BRITISH RUGBY TEAM.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 148, 23 June 1904, Page 5

BRITISH RUGBY TEAM.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS. HKAVY FOB WARDS— LIGIIT BACKS INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS CRITICISED (From our Sperinl forn-spondent.) BVDXiiY, 17th June. Tho noble sires of Britain of two hundied years ago would have scoiled and have observed "Gadssoolta! 1 "A vaunt!" mid "Hence, deranged one," and other tilings if it had been hinted that their descendants would one day journey fiiteen thousand nulea to decide on the iidds of tho Antipodes the question of supremacy in the manipulation of football 1 Yet, here wo «re, with a cheerful, ruddy check, baud ot s,lurdy youug liiitons,, btout of heart and coiitiUent ot thenskill, halting in Aiuuaiiu beioie ,they continue thuir taxuer tow aids the bouthem tint ot iho eaiiii to aecido the lateiul lull-anon ot the iiugby tupremacy ot tue Jiiiipne 'mo lintish team has already created v favoui-ctb.e nnptea.Mou aure — utt the lit^d. Wliat tliev nmU do in their war panu wo niu-6 ifcHvc til. tu-muirow. It is ihe quiet uumeanor oi tho mun that has cicuied .'■uch a. fa\oiuuble impit!-«io;i, and 1 think New Zcaiandcis will, when the teiim comes your way, enaoibi." tho Aubtrahan \eidic(. 'Lheie is absolutely no jsigu ot tho "lough" eioiiu-nt about, thorn. Xhcro tiro onis or tuo broiiii-feiiouldcred, heuvy limbed, hquaie-j;i\i<:d guntlcnicu umoiig tliem, w)io iook no if they will fight to a iim&h— they «im tho fonvardiv— .but tlic-re is li'jthint,' of tho bunnicts, nor ot tho clwiacterMic granite Jacu.l appe;inuice of tho law, hard, colonial It cannot be said either that them is any of the "Johnny" about Ihe visHoru, but still they o"io "quite Knglihh, you know," in their queer cut jackets and loose il<«»piug vwtilier coats. "A decent .set of fellows' is the enthusiastic comment you hear of those who have tidvelled with them. Thete i« r.ono ol the objectionable in'd of the Kngiish ainaVniir cricketer about them, and lake them for all in all they are much quieter in appearance and m.inner than the ave-r-are lepresentativo Rugby combinations of Australasia. As appearajicos axe deceptive, it; would be wiser to adopt the American plan of not prophesying until you know as to tho physical quality of the combination. Ono thing, they do not look anything like their reputed weights. The forwards are set down as averaging lZst lib, and with few exceptions they aro generally wnnll in stature. Indued, Morgan, the bull hint ilyei, credited with even time, and of being the most dangeioutr threequarter living, is a weo chap, whom New Zi-.ilanderA will have some difficulty in limling. But if the Britishers aie to be bjieved hu rivals «n expert monkey in his trickini'ss. We shall see. As, tho team nu robed into the Town Hall at, Sydney wnh the quaint cries of the song of welenno given to (hem by the To Aute boys ringing in their ears, they' looked anything but a likely lot to face some of tha star forward divisions of New Zealand Ku?by. "They aro light," said Mr. George Stephouson, tho old Otago player who i 3 now v prosperous thcatiicul manager lieitt. "Why," he continued as more of then lilcd in, "Now Zealand will walk over them." Whoever could tell what i-ort of a man Sundow was until lie was si lipped? It nmy.be so with Britain's Rugby players, who may prove thut they <uo not Hourly so inoffensive as they look An opinion was ventured to "Tom" Pauling, who tow cred over tho company, that "Wairarapa or Taranaki would eat them." Pauling did not seem to think fco. "Take my word for it," said the old New Zealand plajer, "these men will strip well." So wo shall therefore have to leavo the question of their physical prowess, which means a good deal "when they have to nieot. the men who aro hardened up with" polar blasts, until they strip. Ono thing, however, stripping will not do — it will not put inches on to them, ami with the exception of several yards of Welsh bone and muscle named Sharlund, mid one or two ollu-rs, there aie not many Uill men amongst the visitors. This six-footed gentleman from Llaandywllylly. dryllwgnadr, or something to that effect, tip-s the beam at 14st 101b. Tho captain of tho team, D. R. Bedell-Sivright, is a splendid typo of joung Scotsman. His voice when he responded for his team Mvcaled his heather-land nativity—a Scot tinged with the ouiture of an £nglish University. I shall be very much surprised if this lusty Caledoifcaii, with his big beaming face and great width of shoulders, is not what we Maorilnuders would call a tip-topper in the > scrum. Bedell-Sivright is a tine looking man with hirgo dark eyes, a keeij expression, and a jaw that looks like business. "If we are beaten," he says, "we will take our beating well, but It niuofc not bo thought that we have come out to play skittles." The physical surprises of the team aro Ihe stars of it— 