ALL BLACKS' TOUR

Hokitika Guardian, 16 June 1928, Page 2

ALL BLACKS' TOUR

SECRECY AT TRAINING. NUMEROUS INJURIES. TO-DAY’S TEAM. (Special to Press Association). (Received this day at 9 a.m.) JOHANNESBURG, June 15. The “Star’ in a paragraph headed “All Blacks '.Secrecy” says press and publio were refused admission to the ground yesterday while the All Blacks were training. Once the All Blacks were practising none were allowed to watch tlie play except the more ardent spirits who craned their necks through a doorway or watched the visitors from the distance of the fence. This is probably the first time any team, whether football, cricket, or tennis that has ever visited South Africa has practised (behind closed, doors. A correspondent writing to the “Star” on the sportsmanship of the crowd makes an appeal to Rugby spectators and says he Hopes at next Saturday’s match the crowd, or rather the booing section of The crowd which made so painful an exhibition of itself last Saturday, will show a little true sportsmanship. Crowds at cricket and tennis matches in South Africa are the most sporting ever seen but tlie same cannot be said of certain Rugby enthusiasts. I, was' an eye witness at fairly close quarters of the regrettable incident last Saturday. It seems to me and others in the vicinity that Finlayson received the grossest provocation. That did not justify him striking. but in view of his handsome apology in taking all the blame on liis shoulders, the fact referred to should bo known. /

The referee who did not see wliat occurred before Finlaayson’s action, subsequently behaved in none too tactful a manner, quite unnecessarily drawing as much attention as possible to the ordering off incident. -Such incidents and tlie circumstances which give rise to them are unfortunate enough in matches between teams drawn from the same country, but are doubly unfortunate when tlie match is between a home team and visitors of another country. If such things are going to happen in future, amid such semi-hvs-terical unsporting demonstrations as we saw last Saturday by a section of the crowd, the sooner we cease to invite teams to come to So:#th Africa tlie better, otherwise these iiiter-Dominion fixtures will end in engendering not good feeling, hut bad. Metnbers of the All Blades who did not play at Kronstadt stayed at Johannesburgli, going through intensive training, playing tennis and golf. Tlie team is being generally feted and on-' tertnined in a lavish style.

They visited the Crown gold mine this morning and were taken down the shaft. • Several players are suffering from injuries. Harvey has torn a muscle of the leg, Lindsay has a damaged knee, Burrows has injured ribs, and McGregor litis injured liis back. All are making quick recovery. Most of tlie players are skinned and play- with bandages. Tlie team for to-morrbw is: Lilburnc Robilliard Carleton Grenside Strang Johnson Dailey :A>. Scrimshaw Hore Swain M. Brownlie Alley Finlayson Stewn rt Hazlett Transvaal team for to-morrow is: Richter Prinsloo Dobie Raatli Libenberg Devone Koltze Kruger Mortimer Oliver “ Pretorious Van Druten

£.• Botha Nvkamp Strachan-Orvelle. The only alteration from last Saturday’s team is the exclusion of Gee re who was injured. Geere was the man concerned in the Finlayson incident. Tlie match is a critical test for the All Blacks. The form shown to-morrow should reveal the tourists’ chances in international matches.

After the All Blacks’ convincing display at Kronstadt, the team has more confidence in its capacities than previously. If New Zealand gets a reasonable'share of the hall from the scrums to-morrow they should' win, bat our hookers are up against a master hooker in Kruger, in fact up against a master pack. Supposing New Zealand gets as niuc’i of the hall as against Free State and the hacks are in equally good form they should win comfortably. Wi 1

exception of Johnson, who has nasty abrasions on the legs, the New Zealand team for to-morrow is sound. Revue, the brilliant Transvaal scrum half, is sMU suffering from an injury received last week, otherwise the opponents’ team is in first class tion.