NEW ZEALAND RUGBY TEAM.

Taihape Daily Times, 16 July 1919, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND RUGBY TEAM.

A LONDON FAREWELL. 1 _.__ I LONDON, May 15. it A plcesaxxt. social tribute was tendered to the All Blacks football team at ‘ the office ‘of the New Zealand High’ Commissioner in the Strand before} :their departure for Afl-ica,. ’ Sir ll Thomas Mackenzie, and Sir Joseph Ward, in short speeches, referred to! the fine performances of both interservices and reserve teams, and to the winning of the King’s Cup, and‘ wished them further success in South.‘ Africa. Major Cameion and R. S,~.,M*;{' Ryan (captain) replied on behalf of‘! the team_ ’|

Sir Joseph Ward congratulated the team on the wa'_v they had upheld in the football Field New Zealand’s :'e pntation as": fighting country. twain they defeated the Mother Countryilie other day ti-a thought that was upper. rucst in the mind was that after all tne people of the Mother Country -‘Ve"i"e" not so far _')€hind them in that feign; of sport yliicli had done so muc.‘l f’)-" the stamina 01' our men at the fighfinig fret. (Applause). Mr. Massey was prevented by his duties in Paris ‘rain being present. As for the :e~ cord of the football team, there was little doubt this was due to their staying powers and their judgment. It was a great inspiration to see them going from one success to another, and to see the Very same thing occurring With their rowing men on the Seine. (Applause). It was their physique and their self abnegation that enabled them. to keep up such reputation in sport as well as in the fighting line, and he did not doubt they would do equally well when they got ‘to ‘South Africa .

Major Cameron replied on behalf of the team, and expressed his co_nfid_ence that their.future record would equal their-past,V _ ._ The captain‘ of_. the .te__am .(Sergt.Major Ryan) also thanked the gathering : and . endorsed Major Cameronfs encomiuxns on the conduct of the men. The? team had always ‘shown its form in the second spell, and it could only ‘do this by careful training and by looking-_ after itself off the field. Several times they had been, down on the. first spell, but" they had‘ always come to their own in the second. They realised theyhad a duty to perform to New Zealand, and they also realised that they themselves set the standard of Rugby in this country nowadays, and that they had to play up to that ,standard. (Applause). Lastly, he wished to say how much they owed to the fact that they had never been meddled with. It was recognised at Hornclun-ch that they had :1 duty to perform and they had been left alone to get fit and for it to kenp fit. ~ ‘ b V ,Qu.ite a-number of New Zealanders 'in -London were present to meet the Atcam, Lady Mackenzie and Mrs Mac'fDo.nald% acting as hostesses- for the 'l'.-ligh.Commissioner, ‘Among those pre~ sent,-,wer_e; _, Mr_s.. and Miss‘ Massey, Tliatdy ‘Ward, Lady Hardwicke, Mr. R; D. Douglas, Maclean, Mr. I_ W. and; Mrs Raymond and Sir James Mills, Colonel and Mrs. Heaton Rhodes,:Mr James Mackenzie (brother of the High Commissioner) and Mrs. Mackenzie. ,