MAORIS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 171, 21 July 1910, Page 7

MAORIS.

MAORIS V. WELLINGTON

Lgy WUf FOB VISITORS. Jod dismay mross tjhiiVOTTBABLE CONDITIONS. he British team playing under Korth- : c pnion rules opened their New ZeaH tour yesterday at Victoria Park, - n they met and easily defeated a 3,ri team by 29 points to niL The conditions were atrocious, a ! j n< 7 nor'-easter, accompanied by steady "prevailing throughout the game, i 1 'attendance under the circumstances j jjjghlv satisfactory, and it is estiover 2000 spectators were JLait, while fully 1000 deadheads lined jfvarions sheds and points of 'vantage %s& the ground. The ground was in state, pools of water lying Jibver the playing area, but nevertheless i g ave those present a taste of 8 tilr q 11 " and ,R ' iih a ground S- J ball their exhibition would probably vi been, a very fine one. On Saturday jjL play the Auckland representatives, I 3 should be capable of putting up a '' nth better fight than the Maoris, aDd Jen a fine day a. tine display ought to Sffitnessed. Details of the play are: — The Englishmen won the toss and lived ■with, the wind* behind them, dejidin' , the eastern goal. Takapima jiad°off for the native team, and from , return Winiata kicked out past the 1 Uf-wav. The Maoris -were the first to t going, but their handling was faulty, i the Englishmen set up an attack, & the Maoris being penalised, the EngJuneii were awarded a penalty, from : iith Lomas made an excellent attempt p ooaL Latham, after mulling the kicki,°inade a good recovrry, and with a a kick put the Englishmen on the atick, but faulty handling by Rilcy spoilt chance, and" the Maoris, headed by lavidson and Asher, cleared. Off-side i lav by the home team gave Lomas either kick, and again he made an cxi ellent but unlucky shot at goal. The ret ground was hampering the players, at the Englishmen were having all the i xst of things, and from a mark by Davis, I Latls.ni took a futile shot at goal. A ; dash by Jenkins from the kick-off set the visitors moving, but lie slipped after making a good opening, and an excelfleni chance was lost, off-side play by : 'linden pulling the visitors up. The Englishmen continued to press hard, but fthe frround was a perfect quagmire, and c&ices were frequently Eventually i the visitors worked a heautiful passing rnsh. and Eiley. outpacing the Maoris' throe-quarters, crossed 1 the line and scored the first try of the match, amid hearty appla.nse from the spectators. The tick by Lomas failed. England „ . 3 Maoris „„ 0 The visitors were soon on the attack again from the kick-off, but Powhiuwhiu saved cleverly. The Englishmen were getting all the best of the scrum work, and .Etarted another passing run, which looked promising until arrested by Asher. Keeping up the attack. Reke let them in by kicking across his own goal, and B. Jenkins picking up, rsn through the opposing backs and scored between the posts. Lomas converted, making the Kore.- — England . „...,„...,.., 8 Maoris ...„ .._„—.„ ........ 0 . next, try followed seconds afterSraxdF- when from iiie kick-out Boylen \ "mffis.fooled the bomp forwards, and came \ tWnjli the backs with all the team on J Ju3 finks. F. Smith, taking a pass at I tie aid ' of a series of neat, accurate / transfer?, ran iv between the posts. Lomas converted. England „.„_....__....... 13 0 Considering the sodden state of tfce ground, the Englishmen were giving; a fine exhibition, giving the native atfaJ-ik so chances, and making their defence look very inefficient. The next interesting piece of play was a fine dribbling rush headed by Leytham, who kept the Maoris busy defending again, but Haera, catting in a.nd intercepting, ran down the field. His run was a good one, but was ineffective, because too slow. Retaining to the attack, the visitors were awarded a penalty in a handy position, lamas sending the ball over the bar. England - ri ....... , .. . ...,.. ~, 15 Maoris : . ....... . ~ o "England's next score came "two minutes later from a fine passing rush stp.rted at lalf-iray ty Smith, and B. Jenkins receiving the ball at the end of the chain. Tan in behind the posts. Lomas missed en-easy shot. England ■ .-,.-,-..,-, - .. , ~.± - a 18 ?.TaT-n-i s .. . , | Q Immediately aftervaTds the Tisitor3 Blarted another rush by the agency of a piayer who appeared to" be yards off-side. The native tackling was wretchedly *eak, and- B. Jenkins scored another try Ike kick did not add to the score. England . , , , . ~ 21 Maoris - - ...,...- ', 0 The Maoris rallied a little, but failed to hold their advantage, and the Eng-Bshmen-iad no trouble "in clearing. The Ifeoris played a little better together, however, and at times showed flashes of brighter play, but were a.s a whole completely outclassed by the Englishmen. The visitors were a-warded another free ,tek in fair position, and Lomas concerted, making the score at half time— England ~ . N l r 93 ilaoris , Tv^il changed over wifhout any spell, aw on resuming the Englishmen had the test of the first few exchanges, and ul«nately Smith behind the serum iuitiat«l the best passing rush of the day, Jtoch culminated in B. Jenkins, after looting ihe Maori tliree-quarters, running i « unopposed and scoring wdthin two Jjnutea of the conimencement of play kick failed. " " . England 9<J rr -.,. j , , jfii from the kick out. the visitors were wrced for xhe first time during the day, . ™t the force was only on account of *a wo long kick, and they were soon atlaeknig again. The Maoris' defence was «»w thoroughly dieorga-nised and very aow, an d they j^ d no attack# Eventumy tier rallied for a short space, and .* passing run put fhe E-nglishmen on the Oefence, a mark by. Eiley stopping the *«ne. attack. Asher was seen in one « Jus hurdling acts, but his effort was ™t successful, except in so far as it ■ Provided the crowd with some amuseneat. The Maoris held their own for Z , iew micntes until B. Jenkins,- whom fiooody seemed able to stop, ran up to wel home full-back and gave a pass inwas, but Ms pass was dropped, and *S Mn £COre ■ &st - Bi'itain now set up ■ P tot sttesk, hut a free kick gays the

