FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1108, 22 April 1911, Page 12

FOOTBALL.

v . —_ g " -:<■ RUUBY. • "(By AnisTonrjujs,). Any Promise in Poneke? Most of the games played at tho park during the Easter holidays touched some standard. Each of thorn had features that atoned for others . loss desirable. Poneke, in their game with Christchurch Albion, captured victory by "hanging -■ on."' Early, Albion's boot business looked dangerous, but Poneke got down to it, somehow, and tho boot-work was not backed by any Albion- back play. So Poneke got out of., it with some . small 6uccess, and, perhaps, that is tho best that can be'saul of them. ■ Poor footballers, 'in these blank (lays of absolute mioriginality, aro inclined to play "the same old game" week after week, and oven season after season. Poneke have not been free from this'blemish in the past, but, on Easter Saturday, they ■ made a clean break, marked by originality and a dash of inventive skill. Unfortun- ■ ately, the result was, in some respects, mediocre. The team never were moved quite smoothly in attack, but it aci'quitted itself well enough to smother tho efforts of its opponents. If Poneke had been as good in attack as in defence Albion would have been overwhelmed. , ; Weakness of Poneke team was in 1 its rearguard. Sound enough in play on their own line, the backs seemed to leave a lot of their quality behind when they moved into opposition territory. Slow passing, clumsiness in taking the ball, and hesitating play of the kind that gives defenders time to recover and reorganise, spoiled many attempts that opened well. But Poneke often play with a good deal of power in reserve, and this was conspicuously the case on Saturday. The fact that the backs were good only at times, and that the forwards were not always alive to possibilities', did not prevent" the homo team holding their opponents in easy check throughout the game. Such prospects as Albion had at opening vanished when their first forward rush had been stopped. The rush was a neat and dashing movement. Tho Poneke defeuco was a little clumsy, but it was splendidly vigorous. Apparently the team could have gone on stopping rushes like that until the crack of Doom. The general 'impression which one gained was that if Poneke had been just a little better trained and organised, their score would '.hove been trebled or quadrupled. But— ."Trained and orgsnisad?" As Artemus "Ward would say, "There ain't no sich person." '•"-■. The Devenish Shield. , ' Throughout its progress the match played on Monday, by tho Wellington College Old 'Boys and the Christchurch High ' School Old " Boys,' for the Devenish Shield, was easily the fastest of the half-dozen games that have bsen played this season. Given better combination; the game would, have been a model. As it was, quick and vigorous play became its normal feature. Both sides had a fairly capable back division, though tho Wellington backs failed rather too often in attack. This weakness was more than counterbalanced by the superiority 'of the local forwards, who easily outclassed their' opponents. . A pleasing .feature of tho game was the readiness and of individual players in moments ,j>i emergency. Repeatedly a back) when ilmost over-run, managed to,' get in a saving-kick, and move play up tho field. It is needless to specify individuals, for players on' both sides acquitted themselves creditably, and quick and efficient .■saying,.was ona.of .-its normal features, Tackling by members of both teams ' particularly sure and effective. The . teams contested for long periods in the open without any signal advantage being gained by either side. Thore was' a happy absence of and wearisome line-kicking. At one period (towards, the i»d of the first spell) Wellingt6n adopted iine-kicking tactics, but their action was justified by the result attained. Every kick—most of them were taken, by Grace. . —led to a permanent advantage being gained, and the spell of kicking culminated in a vigorous attack. The quality •of the Wellington forwards was probably the determining factor in tho game. At .all events, it went ; a long way towards.. earning the victory for their side. A correspondent forwards particulars regarding the Devenish Shield. Its official name, no states, is "The Old Boys' Chcmpiou Shield." Contests for its possession • were inaugurated in 1908. The first match was played at Wellington in Easter of ' that year. The Christchurch High School Old Boys were the-first winners of the trophy, and they won it again in tho following year at Christchurch. Nelson College Old Boys won the shield last , year, and, by its recent capture by Wellington; the trophy completed its round of the teams entitled to compete for it. Old Boys of Waitaki High School have formed a football club, and it is hoped that they will participate in next year's competition, • which will probably be held ' at Christchurch.

Wanted—A Football Napoleon. The little that has been seen of senior Rugby so far this season 'has been sufficient, to show that the old stereotyped form of play is likely to drift its monotonous way again. The gamo each club has played so far is the familiar slapdash method in which main strength and ignorance are the leading characteristics. It would be a welcome, change if .some forceful football Napoleon would enter tho arena with.a system-of attack which would confound his enemies. Surely it is time that_ some club broke away from tho lines which have become deeply worn "by tho years, and essayed a compaign on lines other than the rush-and bustle of the vanguard and the routine passing from the half, five-eighths, centre-three-quarter, to the wing-tiireo-quartcr . with no more ,to hope for than that Providence will' throw, some opening in tho way. There will be the acenstomed sameness about the game until some general ■Mts down and evolves a definito scheme for his team, fitting it to counter the methods now so general in all clubs. Even if a club cannot map out an original plan—an admittedly difficult task—tho time should be ripo for applying at least some of. the successful methods which clubs and teams have adopted in tho past.

