RUGBY FOOTBALL

Hokitika Guardian, 19 September 1933, Page 3

RUGBY FOOTBALL

THE ANGLO-FRENCH RUPUTRE.v (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, Sep. 17; The “Daily Telegraph’s” Rugby entie expresses the opinion'that the president of the French.. Federation was merely optimistic in announcing a resumption of relations with the British Rugby Union. He points out that the rupture was due to-veiled professionalism in France. •• >• ■ ; The critic refers to the new Continental Union, and says though the French in recent months sought recon_ ; filiation it may he taken that so far the Union sees no reason to change it s attitude towards France, and has arranged a North v. South match in February, in place of the English-French match.

McLEAN GOING TO AUCKLAND

WELLINGTON, September 18,

H. F. McLean, the noted Wellington and New Zealand Rugby football representative, is. not likey to be available for Wellington much longer. He ■is contemplating a move to Auckland to take up a business position there. Should he make the change, this outstanding .forward ijwill be greatly missed -by WeU ingtouv bu tube Gw ill he • a most valuable gai-iV t»l Auckland, at, a ' tinlcTwheP' Auckland cart swell idd with highly talented players. ■»’ ; ■ .. i

SATURDAY’S TEAM,

The West Coast team to play Buller at Hokitika on Saturday afternoon wiU be considerably weaker than that which met Buller at Greymouth in the Seddo n •Shield game. Following the accident to 'Hazelhurst, the Canterbury fiveeighth, Fong, the C°ast captain, has been selected to' fill the vacancy in the South Island team. There will therefore be B. Scaii'drett, Fong and RKing (emergency) in Wellington- on Saturday, injuries will t keep W. Hughes, Lvl. iScandrett and possibly M-artyn, out of the team,: and‘Freitas will also not be available'owip.g' to his injury. ‘ The replacements in’ Hhe forwards. Will not be as difficult to fill las will he the gap in the blinks, Which' "will' again be disorganised." Davidson will 1 fill the position at half; but : Fong will be badly missed, especially on defence. The substitute. hacks wjll be Beban and A. King if Maityin does not take the field.

FONG SELECTED. iA. S. Fong, captain of" the West ■ Coast team,' TitCs bden’- selected •'■'to Replace Hazglhuiist as first five-eighth-in the South Island "team. Fong. and <R• B. SCUndVett, 1 the half-back; with E. Hofde r and 8./King, emergencies,„ will leave' oil'Thursday,, for’ Wellington. THE LOG OF WOOD. The Ranfurly . Shield, up to a point, lias its uses. 1, Beyoiid that point, which is generally reached at.. the end of a couple of years’ tenure.of,it, the abuses creep in. The ’initial winning ofi .it made possible the development of Hawke’s Bay into one of the. greatest teams in the. sixty years’ history of our interprovincial rugby. ' Tile continued holding of it—well, even Hawke’s Bay is ahxiotis to forget what the ultimate losing of it meant, The charm of comparative novelty still surrounds its sojourn in the South Island. The. week-end transference of about half the athletic population ot Jnvercairgill to Christchurch janfl theattendance at the later .Otago match; followed by West Const and Buller, would have, been unthinkable:- if the Shield had not been at stake. And best, of all, all matches iyere played and watched in the best sporting" spirit One hopes for the sake of her football that, having now withstood two season’s challenges, Canterbury will lose the Shield early , next year, Even nqw, the honour is not unalloyed with a slight uneasiness, for did not Canterbury refuse, Wellington’s challenge P Shield or not no team this season can claim to he. New Zealand’s champion that has not beaten Wellington, which to its credit, has pot gone into mourning because of being deprived of an opportunity t)o win the bauble.. The memory of the time the Wellington team took it south, in the fervent hope of losing it, is still fresh in' the capital. ...