Retrospect of the Tour. (From the Sporting Life.)

Otago Witness, Issue 1941, 31 January 1889, Page 26

Retrospect of the Tour. (From the Sporting Life.)

The trip with regard to Rugby football has been an undoubted success from an English point of view, a string of almost unbrokon victories having been achieved by the visitors from the Old Country. Twice only have they suffered dofeat, once at New Plymouth against Taranaki, and once by the Auckland representatives. The Taranaki defeat was open to grave doubts, whether fair play had been impartially given, but that at Auckland was decisive, for this the EngHshmeu have only themselves to blame, as many of them having indulged in a long bout of revelry were almost useless against the per-fectly-trained men pitted against them. Nineteen matches were played in New Zealand— l 3 were won, two lost, and four drawn. Ten games in New South Wales ended in eight victories, the remaining two being drawn. Four matches in Queensland all ended In success, and one each in Melbourne and Adelaide also proved successes. In all, 36 matches were played at the Rugby game. 37 of which were won, two lost, and six drawn. The game called the Victorian was played as well as might be expected by men who had so little knowledge of it, besides the fact that Rugby forwards are entirely out of place at it, as good kicking is absolutely necessary in this game, which if well played between two equal Bides, is vpry exciting to spectators. Nineteen matches were played, which ended in 12 defeats, six wins, and one drawn game. Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania play nothing else but this game, which is very popular and draws enormous crowds. In New South Wales Rugby flourishes, and although the Victorian game a few years ago was the only one known in Queensland, Rugby has now almost completely wiped it out. Just at present it is a near thing which is best, Queensland or New South Wales. Both colonies are, however, left far behind by the New Zealaudcrs, who are Rugby football mad, and almost any small township can put a capital fifteen in the field. During the past season Auckland and Otago have been superior to the rest, and there is nothing to choose between them in point of merit. Wellington comes next, Canterbury at the present time is very weak. Taranaki and Hawke's Bay would in all probability be too good for them ; in fact, with a little luck" Tarauaki might beat almost any team pitted against them, so powerful are their forwards and Bpee.iy their backs. It is highly probable that with such a perfect climate to assist them the New Zealanders will continue to be superior to their Australian rivals at this game, and New Zealand will be the hot-bed of Rugby feotball in the Southern Hemisphere for many year 6 to come. Socially, far and away the best reception was given the visitors by the Otago Union, who never seemed satisfied unless treating them to pleasant drives, luncheons, and b^quets during their stay in Duneiin. The Otago and Canterbury Unions also did their utmost to assist the Englishmen in making matters easy in regard to fixtures. Ihe same cannot be said of Wellington, who, knowing the difficulty of travelling round the New Zealand conßt, or rather that certain steamers must be caught or much valuable time lost, refuse;! to meet the Englishmen a second time lasfc May, with the paltry excuse thnt they were not allowed aa much time between the matches as Otago and Canterbury had been, '/his opposition, it will be remembered, was speedily knocked on the head by the general body of playerg, who met and unanimously decided to p.'ay the second match in spite of the union, who did their best to stop it, actually trying to prevent the letting of the ground, fortunately unsuccessfully. This little difficulty was not the reason why Wellington was not met during the second visit, but through the City Council refusing the use of the ground for football so near the cricket season.

The firafc visit to Auckland was pleasant and profitable. Great difficulty was, however, experienced in arranging with the union for the return

