RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 218, 13 September 1924, Page 21

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zenland should know the result of the All Blacks-Devon match by S a.m. ■ on September 14. New Zealand's time is 11 hours 40 minutes ahead of Greenwich time, so, anticipating that the match will commence on September 13 at 3 p.m.. Xew Zealanders will be in dreamland when C. G. Porter leads the Blacks in their haka on the Devon ground. By Xew Zealand time, the' match should be over by 4.20 a.m. j Add five minutes for transmission of ! the result to London, and 3b 30m for ] the cabling to Wellington. That will! makf> the time 7.55 a.m., and Christ-] church should have the result a minute I or so later. If the TelegTaph Department carries out its 1905 policy of having a man on special duty to post tho result outside post offices immediately on its receipt, enthusiasts will be discussing the result by 8 a.m.

Karl Ifwersen has kicked many fine' goals this season, but his effort which, won the recent match against Wellington apparently eclipsed them all. Southern papers state that he found the goal from the touch-line, midway between the twenty-five and half-way line. Auckland's skipper has not shown the dash and initiative of old in recent games, and has obviously lost a lot of hi 3 pace which ensured him a try when he made those characteristic openings which were a feature of his play for a decade. While he has not scored a try this season (though he has paved the way for many) he has registered goals in every representative fixture in which he has played, except that against Hawke's Bay. Including the Wellina-to» match his total is eighteen, of which nine were

penalties, eight conversion of tries, and the other a potted goal, a total of 46 points. It is undoubtedly a fine record and his place-kicking ability is a splendid asset now that other fine features of his play are not so conspicuous aa of old. In the games between Wairarapa and Wellington he turned the scale in Auckland's favour at a critical moment, while in several other contests his kicking, notably the trial game against combined Hawke's Bay, was the material factor in' Auckland winning.

Bosnian, of Pretoria, is reckoned'to be Gerald "Morkel's successor in this year's Springbok team. As a fullback he is a "find," like our own Nepia. A. van Heerden, of course, is in England playing League, and M. Ellis has retired. Those with international reputations who are likely to appear against the British teams are Kruger and Michau, of the forwards, and Strauss, Clarkson and Zeller of the backs. Some brilliant new half-backs have come to light, including Tan der Spuy, of Transvaal, and Devine, of Diggers. Benny Osier is almost Eure of the stand-off half berth, and South Africans question whether th~re is his equal in the world of Rugby to-day. The forwards are big and strong, but not much loose, open work is expected of them. In the practices on shipboard, I. H. Harvey, an All Black lock, who took ill on landing and did not play, showing that he has much to learn about locking a Ecrum. MR. T. W. MABEN. When, at the end of the football season of I£2o, Mr. L. Hill, the then secretary of the Auckland Rugby Union, handed in his stationery rule books, letter files, and everything else that formed part of the job, the Union decided to appoint Mr. T. W. Maben (whose familiar face we herewith present) to the position, and those who control the destinies oi -v-ugger xii Auckland made a very happy choice. Mr. Maben, or Tom, as he is familiarly known, quickly established the fact that he was just tlie man f o the job, .and the affairs of the Lmoii have never gone more smoothly than since the beginning oi the 1921 season. A player himself — he used to catch men and boost the ball about at Timaru for about 12 years — but when somebody threw a bomb at Archduke Ferdinand and started the Great War in 1914 our friend granted himself a transfer from the Pirates football team to the Seventh Reinforcements of the N.Z.F. (F. does not stand for football). Being in the Medical Corps he always heard the call for "Zambuk," and "when the "match" was over he returned to Xew Zealand and was posted to King George Hospital at Rotorua as adjutant. In June, 1920, Mr. Maben came to Auckland and commenced business as a public accountant. Besides being; secretary of the Auckland Rugtv- Union, Mr. Maben is also secretary of the Auckland Motor Racing Club, Ltd.

