JIMMY WHITE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 190, 28 August 1937, Page 18

JIMMY WHITE

SPRINGBOK CENTRE his EARLY CAREER Jimmy White was only 19 years old when chosen for Ihe 1931-32 Springbok Rugby football team that toured Britain, writes J. Sacks in the Rand Daily Mail. He was one of the last to be nominated for the trials prior to the selection Of the team, for it was only a week before they were due to begin that he was invited to participate. Wliite just managed to scrape into thc side, after being given a very hard race for the linal place in the back division by Dudley, thc Transvaal player. In Britain he became one of the most reliable' centre-three-quarters and, but for contracting illness shortly after the Welsh international, he would have played against Scotland, Ireland and England as well. But for the honours that he won at Rugby football so early, White might have concentrated on cricket * pr athletics or boxing, for he was a splendid all-rounder, one of the best ever turned out by Queer.'s College, Queenstown. He was twelfth man for Border While still a schoolboy. He was a splendid athlete and won sprinting, long and high jump events, though his best event was tbe half-mile. He was ihe under 19 Boi'der light-wcight champion and won most of his bouls . with his heavy punching.