RUGBY NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 212, 7 August 1937, Page 14

RUGBY NOTES

FELL’S GOOD RECORD. PROMINENT AGAINST SPRINGBOKS. (By “Front Row.”) E. Fell, the Manawatu front row forward who played well against both Hawke’s Bay and the Springboks, is 29 years of age and weighs 14st 91b. He played in 1922, at the age of 15, as a Pukekohe junior .representative. In the next year he played for the Patetere seniors in the Mataniata Union and represented Matamata (front row forward) at the age of 16 years. He played tor two seasons and returned to Pukekohe, playing for White Star seniors, and representing Pukekohe and South Auckland in the same year, 1925-26 (side row). Going to Auckland, he played for the old City Club (1927-28) and represented Auckland, touring through New Zealand during 1928, when Auckland won practically every match. IV ans ferred to Wellington, he played for the Petone Club in 1929 and 1930, and in 1931-32-33 for the Wellington Club. He represented Wellington during 1929 and 1930, again touring south with the team which won the Ranfurly Shield. He was transferred to Samoa during 1930-31 and played and coached for a native team there. He went away scaling 15st 81b, fit as a fiddle, but returned weighing 13st 81b and not too well. Owing to illhealth and an obvious decline in form, he retired from active football during 1934-35-36, but succumbed to the lure of the football field this season and turned out for St. Patrick’s. He broke a collar-bone early and only in recent weeks, when he has represented Manawatu, has he been able to strike Ins real form.

Star Springbok Winger. Manawatu did not have the opportunity of seeing in action the fastest Springbok, Turner, who can do the 100 yards in even time, and has remarkably deceptive pace as a winger, though lie is reserve full-back for tho South Africans. Turner, in the match against Taranaki, stamped himself as a winger above the ordinary when ho scored liis try. He has a most deceptive change of pace. He cleverly drew the defence by running out towards touch, then changed his direction and ran infield as though into the arms of the defenders. Then, in a flash, he opened flat out with another deft change of direction and, catching the defenders on the wrong foot, he ran round them to score. It was typical of his tactics, which are to slow down approaching his man and then, when the latter hesitates, open out to flash past in a burst of speed. Position Df Ne|.

Suggestions, emanating from South Africa, have been made that P. J. Nel, the Springbok captain, will not be in the Test team to meet New Zealand, but his good form and the actual realities seem to offer their own refutation of this. Nel figured in both Test matches in Australia He also played in all four Tests against the 1928 All Blacks; the Scottish, Iris]), Welsh and English internationals of 1931-32, and was Springbok captain in four of the five Tests against the Wallabies in South Africa in 1933. An injury kept him out of the game on his homo field at Durban, where Australia won 21—6. Osier led the losers in Nel’s absence. S, T. Reid’s Career.

S. T. Reid, the prominent Hawke’s Bay forward, was born at Tokomaru Bay in September, 1912. After representing his schools for several years he played as a junior for three years in club football. In the Jast of these lie played for his sub-union’s junior representative side, which won the East Coast championship, and ho won a gold medal for the most improved forward. For the next five years ne played senior Rugby for Tolaga Bay. In these seasons he played for the East Coast and was in the running for New Zealand Maori honours. In 1930 he played for the New Zealand Maoris against Great Britain at Wellington and also for the North Island Maoris against the South Island Maoris. In 1934 he represented Hawke’s Bay and the North Island, and the following year he was among the All Blacks on their tour of Great Britain. Last season he also played in the two Tests against the Australians. Thrives tin It. Until the year before the 1935 team sailed for England, M. Gilbert, the West Coast full-back whose displays during trial week steadily deteriorated from extreme soundness and polish to a rather indifferent standard, had never played full-back. His natural position, from the time he began playing senior Rugby in 1928, was centre threequarter. Gilbert’s occupation is in the Post and Telegraph Department as a linesman, and considering • everything, it is remarkable that he plays representative football at all. From Monday to Friday each week he is usually somewhere in the wilds of Westland, repairing breaks, erecting new lines, and generally ■ acting as handy-man. The occupation precludes constant practice, but Gilbert seems to thrive on it. Ponsonby Go Under. For the first time this season Ponsonby, the Gallaher Shield winners, suffered defeat at Auckland last Saturday. Upsets through injury and absence, in the back line especially, took the sting out of the team’s tail. On the day Otahuhu played a far superior game, both forward and back, and thoroughly deserved their win by 15 points to 6. There were hopes that in the second half Ponsonby would stage a. traditional recovery, but it seemed that the back line was too much weak* ened for this. D. Solomon’s absence through injury was obviously felt. Seen On Wednesday. Features of the game between Manawatu and the Springboks which left an impression of questionable tactics

