THROUGH AFRICAN EYES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 20, 16 October 1937, Page 18

THROUGH AFRICAN EYES

IHE SPRINGBOKS ON TOUR

JOTTINGS FROM ACCOMPANYING WRITER THE R1VAL' CAPTAINS QUARREL , LooMng' back on the tour of tlie Sontli African Rugby; £eam. through New Zealand it is interesting to study the comments of a writer from the staff of the .Eland Daily Mail, 'Johannesburg (Mr. J. Sacks, sports editor of that journal), jrho accompanied the team on tour. Below appear the more Interesting items culled from the paper in order of date. Ineluded in the comment is a reference to the All Blacks* *nd Springboks ' captains quarreling, and to the Church' objecting to the Rugby mania which had gripped the Dominion.

August 18. * The Springbok, victory against combined Marlborough, Nelson, Golden Bay and Motueka looks better on paper than in actual fact. The tourists were suffering from reaction after the strain of the Test and played ragged" football, mostly under form, despite warm sunshine and firm ground siiniiar to South African conditions. It was no wonder that a loeal ""wag" shouted: "You'il have to play better Rugby in order to win the second^Test. The home team played hard country Rugby. Incidentally the team ineluded four Maoris, all of whom were outstanding. They were McDonald and Hlppolito (forwards) and Mellish and Kotua (half backs). From the full-back to the forwards the Springboks couldn't do right for a long ' time, while the referee was

over-flnicky in his interpretation of the forward pass, checking many apparently legitimate movements. August 22. After an X-ray examination of Du Toit's back a specialist declared that Du Toit was fortunate that he did not incur serious after-effects by participating in. the Blenheim game. The Eracture of the vertebrae had not properly mended and he might have been maimed for life, or possibly paralysed if he had been heavily rtirnwn nn the affected oart.

Du Toit was lucky to have such a narrow escape. He was advised to completely rest and it was largely his own keenness to play that led to his inclusion in the team this week. He infotmed Nel that he was well before the match. He has been dropped from to-mofrow's game, Bastard replacing him against Canterbury. To-day's X-ray examination was regarded as a mere formality, du Toit havirig declared that there was nothing wrpng with him. August 24. The Springbok tour is proving the biggeSt "golden egg" in' the history of New Zealand Rugby. The Christchurch figures are not available, though it is anticipated that they will bring the total New Zealand takings to date up to £24,000, which equals the 'total of the gates of the 1921 Springbok tour. Home centres keep 33 per cent. of the takings for provincial matches and 25 per cent. for Tests and they provide*local hospitality. The New Zealand Union, which is responsible for the expenses of the tour, pockets the balance. , TT . Already tlie New Zealand Union share, amounting to roughiy £15,000, covers the estimated cost of the com- . plete tour, hence the Union's share for

the remaining nine matches, including two Tests, which are practically "gold. mines," is all proflt. I asked Stan Dean, the New Zealand Rugby Executivc chairman, what the likely total profit would be. ' Dean playfully replied: "X would willinely

pay £20,000 for the Union portion of the takings." The gate for the recent Wellington Test smashed the previous record in 1930 by over £1000. Takings to date in round figures (Christchurch omitted) are: Auckland, £4000; Hamilton, £1750; New Plymouth, £2300; Palmerston North, £2100; Wellington, £3800; Wellington Test, £8200; Blenheim, £700. Pierre de Villiers has decided to retire from all Rugby and "Boy" Louw from representative Rugby after the present tour. With Nel that means three veterans dropping out, August 25, The Springbok and All Black captains were involved in a heated argument during line-outs in to-day's match. The Springboks were well on top, leading by a big margin, when an incident occurred which brought to a climax the series of differences first between Ron King, the All Black captain, and "Boy" Louw and later Philip Nel. Nel was annoyed when he was headlocked while he reckoned he was without the ball. The referee intervened, calling upon the pair to shake hands, which they immediately did. Apart from tfiis incident, the game was not rough. West Coast and Buller offered a stout opposition, fighting back gamely to the bitter end. They were outclassed by a heavier paclc and faster backs with better combination. The weather held, but the ground was exceptionally heavy, handicapping real speed. Nevertheless, the visitors won by the large margin of 31 to 6. August 27. Second Test prospects are devouring public interest like a prairie fire. The New Zealand manager of the Springboks, Frank Glasgow, declares that if the South Africans win the second Test the authorities could have sold £20,000 worth of advance tickets for the final Test but for lack of sufficient covered accommodation, thousands would have to be turned away 1 from the final Test. The existing football mania is 1 alarming the church authorities of New Zealand. The Methodist Times

declares "the present Rugby obsession is disquieting. Isn't thcre a topheaviness about the intensity of the interest in the Springbok. We submit there is a lamentable lack of a sense of proportion." A noteworthy commentator in the recent Test film described Williams scoring a try as a "national disaster," but later declared the result as a "national triumph." August 30. The psychological factor — a big force in international football — favours the Springboks for the coming Test. They are unlikely to enter the field with the same disastrous overconfidence as they did at Wellington, while they have been telling themselves since then that they will be afraid to show their faces in South Africa if they arc beaten at Christchurch. Indeed, from their viewpoint the bottom will fall out of the tour of they lose the rubber on Saturday. There is every likelihood of their stepping on to the field at Christchurch with the same rugged determinalion which proved a prelude to the magnificent first Test victory in Austraiia after Ihe New South Wales debacle.