Rugby on the Move

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 311, 23 March 1928, Page 11

Rugby on the Move

PROSPECTS OF BIG SEASON

Club Strength May Be Altered

(By Makarini.) WITH annual meetings in the swing, the departure of the All Blacks imminent, and the thoughts of players and supporters turning to Rugby, there is already a good deal of speculation upon what the coming season may bring forth. Club strength in Auckland may be substantially altered, and there is some promising new blood at the disposal of some of the senior organisations.

happens in New Zea- | land, the fortunes of the All Blacks in South Africa will be the paramount consideration, and their progress will be followed with unflagging attention. Here in New Zealand there are prospects of a New South Wales visit, a brief tour by a Sydney University side, and a visit from a Samoan team, to stimulate competition with the flavour of outside interest. The Samoan team will represent another of the far-flung outposts where Rugby is played with enthusiasm, and if the tour can be financed, it should prove a great draw in New Zealand, as well as an antidote, in Samoa itself, for the unhealthy controversy precipitated by the arguments between the Administrator and the Mau. When the Aorangi arrives in Auckland on Sunday " she will bring with her the popular * Waratahs,” fresh from their tour of Great Britain, Prance and Canada. The New South Welshmen should be sure of a royal welcome from the Rugby men of Auckland, for, in spite of the -string of defeats which met them toward the end of the tour, they proved themselves a better team than New Zealand ever expected, and their efforts will have done a great deal to restore the prestige of the Rugby game in New South Wales. Mr. S. S. Bean, chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union, will visit Auckland so that he will be able to tender the Waratahs an official welcome when they arrive. DOMESTIC CONCERNS Domestic concerns, while the All Blacks are away, wi,ll centre chiefly round the Ranfurly Shield, now held by Canterbury after a series of sensational happenings last year. The shield holders, who hold the shield by virtue of a win over Manawatu, did not wind up the season with the same unbeaten record as Auckland. Just before winning the shield they were beaten by Hawke’s Bay, and just afterwards they were trounced by Wellington. However, they took the shield back to Christchurch, for the first time, and it will undoubtedly do a great deal of good to the cause of Rugby in Canterbury. In the coming season, however, the side upon which will fall the responsibility of defending the shield will be below the full strength of the province. The absence of seven star players with the All Blacks will prob-

om ably make a great <leal of difference t o C ante rbury’s chances of retaining the shield. ;; Auckland i.s due \ to make a Southern tour tli is coming season, and will probably go as far south as Jnvercar- | gill. Canterbury and I Otago will be en- ■■ countered, a u d Auckland should ' have a rovalchance

nave a VO y ai cnance of winning - the shield. Though the absence of Sheen, Lucas, Hadley and McWilliams will undoubtedly make a ' difference, the strength of the Auckland rep. team should not be seriously reduced. There were good forwards hovering on the fringe of the rep team last season, and with additional polish they should be capable of replacing the absent internationals. One of these possible substitutes is Anderson, the Training College forward, who played a memorable game at New Plymouth in the match against Taranaki. He will be wearing the Varsity colours this season, and has been put on the committee of his new club. Incidentally, there were 150 present at the Varsity club’s annual meeting, and the younger members made practically a clean sweep of the old committee. Falwasser, the ex-Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki flier, may find a place in the representative team. He was brilliant as a schoolboy at the Mormon Agricultural College, Hastings. and while, playing for Hawke’s Bay scored one of the finest tries aver seen on Athletic Park, Wellington. In Auckland he will be playing for Manukau Rovers, and though his stocks seemed to slump during his stay in Taranaki, this may have been due to the poor standard of back play in the cow-country. It is

therefore on the cards that in Auckland where his style of play should be appreciated, he may regain his former brilliance. McManus, Hook, Wright, Berridge, Butler, Badeley and Jenkin will be among other candidates for places in the representative backs. ROUND THE CLUBS From the masses of rumour always flying about at this stage of the year, it is always difficult to sort out fact from fiction. The loss of Lucas should not make a serious difference to Ponsonby, and their backs, with Cammick and Berridge to provide the high points, should still be capable of turning on the fireworks. Thus the team that beats them will have to field a good pack. It looks as though the obligation may again rest on Varsity. Ponsonby showed the strength of some of its reserves at the end of last season, in the match against the Rest, Hassan, on that day, giving a fine exhibition behind the Ponies’ pack. On that occasion, also, F. Solomon, of North Shore, appeared in the Ponsonby pack. He will be a useful man if the champions can retain him this season, and it would certainly be a pity to see so fine a forward go back into the comparative obscurity of B grade. With North Shore back in the B grade, after last year’s singularly unprofitable season, which saw the club starting well, but finishing badly, the new A grade club will be City, which has weighty forwards and backs quite good enough to let it worry some of the A grade teams. * Fell, one of its forwards, won A grade rep. honours last season. The team is already preparing to train for the coming season in big company. Manukau Rovers is another club that hopes to be placed in A grade ranks. This promotion is still in the

problematical stage.

Among the other senior clubs, Marists have a good man in Jeffries, exTaranaki rep, who showed real quality toward the end of last season. In he and Wright the club has two firstrate half backs at its command. Seal, of Napier, should be an acquisition to this club.

Varsity will bp, strong, with most o£ the old brigade back again, and some good newcomers, notably G. E. \V. Macintosh, ex-Scottish international, and Cambridge Varsity flier. Bra'danovich and Matheson are now at Otago University College. Pilling (College Bides) is fuirming near Cambridge. Many other players have changed their quarters, and not until another month lias passed will the clubs have any definite idea of how their strength will lie.

How Christ Picked His Team to Beat World Opposition

Dr. Cove Smith, who captained England’s Rugby fifteen against the Waratahs and in other matches, preaching at the young people’s service at Islington, England, recently, emphasised that good teamwork always comes to the front. Concentrated and combined effort will achieve more than individualism, ho said. Christ realised this when he picked his team of Apostles to beat the world. There are still vacant places in that team, because work must be carried on. Christ was not a milksop, a killjoy, or a physical weakling, but he was vigorous and energetic. He slept out of doors, tramped around the Sea of Galilee all day, and nobody dared to oppose him. PARNELL RUGBY CLUB The annual meeting of the Parnell Rugby Football Club was held last night, the president, Mr. J. G. Corson, presiding over a large attendance. The report and balance sheet showed a credit balance of £3B 6s lOd. The total assets were estimated at £7O 6s 9d, showing a year of steady and satisfactory progress. A vote of appreciation was passed to the ladies’ committee of the club, which has done wonderful “work. The following officers were elected: President, W. Packman; vice-presidents o £ last year elected and the committee to have power to add; auditor, J. G. Corson; chairman, r>. M. Adams; secretary and treasurer, R. Roy Packman; committee, O'Sullivan, O'Brien. W. Flynn, C. Munyard. W. O’Donnell. Clark, R. Iverson, E. Watkins, W. Bines.