BRITISH RUGBY INVASION

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 648, 27 April 1929, Page 15

BRITISH RUGBY INVASION

SELECTION OF NEW ZEALAND TEAM NEED FOR NEW PLAYERS Press Associafiau WELLINGTON, Thursday. “We will have to play under international rules while the British team is with us,” said Mr. S. S. Dean, chairman of the management committee, of the New Zealand Rugby Union at to-day’s meeting, “and the sooner we give our players a chance to familiarise themselves with these rules the better.” Eleven nominations for the selection committee for the 1929 season were received by the committee. An election resulted in the following being appointed:—Messrs. E. McKenzie, Wairarapa; N. McKenzie. Hawke’s Bay; \V. Maxwell. Canterbury; G. Nicholson, Auckland; A. McDonald. Otago; A. J. Geddes, Southland. The others nominated were Messrs. W. Watson, Nelson; R. R. Masters. Canterbury; A. A. Adams, West Coast; A. J. Griffiths, Wellington; and W. A. Guy, Taranaki. Mr. E. McKenzie was reappointed chairman. It was decided that the selection committee should retain office for 1929 and 1930. It was agreed that nominations for the trial match on June 3 should close on May 20. A suggestion that all matches in 1929 and 1930 be played under international rules was favoured, and it was | decided that the matter be brought ! before the annual meeting of the union ! on May 16. The Hawke’s Bay Union wrote protesting against the early tour to Australia this year. It also protested against the alloting of June 3 as a date for an All Black trial match. Mr. Dean said he sympathised to a certain extent with Hawke’s Bay, but it had to be remembered that no matter what date was fixed upon for a trial match it would interfere with some union. “Personally,” he said, “I consider the tour to New South Wales this season is most essential in order to build up our team to meet the British side next year. Some of our players are getting on in years and it is imperative that the selectors should try our most promising young players. A tour to Australia with a team including a leavening of experienced players would be a valuable training for our younger men.” "Let there be no mistake about it; we will want our vest best team to repel the British ‘invasion,’ ” said a member.