GRAND OLD MEN OF RUGBY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 1, Issue 15, 6 October 1939, Page 39

GRAND OLD MEN OF RUGBY

Mark Nicholls Completes His World Rugby Team Mark Nicholls completed his radio selection of a World Rugby team just as the New Zealand All Black team was in process of selection. Here is a resumé of Nicholls’s final talk. Over the page is a review of some of the outstanding points in the last, and best, Rugby matches of the New Zealand season.

T is significant that only one of the forwards Mark Nicholls has selected for his World Rugby fifteen comes into the last 10-year period. The rest are the giants of the ‘twenties. . He assigned them no specific positions, except that for hooker he started his broadcast by selecting Jan Lotz, who played at one time or another against England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Australia, and New Zealand; and consistently beat every hooker he met. Next came "Ranji" Wilson, a player he particularly admired. With Maurice Brownlie he was outstanding in line-out play. "Jock Richardson was a model of consistency. I never saw him play a bad game." This tribute to Richardson served Nicholls for an introduction to Brownlie. He classed them as the two best forwards of 1924, and recalled that Australian critics had spoken of Richardson as the best forward they had seen since C. Seeling. Brownlie was "probably the finest physical specimen I have ever seen" (6 feet 1 inch, 14 stone). He had great strength, and could break clean through when he had taken the ball in the line-out. On the English tour he was at the top of his form. Nicholls did not think New Zealanders had ever seen him play so well. He was most at home in a hard, desperate game. "Son" White, although light for a forward of his class, was the best dribbler of his time. No All Black forward ever had such control of the ball on the ground. "Moke" Belliss was "the fastest forward I have ever seen." Best in Last 10 Years During the past ten years, H. F. McLean was the greatest forward New Zealand had produced, Jim Parker was notable for his speed. Nicholls believed he would have made a name for himself on the wing. Jim Moffitt was perhaps the

most notable locking forward. "No lock had more perfect command of his scrums." Nicholls was referring to the days of the 2-3-2 formation. From a collection of about 20, among whom Ron King was listed as the best of the last two seasons, Nicholls finally selected his eight on the basis of modern scrummaging methods. He had mentioned wing-forwards, but only to bring Cliff Porter and Parker into the picture. Among overseas players he selected W. W. Wakefield for special mention. Wakefield was a fine track athlete in sprints and hurdles and was so valuable a player that England invariably included him in test teams from 1920, when he played his first international match, until he retired. Among many great South African forwards, "Boy" Morkel was given pride of place. Of the 1937 team which made such hacks of the All Blacks, he chose Bergh, Strachan, Lotz, Bastard, and Van der Berg, but emphasised that this pack was better collectively than individually. Springboks from other years included Van Rooyen, Ellis, Kruger, Walker, Mostert, Van Druten, Louw, Nel, Pretorius. From Australia he picked only Aubrey Hodgson, the only Wallaby he had seen who seemed to be in World class. Height, Weight and Speed

Brownlie actually toured England at 14st, 3lbs. The averages are: Height, 6ft. %in.; weight, 14st. 34%lbs, And here is Nicholls’s World Rugby fifteen: Nepia Steele MacPherson Jauréguy Cooke Osler Roberts Hodgson Lotz Wilson Brownlie Belliss Wakefield Morkel McLean Since Nicholls could not very well select himself, we have unanimously decided to send him along as Selector-Manager-Coach, when the team goes touring.

He selected: Lotz ° Belliss Hodgson Wakefield Morkel (Boy) Brownlie Cabasien) McLean Wilson 'eseernpeese Height. Weight. ft. 6 5 6 6 6 6 6 5 ins. 0 11 1 0 1 0 212 11% st. lbs. 14 7 14 4 14 10 14 4 14 0 13 13 140 14 1