'the great Welsh four three-quarter line Llewellyn, Morgan, Gabe, and Jowctt. Not one of them is over list, and the famed Llewellyn and Morgan, aro only lOst. 61b each. It is astonishing to a New Zealandor to learn that so little- beef and bone can be so wonderful in the field. Jowet-t, who is actually mentioned in the same breath as Gwynii'Nicholls, acknowledged both in Britain nnd Australia to be one of the greatest of three-quarters, is only lOst. Absolutely the heaviest backs in the team, except the aristocratic looking stranger, Leu t lies, who is' a real heavyweight, are tho ex-New Zealuuders, O'Bnen and M'Evcdy, their weights being list 61b and list 41b respectively. This lightness of the buck division, which is the strength of tho team, sets one thinking. Are we in for a revelation in Rugby ? Can men of that small stature display so much skill as to beat the sturdier and clever players that we produce in New Zealand. If you hazard the opinion to the> confident Britisher that his star thiec-quartDis are light, ho meets you with tho response, "Yes, they aro little fellows, but they are' full of tricks. If wo can only get tho ball wo are (mi© thero is nothing in New Zealand to stop our backs " , Forward Iho team is very weighty. There are eight men over 13st, and they are credited with some foot — but here ifguin the New Zcnlander is *>ct thinking hauler than ever as to what tho struggle on tho Rugby Golds of New Zealand is going to reveal? England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland all tuinWe into the Kcrum together Th«> first, man ii{< puts Iv« head down. Edwards of Ireland, Sharlund of Wales, and Trail of Scotland, may bo the front rankers' in one scrum, onrt in the next they may be in tho back row. I fancy I hear a lingo chuckle across tho Tasinnn Sea. What would ft paii of "hookers" like RvCindley and Young, or Tyler nnd Gallagher, t say to this? "Y/m astonish me." said a Now Zen< lander to one of the Biitishers, "Why th«> serum is one of the bnwic principles of our play in getting possession of the ball." Tlu v gentlemen who are travelling from one end of the earth to the other to play Rugby probably do not want to be taught anything in tho fascinating ait of cxtiacting sustenance from e^i»s. ,So we must lenve it until 13lh August, so far ,-is they ore concerned. If the Britons with a'pcrum formed on this higgeldypiggeldy principle can secure the ball from a team which has men trained for

that special purpose, then *-c are ir fort a painlul discover)-. The Uritij-lici-M all seem to lecognise. that the leal lest of their strength will not lake pime until Ihoy ciohs the Ta.sinun. Soa. TJieir enquiries about >,<.-w- Zealand iire. those ol <umuu?, deeply interest: ed men. A licmendoiu* intucvt, too, wilt follow them fiom tins country to New Zealand. Tit pies-eni one heais far morn discussion as to their ehaueo.-i against Kew Zealand than ugdinst the Austra> Hans. However, to-nwnovs"s con ten may iilk-r all that, and wiih the Britishi'is iq. a soft condition the iN'ew South vvpllb-. men may make .-i good j>ho\r. Une of tin- Britishers who thinks morei of Si. David's Day thfcn any other ii< ihe • - calender, has be=-n gleaning v little istfornvnion übout >»ew Zealand. The Syd-> iiey giounds are veiy hard. Wero tha - fieldrt like that in New Zealand? Bid it ever rain there? "Well — cr — yes-" sometimes," responded a HniM'.e-minded 1 Muuiihvuder, who hud lost bight of tfaa. tiin in hit. country in the heavy mistr" 'or antarctic squalls for weeks together. The Britishers want something soft ta jilny on. It would be a pity "to disappoint them. Could not tonic-thins; like the variegated slush of tk<^ old Kewtowui Park be served up for their entertain* went? The Britishers have set their fuees! ngainH all Sunday entertainment, an* consequently, excursions to Hnwkcsburj 1 on the Snbbnth do not appenr on theii programme. The merabcis of the teai* it ii stated, aie only allowed two sb;l« Hngs a day for extras. Kob much bppor« lunity of r»j storing on that allowance! The following description of the colour^ of the teapj, may be interesting: — The caps arc ot crimson velvet, edged withi white eilk, in the front beim; a kangaroo witn A.A R'.F.T. (Anglo- Australian Bugi by Football Team), 1904, below. Th«l jersey i« hooped in red (one inch). whit* 1 (half-inch), and navy biue (two inches), the Htookiiu;s being durk blue, with the throe colome edging the top, ond tfc*) knickers dark blue. The blazers are als* dark blue, with silver buttons, with, af> a cre*t, the four national emblems (rose* Bhamrock, thistle, and leek), in natunJt colours on a background of white, witJn the initials A.A.R.F.T. The tiei and hall ribbon 3 arc en suite to the jerseys. THEIR FIRST MATCH. A SCENE OF ENTHUSIASM. (FROM OtJB OWN COimESrONDKNT.) SYDNEY, 18th June. It was a thrilling tcene as the Briliak'i cvs took the field to-dayf The splendid) Sydney Cricket