HOW TO BEAT BRITAIN. WHAT OUR FOOTBALL REPRESENTATIVES NEED. PRACTICE AND COMBINATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 147, 22 June 1904, Page 6

HOW TO BEAT BRITAIN. WHAT OUR FOOTBALL REPRESENTATIVES NEED. PRACTICE AND COMBINATION.

After a long .sea vojugc, three days on teiru fitina, Milh but the most limited time. m which to pick up their land-le^ and combination, the invading Uu^liy littfon from lirwil Uiiliiin deinoli.shed by 2V points to nil the elect ••' New {South Wales-, who hud had- the ck>.nue In jnek up combinution in two pievioti.s .stiugglcs with 'Queensland's. leprcventativeß. This simple statement oi the fact and tho incidental circumstances ;ue sufficient to indicate that, howover weak New South WaU-.s may be," these quick short-passing English baelcv, who eomo oil the wjitcij ouc day and play with perfect unity nnd I precision thico days 'after, are no ordinary pluyoui. Reasoning progressively, they will be » veiy lino bit of ltygby mcclianiMu by tho limo they ieach the uhoies of New Zeivluud. They will have all tho advantages of a touring, teuni ; while Nlmv ZciUand, unkws something is done, will have all the disadvantages of a twun pulled together suddonly from all parrs — eti'eettvo individuals who do not lenony one,nnotlier's play. What can uo done lo give the New Zenluiut *iepresonta(ives oppoituuity to come togtther and prfcparo unitedly loi tho big mulch? We have leceived two nigge.-4ton« — one fronv itlr. (J. P. Payne, the other from another gent toman. These we put together, and submit for the considertitifin of the Management Committee of the Now Zealiind Rugby Union, which meets to-night. The obstacle in the way of preliminary puictice is that while Great Britain v. New Zealand is to be played in Wellington on Satin day, 13th August, two othet -notches Ureat Britain v. Otago and Southland (at Dunedin), nnd Wellington v. Tnr.tnaJci (at Hawern;, are fixed Tor WediK-sduy, 10th August. It may also be mentioned tit thiw stage that on tho preceding Saturday, 6th August, Canterbury plays (he Englishmen at Clnis.t church, and Wellington plays Auckland at Auckland. In the ordinary course, on tho Wednesday tho New Zealand representative players in tho' Otago nnd Southland provincial repreeoAlafevve team will be. playing at Duuedin, and the New Zealand representatives in the Wellington and Taiunaki l provihcial tfcamK will be playing at Huwera ; so that there will be no' opportunity for n combined practice of New Zealand reprosenfcofciys* before the Saturday, the day ot the big j tnfttch. whereaa the visitora will be play- , ing tv» a unit all through. J Now, tho .suggestion is that, on the Wednesday, Otago nnd Southland, also Wellington and Turanaki, play minus their New Z~ealan'd " reps. ," who shall meanwhile bo gathering in a central placo j — s-ay, Palmereton North—for practice. ; After tho Wellhrgton-Auoklnnd match in Auckland on Saturday, 6th August, the New Zealand players of Auckland and 1 Welling! on could com© down to New j PW mouth, pick up thore the Tarrmaki chosen, and arrive- at Palincrston North on the Tuesday, 9lh August. On the s.imo day there could gather at the name j place the Canterbury men, the Otogo and Southland men omitted from the Dunedin ini»lch 'against Britain, and all other .chosen players. The next day, I Wednesday, New Zealand* could piny a team rept"es<:nr«tivc of Manawatu, Wanganui, Wainuapa', und Hawkes Bay ; on Thursday faults could be remedied ; luid on Saturday the team would he in as good working order' as could be got iv Ihe time. The only apparent objection to this course is "that tint* of tho provincial te.nns would bo weakened. V?liile New Zealand is playing the middle North Island team on tho Wednesday, Otago nnd Southland will have lo fight minus their nf*ars against the strength of Britain, and Wellington and Taranaki provincial teams, especially Wellington, may be mutually handicapped in their stiugglo with each other. But provincial feeling should, it i« argued, be subordinated to the common, we might almost