FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 287, 2 December 1911, Page 16

FOOTBALL.

Evidently the English JooubaHer is developing bad habits, according to a writer in an exchange, who says the tendency of the modern captain at Rugby is to overdo chatter on the field of play. Go to any club match on a Saturday afternoon, and you will find in tbe majority of cases that the rival skippers are as loquacious as park orators. The trouble is, too, that the habit has become infectious, thai the "rank aDd file" are joining in the word-spinning long before the interval is reached. Of course, a captain has to look after and often instruct his side in tactics, but to my mind there is nothing more detrimental to a youngster's play than the loud-spoken "nagging" he often receives. And when you get nearly everybody talking at once, it is distinctly irritating to anybody the wrong side of the touch line. Says the "Athletic News*:' C. M. Gilray, the New Zealand Rhodes scholar, made a welcome reappearance for London Scottish, and be and R. T. Simpson played a big part in the victory of the side over Rosslyn Park. If they can command the services of the old Oxonian not only the London Scottish bat Scotbind will be fortunate. It is probably true that he has never realised the high reputation which has been said tv have been enjoyed by him in tbe Dominion. At any rate, it took him a long time to get his blue when once he west up to Oxford, and he was capped by Scotland before he was honoured by his Varsity. Gilray's last appearance under the banner of the Thistle was in 1909, at Edinburgh, against Wales, when he was injured, ilse he had a splendid chance of pulling off that game for his side. He. however, was badly dazed and scarce knew how to shape wrier the ball went out to him. Soundness, rather than brilliancy, has <been the characteristic of his football, but at a time when Scotland are not too well off for three-quarter backs. taic v a good judge of the game as he is should be invaluable. The following from an English paper ould be, at times, well applied to Auckland: — " Referee ing, in Wales requires seeing to. Two recent big games were spoiled by poor refereeing. whistling is a bigger enemy to Welsh P.usrby than the opposition of any of the other football code*. Recently "the English writer, H. D. Sewell, wrote a book on foot-ball and in commentino- on it R. T. Gabe, the well-known Welsh player, refers to a couple of incidents of the famous match between the "All Blacks" and Wples, and South Africa and Wales. He says: —We are told that " tbe seeminjrly natural combination and always-a-man-in-the- < right-place cbaracterisfres of Welsh fifteens has often been due to tbe use of instructions issued by the scrummage half in the Welsh language."' Does Mr. ' Sewell know that at present there are : two Welsh-speaking players in the three ' teams. Swansea, Cardiff and Newport ; (Jack Powell, Cardiff, and Owen, Sv? T : seai. and that consequently instructions issued in Welsh would not be understood by the others? During my career I have , never heard any instructions given in Welsh in an international match. Another unfair insinuation is that because Mr. A 0 Jones refereed in the S>outh African match, and Wales lost, he has never refereed in a Welsh International match since. Does Mr. Sewell know that Wales has no voice in the selection of referees in her own matches? The selection is left entirely and absolutely with one of the two non -contesting countries. Docs he really know, or is he purposely not 'playing the game""" Much importance is attached to details for '"Tis the small things in life that cau-v ail the bother," and then at the same t-me no end °- inaccuracies art* made in this hookTo mention just a few. Morgan scored the famous try against New Zc-a'nn-d on the blind side after Owen had tented to the open side. I did not know that before. Ia the same match Wales played "'seven forwartt fai tks e.-.me shape as the New Ze.alanders, ?——2, and this was the only time they were oppose! by seven forwards in that s?*pe.' WaJ»s did not play that formation. alth»'fh they played seven forwards. let this reliable critic know what he ought to have seen. I might say the format was 3— The following is said to he the speech in which an American football coach com pigmented his team on 'heir play in a recent match: — " You pasty-facf-d. -overled, white-livered bean-bag experts. what do yon mean by running a beauty show instead of a football game? Do you sup pose I came here to be art director of a j

i, I statuary exhibitf Does any of yon. imagi- line for * holy minute that he know* the >, i difference between a football game and s ':ushering in a church? Don't fool yonrd • selves. Ton don't: yon don't know* anyn thing. All Ton ever knew about foot- ?- j ball I could carve on stone and put in -j my eye and never feel it. Jackson, 1 1 what fio yon suppose a half-bark is for? el l don't want cloak models. I want a Q | man who can stick his bead down and '- run. Don't, be afraid of that bean of 1 j yours; it nasnt- got anything worth '•'] saving in it. When you get the ball, - you're supposed to run with it, and not ' > sit around trying to hatch it. You, c iSaunders! You held your man just like -I a sweet -pea vine. Where did yon ever j learn that sweet lovely way of falling ! down on your nose when a real man , ! sneezes at you ? Did you ever hear of c : sand? Eat it: Eat it? Fill yourself up .. i with it. I want you to stop something, c or 111 make you play left hand in a r fancy-work club. -Tobrson. the only w3v . to get ydo around the field is to put you a on wheels and haul you. Next t!me you j grow fast to the ground Tm going to vios late some forestry regulations and take . an axe to you. .Same to you, Briggs. c You'd make the All-America bo indary posts, but that's all. Vance, I picked . you for a quarter-back, but I made a 1 mistake: you ought to be sorting eggs. r That ball isn't red hot. You don't have =■ to lei go of it so soon as you get it. -, Don't be afraid: nobody will step on i you. This isn't a rude game. It's only i a game of post office. You needn't act ; so nervous about it. Maybe pome of the - big girls will kiss you. but it won't hurt.'"