No Aucklanders

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 165, 3 October 1927, Page 11

No Aucklanders

The First Thirteen Selected Certainties for South Africa THIRTEEN certainties were chosen for the South African Rugby tour on Saturday after the inter-island match. Roue were Aucklanders. Is there a hoodoo on Auckland Rugby, and will 1924 be relocated? In that year Auckland had a brilliant Rugby record, but had one of the smallest of provincial representations in the victorious All Black team which toured Britain. There is, however, still a good chance of Auckland securing some of the remaining places in the team to tour South Africa next year. The Aucklan d candidates will be given a chance to redeem themselves in the final trial match on Wednesday.

'4 FTi:R Saturday’s match the followA ing players were chosen as cer..inUes lor the 1928 All Black team, “let! is to tour South Africa: A. C. C. Robilliard (Canterbury). A. Greveide (Hawke’a Bay). 0. Lindaay (Otago). HI. p. McGregor (Canterbury), w. C. Dailey (Canterbury). J. P. Swain (Hawke’s Bay), J. Hore (Otago), t. Harvey (Wairarapa). I. Finlay ton (North Auckland). M, J. Brownlie (Hawke’s Bay). C. J. Brownlie (Hawke’s Bay). R. f. Sitewart South Canterbury). W. Haslett (Southland). It is apparent that complicating ffjturts added difficulties to the task ot the selectors. This is a lean year, rather than otherwise for Rugby talent, a circumstance which is reflected in til. fact :hat whereas. In 1924, the electors had no difficulty in setting aside 16 men good enough to wear the silver fern, this season the number of preliminary certainties Is less three. tuckls.nd's chance of having men included in the 13 certainties was reduced at the outset by the absence of t eras who was one of the 16 early select .or sin 1924. In 1924 North Island ivon the inter-island match by 39 points to 8, and was clearly entitled tu a preponderance of representation. Cf the 18 certainties chosen after that match. ' 0 were North Jslande-s. Of the latent batch, however. Northerners are in a minority of one, the South lidancl having seven ot the 13. FINAL TRIAL MATCH Aucklanders will have their chance in Wednesday's trial match, the last of tie surles. The success of the South tacks on Saturday may upset calculat ons, though Hook, at least, appears to have played up to form. The positi on is complicated by doubts cinterning Cooke's position. On Thursday tie denied that the statement that he was eligible had been made with 111 authority. Neither Porter nor Mark Nicholls, who were both among the certainties (or tie 1924 team, has been included in the preliminary choice for next tsar. For the 1924 team there were iwo wing-forwards chosen among the certainties, but in this instance the MJLWX.** * * * *

raring positions will not be filled until after Wednesday’s games. Perhaps the most surprising feature of all is -he inclusion of Lindsay, who has played in only two trial games. Though his play in Auckland undoubtedly suggested that he was worth the honour, his attack of measles suggested that he uaisht be one of the unlucky ones. Possibly with the view that he will ma!:e a great reserve fullback, as well a* a centre or winger, the selectors evidently satisfied themselves on Wcdneaiay that the big fellow is a champion. For next Wednesday’s trial Butler, Luca* and Knight have been instructed J to Wellington. Hook, Sheen, Hadley, Palmer, Bcrridge, McManus, McWilliams and Butler all have £hances of inclusion, though it is now' hardly likcdy that there will be more than five Aucklanders tn the team. NEW ALL BLACKS Among the 13 candidates. Qrensirle, h*ndsay, Hore and Swain are new to Ail Black honours. Lindsay arid Hore ! nay fee acclaimed the season’s sur-

prises. Lindsay is a young medical student, who learned his football at Timaru Boys* High School, an institution that, with. Lindsay and R. F. Stewart, has; the honour of having two of its old boys in the first thirteen. Six of the seven Southern certainties are products of the high schools of the South. Robilliard (Ashburton High School), McGregor (Gore High School), Lindsay and Stewart (Tim«i.ru), Bailey (Christchurch Boys* High) and Hazlitt (Waitaki) are showing the importance of the schools as Rugby nurseries. In addition Scrimshaw is another Waitaki boy, Snodgrass a Nelson College product, and Alley and Barrows both Christchurch High School old boys. Hazlitt is the son of a wealthy Southland sportsman, and went to Australia with last year’s All Blacks. Hore, v.he Dunedin forward, is a crack swimmer, and hs.s won many life-saving trophies. SWAIN GETS THERE Swain has long been recognised as one of the finest hookers New Zealand has produced, and to those who know the consistent brilliance of his play in both tight and loose forward work, it has long been a mystery that he has missed All Black colours in the past. As long - ago as 1923, when he was located in Wellington, Swain was emergency for an All Black team that played New South Wales, but for the time he went no further. Moving to Hawke’s Bay, where he works for a large mercantile firm, he continued to show his worth, particularly as a fine; scoring forward, with speed and accurate handling as salient assets. Bert Grenside is another whose suc«t cess has been long deferred, but wellearned. The Hastings man was in th€r Hawke’s Bay team that won the Ranturly Shield in 1922, and in 1924 played for the North Island, but failed to reach the New Zealand team. A consistent kick, and an immensely powerful runner, Grenside is a threequarter of the durable variety, and he has a wonderful scoring record to back up his inclusion in the All Black team. His people are hotel proprietors in Hastings, and the new All. Black winger is a drover by occupation. The others of the certainties are well-known. Finlayson, the giant Northlander, played for the All Blacks last year. He is a member of a football family. FAMOUS PAIR The two Brownlies, each of whom has a large sheeprun in the Hawke's Bay back-country, are old boys ot St. Patrick’s College, Wellington. Maurice was born in 1898 and Cyril is a year older. Both served in Palestine with the New Zealand Mounted Forces, and plaved football there. Parker, Richardson and the two Brownlies, all of whom later played for the 1924 All Blacks, all played for the same team in a Services tournament dur'ing the war. Like George Nepia, Q. Donald, F. W. Lucas and J. Steel, each of the brothers his once been ordered from the field since the 1924 All Blacks were

| chosen. FINAL TRIAL POSSIBLES AND PROBABLES The final trial match will be played on Wednesday between the teams set out below. It will be noted that eight Aucklanders are included. Sheen and Keene have been dropped., but not necessarily from further consideration. POSSIBLES:: Butler (Auck.) Hook (Auck.) Stringfellow (Wair.) Lucas (Auck.) Cooke (Wair.) Johnson (Wot.) McManus (Auck.) Scrimshaw (Canterbury) Coulston (Wang.) Burrows (Cant.) Alley (Canterbury) Godfrey (Cant.) Freitas (Buller) McWilliams (Auck.) Bird (Southland) PROBABLES: Heaxlewood (Otago) Rushhrook (Wgt.) Brown (Tara.) Stewart (Otago) Berridge (Auck.) Nicholls (Wgt.) Holden (Otago) Porter (Wellington) Hadley (Auck.) Young ( Tara.) Conrad (Hawke’s B.) Knight (Auck.) Ward (Tara.) IVlarsTin ( Otago) Snow (Nelson) Emergencies for both teams:; Kilby, . i South, Pringle (Wellington), Hore ■ I (Otago).