on Wednesday were the fact that when the South African hookers heeled tho ball it did not come out of the back of the scrum, but out behind tho hooker on the same side as it had been put in, with tho result that Craven was round like a flash, ready to snap it up. Bastard was noticed to have a penchant for picking the ball out of the scrums, and the -referee appeared to stand in positions where he could not observd these tactics, or offside play in the line-outs. Louw’s try was the direct result of his picking up the ball in the loose when he appeared offside, and the referee’s decisions in certain instances were rather late. Rugby Wealth. Big figures are shown in the annual statement of accounts of the English Rugby Football Union for last season, one of the most successful financially as it was from a playing point of view. The match against Wales at Twickenham produced a net profit of nearly £15,000, and that against Ireland nearly £13,000, which materially helped in a balance of £30,786 being carried to the revenue account. Income tax and corporation duty swallowed up £SOOO, and during the year the bank loan raised to build the new west stand was wiped out, the balance of £3OOO being repaid. The freehold Twickenham property stands in the assets at £120,000, and there is a balance in the bank of over £36,000, with another £3OOO invested. During the year over £6300 was loaned to clubs for the purchase of the freehold of their grounds, the total sum now out on mortgage amounting to over £37,000. LOST TO RUGBY. ED LIN NOT AVAILABLE. FOR REST OF SEASON! Manawatu Rugby, representative games in particular, has suffered a severe loss with the elimination of C. Edlin, the premier half-back, for the -remainder of the season owing to trouble in one of his knees. Edlin’s performances have been of a standard to make him the certain choice for the position in the remainder of the season’s representative fixtures, and his elimination will be regretted on all sides. For to-day’s match at Feilding, against Wairarapa, Irvine, the Old Boys scrum hair, took Edlin’s place. Edlin commenced his career in representative football this season with his inclusion in the Manawatu side to meet Southern Hawke’s Bay, at Feilding. He was then chosen as one of the team to meet Hawke’s Bay at Napier, and played an outstanding game against the Springboks on Wednesday. His displays have stamped him as one of the most fearless half-backs in the Manawatu competitions. The Manawatu Rugby Union’s season of representative fixtures has bai-ely gathered way as yet, for there are matches still to come against South Otago, Otago, North Otago, South Canterbury, King Country and Wanganui, not to mention the undertaking of the northern tour, in which the side will play Waikato, Auckland and Taranaki. A further defection from the game at Feilding to-day was L. Findlay, the back row forward. It was understood that his successor would come from the emergencies, W. Powell and Whyte. SPRINGBOKS TOUR. PRAYER FOR FINE WEATHER. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Aug. 6. In spite of threatening rain there was a large attendance in the Town i Hall this afternoon at a civic reception to the Springboks. Addresses of welcome were given by the Mayor, Mr T. C. A. Hislop, and the president of the Wellington Rugby Union, Mr D.-M. Prendeville.

“We can’t hope for fine weather I suppose when there are only 29 of us praying for a brilliant day to-morrow and there are 10,000 or more of you praying for rain,” said Mr D. Craven” vice-captain, when replying. “New Zealand is Rugby stricken. In South Africa we are regarded as ordinary human beings, but here we are treated like kings.” “Civic functions are coming fast and furious because we travel so quickly between them. We hope other cities will realise it is not an act of discourtesy on our part if we ask that there be no further receptions.” said Mr Percy Day, manager of the Springboks. “We have a duty to perforin here and it necessitates rest and care between matches so that we may fight tho fight on the battlefield of Rugby.”