Few Old Country Men

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 957, 28 April 1930, Page 13

Few Old Country Men

DOMINION’S RUGBY TEAMS

Different in Old Days

(By HON I KARIWIIAJ RUGBY football is essentially an English game, and we owe its introduction into New Zealand mainly to English publie school boys. English and Scottish players bore a great part in the early days of New Zealand football. The first New Zealand team to visit Australia had a large proportion of players who had learned their football at Home. But, though New Zealand has always attracted immigrants of the public school type, and one would expect to find a good proportion of Rugby addicts among them, the number of notable English players in our football has become steadily less, and it is a long time now since there has been a Home Country player in a New Zealand team.

South Africa, on the other hand, has always had a strong leavening of English players and it has been necessary in picking South African teams for English tours to debar players from tho Old Country. .Such an embargo is quit© needless in this country—there has not been a British player within measurable distance of a New Zealand side for nearly 30 years. But for all that some of the provinces got great help, in their early days, from players who had learned Rugby overseas. Taranaki, for instance, owes a good deal to the influence of two great British forwards— Donald AVatson and Barney O’Dowda. Watson learned his football in Edinburgh, where lie played for Watson’s Academy, a famous Rugby nursery. After leaving school AVatson played for tho Edinburgh Academicals, and enjoys the distinction of being the only player to have worn both the maroon and white of that famous club and the all black with silver fern of New Zealand. He also played later for Lancashire County, in those days (before the Northern Union split), almost tho strongest county team in Britain. Donald first appeared in Taranaki football in 1894, and took his place at once in tho great Taranaki side—one of tho strongest provincial sides that has ever taken the field in New Zealand. Watson played once for New Zealand—against Queensland, in 1896 —blit intercolonial matches were then few and far between. Right to the end of his career AVatson played the traditional hard, bustling game of the typical Scots forward. A GREAT FORWARD O’Dowda was another English public school product, and prior to coming to New Zealand had played for the great Blackheath Club. Like Watson, he first played for a Taranaki country club, and on joining up with the Tukapa Club in 1895 at once made his way into the Taranaki team. O’Dowda was exceptionally clever with his feet, and his line-out play was also skilful, while he was an adept at feeding his backs. Barney represented Taranaki continuously right up to 1902, and in 1901 appeared for New Zealand against New South Wales. That particular

At the present time it is hard to name a really good Home player in New Zealand football. l-lawke’s Bay had an ex-Scottish public schoolboy named Henderson last year of whom Norman McKenzie thought highly, but an injury kept him out of the Bay team. An ex-Harlequin player named Stanley has done good service for the Wellington Club, but a pronounced disinclination to train has so far prevented him from distinguishing himself to any extent. The Wellington Club also lias J. R. Page, who last year played for the Army at Home, and was reserve for Scotland. Page, however, learned his football in Southland.

Probably the greatest Home player to appear in New Zealand in recent years was Mackintosh, the Scottish international, who played in Auckland the season before last. He was beyond doubt a fine player, but opinions were divided as to whether he was up to All Black form.

New Zealand team was one of the strongest that has even worn the fernleaf, and crushingly defeated a very powerful AVaratah side. Both these great forwards are still hearty, upstanding men and a line advertisement for Rugby. O’Dowda has a couple of sons playing for his old club, and the elder one, though not in bis father’s class, has more than once been picked as reserve for Taranaki.

In later years Taranaki had the assistance of Dr. Fookes, a New Plymouth boy who had studied in England, and while there represented Halifax, Blackheath, Yorkshire and England. Though the genial doctor was past his best when he returned to this country he did good service for Taranaki, and played a great game against Sievwright’s team. His three sons are all classy players, ore having played for Taranaki, one for Canterbury and New Zealand Universities, and the third (a mere stripling) for Otago. The doctor is as keen on the game as ever, and notable even in such a province of football fans as Taranaki.