trip. A match against Auckland, and a combined North Island team, was proposed and considered, a very heavy addition of percentage being asked by tho union for both matches. In June the Auckland Union decided to send a team South, and through this, stated they could not meet the Englishmen hut once in September. When, for certain reasons, thtf southern trip was abandoned, it wa3 considered that the union would immediately fall in with the views of the Englishmen j but they did nofc, following the example of Wellington, with the sime result, that a second match was arranged by the players themselves outside the union. With the exception of these two cases, which, to say the least, must be consideied unsportsmanlike, the reception throuehoub was of the warmest and most genial character. Daring the brief stay of the team in the small towns of New Plymouth, Napier. Maaterton, Hawera, and Wanganui they were almost overwhelmed with kindness, and all must have pleasant remembrances of having spent many happy hours in New Zealand. In New South Wales, go where you wculd, the most cordial feeling prevailed. A picnic down Sydney .Harbour and a banquet was given by the Rugby Urifo"n. But the greatest treat to all was the Kangaroo and hare shooting at Bathurst. Such uncommon kind of sport as the Kangaroos coming bounding through the bush and timber was very exciting, even to old hands with a gun. Queensland also showed that they are not behind in hospitality to visitors, and the 10 days apent inßrisbane will often bring up many a pleasant memory. In Adelaide nothing that was thought fit for the occasion was left undone. A reception by the Mayor (Sir E. T. Smith) on arrival, and a banquet at his private residence the eve of departure left nothing to be desired from the good people of South Australia. Through the energy of Mr H. Hedley (who will be remembered by many as visiting England in 1884 with the Australian cricketers aa special correspondent for the Melbourne Age and Leader) a fine reception was given the football team on their arrival in Melbourne, and nothing could be more gratifying alßoto the Englishmen than Beeing the exertions made for their pleasure in the towns of Sandhurst, Ballarat, Maryborough, Castlemaine, Horsham, and Kyneton. Very little need be said T>f the play of the team individually when all have done so well. Taking them all round, they could certainly hold their own against any team New Zealand was able to put in the field. It would be hardly fair to praise a few at the expense of the rest. Seddon, till the 6ad and sudden end of his life, n«ver mlseed^a match, and was always in the thick of the fight, leading his men in the forwards. Eagles, the old international war-horse (as he was termed at Dunedin), has the grand record of playing in the whole 54 matches, and the last day seemed as full of life and energy as at starting. Mathers was a host in himself in the scrummages, and was Badly missed on the occasions he could not play through injuries, and through hurting his arm at Auckland he was never really fit to play afterwards. Williams, R. Burnett, Stuart, Lafng, Thomas, Kent, and Paul all did good service in the forwards. Paul, who in the first matches in New Zealand was placed full back (W. Burnett afterwards taking that position) at times made somesplendid place-kicks. Banks and Penketh were the unfortunate of the party. The former was never himself again after hia accident in the fifth match at Wellington, and Penketh was laid up for a long time with a very bad leg. Dr Smith, when playing, was amongst the forwards.and showed some brilliant form m dribbling on several occasions. Speakman, Nolan , and Bumby did many good things in their position as half backs, Nolan generally managing to slip over his opponents' line if the opposition was not particularly strong, Bumby also often got cleverly away, and took a lot of stopping*. Speakman was the means of winning the first match at Dunedin by getting a couple of drop goals, and also potted the goal that won the third game in Auckland. Haslam did some brilliant things at three-quarter back, always kicking coolly and well. Dr Brooks was also most reliable in that position, funking nothing and stopping many a dangerous rush by rare pluck in facing the advances of his opponents. Anderton in the early matches showed fine form, but during the middle of the tour was very much off-colour, showing great improvement again towards the end. W. Burnett as full back was nearly always to be relied on, kicking extremely well and tackling boldly.- Stoddart without doubt was far and away the best back of the team, his grand running and dodging being the admiration of the New South Wales and Queensland players and dread of New Zealanders. The cry everywhere was, " Look closely after Stoddart," but in spite of this many a brilliant r run and try was secured by him. Through spraining Mb ankle in the second match at Christohurch, the first visit, he did not take part in any of the games played in the North Island, the defeats at Taranaki and Auckland seeing him a spectator only. As captain he could not be improved on , and he was universally liked throughout the colonies. At the end of a leading article on " Sport " the Lyttelton Times dedicates the following linos to his powers as an athlete :— Cat-like activity, speed of Eclipse, Kick of a Oorniahman held in the grips ; Kangaroo bounding power, lithness of leopard, Knack of escaping as offc as Jack Shoppard ; Nous of a captain, a special monopoly. Pluck of the Spartans who stuck to Thermopylce ; Hitting of Bonnor or Massie— a touch of it ; Bowling of Turner, but not very muoh of it ; Dodging of Dawkins and fielding of Boyle, Wriggling of eel with a coating of oil. Stir these together and skim off the scum, And a Stoddart remains as the resid-u urn.

Ifc will be universally admitted that the promoters deserve the highest credit for the enterprising manner in which they have carried out from first to last one of the most, if not the most, responsible undertakings which have ever been recorded in connection with athletic sports. As far as one cau judge, the tour throughout seems to have been con ducted in the most business-like as well as liberal spirit, and Shrewsbury and Lillywhite, who have been mainly, if not entirely, instrumental in this first visit of an English football team to the colonies, have thoroughly deserved the thanks of football players in bovh hemispheres, if only for the opportunity they have afforded of familiarising Englishmen with their brethren an the antipodes, and promoting intercourse between athletes coming of tho Bame stock, and bound by the same ties, although separated by many thousands of miles. I know nothing, of course, of the success of the trip from a financial point of view ; as far as the football proper is concerned it was a singular success. In all a heavy programme of 53 matches was satisfactorily got through, and with the most satisfactory resulrß. As many as 33 games were actually won, 6even drawn, and of the 13 lost no less than 11 were under Victorian rules, to which the team were practically strangers, and in which they found their opponents, as was only to be expected from a long and constant practice, remarkably proficient. The one drawback to a most successful tour was the sad accident by which the captain, R. L. Seddon, lost his life, and even this was not without its satisfactory side in showing by the universal sympathy expressed the hearty good feeling which unites the colonies with their brothers in the Old Country.