Ground was packed. "The people" iwarmed and jostled on. the- lull, the ladies' stand was a mw of colour, noil of the bright hues of summer, but of the , casinos of winter. The- grandstand waft crammed, and the- spectators overflowed oui to the bright green lawn. Clouds of thißi .smoke twiried upwa-rds in the still ais 1 from the thronged smokers' pavilion ; andi • the- bell-loppered, frock-coated swclto huddled together in the members' stand — • ' the greatest crowd ever seen at a football' match in Sydney. That crimson thread again. What true Scot, or Scotcli Australian, was going t«» hold his tongue as the stalwart BedellSivright led Iris men into action? What} Irishman, when he saw Edwards of Ma« lone in his place? What "Taffy" when Ikj saw hi,s wee kinsfolk from JAmsnntffr^idi' Cwndeaddwr ? and what Englishman whew ho saw Crowther, of Surrey, and M'Saunders, of Kent, filing out in the ranks of Britain? Then there was the Australian^ who, no matter what ho does afterwards,, always gives 'the visitor a cheer of xrol* come; and the New Zealander, and the bewildered Maori— all to take part in th«> international welcome. The eager orowd on the hill caugb.4 (sight of the first Britisher a« he trotted down the steps of the pavilion. Handclapping iiKrreassd to cheers, the tars an<fi marines from tho warships threw their hutu in (he air, tho okl people, froia Devon and Durham, waved their sticfeo and umbrellas — and so, with a mighty roar of cheering welcome the Britisher* cut«red tho arena. As to the play, like the ghost in Ham-< let, I must do brief, because I think 1! hear tho Mokoia';* whistle. The. nian wh«^ said tho Britishers would strip well wad rigMt, as they looked quite lumpy in th«U» lizard-striped uniforms. Tho visitors be> gan their career in Australia sensational" ly. Their forwards .^hoved the straggling' blues, and quick, sharp passing carriea the play close to the tonchline. Hera Bush got the ball, took in the position) like- a skilled tradesman, and with a worm dcrful screw kick got the ball between the posts — a marvellous effort. The Eng ■ lisbmen were wild with delight at thi*t " early success, and the- rep. of the little Priuoipality w<is crowded with honouva., Britain 4 points, Ne^v South Wales 0.. Presently an English player whipped tha bali away from tlie scrum to a comrade, who gave us a real tasto of the quality! of the team when they get the ball,. With a shot life© an arrow ho sent it oufr tto ono of the backs out de«p — a beautifufi pass—and how did, the BritisHer ploughi' along, with Morgan, like « liuwk, waiting upon him ! The little Welshman waa given the ball a few yards from the line, and struggled over. To xne itiooked'vcrjV'"*" much as if his feet had rolled into touch. . Even thft Brifcbih liive umpire seeniedi • doubtful about it. However, the referee gnve it, and th© score was — Britain 7,, New South Wales 0. Then a change* came over the scene, and the Britifiherst had very little the best of it. Even thuai early some- of them began to tire. Another thing, they did not get Ac halj too often. However, tenougn was seem of them to show that they know how to make ground with it, but yet there wa« nothing better than wo have seen from crack New Zealand players. In one re* spect tho latter are decidedly better in using the touch. Tire visitors' defence, too,, showed signs of being weak in pkoes, tho blues several times looking dangerous, The Britishers follow up hard, but thes' do not show any real oi'Ulinnce in tho loose. Tho third score showed ouec moixt what dangerous men die English backil are to be allowed to get the ball. Froia some loose work about half way, one ofl the Britishers picked up the * ball, aii Tabby Wynynrcf used to, going at tofh Tho backs swarmed after him, and Moiv g.m finally got it. and bout one of thei sprinters on the New South Wales side. Tho score was increased, and the spelj ended— Britain 12. New South Wales 0. '(Tic second sps-ll I cannot send yon ifij time for this mail. Tho Britishers are* a strong combina* tion, and A'ew Zenlund lmi^t gird up it« loins. I think a representative Xcw Zealand forward team will beat them. espe.. ' dally in the loow, although the visitor? aro clevor with their feet. Behind thfl .scrum, the TJriti.«hcr«« have not kliowh. nny greater combination than the last, New ZealaJid team, but rhvir passing Li sM-iftor. FOR MEETING THE VISITORS. Over throe hours was occupied by tha Management Committee of ihe New' Zealand Union last night in dtacussfng various matters. An enormous amount ol correspondence is being dealt with by th» governing body, and it has an exceedingly busy time in front of it. It is under, stood that the Committee intends to devote its next meeting entirety to matters connected with tho visit of tha English team, and no stone is to be M& unturned to make the best possible ar* rangements in tho interests of the iin» porltvnt engagements it has in hand.