THE ASSOCIATION GAME.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 161, 10 July 1922, Page 4

THE ASSOCIATION GAME.

The "cricket fiend's" contemptuous description of golf as "billiards gone to grass,"' might be applied by sonic Rugby I enthusiasts to the Awuriatiim code. Followers of "soccer" might rciort thatj ! their game U at any rato real football, j and not hand-ball masquerading under : the name of football. It is curious that j [ the Association game, which is inii.h I ! the more popular of the two in the Old I Country, bus never made anything like the appeal of Rugby to tho sporting j instinct of the Xew Zealander. It in the more j-eientilic panic, and provides plenty of entertainment and excitement for the crowd. Perhaps it N that there is something about Rugby that appeal-; more strongly to the colonial temperaI ment. especially the opportunities it I provides for contests in npi'ed and tstrength between man and man in actual contact. Writing with only a limited experience of the Association game, we should say it provided no thrill quite comparable with the da«h of a fast three-quarter for the corner. Another consideration that may have had something to do will: the place occupied here ! by the A-~oi-iation game is the fact that a level an.l Miiooth ground is more necessary than in the case of Rugby. It would be impossible to play anything approaching scientific "soccer" on many of the New Zealand grounds used for Rugby. However, the visit of the Australian team has shown not only that a fairly liifrh standard of j play has been reached in the I'olonie*, j but' that the Xew Zealand public is proI pared to patronise the game well. Tho skill shown in Saturday's test match was a revelation to many, and the totir should give a great impetus to the game, which will benefit still further if. as Is proposed, an English team t< I brought out. Xew Zealanders are I accustomed to see Rugby of a high standard, sometimes of the highest, but they have not yet seen Association at its best. I