Following the inter-island and trial matches St George was a surprise selection for New Zealand to play England in the first test at Carlaw Park on July 30. The New Zealand Herald said that “there are some surprises in the selection, chief among these being the inclusion of St George as hooker. The Newton forward, while being good in the loose, has not been so successful as other hookers in club football. Stephenson hooked for the North Island team and the selectors have now placed him as a front row forward”. The selectors, [Scotty] McClymont, A Ferguson, and J Sanders had chosen St George to play between props Jim Calder and Bob Stephenson who had both debuted for New Zealand in 1930. The Auckland Star wrote “four very young players who will be wearing the All Black [rugby league] jersey for the first time are [Albert] Laing, [Peter] Hart (who has just turned 18 years of age), [Jonas] Masters and St George. The last mentioned, a member of the Newton Rangers club and brother of Neville St George, the well-known Devonport and Auckland hooker a few years ago, had not played for the North Island, in which Laing made his first appearance at the week-end”. They went on to also comment that “the front row men should go down in well-balanced style. With Calder and Stephenson, North Island and “Kiwi” hookers, to aid him, St George should have a fair chance to rake the ball successfully. The new hooker is a rugged sort and brilliant in the loose where he runs and handles like a back”.
