NINE MONTHS AWAY

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 216, 12 October 1929, Page 13

NINE MONTHS AWAY

VISIT OF. THE BRITISH RUGBY TEAM M°LEAN A DOUBLE ALL BLACK

(Notes by "Scrum.")

Although nine months have yet- to [ elapse heiore the All Blacks will take 1 the field at Dunedin against WakefieldT teain, speculation is now ril'e as to the composition of the New Zealand side. \Vith the inter-Island game and the Pakelm v. Maori match, the selectors have had two good opportunities of coi.firming opinions gathered throughout the season. Botli games have served to solve several problems that J hitherto existed. When the last Hngiish team was in New Zealand in 1908, the All Blacks easily won the first test at Dunedin, but the second was drawn on a wet ground at "Wellington. The New Zealand selectors thereupon sent out an S.O.S. for the veteraiis of the famous 1905 tour, and at Auckland, Stead, Seeling, Hunter and Co. won 'Ihe third test and the rubber by an overwhelming margin. History may not repeat itself to that extent next year, because five years have elapsed since the reeord-breaking Porter, Cooke, Nepia, Stewart, Mill, tour of 1924, hut it is significant that Dalley and Lucas are back in tlie firing 'line this season, and tlie formidable Brownlie and Nicholls have hoth been keeping in trhn. * « * A NEW RECORD The selection of H. F. McLean, the Taranaki and former Hastings forward, for the New Zealand team which met the Maoris, sets up a new record. McLean is the iirst man to have been chosen to represent New Zealand at botli Rugby and rowing. When vesident in Wellington and rowing for the Star Club, he was chosen in the rowing eight to represent New Zealand at tlie Olympic Games. Uni'ortunately financial difliculties arose which prevented the dispatch of the crew, though the members of it were awarded badges in recognition of tlieir selection. Though this is the first time a "double" has been achieved in Rugby and rowing, three cricketer-footballers have achieved the twin honour. *G. R. Dickinson, tlie well-known Otago fast bowler, played for New Zealand at Rugby in 1922. M. L. Page, of tlie cricket team which tonred England, plaved in a test match against New Sontli Wales at Rugby last year, and Oliver. of the same cricket team, won All Black colours at Rugby this season. Ce.s. Dacre, of course, was a Soccer and cricket international. In England it has been found that cricketers more often excel at Soccer than at Rugby, but this rule js liardly likely to apply in New Zealand. * * * SPLENDID KICKING Tlie games with the Britisli team next year are to be played under international rules, a trial of which was given in the inter-Island game and that between Pakehas and Maoris. It is evident that 110 great difficulty is likely to be met in reverting to the old rules, and that attractive Rughy is not going to he affected to any extent. Tlie toueh-line was not used as much

us it might have been in ihe two recent games under tlie old rules, and that added to the brightness of play. The number of deliberate kicks into toiicli from points between the twentyiives was little more than twenty iu each game. Some of these served to illustrate tlie value of the powerful attaeking kick. Nepia's liefty boot, which gave s:. '• excelleut service in touch-iinding during the 1924-25 tour, was brought into action, and several of his left-footers gained mucli ground in the first spfjl, when tlie Maoris were playing with the wind. Similarly, in the second spell, Heazlewood, then more accustomed to tlie old order of things, helped liis side in maintaining a territorial advantage with some powerful line kicks. Heazlewood' s ■ ability as a scorer from kicks was strikingly illpstrated in the match against the Maoris, when he converted six tries and potted a goal. ' In his last six representative games he liad kicked seven _ penalty goals, converted seventeen tries, and pottd two goals. * * * TWO GOOD FORWARDS "Interested" writes to a Wellington critic : — "In your Rugby review last Wcdnesdav you liave mentioned one of the new men to inter-island football, G. Campbell, of Hawke's Bay as having been a member of tlie Wairarapa team early this season. May I polnt out that Campbell has been playing for Hawke's Bay since the 1927 season, as he played for tliem when they defeated Wairarapa and retook the Ranfurly Sliield at Solway on July 9, 1927. The player you are evidently referring to is W. Wilson (Maori All Black), wlio was an emergency for Wairarapa tliis season (earlv), and who later went to Hawke's Bay, securing a place in their representative team, and he li'as played a fine lot of games for them. In him Wairarapa lost a dashing forward." Colin Campbell has represented Hawke's Bay since 1926, and maintained his place in 1927, 1928 and tliis season. He captained Hawke's Bay on their northern tour this season, and showed up well in the inter-island match and also against the Maoris. He is a typical stamp of New Zealand forward. By the way, the New Zealand team that played the Maoris wore black jerseys but not the fern leaf. S. and J. Gemmell represented the Maoris, the omission of Wilson being surprising.