FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 300, 12 September 1908, Page 9

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY. (Br Aristobtjujs.) !■ REPRESENTATIVE FIXTURES. September 19.—Wellington v. Otago. NORTHERN UNION GAME. Ssptombor 12.—Wellington, v. Auckland (at Petono). i LAST SATURDAY'S MATCHES. . .WELLINGTON v. MANAWATU. . . The meeting of the Wellington and Manawatu representative teams at tho Athletic Park on Saturday last'provided'a display of football which few of the spectators _ wero satisfied with; After tho first 'ten. minutes'' play Wellington was the only team in it, and the only point of interest as the game p'.ogressed was as to how many points the local men could put up; . The spectators bore, with the, display of the visitors for a time, and then commenced to make sundry comments a on the players which would have disconcerted the Manawatu men more - than the Wellington rushes if they. had heard them. The country'forwards were not in the surre class as Wellington, and their backs were also, a long,way. behind. representative, standard.. Twelve games have been played between Wei-, lington and Manawatu . to dato, eleven matches having .been won by Wellington and one having been drawn. ' • The weakest spots in the visitors' rearguard were the wing three-quarters, neither of whom.had any idea.of attack. r The saving ".grace of sound defence was hot noticeable. Waldegrave was the best of-two poor wings. Stalker, in the centre, did some useful pieces of work, but has been seen to better advantage. Hodgins; was given plenty of work at fullback,:,ant} gave a capital all-round, display. The one try secured by the visitors was initiated 'by' the "smart little full-back. O'Connor, five-eighths, formerly a Wellington player, was the best of the Manawatu backs. He put in several nippy runs, and was sound in defence. M'Minn, who appeared to beplaying five-eighths land, also wing-forward, put in some good work amongst the forwards, but did not shine as a back, letting'too; many good passes go. M'Minn's powerful kicking was a feature of the game. Buchanan had an unenviable position bohind the beaten Manawatu pack, but ho stood up to his . work in good style, and got through with every credit. The one man in the visitors' forward brigade who stood out more thajA the''others was Whisker, who put ' in some excellent work. J. Ryan gave a good display as,full-back for Wellington, but was a trifle slow on one a or two'occasions. The rest of tho Wellington backs had a day out, and ran air over'-the.j opposition. Mitchinsoni made hacks of the countrymen, diving right- through the centre of them times, and 'leaving man . after man. standing helpless. The side-stop , seemed to".be' something new' to the visitors. Matheson and A Evenson both had plenty of attacking work ~ to 80, and, taking the good with the had, did very well. ' , , . M'Leod_ was the best of the two Wellington five-eighths, and put in some .flashy, runs. Magee appeared slow and ponderous alongside his nippy comrade. Roberts came in for some severe handling for a soft game, but brought most of it on, His all-round display was a good one, and the try iryfh'e secorid'spell was decidedly pretty,'' as';was-'fthefpenalty-goal he landed from close to the half-way line. . Avery was noticeable for some effective work on the wing of the scrum. Of the pack forwards Rush and "Ranji" Wilson were "out by themselves," and appeared to be'm every movement of, any note. Ready, Shadbolt, and Alexander were also in capital form. " ;; KIA ORAS v. PETONE. The final match for the junior championship, Kia Oras v., Petone, which resulted in a draw 1 , must be reckoned one of tho most interesting of the season. If the Petone back division had instituted passing, rushes more frequently-victory must surely have rested with that side. Harnett, the .Kia' Ora'full-back, made a number of mistakes in the first spell, but subsequently proved very reliable. Of the three-quarters Slater, at centre, put in a lot of useful work. Cudby, otL the other wing, gave a creditable' display/ but that of Stevens, on the left wing, was only mediocre. : Kilminster, ,the half-baokj was one of the hardest- workers on his side. His efforts were ably seconded by E. Hayes at fiveeighths. The forwards played with considerable dash, but their play lacked, finish. Without .doubt Driscoil was most prominent. Petone 'had a safe full-back in Smyrk, ifhoso showing • was much superior to that which he gave in the previous match. Corson was the pick of the three-quarters, his kicking being particularly fine. Fogden was given too few opportunities to display his attacking abilities.. His try was an ex* ceedingly meritorious oiie. There was no-, thing outstanding in Miller's play. Mackley at five-eighths frequently used his pace to considerable advantage. His passing was, however, shocking at. times. Sharp, an old-time senior player, did well at times at five-eighths. Cairns, the half, got thei ball, away to the backs in clean, style and otherwise was responsible for good work. . The forwards, who were much lignter than' their, opponents, evidenced the fact that they-had trained hard. None stood greatly above his comrades.' 