FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 72, 23 March 1912, Page 16

FOOTBALL.

An ex-Invcrcargillite, writing from Sunderland on Rugby in England, says:— "Being anxious to see a good exposition of Rugby as played in this country, 1 went down to Gateshead —on the Tyne— to see the Durham v. Northumberland county match; the latter won. I wasn't much impressed with the game. It waa rather stereotyped, as it were, out ol the book, and lacked originality. There was very little combination on the Durham side, though there was plenty ol good individual play. I might say 1 was a silent supporter of Durham side, whose backs were fleety but tried to collar too high, and some wouldn't face a forwaTd rush. However, this match is not to be taken as a criterion of Rugby in this country. This is the stronghold of soccer; consequently Rugby is weak In Scotland and Wales and about London and some of the southern counties Rugby is pretty strong, and is gradually getting back its lost prestige. England and Wales had their annual match recently, the former winning by a try and goal to nil. London was very excited over the result, and, taken in conjunction with the probability of the English men winning the rubber against the Australians in cricket, they take it as a sign that England is at last getting back its own." Commenting on the football season in England this season, an English writer makes the following confessions:—"The best handlers of a Rugby ball I ever saw were the New Zealanders (Rugby Unidn). (By the way, memory of them was revived recently, when I went into the pavilion of the Swansea Football Club at Helens. On one of the walls hanga a photograph of a throw-out from touch in a match between Swansea and the New Zealanders. It is a study in obstructive tactics, and as such should be cherished for all time. Tw# Swansn* men were making for the ball, but v. dare guarantee neither did' get to it in that movement! It was impossible.) The New Zealanders of 1905 were really great footballing geniuses, and they cannot be given too much credit for the revival of the game in this country, v. Inch dates from their coming. Then we were quite contented to dawdle along with club and cotintv and international matches. It avas good to hear of colonial development, the extent of which, however, we doubted until we saw it. We had a really rude awakening. But, as I have said, the All Blacks showed up tbe limitations of our football. There was a common desire to adopt their formation, yet formation was not the real secret of their success. Any man may purchase the most elaborate materials, but every man will not. because of that paint a great picture; the mere forma tion was not the royal road to footballing success. Gradually it was forgotten, but, all the same, good had been done, the standard of English play improved; and I do not think it has" evei been generally higher than it is to-day. Did a New Zealand team come here next season (which they will not) they woul' meet with far greater opposition than did their predecessors. The recent Northern TTnlon game in Englnnd between Wigan and Warrington had quite v colonial flavour. For Warrington Renwiek plnved thre*.quartcr when Seeling. Williams and Todd were in the ranks of Wigan. Commenting on tbe play an English critic says: —I should think the W r igan oflicials regret parting with Renwiek, for the New Zealnnder appeared determined to show to advantage, nnd he wns a leader in many fine attacks on the Wigan line. Of the Wigan side there were smart bits of play, and Seeling and Williams were often prominent. The latter is a determined player, and he would, 1 think, be more serviceable to his side if he exercised a little more discretion. As to Todd, the New Zcalandcr. rarely faltered in defence, but I missed his one-time habit of looking for work. This used to be the feature of Todd's play. At Wigan on Saturady he was content to wait. A correspondent writing to the English "Sportsman" gets one well home on to the English writers who so strongly denounced the wing forward play of D. Gallagher, the captain of the "All Blacks." He Hays: I have been amusvd in reading accounts of Saturday's "International" to find that both Welsn and English writers frequently expressing the opinion that Ivor Morgan should have played to "shield" Dicky Owen from the attention of Pallman. Dear, dear! How circumstances do alter cases to be sure! To think that it is only a few years since the sporting press worked itself into a righteous indignation and the Welsh crowd yelled itself hoarse in denunciation of Gallagher's alleiged obstruction of the opposite "scrum" half and shielding of his own, which same obstruction I was never able to detect with my naked eye. Possibly because it happened to be unprejudiced. If anyone will kindly explain how a scrum half is to be shielded by a wing forward except by obstruction pure and unabashed, 1 shall be much obliged. The writer finishes by expressing the hope that "Dave" Gallagher will see the above, and if by chance this catches his eye, he will be pleased to learn that the "All Black" captain has read the letter and derived much amusement thereby.