OLD OPPONENTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 415, 25 July 1928, Page 1

OLD OPPONENTS

SEVEN TRANSVAALERS IN PRETORIA SIDE

CASUALTY LIST GROWS The message received from Africa this morning is far from encouraging. Ten games are still to be played, including two very hard tests, and now comes the news that Harvey, Kilby and Hadley will probably be unable to play for the rest of the tour, and that Rushbrook, the promising young Wellington winger, has influenza. Possibly Rushbrook’s indisposition will not keep him out of many games, but the scrapping of Hadley, Harvey and Kilby is particularly unfortunate. Judging by recent reports Hadley, in addition to being probably the best hooker in the side, has also developed into a fine all-round forward. Burrows is stated to be nearly right, but so far he has played in only two games, and will need training before he will be fit enough to take part in the strenuous front-row work. The injuries to Kilby’s ankle will also embarrass the selection committee, as it will leave Dailey to do the bulk of the halfback play. Both Strang and McGregor can be used as halfbacks, and probably the former will be used to spell Dailey in the less important games.

With Harvey also out of action for the duration of the tour, Alley will probably find himself emulating the

record of Reed Masters, who owing to Harvey’s illness locked the scrums in the scrums in the majority of the games on the 1924-25 tour. The lock position on the present tour is particularly strenuous, and if anything happens to Alley, another lock would have to be found in either

Cyril Brownlie or Pat Ward. If the list of injured increases to any great extent within the next two or three weeks the All Blacks will find their forces sadly depleted by the time the third and fourth tests are due. With Rushbrook out of commission, Lucas is to be played on the wing, and

Kruger, Mortimer, Nykamp and Geere, 1 the latter being remembered in connection with the ordering off of Finlayson, also played for Transvaal against the New Zealanders. In that match the All Blacks were ; defeated by 6—o after a hard forward game in which the home side 1 had the best of the argument. However, the All Blacks are now a much improved side, and although they are t being pitted against a strong combin- • ation should be able to hold their own in the pack. Judging by the strength of the team opposed to them it should be a very even game.