Auckland v. Thames

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 73, 17 June 1927, Page 11

Auckland v. Thames

First Rugby Rep. Game To-morrow’s Big Attraction THE big attraction at Eden Park to-morrow will be the first representative match of the season, Auckland v. Thames. This is one of the oldest annual matches in the province, and has always been a popular feature of the season’s games.

The Auckland team chosen by Mr. V. R. Meredith contains few surprises, most of the players already having their “caps.” The newcomers are Paewai, Ruru, and Berridge, all backs, while the ex-All Blacks, C. Badeley and L. Righton, are back again in the firing-line. The biggest surprise is, of course, the selection of Paewai as fullback, although the ex-Hawke’s Bay player is hardly a stranger to the position, which he has filled on occasion in Hawke’s Bay. It would appear from the team selected that Mr. Meredith has an eye to future engagements, and is making a thorough overhaul of his forces before deciding on the main lines of his selection when the representative programme starts in earnest. There is some doubt as to whether Sheen will be available, owing to an injury received in training. In this event, Barclay may be called upon, or possibly Mr. Meredith may decide on a re-shuffle, with Butler at fullback. The Thames team is reported to be a strong one, and should fully expend the home side. The side will be captained by Morgan Hayward, Thames’s famous veteran player, who has been one of the mainstays of the sub-union for a number of years past. Another well-known member of the team is A. Lomas, the All Black hooker, while Dufty, one of the fiveeighths, is a former clubmate of Svenson, the Wellington Athletic and All Black footballer. The two teams are as follow: Auckland. —Backs, Paewai, Lucas, Sheen, Ruru, Berridge, Badeley, McManus: forwards, Hadley', Palmer, Righton, Knight, Cathcart, Batty, Finlay - Thames. —Backs, Winder, Noran, Harrison, McMahon, Dufty, A. Winder, Woofe; forwards, Pollock, Lomas, Kinlock, Ensor, Burkhardt, Hayward, O’Hara, Strange.