Untitled

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 150, 25 June 1904, Page 14

Football.

RUGBY. [B* DRorKioK.] THE ENGLISH TRAM'S FIXTURES. June 25 — Now South Wales, at Sydney. Juno 29 — Metropolitan Union, at Sydney July 2 — Australia, at Sydney. July 6 — Northern Union, at Newcastle. Visit to Queensland. July 27 — Northern Border Unions, at Aumdnle. July 30 — Austral in, .it Sydney-. August 6 — Canterbury, West land, and South Canterbury, at Christ church. August. 10 — Otitgo and Southland, nt Dnncdin. August 13 — New Zetland, at Wellington. Augu&t 17 — Tnrannki, Wnngnnni, and Manawatu, at New Plymouth. August 20 — Auckland and Poverty Bay, at Auckland. August 27 — Combined Count ry, at Sydney August 31 — Metropolitan Union. September 3 — New South Wales, at Sydney. It is argued that point has been given to the general crusade against rough football by the unfortunate death of Edgar C. Thomson. Personally, the writer fails t/n sec the. connection. There is no evidence that tho death of Thomson was caused by unduly rough play. It -was, a.i far ns the evidence can .show, an accident, and quite apart from tho matter of rough play in general. With tho condemnation of this latter the- writer entirely concurs. What evidence is there that tho death of Thomson was the 'result of loughplay? The Wellington morning paper, with a. subliinoly ridiculous disregard for tho facts, says: — "This young man's death was the result of a kick received while playing Rugby football. Of thnt thcro is no doubt." As a matter of fact, there is scarcely any doubt that the knock was not tho result of a- kick. The only witness who deposed that Thomson was kicked is tho captain of his team ; on tho other hand, the referee saw nothing but tho knocking of hends. This made a balance ; but when deceased's own statement mado to Dr. Logan is added, tho kick theory is completely exploded. Thomson flared that ne knocked his head against an opponent's head. And surely ho was tho mini who ought to have known. What ,is tho importance, of whether you knock another man* hoad -with your head or your bool? Simply this — that a man who kicks may have a motive to injure, but surely no man would hurt himself by trying to injure another by butting head against head. Tie would havo to be abominably (bick-liojdcd in both senses. Tho hend-in-stomach blow is not unfamiliar, but head against head I As there is no evidence- of motive to injure, tho man whoso head accidentally caused the mischief might ns well have come forward. At tho same time, as tho thing wm evidently a pure accident, there is no sense in shrieking for him after the manner of tho Times. It is almost certain that, the police can get his name, if they wish to. In his own interest, ho might •as well have conic forward. His failure to do so may create tho impression that perhaps ho is a player noted before for dealing hard knocks. Probably his nonappearance h moro an. error of judgment than a fear of tho light. Perhaps what has contributed to this error of judgment is tho talk about manslaughter, and involved quotations from legal text-books. Tho text-book apparently says tJiat -where- an net, hiwful b\it dangerous, is dono without due caution, a chargo of manslaughter may arise. In this particular act there seems to have been nothing unlawful, nothing thnt was apparently dnngoroua, and no unduo absenco of caution. Tho .argument about manslaughter, in fact, proves too much. For instance,, in a hundred ways, by a hundred minor concussions, n delicate bloodvessel of tho brain may become injured, and lead to the suffusion of blood that causes death. Tho knocking of heads with considerable violonco may occur in a hundred, accidental Mays. fha eagerness of two gentlemen to pick up a lady's pocket handkerchief has been, known to do it. If one of them died, would tho other bo liable for manslaughter, and would Iho girl bo an accessory? And would it also become necessary to pasa a law forbidding all women from using pocket handkerchiefs? And might not any substitute therefore bo fbuud to bo equally dangerous? It is as easy to crnno to these conclusions from tho handkerchief incident, as it is to prove, from tho fact that deceased and an opponent knocked their heads, that tho opponent did it with motive to injure, that on innocent net with futal consequences amounts ., to manslaughter, and that it is a ground for indicting the Rugby game. As a matter of fact, Rugby has, quite apart from this ono accident, become, too rough. It is tho referees who can check this. If tho referees use- double their prcfcCnt strictness in regard to rough play, if thy are supported in their oneious task by the. unions and by public feeling, if they penalise wild kicking, and order off tho, fieM repeated offenders, and if the unions disqualify such ofFcndcis for life instead of re-bearing and white-washing — tho game will aoon be clean. Pis-qualify any unfair player, no matter how much of a "star" lie may be. Apropos hitting another man's head with your own, there mny be persons who can do it without self-injury, and who may also prefer it as a method of nt» tack ; but the writer hns only seen ono mich in New Zealand. Ho was a gentleman who was credited with having performed tho font of successively lifting twelvo largo becr-bottlei from a bar counter and breaking them on his head in as many seconds ; his scalp having only tho protection of « soft hut. lie \ya» arrested by tV. police, not. for _na« asß&tllt on the "hot tlus, but for imbibing too much of their content*. In tho ceil he amused the constables by Ftiiking his head against the six inches thick heart of kauri walls, with a noi-.e Unit could bo hcatd out tide four hundred yardH away. Writer got an opportunity (not a forced ono) to fco in and view the performance, "(live us Homo for luck, Jimmy," loniarkcd the guardian of the pence, and Jimmy smilingly gave lintf a dozen for luck, till the wall rang like an anvil. And as tho pressman departed nlontf tho street ho could still hear in the distance tho chtrrful enthusiast, bumping awny against tho heart of kauri— "for luck." According to tho Auckland Observer "Morry" Wood Intends to like up tho gamo aijain, and in going to piny for Ponoonby. The man in the utrcet to already at work picking hib fanny team to repiepent New Zealand against tho KnglMimen,*" and writer fficnls from nfnr the odour of defunct player*— men dead pa fni a,n their foorball careers tuo concerned. There is nothing flint dicn hnrrf<-r than a oncc-cstabli^hecl football reputation, ar.d the question ari.se*, will piet-ent foim or pa.«t deeds lx> tho Immh on which the. fifteen it *ek«'led? Tho fr.un which went

