FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 70, 21 March 1908, Page 12

FOOTBALL.

Mr. J. P. McGarrigie, secretary to the Waikato Rugby Union, has resigned his position, owing to his intended absence from the district for some months. The 'Waikato R.U. has decided to support a proposal with a view to securing representation on the Auckland Rugby Union for country unions, and the president and Mr. F. H. Tuck were appointed to confer with the Goldh'eids Union in the matter. The Otago R.U. started last season with a debit balance of £213 9/5, and there is now a debit balance of £707 3/6. To meet this liability the committee is arranging a loan of £000 from the New Zealand Union. The assets amount to £2010 0/11, showing a balance over liabilities of £1542 17/5. The union purchased a ground during the season. The amateur turned professional comes under the whip in the annual report of the Otago Rugby Union, as sse: "Six Otago players—A. Eckhold, H. Paton, S. Casey, A. McDonald, E. Booth, and W. Johnston—were chosen as members of the New Zealand representative team which toured Australia. It is to be regretted that the last-mentioned player broke the promise given by hi in to the New Zealand Union that he Tt'ould not join the professional team which visited

England last season. 7 ' s The fact that a British team, organised under the auspices of the Rugby Football Union of England, with which the Welsh Union has co-operated in the matter, will play a series of matches in New Zealand during the ensuing season, justifies the belief that the year will be an exceedingly important and attractive one, says the annual report of the O.R.U. Another interesting feature of the season in Otago will attach to the circumstance that it will be the duty of the union to send a team to represent it on a northern tour. While the future thus contains the promise of much of interest in the Rugby game, the committee is not insensible of the fact that the open introduction of professionalism into football in . New Zealand presents an element of danger to which it will be necessary for all who are desirous of seeing the winter pastime conducted upon honourable and pure lines to offer their strenuous resistance. The committee feels convinced that the game of Rugby football, so long as it is played in a truly manly spirit, such as it is the aim of the authorities of the game to encourage, will continue to receive the generous support of the public, and it trusts that its successors will employ their utmost efforts to secure that the best traditions of the sport shall be maintained. W. Wood, the well-known Canterbury representative and Merivale player, returned from a tljp to England last week. He played for Northampton and East Midlands. In the course of a chat with "Quidnunc" of the '-Canterbury Times," Wood had mucnthat was interesting to say. In answer "to a question as to the relative strength of English teams, Wood could only judge on what he saw; and he was of opinion that of the teams of the standard of Swansea, Blackheath, Devonport Albion, London Welsh, and Guy's Hospital were about equal to the best of our New Zealand club teams. Asked to explain why, if his contention was correct, the famous ''All Blacks" did not beat these teams by a larger margin, he. explained that each of the sides mentioned would on the occasion of meeting the New Zealand combination round up all their available best players, which would more than probably include highgrade players who played regularly for other teams. The forward department appeared the weakest by comparison, especially front rankers, the attempts to secure the ball being very feeble; likewis .-ie eight men in the" pack did not seem so solid or sound as the seven pack. Wood has a very high opinion of many of the English backs, and states that Jackett, the full-back (who is coming to New Zealand with the English team) is a very high-grade player. The several grounds on which he played were not as good, taken all round, as New Zealand ones, chiefly on account of the fact that, owing to the frost and snow, the grass had to be allowed to grow long. The accommodation for spectators was no better, but the facilities for players were excellent, most of the places having hot water laid on, enabling the players to obtain a hot bath after the game. He found the game played in much the same manner as here, and experienced no difficulty in observing all the rulings by the referee. The officials controlling the game were not nearly as keen or capable, as we understand them, as here. Th*y were mostly old men' and totally unable to keep up with the game, seldom attired themselves in suitable uniform, and appeared very lax One amusing incident was related by Wood. During a fast piece of play the reieree blew his whistle and stopped the game, remarking that he himself was "Mown," and wanted a few minutes to recover. Although Wood went to Yorkshire, staying at Leeds, he saw no professional Rugby, and from what he heard of the game it did not appear to be making much headway. The crowds that attended the Association game were wonlerfuh and the skill shown by the plarers appeared to be marvellous: but owm-* to the enormous amount of money re" quired for salaries to players and' officials, and cost of upkeep of grounds, it took all the large gate receipts to enable ?lubs to pay their way. Wood mentioned .but at Northampton the attendances at I »Si gby matches averaged from 4000 to 6000.

The annual report of the Wellington Rugby Lmon speaks of the continued prosperity of the concern, but regrets that the insurance fund shows a loss of over £48 on the year's transactions. I he fund's credit is now reduced to £2S 0/3 and if the coming season proves as unfortunate as last year's a debit will be asisurcd. Regarding grounds a.hope is ex- ! pressed that the City Council wiji do something to secure footballers a playin" ground on the town belt,, near Kilbirnte I mentioned in a scheme submitted by the union early in 1007. It is hoped by the committee that in a few days' ti:no ;s* ' , trouble regarding the Athletic I'ark Will i he overcome, and a mutually satisfactory j j agree-.nent arrived at, whereby the park 1 will be retained as a playing ground ior I football. A number of suburban and ! , other grounds have been secured this year, and there are sufficient fields available for all likely requirements of the season. There is a recrudescence of interest in the Wednesday competitions. Ten teams have intimated thair intention of competing, and it has been decided to

have competitions for senior and iuniop grades. The union's credit balance totals £ 1160 15/10. als Although the Irish Rugby Union maa* large profits out of the tours of the' All Blacks and Springboks in Ireland th^ refused to allot dates to the New 'south Wales R.U., except on the understanding that no pi-oiits were made out of the tour. The:v argument in support of their case is pretty weak, and thus it has been stated: The Irish R.U. desires to de nionstrate that there is nothing iuconsisU ent or anomalous in the procedure pur sued by the Union in connection' with colonial visits or tours in the eolonieT They think, with Scotland, that it do " not conduce to the welfare of football that colonial teams should carry axra with them such huge sums as were netw by the New Zealanders and South Afrf cans Wales were, in the first instance* of the same opinion, but have altered their attitude to one of approval of tht interchange of visits, as the best means of combating Northern Unionism H rich harvest reaped by the New Zealand" era, and the outbreak of professionalism m that colony, which immediately took shape in the organisation of a profession al team to exploit England., seem to be a" closely related as cause and effect. jw ish teams which have toured in the Anti* podes or South Africa have simply r J ceived their expenses and no more; why then should colonial teams be placed on another footing? The Irish Uuion hold that as amateurs these should only receive a share of the gate at each inatci proportionate to the expenses of the entire tour, and they have always acted 6a this principle in their arrangements with colonial sides. It was the same both in regard to the New Zealanders and the South Africans, the former naturally taking more, aa their expenses were so mucih heavier!-Tlie terms offered the New South Wales people were calculated on fine same system, but the I.R.F.U. also desired the Rugby Union to give an undeEtakingthat the visitors should not be allowed to make a profit on the tour. Then as regards the alleged boycotting of the team which is going out from England this year, the Irish Union in the first iastance were willing to allow their players to join the combination, but tha agenda of the N.S.W. Union, which contained proposals with reg-ard to expenses and allowances to injured players not in keeping with either the letter or the spirit of amateurism, as we understand them pause, and inquiries on the subject failing to elicit explanations sufficiently convincing, the I.R.F.U. decided to have nothing to do with the trip.