Maoris a chance to relieve the pressure, and working piay down field, they attacked in turn, Davidson being prominent in a loose rush. Another fast forward rally followed, Davidson being again prominent, but their handling of the ball was very weak, and they failed to use their chances. The game was no longer so one-sided as it had been. Asher drew applause irorn the crowd with one of his characteristic bumping runs, but nothing came of it. At this stage the game was stopped for a few minutes owing to an injury to a Maori player. On resuming, the Maoris assumed the aggressive, but were at once beaten back, and Lomas cutting in, removed the danger with a- good run, which took him to the Auckland full-back. Here he got rid of the ball by kicking hard, and following up kicked again twice, eventually touching down ne«r the corner afte. a brilliant effort. He took the kick, but failed to register a goal. England 29 Maoris .'. _ Nil The Maoris played up pluckily after this reverse, and attacked. They were awarded a free kick, and Haera' had a shot from a difficult angle, which went amiss. The Maoris returned to the attack, but T. Jenkins earned applause for a clever save, which not only cleared his line, but set his men on the attack. The result of the movement was that Avery got over the line, but he was thrown into touch in goal by Asher. Loose play followed, and the game ended— England 20 Maoris Nil NOTES ON THE GAME. Unfortunately, the unfavourable state of the ground prevented a brilliant display, but the visitors gave a very good indication of what they would be capable of were the conditions at all conducive to good football. From the kick off they assumed the upper hand, and throughout the game they had very little difficulty in maintaining their superiority, but, notwithstanding, they gave no quarter until the bell rang to cease play, when they had registered twentynine points without a point being scored against them. The visitors' backs handled the greasy, heavy ball in firstclass style, and their passing rushes weie at times very line, while a feature of their play was their passing with their feet, and the spectacle was often witnessed of the ball being kicked across to a player of their own side who happened to be in a more favourable position. They opened up the game in good style, their cutting in and feinting being reduced to a fine art, aud although tho fact that there are two less men than in Rugby favours the style of play, still their work was far in advance of anything shown by an amateur British team. The forwards gave a good display, and badly beat the Maoris for the ball in the scrum, securing it about eight times out of ten. Both backs and forwards showed a surprising amount of pace, which was hardly expected from their appearance. The combination was splendid, and throughout there were only a couple of occasions on which a man broke away without being supported. In marked contrast to the sparkling display of the visitors was the poor showing of the Maoris, who .were outclassed in every department of the game. With the exception of brief intervals, they were defending most of the time, and altogether gave a very disappointing exhibition. Their forwards played without life or dash, and their backs made very feeble attempts at passing, while their tackling was shocking, and not one of the thirteen played within streets of their previous form. Asher on one or two occasions caused some, excitement with a bumping run, but these tactics are antiquated, and useless when opposed to a team like Britain, and did his side very little good.

Of the individual players for Britain, T. Jenkins gave a fine display at fullback, his taking of the ball and kicking especially being very strong. The bright particular stir on the day, however, was B. Jenkins, at three-quarter, and his exhibition was an exceptionally fine one. He showed a good turn of speed, while his fielding of the baM and attacking qualities generally stamped him as a top-notcher. Lomas also gave a good display, and was very little inferior to Jenkins. His try was a heady piece of work, and worthy of his reputation. Both Riley and Leytham, the wing threequarters, played well, but suffered in comparison to their centres. The fiveeighths, Davies, and scrum half, Smith, got through a lot of useful work, and gave their three-quarters plenty to do. The forwards were a very even lot, and played a hard, fast game throughout. On the Maoris' side comment is unnecessary, tor, as mentioned above, the whole side were palpably below form, and their display was disappointing in the extreme.

THE VISITORS ENTERTAINED.

The members of the visiting team were entertained at a smoking concert _y the New Zealand and Auckland Rugby leagues last evening in the. Federal Club Rooms. Mr. D. W. McLean (president of the New Zealand Rugby Ixsigue) presided, and there was an attendance of about 200 players and supporters of the game.