Abolition of the Wing Forward. A -move in the direction of abolishing the wing forward is being made by the Hawke's Bay Union which has given notice of motion for the annual meeting of the New Zealand Union, as under:— "That with a view to improving the Rugby game this union desires to recommend the abolition of wing-forward play, and that the N.Z.R.TJ. be asked to obtain expressions of opinion on this and other improvements from the various unions with a view to submitting them to the English Union."

"Tackled" Defined. < Commenting on the fact that a great many players and some referees do not understand tho definition of "tackled" a writer in "Sporting life" says-.— "There has really been no alteration in tho rule at all, but only, a merging together of the two definitions of a 'tackle' and 'held.' Prior to this season, a 'tacklo' was 'when the holder of the ball was held by ono or more players of the opposite side,' and 'held' was 'when the plijyer carrying the ball cannot pass it.' The rule as to tho 'tackle' now reads-. 'When the holder of the ball is held by one or more players of the opposite side, 60 that he cannot pass it.' "It follows, therefore, that if a player —whatever position he may be in—can pass the ball he is not 'tackled,' the only point of the whole matter being that «if the ball touch the ground whilst in the possession of a player who may be collared, as before described, the player is to be deemed to bo tackled, and tho ball must then be played with the foot. Similarly, a player, when grassed just outside the line, may put the hall over and score a try. always provided that the ball has not touched the ground during the 'grassing' process." Rugby in Yorkshire. After the match between Yorkshire and Cheshire in the Bullish Rugby "Union

County Championship, the teams were entertained to dinner. In the course of the evening, according to the "Field," it was. stated, as showing bow remarkable has been the revival of the Rugby Union game in Yorkshire, that in 1895 the County Union had a balance against it of M at the bank, ami now it has a credit balance of .£6GO. By capable administration on amateur principles, Rugby football in Yorkshire lias been gradually re-' habilitated. Rugby in Sydney—Not Dead Yet. The professionalism that ought never to prevail against the traditional merits of the good old game of Rugby appears to be having rather a prosperous time in Australia. A paragraph in a recent issue of the "Bulletin" sums up the situation in New South Wales with almost brutal frankness:—"Sydney Metropolitan Rugby. Union is not dead, nor Keeping, but it is going to have a very quiet year indeed. _ Economy is tho order of the day, and it is going to be of a very stark nature. Players will not be insured, unr less they pay their own premiums, or the clubs do it for them; guernseys will not be supplied free as of yore; and even the. number of clubs is to bo reduced, Sydney District being wiped off the football map. The only outside event will be the match with Queensland, and though there is some talk of a Maoriland team coming over towards the end of the season, no one expects to see it. Meanwhile, tho selectors are busy picking and choosing or finding men, to fill the gaps in the ranks. The gaps appear to be unusually large. Tho Rugby League, on the other hand, is putting forward a most alluring programme, and one that is expected to knock the recent successful season into a cocked hat. Maoriland and Queensland iviU both call in and make for sport and big gates; bu'. what tickles the players' palates most is that gorgeous trip to Britain to play the Northern Union. The Kangaroos will number 26, and will be picked from the players who show up best between the start .of the competitions, on the last Saturday of this month, and August 5, when they will board the steamer. The chief danger ahead of the League just now is that disastrous complaint known as swelled head. By that sin fell the angels. True, our Leaguers' are not all angels." France Improving at Rugby. Those who witnessed tho disappointing display of the fifteen that succumbed to England at Twickenham early in the year would never have identified the French, team ac the Pare dt Princes, Auteil (saysthe London "Sportsman"), where tho lourth Rugby match between representative sides of France and Wales was played on l'obrnary 28. Wales won by three converted tries to nil. Where the former wns ragged and unconvincing, their combination is now alert and possessed of vigour, and the result, three converted tries in favour of "Wales, to nil, is not only eloquent testimony of this disparity, but is also indicative of a keenly-contest-ed game, bearing in.mind that the full strength of the Principality was in the field.. Several English critics expressed surprise, after the Twickenham rout, that Scottand should .bavo beaten by France., Mr. W. Williams, interviewed at the conclusion of the game, said ho failed to understand how the French could have been so easily , beaten by England, and the. AVelsh .players themselves admitted that they encountered unexpected resistance, and had a. much stiffer task, than against Scotland. Up to the interval not a point was notched. Tho Welshmen made a stern fight of it, and were as resourceful and as brilliant as they have ever been, but they met with stubborn, unyielding opposition throughout, and the fact that two of the tries were derived iron: the only two serious, f ,mistnkes made ■by the..French proves, contest was and-how alert were the-visi-tors.

Tho French forwards mixed matters wonderfully well with their rivals, and it was they who bore the brunt of the battle on this occasion. The Canterbury delegates, will move at the. annual meeting of the N.Z.R.U. that the inter-Island'game be fixed for June 3. The Manawatn Rugby Union has given notice of motion for tho annual meeting of the New Zealand Union that it be granted permission to alter its boundaries. ' The report of the sub-committee on a scheme to givo players ' outside the main centres more opportunities for consideration in the selection of New Zealand and North and South Island teams will bo presented at the annual meeting of the Now Zealand Union next month.