4 • NOTES. . Rugby football has drawn tho biggest football crowd in Australasia, viz., 52,000 on the occasion of a match, New Zealand v.. New. south Wales. : , -"I will leave it to the fair-minded peoplo '"•who.saw the games in Sydney to "say who wa,s responsible for the rough play." —Dr. M'Evedy, vice-captain of the British team. Referring to the professional movement, Mr. Harnett (manager of the British, team), at a function in Brisbane, pointed : out the folly.of considering the_ monetary aspect when applied' to sport,- particularly football. The battle against professionalism •'was not. a new thing in England, and he felt sure from the enthusiasm and ability shown by those fighting professionalism in Australia and New Zealand that they would prove victors in the end.- He instanced the professional footballer in England who, when no longer useful to his club as a player, sometimes developed into a public-house loafer. i Apropos of the proposals .of New Zealand and Australia for improving Rugby Union football, it . will bo interesting to Rugger people of the day to' learn that in 1877—31 years agi>y-a general resolution to that end was submitted ■ to the Southern (now New South Wales) Union by Mr. J. H. (now Sir Hector) Cariutliers, of the Sydney University Club. His proposal was: "(1) That the wholo of the -rules of the game, as adopted by this union, be repealed, with a i viow to the adoption of such other-rules, as will provide against tho frequency of scrum- • mages, and otherwise allow of more display . of football proper. (2) That it be referred to a committee of tho whole to draw up a ccdo of rules in pursuance of,the object of jho first resolution." Tho motion was de'eated.by 1G votes to 9. —"Sydney Referee." The professional Rugby season in Australia been lengthy, remarks tho "Sydney Rece," owing to the number of "big',' tehee played. Next season it is antici-' • jd that a team will bo sent to New ZeaThis is one' item on the programme, ono would like to know where the money jniing from. . From what ono hears the: ;;io's banking account is not a large one all. Judging by the attendances at

the big matches, and. the amounts paid to visiting teams, one would expect the credit balance to bo fairly solid. When, after a, decisive trouncing in the first Test Match at Wellington, the British • Rugby team in New; Zealand wore able to draw" in the .second game with tho Now Zealanders there were hopes entertained that tho - tourists might, in the third engagement, gain a victory. But it should not have been forgotten that that second match had taken place on a day when, after heavy rain, the , ground was in a' dirty congood football was out of the question, and in a forward fight the honours were easy. On Saturday the third match was played; in it the Anglo-Welsh forces were overcome by 25 points'to nothing. The cablegram conveying the news is brief; but the words the team " suffered an overwhelming defeat" give an idea of the'run of the game. In minor games the side have done well, but as ,we said from,the start!it is a-pity such a representation was sent to take the field against a power like New Zealand. Colonial folk may think ,that the , victory represents a victory over ' Britain, whereas it- does nothing of the sorb. The win was gained against a very moderate combination; a real British fifteen would have put up a different ■result. —" Athletic News." ' , J. Lavery, a.-member of the "All Black" professional team which toured tho North of England last, season, has signed on to play for Leeds li-ext' winter. Lavery has been spending a good deal of his time, of late in ' Ireland. L. B.'Todd, another of the "All ; Blacks," has : signed-on again to "play'for ' Wigan. A peculiar incident occurred '• during a South Canterbury match, Temuka Second arid Zingari, last Thursday. Mitchell, a Zingari player, was charged by; Temuka ■ players.-who wero off-side, just as he.dropped at goal. The referee whistled for the off-side just as the ball was in flight. The ball went over the bar, but as the whistle had gone for the oIF-sido play!of Temuka the goal.was not'given to Zingari.- The matter was brought up at the South' Canterbury Rugby Union's meeting, on Friday night, when , it was. decided , to refer it to the Now Zealand Referees' Association. The potted goal, if allowed, would have won the game and the 'Junior Championship for Zingari. . x,, THE LAWS 'OF THE CAME. , " ALTERATIONS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY;"-.." ... . -; OTAGO—CANTERBURY MATCH .INSTANCED. An old football player, writing to the Christchurch " Press," remarks that l if any proof were necessary as to the desirability of making an alteration in the rules of foot-ball-as tho game is played in New Zealand, it was fully supplied by tho Canterbury v. .Otago match. With the exception of the ono brilliant try obtained by Fryer, there was absolutely nothing in the game to arouse tho least enthusiasm amongst the three or four thousand spectators who