Both Play Rugby

Fijians and Europeans Both Play Rugby But Fijians Draw the Crowd

From Our Own Correspondent

Suva, May 3.

THE Suva Rugby Football Club’s 1947 season was opened to-day with a record entry of 31 teams, 21 of them Fijian teams (nine of them seniors) and 10 European, four in a newly-formed junior section.

The Fijians long ago adopted Rugby, which reached them from England by way of New Zealand. With their magnificent physique, great speed and uncanny ability to claw the ball in seemingly impossible aerial flights, they play a stirring and spectacular game.

But the average Fijian dislikes the regi mentation imposed by the numberless tactical subtleties of conventional Rugby.

If a New Zealand, British or Australian Rugby referee were dumped into a first class Fijian club match he would be flat out at the end of the first spell, either through being run off his feet or through lung-collapse caused by perpetual whistle blowing.

However that may be, Fijian Rugby rejoices the hearts of Suva Europeans.

Good and sometimes excellent conventional Rugby is played by the European teams, but comparatively few spectators watch it.

Last season this was the cause of a certain amount of speaking-of-minds in Rugby circles. On many Saturdays sizable crowds of European spectatoi's would be scattered among the thousands of Fijians on the sidelines of Nos. 2. 3 or 4 Grounds at Albert Park, Suva, while a European game was confronted by an all but empty stand at No. 1.

This, it was argued, was unfair to the European players!

Mr. W. Eginton, of Port Moresby—son of the licensee of the Hotel Moresby—was married in Sydney on May 10 to Miss Joyce Paddon, of North Sydney. The young couple will settle down in Port Moresby,