A RED-HEADED MAORI

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1009, 27 June 1930, Page 9

A RED-HEADED MAORI

| HUMOUR IN A NATIVE RUGBY TRIAL WHEN FULLER BEAT NEPIA ■ The meeting between the British team and the Maoris at "Wellington on July promises to be a minor test, and an anounoenient from the selectors is awaited with interest. A correspondent here recalls some bright incidents of the Maori trial last season. The Wairarapa footballer. Fuller, who defeated Auckland for the Ranfurly Shield last year by his brilliant goal-kicking, made a spectacular debut j with the Maori team at Athletic Park j last season. His goal-kicking piled on : points, and his side-step puzzled his country cousins. ; Toward the end of the game, Fuller i broke right through, to be confronted ! by the mighty Xepia about a chain in front of the goal. The famous All Black had been taking attackers on two at a time, so that the slim 18-year-old looked “easy meat.” Fuller bore straight at Xepia, who balanced until the boy was within striking distance, and then sprang for him like a tiger. Fuller made a wonderful sidestep, and Xepia grasped thin air, hardly getting his hands to earth in time to save his face. He sat up to see Fuller grounding the ball beneath the posts. But there is a fine sense of | the dramatic inherent in George. He j marched back toward the goal," scraping the mud off his nose with one hand and holding the other out to the youth. There was a mighty shout when they shook hands before Fuller kicked his goal. A KNOTTY PROBLEM Honours were thus fairly easy on the field, but there was a to-do in the stand-—the new star had red hair, and the big chiefs and the tohungas held earnest converse. In vain, Mr. Takarangi pleaded for the descendant of patrician rangatiras. The powers that be were adamant, and within three days the Maori Advisory Board requested the Xew Zealand .Rugby Union to promulgate the law restricting Maori representation to at least 50 per cent, full bloods. This is the law that bars from selection J. Mill, R. Jury and Fuller. Riki Jury was tried out several years ago, but did not fit in. The Maoris pass f reels”, but Riki takes on the whole opposition on his own, looking straight ahead to the goal. A plump waliine summed him up with “By gorry, he like the plough horse with the blinkers