“Give me Nepia, Cooke, and Mill,” Says Grenside

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 496, 27 October 1928, Page 16

“Give me Nepia, Cooke, and Mill, ” Says Grenside

Farewell Paragraphs in African Papers LINE-UMPIRE HOOTED one of the interesting features of the last Rugby test in South Africa, when the All Blacks overwhelmed the Springboks, was the effort made by the Springboks to frustrate Stewart’s loose-head manoeuvre. Frequently the ball was thrown clear across the scrum to the other side after Stewart had got down. The following correspondence in a South African paper speaks for itself: —• "The Sports Editor. Sir, —Would you be good enough to obtain and publish an authoritative opinion on the following point, and so settle a discussion? "It is maintained that T>e Villiers, when throwing the ball across the scrum to Daneel —to avoid the loosehead —breaks the rule stating that the half must put the ball in at once, and should therefore have been penalised. ‘lncidentally, I think this plan defeated its own ends, as most penalties against South Africa for.scrum offences came when Daneel put the ball in.—l am, etc., NEATHERM.” Mr. .1. D. do Villiers, Chairman of the Western Province Referees’ Union, gave as his personal view: "The passing of the ball across the scrum by Do Villiers to Daneel, instead of immediately putting the ball into the scrum himself, is certainly against the letter and spirit of the laws of the game. It appeared to be an irregularity purposely practised in order to counteract what is considered unlawful hooking tactics of the New Zealand loose-head forward, which were overlooked by the referee. Two wrongs, however, do not make a right, and in my opinion both should have been stopped.” [lncidentally, the Springboks were so decisively beaten in The scrums that toward the linish Mostert dropped his usual practice of taking scrums instead of line-outs. 3 A COMBINED TEAM The following paragraphs culled at random from African papers, are also of interest. The hooting referred to was directed against Mr. J. Maye, of Wanganui, who was touch-judge in the final test: “B. A. Grenside says: “C h o o s e your own wings. Give me A. E. Cooke and Stanley Osier as centres. Put Nepia as fullback, W. B. Osier as fly-half and Jimmy Mill as scrum-half. Such a back-line' should beat the world. Good wings, with a line like that, should bo able to make rings round any defence.’ • * * "The ‘booing’ and from the ‘A’ stand on Saturday was entirely alien to the sportsmanship one associates with a crowd that understands Rugby. When the man on the touchline made an obvious error cries of disapproval were uncalled for. We are coming to a sorry pass when followers of the game allow their feelings to run away with them. ‘‘Hundreds of enthusiasts from all parts of the country flocked in to see the Test. Yesterday afternoon I met a Transvaaler who, in 1910, was one of the best forwards in the Western Prov-

ince. He told me that his outstanding impression of the Test was not the game itself, but the deplorable behaviour of the crowd on the ‘A’ stand and in front of it." South African writers have been endeavouring to select a combined New Zealand and South African team to play the world. I have only seen the All Blacks in five matches (states C. F. S. N. t in the “Cape Times”) but my team, with very little hesitation, is: B. Osier: Robilliard, Nicholls, Lucas. Orenside: S. Osier, Bailey; Boy Louw. Mostert, Baneel, Finlayson, M. Brownlie, McWilliams, T. G. Osier. Stewart, The team includes nine New' Zealanders!