THE SPRINGBOKS.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 July 1921, Page 3

THE SPRINGBOKS.

VISITORS CONFIDENT. , * SIDNEY, Junto 24. Just before the Springboks left Sydney for Melbourne the manager, Mr Bennett, remarked that lie did hot care to express an opinion as to the pTos- - pects of the team winning the rubber 3 either in Sydney or New Zealand. He added: “We don’t know what sort of j teams we are to be up against, and we I don’t quite know our own form. You . see, none of the members of the team I 3 have played together before. They were 1 , practically picked on last year’s form, 5 and are quite an unknown quantity. . The reason is we have the saute seasons in South Africa as you have in Australia, and, although wo had trial , games in April, the men had very little ! | training beforehand, and it was hard to • judge their merits. Last year’s form was therefore the only thing on which j wo could base our selections. The side 1 l is heavy, more particularly the for- I wards, while at the same time they arc 1 exceptionally fast. The half-backs ar e | 1 good, and the three-quarters are very speedy. The whole question is how the | j team will combine. Rugby is the nai tional game of South Africa, and it is the one English game that the Dutch I have taken to. Up to the present the * only test we have had was with the I Army team from New Zenland, the j All Blacks, in 1919, and, judging from their display, we will Have a very hard proposition to tackle. At the same . time I think we wffl put up a good I fight, and T think we will win, in any 1 ease, the matches will certainly be well worth watching. AVe have boon lucky in managing to have all the men selected with us. They had very little tim 0 in which to make arrangements to get away, but in tile end managed it. Your ! ovals are a revelation to us also. We i have nothing like them in South | Africa. Our grounds are very hard, and are mostly just tho bare soil. The 1 only turf Is grown near the sea. We 1 get quite accustomed to it, however, j arid now, I should say, most players I there prefer tiro ground to tho turf. Before the matches commence we soften the ground with water, or in some eases, by raking it over. Newlands at Capetown, and Lords at Durban, are our two best grounds. The South African combination consists of the following:--- ' Manager: G. H. Bennett (Kimberley). ! Full-backs: C. P. Morkei (Western 1 Province), 12st 121 b.: J. D. de V llliers (Transvaal), 13st. lOibs. 1 Wing-threequnrters: A. van Heerden ! (Transvaal), 13st 4 lb.; Hefiry Morkei 1 (Western Province), 12st. !2ib. ; C. du P. Meyer (Western Province) Bst. 21b.; AY. C. Zeller (Natal) list. 111 b. ' Cent-re-threeqiiarters: AY. Clarkson 1 (Natal - ), list. 911)3; J, \Veepene r (West * ern Province), list. 121 b.; W: Selfdin j (Criqiialand West), 12st. 1211). Five-eighths: J. de Kook (Western Province), lOst.; J. Tindall (Western ,l Province), lOst. 101 It. I 4 Half-backs: J. Miehau (AVestern Pro- ' vince). I2st. ; AY, Townsend (Natal), list. lib. . . " Forwards: AA’. H. (Boy) Morkei (vice captain, Transvaal), 13st. 111 b.; AL El lifts (Transvaal), 13st. 61b.: T. Kruger (Transvaal), 14st. 41b.; J. J. van ‘ Royen (Transvaal), 15st. 51b.; J.Mielian (Transvaal), Ifist. fill).; N< du | ; Pleiss (AA’est Transvaal), 14st. 41b.; A. • V. AVnlker Natal), 13st. 81b.; L. B. Siedle (Natal), 12st'.; F. Mellish (AVest p ern Province). l3st, 811).; Royle Mor- n kej (Western Province), i7st. 21b.; t ] Harry Morkei (AVestern Province), 13st- 81b.; F. Mellish (AVestern Province), 13st.: J. Mostert (Western Province) 13st. 111). ; T. P. Pienaar (captain); (AVestern. Province), 13st. | n 31b; J. Oliver (AA’estern Province), 13st r, 121 b. w