ovor lv> Austi.tba last year tame buck with .1 biilli.uil record, but oven in tlml combination theie wore nu-ii who had fought their fk'ht for the eau. i e ot Rugby, and although they may ha\c tl'ino fauly woll, their pLieis nii> r lit have been better filled by yoim^tr plajvis. 'I'ho helot lion ctimiiiitlce has _a wide Held to ihoos-o hum, and in it's next effoil mii,ht well crdoavour to rid the team of tho football "hits been." 1 The Englishmen cannot have been in Iho pink of condition for the fli>»t match in Australia, and their success under tho circumstances loads 0110 to bolicvo that they will give tho New Zo:il.uuloi.s a hard tight. They will havo ono gient advantage, and that will bo combination, for it is almoet hopeless to expect our tenm to pet any piactioe before tho day of the match. PorteotiM, the Dunedin wing forward, is s.i id by an ■exchange to have played Iho game of his life in a recent match, doing the woik of half a dozen men, and ipeoiving tho knocking about of at. least that number. No doubt ! We Irivo scon a great deal too much of this style of wing play, and it i.s the brawny hustling wing tlmt bus In ought this paiticular style of play into disrepute. Tho wing who cannot play a good game without receiving Iho knocking about of half a dozen men i." not the sort of player who improves football, and the New Zealand selection commit too should not have much hesitation ns» to who .should repicsent the colony if it oaino to a question of choosing between a player of tho hustling order and one who plays tho legit imnle and heady wing game. We havo had nt kast ono sample of the latter stylo visiting Wellington this r;uawm ' > Kicrnan, the well-known Auckland half-back, who was leporrod to hnvo given tho game up at the beginning of tho season, but who later donned the jersey — no doubt, with tho object of trying to get a place- in another New Zealand team— seems to bo, getting back to form. Referring lo his piny last week, tho Auckland Observer tnys ho waa always prominent in tho open play. lie rarely got tho ball from tho pack, but cleverly intercepted the opposing backs' pawing, and onco got clear away. Tho Auckland writer is of opinion that Kicrnnn is coming back to his best. form. Tho Canterbury-Wellington representative fixture has been «;t down for the 20th August, and w ill bo plnyed nt Wellington. Wellington and Auckland will meet at Auckland on tho 6th August. Tho Otago representative team will commenco its northern tour in August. According lo an exchange, the full back will probably be Booth, who played in that position for the South Tslaud team two years ago. Baxter (wing thrco-qunr-ter) and Bennett (centra) aro two certainties, but tho other wing will take a hit of picking. Ilislop will be scrum half, although Nees, who has been playing in Knglaud for a few years, and who is a really clever half, i« also likely to bo token. Tho five-eighths will probably ho Muuro nnd Collie. Tho selector's hardest task will bo to pick tho forwards of whom I'orleoli* ftnd Given aro practically the only two certainties. Ono or two should win their rep. cap for Hie first time. Altogether twenty men will be taken on tour. A Chrijtchurch resident has offered a suggestion in regard to a means of stopping accidents on the football field. His idea is that, when iho next bad accident occurs, proceedings (or substantial damages should be taken in tho Comts against tho player who Is responsible. Ho nays that in- somo eases tho injuries sustained ate the result of a. brutal and criminal negligence, and in .olhcis, ho fears, they are really the result of a do« sire to wreak a petty *pito against an opposing player. Ho urges that if it wan known that proceedings would probably be taken, jis in a street accident, tho number of "injuries in the football field would be considerably lessened.