All Blacks, 1928

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 168, 6 October 1927, Page 8

All Blacks, 1928

HONOURS TO AUCKLAND Few Flaws in Powerful Side TWENTY-NINE men, in whose hands is the prestige of New Zealand Rugby, have been chosen for next year’s tour to South Africa. Four Aucklanders were awarded places with the sixteen who, happy and elated, were last night assured that their positions are secure.

THE men selected after yesterday’s game were: Lucas. Sheen. Hadley and McWilliams, Auckland. Cooke, Wairarapa. Rushbrook, Johnson, Nicholls and Kilby, Wellington. Lilburne, Scrimshaw, Burrows, Alley, Canterbury. Sitrang, South Canterbury. Snow, Nelson. Ward, Taranaki. In their positions, the 29 players are: Fullback: H. Lilburne. Wing threequarters: A. C. C. Robilliard, A. Grenside, F. W. Lucas, C. Rushbrook. Inside backs: Sheen, D. Lindsay, A. Strang, M. F. Nicholls, L. Johnson, A. E. Cooke, N. P. McGregor. Halfbacks: W. Dailey, F. Kilby. Rover: Scrimshaw. Hookers: J. Swain, J. Hore, S. Hadley, J. T. Burrows. Locks: G. T. Alley, I. Harvey. Other forwards: M. Brownlie, I. Finlayson, C. Brownlie, W. Hazlett, E. Snow, R. T. Stewart, McWilliams, P. Ward. At a superficial inspection the team looks to be an exceptionally powerful side, and even a close analysis discloses no more than a few minor flaws. The forwards are heavy men. whose immense physique does not affect their speed, or their ability to handle the ball in the open. In Swain, Hadley. M. Brownlie and Finlay son the team possesses forwards who can handle the ball like backs. If the team

chooses to field its heaviest set of forwards. the Springboks will need to discover men of extraordinary Rugby ability if the opposing pack is to hold Its own. A pack composed of Swain, Hore, Harvey. M. Brownlie, Finlayson, C. Brownlie, and R. Stewart would be expected to hold its own, and more, on any Rugby field in the world. BEHIND THE PACK With such a pack to open the way for their attacks the backs are fav-

oured from the start. Even with drastic alterations, the remoulded pack is still, on apj>earanceß, up to the highest international class. The Aucklanders, Hadley and McWilliams, are forwards of a fine stamp; and one would not be surprised if either of them is placed in all the tests. Then there are the dashing Ward, Flazlett, who was one of the first thirteen, and therefore must be considered outstanding, and Burrows and Alley, the Canterbury pair. The fact that there are no apparent weaknesses in the pack compensates for any uneasiness that the composition of the backs may engender. If Dailey retains his recent form there will be no need for alarm about the halfback position. There is, too, always the possibility that Kilby, developing with experience, may displace him though many would have preferred to see McManus, the" sturdy Aucklander, rewarded for his consistent season’s work. INCLUSION OF NICHOLLS The inclusion of Mark Nicholls must inevitably occasion criticism. For a player of his experience his display in Auckland was wretched, and he does not seem to have improved on it in the trials. Picked as one of the certainties in 1924, and hailed by Wisden’3 Rugby Annual (for whom he obligingly wrote an article) as one of the brainiest footballers of all time, Nicholls is undoubtedly one of the lucky ones in this selection, though it is always on the cards that a return to his former cool cleverness and consistent kicking may justify his inclusion. In Johnson. McGregcr and Strang the team has sound and orthodox inside backs, who will give nothing away. Strang and McGregor are both really excellent spare halves McGregor played a great game as half for Canterbury i:n 1925, and Strang performed ably behind the scrum in the second spell of tho match between South Canterbury and Auckland this season. Auckland beat Soutn Canterbury heavily, and the vanquished would not have been considered at all a strong enough side to get two men into the All Blacks. Stewart, of course, did not play in Auckland. CANTERBURY'S SEVEN Canterbury, with seven men in the team, has the preponderating representation. Wellington, Hawke’s Bay and Auckland follow with four men each. In the 1924 team Hawke's Bay and Canterbury each had six men and Auckland three. Further, it cannot be denied that some other Aucklanders are a shade unlucky. The Knight family seems to have a “hoodoo” over it as far as distant tours are concerned. Laurie Knight was one of the outstanding forwards in the final trial for the 1924 team, but he missed, and now A. Knight, who was in the All Black team last year, has suffered the same misfortune. Even more unlucky, on the strength of his magnificent tackling yesterday, is V. Butler. University (Auckland) had two first-rate prospects for the All Black side in Butler and Keene, but both failed to get there. Scrimshaw, who is the only rover selected, may easily develop into another J. H. Parker. He has the pace and the dash but may not have the top-piece. Like Parker, he went to Christchurch Boys’ High School, but finished up at Waitaki, where he played for the first fifteen.