A new knock-out king is looming on the fistic horizon, Jack De Slave, who j has won 14 of his 17 professional fights : via the knock-out route. De Mave is a b'ght heavyweight; a kid who has just passed his2lst birthday. He started as a sparring partner for Harry Wills, and i tbe experience he gained in the Black Panther's camp stands him in good gtead now. In addition to being a deadly two-handed puncher, De Mave has speed to add to his other qualities, and is. fast becoming a favourite with the fans. At present he is on the track of Young Stribling and Mike McTigue. Carpentier is probably not as famous as he might have been. Still he mana«ms to gather in enormous prices 'for his appearances in bouts. In some respects Carpentier has had the most unique career "of any individual of his feneration. A street boy, an acrobat, he rose to be the favourite of princes, nobles, men of letters and society, and his chief claim for this distinction was .only that he was a boxing champion. But this was the surface distinction. It was the, contrast in the fact that he wa s still is—a handsome, polished gentleman as well as a fighter which brought him his immense popularity. If the boxing- game survives an. =tands for more improvement, most o: the champions of the future may be college men, remarks an America! scribe. There was a day when a majoi lca"U_ ball player from college life wai a rare institution. To-day one club has thirteen college men and others have from eight to ten. The colleges an now turning out better boxers ever; year. These boxers are getting bettei instruction, and in a few years mort there will be a crop of young college stars that will prove extremely annoy in" to other candidates. This may noi improve the ethical standard of the nation, but it is to be expected with a title worth two or three million dollars ipparentlv the only way to trair for suffering is to take suffering as a fairly steady diet. Football players take a world of punishment the firs! two weeks. The battering they gel leaves many a mark before theu svsterns have* been hammered enough tc stand the rougher stuff to follow Xo one can train for the rougher- roac over the easy route. "Xo one," sug gested a veteran ring man, "ever hac the training Dempsey had for the game he is in. As a young fellow he wai knocked down and beaten up more that once when he was fighting for enougl Ito buy a meal and a place to sleep. H( 1 found", out what it was to be on hi ' back and set up for another shot. When j lie was boxing they didn't stand for thi ! fellow who remained on the floor aftc j he was knocked down. He had to get v] lor be thrown out. of the door. This gavi I Dempsey the greatest training an; I fighter ever had."

Colbeck was disputing championshir honours when half the present genera tion of golfers were too youthful t< appreciate his exploits, and his perfor mance in defeating Kapi is quite t crowning glory. His consistency h remarkable inasmuch as he never fail! to qualify in club or provincial tests and invariably tests the elect to thi fullest. He is a commanding figure jii Xew Zealand golf, and the Aueklane Club owes its present proud position ii no Email degree to the guidance of it: president. T. H. Horton, of Masterton, was con sidered to have a good chance of succes: in ihe open event, but hardly justifiec expectations. He is a fine golfer, ant plays his irons more like the profes sionals than perhaps any amateur com peting. His troubles began on thi greens, but his -was not an isolated case the difference between winning ane losing in practically all cases occurrin; in this department of the game. Thi card and pencil test also seems to ad< jto the terrors of the green. ! The professionals Hood and Shawgav. good displays in the open, just failinj on each occasion to return the figures ! Shaw certainly making some of th greens "come back" to him. J. L. Black failed to get going until the final round, when a fine 74 was recorded by him. He was expected to do better, and will no doubt make his presence felt ere he admits defeat in the amateur. His action from the tee is not impressive, though when the green looms up he is a force to be reckoned with. A. E. Ekstedt, who lias captured many Manawatu championships, gave a grand display of form, and tied for fifth place. He also met his Waterloo in the first round of the amateur, L. Quin gaining the deci--1 sion .at the 37th hole. I Comment on the course must necessarily be short, but for stroke play perhaps some cause for difference of opinion \ could be found in the placing of several of the holes in remote positions on the ! greens. It is a generally accepted principle that the holes should be as far as possible, in a central position on the creen. Aty own impression is that as almost perfect turf surrounded the hole, and the positions called for a greater degree of skill and accuracy, the placing was justified, although in conflict with the accepted principle. Moreover, the fact of rough being almost conspicuous by absence, and the bunkering anything but severe tends to make the action the more justifiable. TT W. Maefarlane, of Christchurch, put up a fine performance in finishing fourth. He was responsible for a7l in practice prior to the championshi] and in the light of subsequent event proved the performance anything but fluke. He is not altogether certain wit his wooden shots, but when in hittin I mood can cover the distance. As a nil he it excellent round the green, «u<

JUNIOR COMPETITION. The following is the position of the teams in the various junior grades at the end of the second round: — THIRD INTERMEDIATE. A "SECTION. Ch. ?. W. L. D. Pts. College "Rifles S T 1 — 14Kingsland 5 4 2 - 20 Gramtnai- S 4 3 1 ■Gordon S 1 « 2. 4 Glen Eiea S 1 6 1 B SECTION. Ch. P. "SV. L. D. Pts. •"Vborbs 10 10 — — 20 United 10 " 2 1 lo Ellerslie 10 «* 3 1 1-; Papatoetoe 10 2 6 - 6 St. James' 10 2 ~ 1 5 _Iarat_on ~-0 — 0 1 1 C SECTION. CH. P. W. L. D. Pts. Ponsonby S S — — 16 Grev Lynn S 3 3 2 s St. "George S 3 4 1 T<-!esr_p_ S B 4 1 > Eden 8 _. ~ — nFTH GEADE. Cn. P. TV. IV D. Pts. l'onsonby -2 11 — 1 23 Sjbnrbs 11 8 2 - li Green Lane 11 6 o — ii r.l'.erslie 12 4 0 - J < Jrs.v Lynn 12 4 T ■<_ <;mftoa -"- •'< S 1 J Kohl 12 - 10 — 4 Ponsonbv wins fifth grade championship for tie elghteenta consecntiva year, a cnijae and _enia-_-t)-> tacsrd.