Match Report

Only Five Tourists in First Rugby League Test Team By ALFRED DREWRY in the Yorkshire Post.

Not surprisingly, after watching a poor exhibition of back play in the England v. Wales match at Wigan on Saturday, the Rugby League selectors have called in three backs who did not play at Central Park, for the first Test against New Zealand at Headingley on October 4.

Team:— J. Ledgard (Dewsbury); G. Ratcliffe (Wigan), Ted Ward (Wigan), capt., J. Stott (St. Helens), A. E. Johnson (Warrington); W. T. H. Davies (Bradford Northern). T. Bradshaw (Wigan); K. Gee (Wigan), J. Egan (Wigan). E. Gwyther (Belle Vue Rangers), L. M. Thomas (Oldham). L. Aston (St. Helens), A. Dockar (Hull Kingston Rovers). Reserves to travel: Ernest Ward (Bradford Northern), G. Curran (Salford). Referee: A. S. Dobson (Featherstone). Trainer: J. Sullivan (Wigan).

There are only five survivors of Risman's 1946 touring team — Ted Ward. Wigan's big Welsh centre, who will captain the side, Johnson, Davies, Gee and Egan. Johnson was dropped from the England team for Bowers (Hull), but Bowers shared in the England attacking slump, though he had few chances because of the extraordinary ineptitude of his centres, Ernest Ward and Kitching.

The Bradford pair had a thoroughly bad day, and played themselves out of the Test team. The selectors were left with no alternative but to recall Jim Stott, who, if he rarely touches the heights, is always reliable. Ernest Ward certainly does not deserve to retain his place as a centre, but, remembering his form in Australia, I believe both his club and country selectors have made a mistake in not playing him regularly at fullback. In this position he has no equal.

Still, Jim Ledgard deserves another chance. So far, his form in representative football has not been outstanding, but he has played brilliantly for Dewsbury this season.

I thought Rylance, the Wakefield Trinity stand-off half, was slightly better than Davies on Saturday, but apparently the selectors take the view that he did not make all the capital he might have done out of his partnership with the brilliant Bradshaw, who seems to improve with every match.

There can be little quarrel with the forward selections. There is nothing in the game to compare with the uncanny understanding of Gee and Egan, in the loose as well as in the scrum. Thomas showed such fine speed in scoring his two tries for Wales that he simply could not be ignored, and Dockar is well established at loose forward.

Perhaps it would have been wiser to have kept Aston in the background a little longer. The St. Helens youngster will be very good indeed, but he has not yet the polish of White or Hudson.

Wales deserved their 10-8 points victory over England in a disappointing opening to the international series. The only memorable incident was Thomas's first try, which started with Morgan dropping out from the Wales 25 and finished with Thomas hurling himself over at the corner without an England player having touched the ball. Ted Ward kicked two goals for Wales, and Rylance improved ono of the England tries scored by Ratcliffe and White. Attendance 27,000; receipts £3,100.

Due to no match timings available, the scoring timeline below is not in order.