SPRINGBOK TEAMS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 119, 5 June 1937, Page 17

SPRINGBOK TEAMS

PLAYERS TO CH00SE THEM manager has no vote (By "Cross-bar.") The Springbok Rugby teams to play in New Zealand will be chosen by a committe of five players and the manager and assistant manager of the touring party will have no vote, but one or other of them will act as chairof the committee. At the emergency meeting of the South African Rugby Board when P. J, Nel was elected captain of the touring party and D. H. Craven vicecaptain, three other players were added to form the selection committee:— M. M. "Boy" Louw, L. C. Strachan and G. H. Brand. It was stipulated that the maftager or the assistant manager would act as ehairman of the committee without fl vote. This decision throws some light on the reason why P. J. Nel, now regarded as a veteran, is captain of the team. It will probably be found that he will fill the role of coach and fatherly tactician more off the field than on, and that actual leadership in various matches will fall to Craven, his deputy. If that tufrns out to be the case it will be something of an objeet lesson for New Zealanders, in that the actual selection and coaching of teams will be lifted out of the manager's hands, and those of his as-

sistant, and given entirely to the players. And who better, one might ask, is there available to coach and would a playing side than a man who has qualified as an International and abreast of all that the game requires? What better jnethod, too, could be adopted to select teams than that of leaving the job to the players? New Zealand still has recolleotions of the 1935-36 tour of the All Blacks through England, which made Mr. V. R. Meredith (manager), a veritable autocrat. True, he had a "consultative" committee to gulde him, but in the end his word was law. In South Africa's case the boot is on the other foot. Manager and assistant manager may be "consulted," but the final. choice lies with a well-balanced committee. It is composed of three forwards and two backa and should be fully capable of dealing with the task allotted it. One rem'embers, also, ihe tour of the Britishers through New Zealand in 1930 when manager Baxter was more or less of 'an autocrat. It will indeed be interestlng to watch the South African method and when the time comes for New Zealand to send another. side abroad, presumably it will be to South Africa itself, that the players themselves be given a

committee to do the selecting. Lifting that task out of the hands of thc manager and assistant manager will free them for the very arduous social callls on their time and will give then greater freedom in the matter -of transport and travelling. Nobody who has not managed a team on a toqr can realise the lot of a manager socially. That task is a burden in itself and if the job of choosing and coaching teams is added to it the post of a manager is made a very unhappy one for himself and one most diflicult of accomplishment in a full sense. The Tour Begun. The tour of the South Africans began at Perth on Monday, where Ihe visitors had a run immediately aftir g.-tting off the boat. That they wene a -le to swamp the West Australian team by 48 to 7 lent colour to the though t lhat this is no idle team wUcn is coming to New Zealand. P vviil take somq beating. Rugby is not oy any r.uans popular in Pe-lh, a> d the side the visitors met would ha'uJy b? io average club standard in New Zealand. That would accoUnt for the size of the score. But, notv/ithstanding that, the reports of the match indicate that the Springboks can play the fast open game is they want to. Turner, their reserve fullback, finished off a good three-quarter try. They could take those sort of risks against West Australia, of course* but they will be ab'le to tak;e them aiso against some of the teams they meet in New Zealand.