say national, aspiration. "It will be admitted nil round, "' writes Mr. Payne, "thnt the New Zealand match is the match of tho tour, and the one we desire most to win ; therefore provincial matches should give way to it." Besides, if any one union proves obdurate and lefuses to releaao its stars, tho New Zealand Union has a powerful weapon in that, it can fill their places, for good plnyeis are not scarco, and a good player trained to his place is better than a «tar who goes on his own. Mr. Payne fathers only a part of tho above suggestion, his idea being that two New Zealand practice matchca should be played in and against Wellington, but he "docs not give detuils as to how this can be nrruuged. He jwpplies the following full her argument*; : — '* Apart Irom th& honour of winning this match, wo must not forget the fact that next year wo viMi the Homo Country. Should we loSC here against this team, that tour v ill, to my mind, lose it* interest in Flngland and probably its financial micc*.'sw. As on« of those wlm toured with the Xew Zealand team last year in New South Wales, and maw all matches, 1 am sure tlie secret of their success was combination. The fnither they went and the more matches they 'played, the better they seemed to s;et." Anoi iicr aiguinent in favour of the obove suggestion in that it is understood that Palmeijston "North and Wajigarmi are foimiwlmt iucciuK'd because wlnit might b'.' called the midrNorth T»land match jigaiust Britain whs given to New Plymouth. A match of the- combined distriitti against New Zealand would be an excellent nnd profitable substitute for the coveted Knglush liintcn, and no doubt either Wiinganui or l'almeoiton' North would give, the -New Zealand Union a good guarantee. ,■ But ab'jve nil parochial feeling for or ag.nn.st, is til* aspiration that JSew Z«\land should do il« best to win. Already theiei.tan ominous Veni, vidi, vici sound (ibouti the in\ader'.M emphatic vi«;loij w in Australia. The wish being futher to the thought, tin- Sydney Morning Herald is rubbing nur defeat 'in iv advance. Let New Zealand arise and disappoint our Australian critics. WHY SUBMIT TO ANY PAROCHIALISM? Tho above, i* a summing up of the matter, and the, spiiit of the suggestion* that have been made to us. In our own opinion, (In- gentleman who ii rc«pnn.sih!e f»r most of the di>l;ti!.s us above, has .ihe.uh given iv 100 much to a Mipposcd paimhidlisin — lias allowed foi too much in the way of objections by unions to interfere wirti their provincial fixtures. " On such a rate and supierue ocension us the visit of a Home leiun, when otiv highe-t Rugby effort is called for, provincial fixtuivs ohould not bo considered at nil. Their complete subordination to the ! jjie.iter Now Zealand inteiest should he ta ken' for granted, and no right-minded union .should protest, but fhotild gladly foregri loci I desnes and do its be--t fni the common weal. If neces^aiy, all tho piovineial JLvttue-j :> week iv advance of the big uiaUh should be jiost.poned. The po^stpoiiing .of Wellington's tour would enable all Uie lS'otth Island playPIS' to ho ill WellingJon more thtm a wei-k in -advance, and if L'.ihterbuiy mid Otagu played (jiV-at Britain without their JS'cw Zealand iei)iesentiitivw lv thc whole «V,i-

Zealand team could be in Wellington over a week in advance. If Canterbury played a Tull team, and if OUgo pluynl without its "stars," Iho South Island members could still be in Wellington by the Mond.iy or Tueoday piior In the big nmlch.' No f-aciilice by loe;il unions, and no (i.vpeiwe by the New Zealand Union, .should be spaied to bring about tin,-, ieMilt, for Ihe end much mine than ju.stilies the riieaii<<-. By thus postponing YVeliinglon's Northern tour, and limiling the pei-onuel «( Canterbniy and Otago ag.uiist> Biitaiu, (he New Zealand team as a whole could c.wily have two piepaiatory j)r.ictieo miitchc 1-.1 -'. If the liiiiitnlion applied to Otago alone, the team a.s a whole could play at leoht one prelimiuarv match. But the (irst-inentioiicd of tho two courMM in piefer.ible.