FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 7, 8 January 1916, Page 16

FOOTBALL.

The boys in the Los Angeles high schools have been compelled to play the uttercoUegiate game by their faculties. But now that the season is over the youngsters have broken out into a riot of Rugby. The interclass games are all being contested under Rugby rules. Letters from schoolboys in the South say: "The game will never die here. We'll play it for fun, whatever they may make us learn as lessons." The following should interest Aucklanders:— Who will captain the 191 C Stanford 'varsity? With the big game now a matter of history, this question is occupying the intellectual brains of the students on the "farm," and until next Sunday, when the members of the 1915 team get together to have their pictures snapped by "Pop" Franklin, the matter of the next captain will be the principal topic of discussion in the fraternity houses and the various clubs about the campus. Strange -to say, no backfield man has yet been mentioned in connection with the captaincy, and, instead, the two men at breakaway—Jim Wylie and Joe Braden—are being boosted for the job. Again, the two men are pals, probably the closest to each other of any two men on the 1915 squad, and the rivalry, while keen, is bound to be friendly. II Jim gets the honour, Joe will be tickled to death. If Joe is chosen, Jim, will smile broadly. That either man would make a great captain goes without saying. Both have the right sort of temperament to make an ideal ekippcr. If Wylie is chosen, he will be the second successive New Zealander to lead a Stanford 'varsity, following the footsteps of the greatest captain of them all—Danny Carroll. Braden would likewise made a fine captain. He is popular with every student on the campus, and is a natural leader of men. Besides, he has wonderful ability as a rugger to back him up. It is almost certain that both men will be back to college next j-ear. In spite of the changes made in the American intercollegiate games last year. the total deaths for the season is 15, as against 13 in 1914, fourteen in 1913, 13 in 1912, and 11 in 1911. The figures show that the game is not one for immature players. The average age of the victims s 17 J years, the youngest being 11. The Americans arc funny people. There is a dispute as to the merits of the Rugby and American games, and discussing a recent game, in which there was sonic talk of one team not trying, an American writer eaye:— "The U.C. boys are madder than the wet hen ever was. What has got under their skins is the fact that some Rugby adherents have gone about whispering that the Seattle football game was fixed for California to make a showing in order to keep the Bears in the fold. They whispered that if the Bears got another trouncing like they euffcred at Berkeley two weeks back they might lose heart and return to Rugby. If the Rugby crowd had come straight out and charged collusion the feelings of the U.C. hunch could not have been hurt woree. Of course the accusers have not a scintilla of evidence '

to base their whisperings on. The score, and nothing else, started the ecandaloue talk. It was to bo expected that the Rugby fans would talk when California was beaten 72 to 0 one week and then come back the next and all but beat the very same rival. Such a frightful difference in the scores was hard to explain to those who have not made a study of football dope all over the country this year. Still there were closo students of the American football game

who looked for a decided reversal of form at Seattle last Saturday, and one of these was 'Little' Mini, who played on the California Varsity in the old days. "1 saw that game,' said Mini. 'It was clear as glass that we had not a particle of team work. Washington shot though out lines as it .pleased, and when we got the hall we didn't know what to dp with it. I never caw a team more muddied up, and it wae a wonder that Washington didn't score 172. But to my mind it was plain that California had the material if it was schooled properly. It needed to be rounded into shape, and I had enough confidence in Schaeffer's abitftj' as a coach to bet #20 that Washington would not beat us 20 points at Seattle. I felt that Schaeffer would see the weak points and would strengthen them by improving the team work. That wae all that had to be done. Get the boys to working together like a machine, and not as individuals. Schaeffer did this, and you saw the result. "The Kugby crowd show themselves poor sports crying fraud. It is just. about as easy to fix a baseball game as to induce 15 or 20 football players to fake a match. In the history of football I don't think there was ever a shady contest. One thing ie certain —Stanford won't make it easier to bring the universities together again if she i≤ doing any mud-throwing. California needs Stanford less than Stanford needs California. , " He mot them just as they were returning from the finish of their football match, and though they looked on the whole a trifle dejected, there was an air of grim satisfaction in their eyes that denoted some purpose achieved. Two of them walked in middle of the little band, a long pole balanced on their shoulders, suspended from which was a canvas sheet tied at the four corners, obviously containing something bulky. How did you get on, mate 2" queried the pal, as he halted. "Lost!" replied the captain laconically. "Bad luck," ejaculated the other. "But what the mischief have you got hanging from that pole? A light of great content cam? into the eyes of the muddy warrior as ihe replied, "The referee!"