The San Francisco call., 1910-03-27
TWENTY MAN TEAM
IS LARGE ENOUGH
AuSfraiia'S Invitation and the
Selections of "MOfHer" Howe
Are Well Timed
By WILLIAM UNMACK

The fact that the New South Wales
Rugby union of Australia cabled over
the names of the 20 men to compose
the team to make the tour of Australia
has evidently not me; with favor in the
college circles of California, and yet
what reason there is to complain l fail
to see. The New South Wales union is
just following out the system in vogue
all over the Rugby world. The local
universities must stop to consider that
the Australian union is paying all the
bills and every expense of this tour, so
surely they are entitled to some say in
the organization of the team. Were an
Australian team going to England,
South Africa or this country under the
exact conditions that the California
combined teams to visit Australia
(namely having their expenses paid by
the inviting country, then Australia
would have to send the team that the
representative of the inviting country
recommended to his union
Mother" Howe was the representa-
tive of the New South Wales union here
and the 20 men he has recommended
are without doubt the pick of all the
men playing the game here, and yet
the universities object to his selection.
Graduate Manager Merritt of Califor-
MIA is of the opinion that 20 men will
not be sufficient for the tour and has
recommended that so be invited. To
handle 20 men the New South Wales
union has to -ay aside at least $4,000
for travelling and hotel bills alone, and
this does not include an elaborate
scheme of entertaining that the team
will receive during their sojourn in
Australia. Twelve thousand dollars is
lot of money and il the union were to
carry out Merritt's suggestion OF 80
men (and I can state positively that 1T
will not be tolerated for minute) the
tour would cost the Australians $40, 600.
This amount would never be realized
in net gate receipts in Australia.
Just why there is doubt as to the
ability of 20 men to play such a short
tour as II matches is hard to under
stand. The Walla abies that played here
had 80 men in the party, made up as
follows: Twenty-si players, two Grip
pies, manager and an assistant man
ager. This tour of the Wallabies, how
ever, was an altogether different affair
from the little picnic that the Califor-
MIA team is asked to take. The Walla-
bies' tour lasted more than seven
months and they left Australia with
only 26 men and played more than 40
games.
The New South Wales union has been
organizing, inviting and dispatching
teams to and from all parts of the
WOTiu Since the early seventies and is
thoroughly conversant with the mum
ber of men needed for such short tour
as is planned for the California team.
The local enthusiasts would find that
20 men on such tour would be ample.
but it is probable that the Australians
would not object to increasing the
number to % If approached. A sched-
ule of Il games would be played, two
each against combined New South
Wales and Queensland. Also games
against Sydney university, combined
Sydney schools, Newcastle district,
Bathurst, Armadale, Toowoomba, past
grammar schools at Brisbane and an
other game. probably, in sydney
The games would be played Satur-
days and Wednesdays. The team is
scheduled to leave here about May 19
to catch the boat leaving Vancouver.
and would arrive in Sydney in time to
have full weeks training and play
two games in June, eight in July, two
in August and get the boat home,
landing the team back in San Fran
cisco before the end of August, making
the whole tour only/a matter of three
full months.