THE ALL BLACKS' THANKS.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 17, 9 July 1920, Page 15

THE ALL BLACKS' THANKS.

GOING HOME WITII THE KING'S CUP. PLAYERS' MESSAGES. The following article pub-ished in the "Daiiy Mail," has been sent in by a returned soldier. The interest lies in the fact that it is a series of comments which have not 'been brought before the football fraternity in this country. The victorious All Blacks XV., the winners of the King's Cup and the championship of the Inter-Services Rugby Tournament, will soon be leaving these shores for their own homeland. They are going back fo New Zealand bearing with them many cherished memories and happy recollections, as the following messages to "The Daily Mail" indicate : — ■ J. RYAN (Captain of the Team).,. "I would like to express to all those connected with the Inter-Services competit:on the heartfelt thanks of all our lads ' for the kind and generous treatment shown to us. The public, too, much as they would have liked to have seen the Horne XV. win applauded us in great style. VVie certainly hau to go our best to win that eup, and at one time I feared the team were sinking into a state cf staleness. I think we were at the top of our form in the South Afri-ca-i engagement. Riordan and Morkel were splendid. "At Inverleith (against the Mothercountry XV.) I never doubted our forwards' ability to win, but the gale made things very tricky. The off-side rulings here puzzled us at first, but we soon got into the way of things. Several small improvernents we have tried in New Zealand would open out ihe , game mofe and .improve it from a spectator's view. " The Press have treated us well too, but I think their comparisons between the original All Blacks and our team rather uutair. The All Blacks of 1906 were the result of years of experience and training being, in fact, a team cf captains, while j we' are all (except Wilson, C'ain, and my- ; setf) newly developed players since coming over to Europe. We are please ' indeed if we have done well for the good old game since our arrival from the front, and will leave these shores with nothing but Ihe best of recollections. "

SERGT. A. WILSON ("Ranji") : "Our two hardest games were against the Mother-country XV. and South Africa. We really played our best against the latter. The Army Rugby Union performed ahriost a miracle in instructing the competition, and we had sonxe degree of luck in wirming. The puhlic treated us very well. The referees ' wer^ very fair, but should pa/ more h,eed to the "advaritage" rule. They order too many scrums. Our opThey order too many scrums. Our appoponents have all been sportsmen." J. O'BRIEN (Full Back). "We are lucky to come out of the Army contests as winners. Your Home team to>,k somr whacking. I think they improved more in their play than we did. Tiia great outstanding feat-ure' of the' contests was the spirit animating everyone connected. When j-ou find. the captain of the losing side coming into yom- dressingroom to eongratulate you, there is no fear for the game or the players. This happened on' several occasions. The game with Australia was our hardest, especially on our pack. We hope for a great r.evi val of ihe game in England," W. FEA (Five-eights). "South Africa gave us our hardest and best game, although the match at Inverleith was probably the most exciting. Brown, Uslier, and Brunton, are great forwards, and Pym and Cullen troubled • us most. r The public have been very impartial towards us. The majority of the backs here run too much across field and seem to fail as straight-runners. I think the referees are a bit too exacting in such small matters as unintentional off-side and pettj' knock-ons. I quite failed to follow scmc of their rulings for some time, but latterly got used to them. The game here, if properly handled and controlled, should hav.' a greater future than ever. The Welsh are hard players and iearfully keen on winning. Their back play resembles our style very much. We have been treated royally every where we have gone." LIEUT. P. E. BOOTH (1905-06 All Black). "My compatriote from New Zealand are highly elated at winning the InterServices tournament. They are unanimous on many points connected with it. . . . These embrace the impartiality of the generai pnhlic; the exacting and scrupulous honesty of all the controlling referees and

the wonderfully fine sporting spirit permeating every game. By his presentation . f the Cup the All Blacks consider the King the greatest of sportsmen, and the cup itseif is jealously guarded by Major Cameron, our sports representative. . . In New Zealand it will be valued more than any gnns, medals, flags, or other souvenirs of the war, and will probably find a rest-ing-place in the Houses o.f Parliament in Wellington. By winning the Army competition and then beating Wales on lier own ground, t-hus revenging the defeat of 1906, the team are really carrying back in the King's Cup the ashes of British Rugby. This seems singularly fitting when it is remembered that New Zealand is the orJy country that recognises Rugby as essentially its national game."