FOOTBALL..

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 150, 25 June 1904, Page 9

FOOTBALL..

POINTS OF ENGLISH PLAY. MR. M. AIAHKS'S IAIPRESSIOXS. Being a keen follower of Rugby for ninny yeais in Xcw Zealand, and having seen the recent internationai. at Home, and Ihe .still more recent Great Britain v. New South Wales match at. Sydney, Mr. Marcus Alarks, who arrived by Iho Mokoia on Wednesday afternoon, cvn tell New Zcalaiidor.s .something about tno points of Ei!gli«h Rugby. "Tho passing," Bays Mr. Alurkh, "is moro accurate, there is more combination among the. backn, and the back play is moro attractive, than in New Zealand. The forward play is not so good. There is no niching in solid phalanx, like with our forwards." "Ts ib that playing very much to the backs litii taken &oincthing off the forwards?" "Very possibly. If our forwards do not burst up the English backs — which I think they will do, you wjll see some of tho best back play ever seen here. Of course, when a very .strong team meets a weak 0119, as was the ense. in Sydney, the qualities of the strong ono sjom to be .superlative. Theie bt no lugging with tho J'juglishman — a back never waits to ho tackled, and M'hen the boll is in touch they have it in again in a couple of seconds; tho forwards aro smart in getting up. In my opinion, tho backs are decidedly capable of giving a finer display in attack than anythirg 1 have s-cen in Now Zealand. Although in my opinion the present English team is not so good ,i.s coidd be got from all parts of thp United Kingdom, not being wholly composed of internationals, plill, it is very little behind iho best international form. In Sydney the backs ynw a better display I him was given in any of the international!* I saw at Home." "Do you .soy that with allowance for the weaknc?s of New South Wales!" "That is hard to do. In haying it tht weakness of tho ono tcum must be considered, gtill, tho play was most attractive. " "Is theiv any individual brilliancy among the backs?" "Bush (half-back) is a very fine man, and Morgan nnd Llewellyn (the Welsh pair), at three-quarter, are champions — fnst, and they run fairly straight. 1 ' "Straight running must bo important when there are four three-quarters to come into action?" "Thot is so. Tho backs aro not only fast, but their pawing is very accurate, and- they never seem to look round when they pass— they always'know tln> man ia there. Bush and Alorgan often beat a couple of men with dodgy runs. They and -Llewellyn are all players of sound judgment. I have not had much opportunity of judging, but I am prepared to belWe the strength of the English backs lies in attack, not in defence. lam inclined to think their defence ,venk, and I am supported in that by the fact that tht Welsh team, which has supplied two of the best backs to this fifteen, wns weak ag.tjifAt tho Irish team." "Tho principle has sometimes been laid down that attack is the beat defence. You think thot if tho English team could not ho stacking all the timo, th© backs might then prove wenk defenders!" "I was not impressed with their dofence. I don't think that in any of tho international* I saw a three-quarter collated ; he always let go the ball." " A flying back game- of that sort with four three-quarter* mutt be «. hnrrlcnno?" "It is. Though I would like to se« our forwards burst them up, it would bo a de.id loss to mis« it. The rule \ulh the forwards nu to packing is 1 First up, first down.' I might add lhafc fho members of tho team aro fino in appearance, 5 manners, and wnya, and ar« gentlemen." Mr. Marks further stated that when in England he *nw Mr. Rowland Hill (secretary of the English Rugby Union) as to making it cortain that tho Knglish team should visit' New Zealand ns well aa Australia. He pointed out to Mr. Dill that if tho tenm came to Now South Wales, and beat tho players there hollow — which ib uoukl— people in England would not be ablo to dissociate New Zealand from Australia, and would think, when the New Zealand team came Homo next year, that it had beeu beaten by "a scratch English team." Therefore, it was efsential that the English team should go to New Zealand, Aero tho Now ZcaTanders would win or givo tho Englishmen such a closo go that New Zealand's footboll reputation would bo made when its team camo to Groat Britain next year ; and that would add to the chances of the success of xsow Zealand's tour Ilome. Mr. Hill thought tho argument a good one, used his influence to further it, and finally wroto that tho extension of the tonr to Now Zealand had been arranged. "But," addod Mr. Muiks, "it is absolutely essential, at any cost, to get 'the NewZealand team together a sufficient timo boforo the match Great Britain v. Now Zealand, to enablft lsew Zealand to win. On that victory will depend the success of Now Zealand's tour Homo next year. At any expense the team should be gdt together, oven a fortnight beforehand. Suppose Otago and Auckland beat tho Lnglishmai, and New Zealand is beaten, it is tho New Zealand match that will bo counted at Home." Speaking moro particularly of tho terms and conditions of tho projected tour Homo next year, Mr. Marks stated that he had interviewed Mr. Hill ro tho terms and the chances of tho tour paying, and had represented what was required by Now Zealand. 110 understood that the offer subsequently mado from Homo soomod ■sufficiently satisfactory to the Now Zealand Union. x\s regards the guirantco given, he thought that far moro than tho guarantee would bo taken at tho matches if wo sent Homo a good team, able to win ,or hold its own. If the team could not hold its own in internationals, thorc was a possibility of the guarantee not being exceeded } but tho peoplo nt Homo would take a tremendous hit rest If wo beat their champions. Is not tho principal obstacle to sending Home a strong: team tho Laws of Professionalism? Air. Murks admitted that "this bother' 1 did exist. But ho was convinced that a good team of single men, who could go Homo without breaking Iho Laws of Professionalism, could bo sent. Wo could always in New Zealand got a second fifteen about as *good as tho first. But it was a pity those laws prevented tho payment to players of out-of-pocket expenses. Ho thought tho reason why Association iootball was so. much moro popular at .Home than Rugby wns that Association, unlike Rugby, allowed professionalism, and in all cases professionalism appeared to draw a larger crowd than amateurs drew. Professionalism in cycling was an in«ttinco. He could sco no other reason for Af-sociation's greater popularity. Association admits professional.*, Rugby docs not, yet cricket doe.*) ! Mi. Marks roplied thai his opinion was that the Tory aristocracy had had to admit the professional into cricket, because — the county matches being weekday affairs and running into two or thtco days — noTe could play in county cticket "»avo tla- wealthy man or the professional. Rugby, on tho other hand, being a fialunjay afternoon jvamo hifting but a short time, the controlling paople contended that tho piofe&sionnl wns not wanted. And to Association has collared the

foothill rrowtl fiom Rugby by admitting the professional? That is yo.