Mr. McLean, proposing the toast of the visitors, said that he was pleaded and proud to extend a cordial welcome to the Northern Union footballers. Some of those present had that day had an opportunity of observing and appreciating the superior features of the Northern Union game. In New Zealand the game was in its infancy, but there were not lacking signs that it would grow in popularity, and he ventured to hope that it would not be long before the English L'nion would invite a New Zealand team to go Home. In the South the game had not made much progress, but he believed that it would make a move onwards presently. He hoped that the members of the English team would spend a pleasant time in New Zealand.

Air. J. H. Houghton, who, with Air. J. Clifford, acts as joint manager of the touring team replied. He said that he was pleased to respond on behalf of the parent body, established 15 years ago. He understood the local leagues had a hard struggle, but the league at Home had had a harder fight, and they had not 'been supported by a parent body. They were opposed by the amateur aristocracy playing the Rugby Union game in bringing to fruition the most democratic of national games. They of the Northern Union recognised that if the working man was to continue playing the Rugby Union game he must be recompensed for lost time, and as things were in the Rugby Union at Home the workingman was being forced out of the game. The team was not on a money- : making venture; their object was to foster the game in Australia and New Zealand.

Mr. Clifford endorsed the remarks of his colleague, and remarked with pleasure that there were so many young men present. He believed that the game would be the winter sport of the people of New Zealand. It was more scientific and less brutal than ordinary Rugby. Musical items were contributed iby Messrs. Rochefort, Bishop, Harrison, Gillott, Large, Thomas, Avery, Boylen, Clifford, Welsh, and the Maoris. Special items of the programme were the Welsh football song "Sospan Vach," sung by the Welsh members of the team, and a ■haka by the Maoris. BBIT-IN V. ATJCKI___IX». The following players have been chosen to represent Britain in the match with Auckland on Saturday:—Full-back, J. Sharroek; three-quarters, J. Leytham, B. Jenkins, J. Lomas, J. Rilev: half-backs, J. Thomas, F. H. Newbould; forwards, F. Webster, W. Winstanley, W. Jukes, F. Shugars, A. Avery, and H. Kershaw.

A DRAWN GAME. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Fresh from a successful tour in Australia, and a brilliant victory over an Otago fifteen, the Maori Rugby team today tried conclusions with the Wellington Union's representatives. The home team was a very strong one, despite the absence of Roberts and Wilson, and would be a tough proposition for any but the best teams, but the Maori's were a match for them. The game was from first to last a splendid one. The result was a draw, eigH all, but Wellington were very lucky indeed in not ■being beaten. There was an attendance of about 5000. Amongst the spectators were the Hon. A. T. Narata and Dr. Buck and Mr. T. Parata, M.P.'s.

In the first scrum AVellington were borne clean off their feet, and their scrum completely broken up. Tannahill, however, snatched up tbe ball and sent it out to the backs, who started a brilliant passing rush, which carried the play right to the Maoris' line. Dawson ■being collared in the nick of time. Time after time the Wellington backs came within an ace of scoring, hat had bad luck.

Led by their captain, Takarangi, the Maori forwards repeatedly pierced the ranks of thdir .opponents, but never managed to get past the Wellington 25, the defence of the black backs being very sound. Wellington were penalised, and Hall took a kk'k at goal from a very difficult angle from the half-way flag. The kick was magnificent, but the ■hall hit the crossbar and rebounded into play. It was a very close thing..

Wellington then had a turn at attacking, Avery loading his men into their opponents' territory. At last Wellington got a mark right in front of the posts, arid Tilyard lauded an easy goal. Wellington, 3; Maoris, nil.

Tbe Maoris then came at it with great vigour, and assailed the. Wellington line, but failed to score. During the rest of the spell play was exceedingly interesting, with the advantage to Wellington. There was, however, no further score, and half-time sounded with Wellington three points ahead.

Right from the jump the Maoris set up a hot attack in the second half, and had Wellington penned up for a long time. Piki made a fine opening, and the hall travelled from man to man across the ground with lightning precision, and Hall dashed over. Cunningham sent the ball fairly between the posts, and the Maoris were ahead. The triumph was greeted hy an enthusiastic warcry by a 'large party of Alaoris in the stand, led by Mr. T. Parata. The Alaoris were not content with this, but returned to the attack with redoubled vigour. Again little Piki sent the hall rolling and the forwards pushed down on it, Parateue bearing it over and scoring. Cunningham's kick just fell short. Maoris, S; Wellington, 3. The last few minutes were very exciting, and Wellington gradually worked down to the Maoris' 25. From a liheout near the coruer Tilyard sent the ball to Pyle, who dashed in, but was thrown on to the flag. A lucky mark gave the Maoris relief, and they swept down the field again. The crowd was hoarse with cheering, Piki especially getting a great reception.

Wellington came at it again, and a tricky piece, of passing gave the ball to Dawson, who raced for the line like a greyhound and dashed over. Kiuvig converted, amidst a scene of great enthusiasm, ma-king the score level.

The Maoris strained every nerve to achieve a victory, and set up a strenuous attack. The light was fading rapidly, and it was impossible to see across tlie ground, but the battle never abated for a moment. The Wellington forwards were playing magnificently, and took the ■ball to the Maoris' 25, 'but before the attack could be pressed home the bell rang, and a great match had ended in a draw. Wellington, 8; Maoris, 8.