THE SPRINGBOKS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1921, Page 4

THE SPRINGBOKS.

OPENING MATCH TO-DAY, THE WANGANUI TEAM. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wanganui, Last Night. The Springboks open their New Zealand tour with a match against Wanganui to-morrow. The ground is in good order, but is somewhat holding. The Wanganui team is the strongest for many years. The Wanganui backs are heavy and fast, and arc in form. They probably equal any provincial rearguard at the present time. The Wanganui team is Collier, Scott, Svenson, Brown, Jackson, Baddeley, Tilyard, Bellis, Tuke, Ross, Murphy, Dillon, Batley, Sinclair, O’Connell. SOUTH AFRICA v. TARANAIxI. ARRANGEMENTS FOR SATURDAY.

Advice has been received that owing to the late arrival of the South African footballers in Wanganui the Wanganui Rugby Union has been compelled to abandon the original idea of motoring the team through to Patea on Thursday, and they will now leave Wanganui by the mail train that day, arriving at New Plymouth in the evening. The team will be accorded a brief civic reception here on Thursday evening. On Friday the South Africans are to be the guests of Mr. A. H. Halcombe (master) and members of the North Taranaki Hunt at a meet at Mr. Halcombe’s property, Ferngrove, Urenui. The gathering will no doubt prove an interesting and enjoyable one to the vieitors from a sports point of view, and will also afford them a further opportunity of seeing another very fine stretch of dairying country. The match against Taranaki on Saturday will be played on the sports ground at Pukekura Park, and will commence at 2 p.m. instead of 2.30 p.m. The members of the Taranaki team, with the exception of Masters (Stratford), Cain, Kingston and Hickey (Clifton), indulged in some good practice yesterday, Messrs. A. L. Humphries and C. Brown (the coaches) being very pleased with the showing. In the evening the team was given a lecture by the coaches. To-day they will be out again, and on Thursday the whole eighteen selected men will assemble in New Plymouth, and a practice match will be played against u team selected by Mr. C. Brown. After that the final team to play against the South Africans will be chosen. Particular care will be necessary in the selection of this team, as, owing to the South Africans not allowing an injured man to be replaced, the team will have to contain some members who can link up, if necessary, in any position. Mr. R. Hoskin, of Tariki, who is at present in Sydney, where he has witnessed all .the matches against the Springboks, in the course of a few lines after the final match on Wednesday, when the Springboks beat the metropolitan team by 14 points to 8, says: “Just a. hurried note to let you know what my opinion is now of the South Africans. Well, it is just the same, and to-day’s match was a really poor exhibition of rugby. South Africa had bad luck in losing their full-back (G. Merkel), who, I think, has broken his wrist. I am not at all afraid of them defeating our boys, providing our boys tackle low and hold their man. They are very slippery, and lake some holding. Townsend played half to-day, He is a topnotcher. Their forwards are a heavy lot, but si) far have not shown up in the loose work, and New South Wales have had a big share of. hooking the ball. One strong point in the South Africans’ favor is that they, handle the ball well and are good in passing rushes.”

SPRINGBOKS AT AUCKLAND. Auckland, July 12. Mr Bennett, manager of the South African team, discussing the matches played in Australia, said that, though they won all, he considered they were rather fortunate. The Springboks found New South Wales' very much stronger than they anticipated. The games were far more strenuous than they expected; in fact, the football was *’ar rougher there than the South Africans had been used to. There was too much kicking of the players, a practice the South African authorities had tried their best to eliminate. In Australia the team also found difficulty with the referees, for their interpretation of the rules was not the same, as the South Africans were accustomed to.

“My own opinion of the team,” said Mr. Bennett, “is that they have not struck form yet. They will certainly have to play much better football in New Zealand than they did in Australia if they are to meet with success.” The team was given a civic reception at the Town Hall to-day, and leave for Wanganui by the express in the evening. .