FOOTBALL

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 129, 30 May 1908, Page 14

FOOTBALL

RUGBY. FIXTURES. June 6 — Ponsonby v. Parnell; Graf ton v. I University; City v. Newton; North Shore a bye. June 13 — Graf ton v. Parnell; City v. University; North Shore T. Newton; Poasonby, a bye. My Wellington correspondent, writing on Thursday, says on its showing against Wellington the Anglo-Welsh team, cannot compare in any department of the game with Seddpn's combination of 1888. There were few features in the visitors* play -which demanded careful consideration from New Zealand Ruggers. They rely too much upon dribbling, and hands j wouldi have been of greater service to them against Wellington than expertness of foot. That they have not yet struck form was •clearly demonstrated by the machinery of the rearguard clogging terribly at the crucial moment. The forwards are a strenuous, fast and bristling division, prone to take plenty of risks in the matter of offside, and invariably bring down an opponent when in their embrace. Their line out work was remarkable for the celerity and accuracy with which they threw the ball well out into the field, where three or four men, all unmarked, were waiting to receive it. By these means they initiated charges down the field, but the Wellington ba-cks anticipated their movements, and being in their correct plaices, generally managed! to checkmate the attempted invasion. There was nothing attempted in the way of screwing the scrums, and the packing was not marked by the Britishers' cohesiveness. The formation of the pack assisted the Wellington scrummagers to swing round on the ball. Wellington got possession oftener, but when the Britishers screwed it, the ball invariably came out slicker and surer. The home backs were quicker on the move than the visitors, and by smart dodges pierced the Britishers' defence repeatedly. The | strong jerky run possessed by many of our crack players appears to be an absent quantity in the Britishers' ranks. A noticeable fault among the red white andi blue back division was the tendency to wait for the ball to .bounce instead of working up to receive it on the full. It! was a costly lesson to them on two occa-1 sions. In the act of blocking the Britishers were very weak, and Green and Roberts were not slow to profit by; it. The visiting backs, notably Gibbes, have a good turn of speed. It is a matter for regret that the British team cannot be considered representative of our islands, for disagreement among authorities led to Scotland and Ireland refusing to send men. It is to be hoped that the English and Welsh players may make a good fight for it, but, I with the remembrances of the "All Blacks" who were over here two years ago, we can scarcely hope for much success in test matches.—"The World." The forwards all appeared to be doing their , best, but the fine exhibition given by Wilson completely overshadowed the work of the others. He was prominent from first to last, and was mainly instrumental in spoiling the Melrose back play. He got numerous knocks during the course of the game, but always came up smiling, and was playing as well in the last quarter of an hour as at any part of it-—A Wellington comment on Wilson, who Las been included in the New Zealand team to meet the Britishers. "Gilray was not so good, yet he did some smart things, and the New Zealander will be heard'of again," is an English appreciation of the ex-Otago three-quar-ter back's appearance in the three-quar-ter line of Scotland against England a few days before the mail left. The members of the New Zealand team for the first ' ? test" will be assembled in Dunedin about a week before the international engagement, and will probably be "quartered" at Mosgiel, where special arrangements will be made for their training, etc. The decision to play three tests against the British team is viewed with much favour in Christchurch, notwithstanding that none will be played in the Cathedral City. The general sentiment is' "Canter, billy's turn will come." Otago and Taranaki will meet in Dunedin on July 25, following the date of the Southland-Taranakj fixture. Wairarapa plays Canterbury on Lancaster Park on Saturday, July 18. Both Smith and Todd are reported to be still playing up to their best form in England. The following matches have been arranged for the British team to play in Australia:— Aug. s—New South Wales, at Sydney. a B—New South Wales Team for England, at Sydney. „ *12—Western Union, at Bathurst. „ 15—Metropolitan Union, at Sydney. „ 19—Northern Union, at Newcastle. „ 22—New South Wales, at Sydney. „ 26—-Queensland, at Brisbane. „ 29—Queensland, at Brisbane. Sept. 2—Queensland, at Brisbane. The following numbers will appear on the jerseys of the British players .during the whole tour:— J. C. Dyke 1, E. J. . Jackett 2, H. H. Vassall 9, J. L. Williams 10, J. B. Jones 7, R. A. Gibbs 4,' F. E. Chapman 3. P. F. McEvedy 8, R. | B. Griffiths 5, J. P. Jones (Guy's) 6, W. Morgan 13, G. L. Williams 14, H. Laxon ! 12, J. Davey 11, A. F. Harding 19, J. F. Williams 27, W. L. Oldman 23, R. Dibble 16, R. U. Green 18, J. A. S. Ritson 24, G. V. Kyrke 21, H. Archer 15, P. J. Dowan 17, L. S. Thomas 26, E. Morgan 22, F. Jackson 20, T. W. Smith 25, and G. R. Hind 28. Says a writer in a Sydney paper:— "Peter Ward, the New Zealander, who played for New South Wales and Australia in 1899 against Mullineaux's British team, has returned to Sydney. The intervening nine years were spent in South Africa, Great Britain, and New Zealand. P. W., who looks almost as youthful as in 1899, is qualifying for Newtown. He speaks most highly of the ability of South African Rugby Union players. Indeed, he believes that on hard, fast, dry grounds they would beat either New Zealand or Australia; but on New Zealand grounds he is not so sure. He considers their forwards to be faster than Neve Zealand forwards. If they are faster than some of the best New Zealand forward divisions we have seen in this country, they must be sprinters indeed." A New South Wales Welshman, now playing Rugger in New Zealand, writes to the "Sydney Referee" to the effect that "the matches are not quite up to the standard I expected, referring especially to the Inten-Provincial teams from the South Island." He adds that he {•"really; thinks the. British team will win paoet of the InterProyimaal matches/ .

The New South Wales Union has sanctioned the visit of the Ponsonby team of Auckland to Sydney, under the auspices of the Metropolitan Rugby Union. They are to leave Auckland on July 20, play at Sydney on Saturday, July 25, Wednesday, July 29, and Saturday, August 1, the matches not yet having been allotted. Possibly one will be against Sydney University.