witnessed the game. Scrum followed scriirifalTthrough the game ;in endless mionotbny, and whenever a'' passing'rush 'was. started on either side- ; the 'referee prompt-lyblew' his whistle and'ended it. ■ If the existing rules necessitate such. a constant use of the whistle, jt is high time the rules were altered so that the game may not be deprived of all interest. "I have spoken to several football enthusiasts regarding Saturday's match," he says, "and they all expressed the same opinion, that the game was dull and uninteresting throughout from a spectator's; point of view." Another explayer, writing to the_ same effect, the match would, if anything more were heeded, put tho final/nails coffin of Rugljy football as at present- playod,- an®. its votaries need have no scruples in according tho corpse an expeditious burial for fear that any life should still remain. It would- br almost impossible to draft a set of rules for any gamo by which two teams well versed in these rules could give a more uninteresting display. Ho adds: "I don't think I.am finding fault with either tho. players-or the referee. Otago never sends an indifferent side to represent her at either cricket or football, and some of the Canterbury men are in tho first flight of players in the Dominion. . Tho referee handled the game efficiently in accordance .with the rules to the best of his ability,'and' is admitted to be one of the leading referees. The rules will certainly have to be "altered if New Zealand Rugby is to continuo its 'hold on the public, and the sooner tho governing body of that sport wakes up to the fact the better it' will be for amateur football." WELLINGTON REPRESENTATIVES. THE NORTHERN TOUR. . The official report of Mr. J. Murray, the manager of the Wellington representative team, on tho Northern tour is as follows:— The party left Wellington on August 12, and reached . Onehunga ._ tho following morning after a beautiful trip. Roberts' was elected captain, and Hardham and Rush were chosen to collaborate with him in the selection of teams. Thursday was spent in a useful practice in the morning, and- the rest of the day at leisure. Friday was utilised for a practice in the morning, a visit to the Domain in-the afternoon, whore an athletic gala was held, and a theatre party in the evening. Saturday, the day of tho match with. Auckland for the possession of the Ranfurly Shield, was beautifully fine, and the attendance at the game was a record one. The game was fast and exciting from the jump, and .nojther side could claim much advantage until half an hour had elapsed, when Auckland scored a try, which was converted. Wellington made strenuous efforts to score, and just on half-time Alexander scored - a meritorious try, a feat which the public greoted with a great outburst of cheering. For tho first half-hour of the second spell Wellington appeared to .have ,a little the better of the play, but their-defence suddenly sagged in the middle, and Auckland added a'further five points, to be immediately followed by another three as the result of a mark, converted by; R. Magee from an almost impossible position. Auckland now had'a strong" lead, and Roberts, with a proper conception of a captain's duties, took every risk in the hope that something might come off for' his side, f but fortune was against him, and Bater,. cutting off a pass, increased Auckland's lead by three points. Wellington were'now hopelessly beaten, and in the closing stages of the game the versatile Auckland forwards' gave a great exhibition of football. Though beaten by 24 points to 3, the Wellington team - until- the last ten minutes per»crsy>d splendidly = in a,: game which was a tino exhibition of football, and it is doubtful whether a finer match has over been played, between Auckland and Wellington. In tho first spell Hardham twisted the sinews of his thigh, and before the ond. camo Trezise had to leave the field owing to a chest injury. - The teams and officials dined together after. the match, • and on Sunday were the guests of the Auckland Union in a trip to Motutapu, which was much enjoyed. The team arrived at New Plymouth with sixteen sound men, but a run of bad luck set in. Following an injury to one of "Am" Wilson's knees in a practice on Tuesday, Roberts had to remain in bed all Wednesday with a nasty his face. Wellington were thus reduced to 14 players, and Hardham, to make up the team, had to take his place in tho scrum, his injured limb being bandaged by Dr. Fookes, while Dewar, whose oars were causing hiin trouble, played on the wing of the scrummage. In the early stages of the gamo with Taranaki, which was played on a very wet ground, and during which rain fell at intervals, it appeared as if tho Wellington forwards were going to secure a victory for their side," but the opposing backs, had-to be reckoned with, and Taranaki scored a good win by 15 points to nil. The principal factor in the victory of our opponents was the accurate fielding and powerful kicking of thoir backs, the' full-back (Hardgravcs) showing powers in this direction that were nothing short, of remarkable. ; At Wanganui the sun smiled upon the team once more, and the match with the looal representatives, which was played under per-

