pf W. A. Millar and they won 24 matches apd lost three in - a programme of 27 matches. All four ihternationals were won and the seal was sefc on the fame of • the Springboks as champion Rugby footballers, but New Zealand was etiU prepared ta cpntest the point. Next came" the Great War and football was forgotten. With the signing of the Armistice, however, the gamp waa taken up again with the greatest enthusiasm and the colpnial soldiers in England were able to field some exceh lent sides.. Tounng was popular and finally came a tournament between Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Mother Country. The New Zealan,d Army team won the tournament and the King's Cup, defeating South Africa in the first match by 26 to five and in the second by 14 to five. AnxiousTo meet the Army side again, South Africa invited the New Zealanders fo visit them on their homeward journey. The latter were quite willing, but the question pf finance came into it. However, this, was overepma by promoting all the men from the the rank pf private to, that of lance-sergeant and South Africa agreed to pay all expenses, including the mi|itary pay due to the men. There were in addition three lieutenants selected and the management was undertaken by Lieutenant B. W- Baumgurt, of Weidngton. They were a' great side, an(l so that readers can judge for - themselves here are the playere: — Eullback; J. G. Q *Brien (Auckland). Threequarters: E. W. Eing (Wellington), W. A. Eord (Canterbury), R. W. Roberts (Taranaki), E, Ryan (WeUington), JT. Stohr (Taranaki) and B. W. Storey (South Cauterbury). Mveeightns: W. E. Fea (Otago), W. Lj Henry (South Canterbury), Gk J. "MyNaught (Wanganui), J. Byan (Wellington). Half-backs: O. Brown (Taranaki), captain, and D, Sandman (Canterbury). Wing-forwards; A. A, Lucas and A. P. Singe (Auckland). Borwards: E. A. Belliss (Wanganui), J. A. Bruce ( Wellington) ,"M. Cain (Taranaki), E. L, Coekroft (Seuthland), *A, Gilchrist (Wellington), B. Eogarty (Otago), E. W. Hassell (Canterbury), J. Kissick (Taranaki), J. E. Moffitt (WeUington), ^aylor (Qtago), S. J. Standen (Wellington), A. H. West (Taranaki) and H, G. Whittington (Taranaki), Of the above np fewer than 20 wore thp Aj/ Black jer,sey prior tp or after the war. In South Africa. 15 games were played, of which 11 were won, three logt and 1 drawn- No match was playpd against a representative South African fifteen, but two of the provinoes, Griqualand and Wesfern, defeated the Army team, but the latter had their revenge on Western Province a feifr days later. The tour was a great sueeesa in all respeets, and each member of the New Zealand Army team was presented with a massive gold medal, in tl;e middle of which was sel, an un out diamond, y, very handsomp souvenir of the tour. Returning homo the Army team met Auckland at Auckland on Oetober 18, 1919, and aithough ofp thp bpat only a day, won handsomely by 16 to 6. I had the pleasurp of meeting the tourists at Auckland and learned' firsthand their impressions of the South Africans a? footballers. There wns nq diversity of opinion, all describing tho South Africans as tough, parfieularl> in Ihe forwards. Next day I saw th solaier team in action, and althougt ' very much out of condition, they wer.; ' altogether too robust for Auckland. The soldiers played heartily, partieular]> the forwaTds, who made the dust fly when qceasion demanded, and remembering their impressions of tho South Africans, I came tp the conclusion thar. indecd the latter must truly be tough. The New Zealand soldier team were sj. 1 sglendid combinatio.n, and so gcsat ws«

. the _ impression they created in South Africa^ that the latter lost no time in ' accepting • an invitation" from tho New Zealand Bugby Union to tour this Dominion in 1921. To meet the invaders there was no great preparation on 0141 part- we were, in fact, suffering from a complacency that imagined that anv fifteen titled New Zealand was invincible. The South Africans came and taught us l'essons, and of these I will refer to next week.