feet conditions, was won by Wellington, who had the assistance of Ready, by 25 points to 13. The gamo was open and fast, and good to watch. The losers were unfortunate in losing tho services of Seeling in the, first spell. Tho toams had dinner together in tho ovening, and were taken up tho river the following afternoon at tho invitation of the local officials. The following is tho result of the matches played:— ; August 15 v. Auckland, lost 3 to 24. August 20 v. Taranaki, lost 0 to '15. August 22 v. Wanganui, won 25 to 13. Throughout thte trip, the utmost harmony existed among the players, who are entitled to the highest praise and the thanks of tho Union for the manner in which they stuck to their training and laid thomselves out to be in their best form for the various matches. Thanks are due to the officials of the Auckland, Taranaki, and Wanganui Unions for their hospitality and attentions to th eteam; to Dr. H'ardie Neil, of Auckland, for his attendance on Tresize, to Dr. E. E. Fookes, of New Plymouth, for his unremitting attention to "Am" Wilson, Hardham and Roberts, and to Mr. and Mrs. James Smith, of New Plymouth. Tho expenses of the tour totalled £154 14s. NORTHERN UNION CAME.' The first serious shot in tho campaign between the Rugby Union and tho Northern League will be fired at Petono this afternoon, when a match will be played between Wellington and Auckland. A meeting of the promoters of tho league game will bo held at Petone next week, when the question of the future of the game will be discussed. Following this a meeting will be held in Wellington to see what teams • can be formed. As far as can bo seen at present, the promoters of the game are confident of being able',to commence senior, junior, and fourth giade competitions next season.- The_ question, of grounds, which it was anticipated" would be''a' bar in tho way of- tho league game, is said to have been overcome. It is tl.e intention of tho league committee to pay their players for. lost time and out-of-pocket expenses, outside of which no payments will be made. THE POSITION IN DUNEDIN. A meeting of footballers and others interested was held, in Dunedin for the purpose of making arrangements for introducing the Northern ■ Union gamo to Dunedin. There were exactly 111 persons present, tho majorbeing youths, with a fair sprinkling of senior players. Mr. C. E. Keast was voted to the chair." The chairman said he had accepted the irritation to preside with a great deal of pleasure, for to his mind, there was a great. deal of room for improvement in the Rugby game as played to-day. He was satisfied that the Northern. .Union game would . come llto stay, and the present meeting had been called to start that game in Dunedin on a purely amateur basis. • Mr. J. L. Corson, ono of the promoters ■cf the Northern Union League formed in Invercargill, said the Northern Union League had been formed in that town consequent on the suspension of the Pirates and Britannia senior teams for refusing to play on a wet gtound. The first game they : had played at 'th')-Bluff, had realised about £s,'and the second game about £2. Both games wero benefit ones. Since then they had been playing the game regularly. They - had issued about 200 membership tickets at 2s. each, and these had all been disposed of and more asked for. The conditions under which football was to be regulated by the Invercargill League were that players were to have all expenses paid, with an allowance of ss. per day .within the-Dominion and 10s. per day. outside the Dominion. %he whole -of .the. playing uniform-would be supplied by the league. If, for instance, in Dunedin a player came up from Port Chalmers, his. fare; would, be provided, and if ho missed 'his train homo he voUld be provided with the-cost of his tea.' ; Mr. F. Given 'asked if the game was likely to be a success in Invercargill. Mr. Corson': Decidedly so. Tho game has come to stay, there. , t .. Mr. Given said ho was not an agitator ! for this game; but his feelings wore with it simply owing 'to the manner in which the Rugby Union- bad treated its players. They had been l treated- in anything -but a fair' way. The majority'- were -working. men, and tho N.Z.It.U. was the richest, sporting syndicate in tho Dominion;' but' it treated' its players more poorly than any other sporting body. He had been.studying the Northern Union game, and he considered it was tho better game. The chairman said that the N.Z.R.U. was developing into a financial concern purely and simply, and the.men at the head of the concern were getting paid, while players were getting nothing. . Too much attention was given to finance, and too little to 'players. He would ask. all those who were- in favour of the Northern. Uuipn game .'being started in Dunedin to vote accordingly. The responso was a unanimous one, evory member in the room holding up his hand and thus signifying that he was in favour of the proposal. -. • ■ The meeting concluded with the enrolment of members.