Football. RUGBY NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 133, 12 June 1909, Page 14

Football. RUGBY NOTES.

By "Droplock."

Last Saturday's game between Poneke and Athletic n-as of a quality that would please even "Harry Stopperless," whose recent lamentations about the decadenco of Rugby, made bright reading, and t therefore gained pardon for their poor logic. The contest was between two good sets of forwards whose abilities were r early equal, and two sets of good backs who were well matched for three parts of the game, and would have been so right through but for the collapse of the Athletic forwards. The game was one of frequent changes, both as regards advantage and method. Athletic made most of their attacks by means of theii\ forwards, and in this they were well advised, for their van is their best part, though they possess a couple of very fair backs also. Poneke, however, were so very much superior in the backs that they fairly galloped over Athletic in the last ten minutes, when the blue forwards had been played to a standstill. It was a fine sight to see the Ponoke backs moving in unison at this stage, handling the greasy ball with safety and precision, and working up to positions from which E. Ryan made several runs that proved almost irresistible. This player's methods are very fine indeed, and if he retains his present form he may be trusted to keep the Auckland rearguard anxious when they meet Wellington this season. Summed up, the match of last Saturday was a sterling one, in which there was little fireworks • play, bub a lot of good football ; a game in which good open football was the rule ; one which gave equal opportunity to backs and to /forwards to show the best that was in them ; a rousing game of hard endeavour, with good passes, good running, good tussles amongst the forwards, and smart work amongst the backs Kugby football, in fact, seems to bo getting back to the standard of ten years ago, and there is good reason to hope that in a year or tyro's <hne it will have gained the high level that characterised it in the days when "Harry Stopperless" was an active pursuer of the leather. Mitchinson had "a day on" last Saturday. He is generally "very useful," but he excelled himself in the match against Athletic, and his , occasional faultiness in taking passes was 110 Lin evidence at any stage of this game. E. Ryan, aa already mentioned, was in superb condition ; in fact it was the changing over of Ryan from right wing three quarter to lelt, that proved the turning point in Poneke's fortunes. Poneke lost what should have been a try through a misapprehension on the part of the referee. Ihe ball was booted high by one Poneke back and takea on the full by another, who had sprinted up smartly from behind, ne scored a try with it, but the referee gave him . off-side, under the erroneous impression that he was in front of the kicker when the luck was taken. Another feature of the match that justifies comment is the action of Rapton in throwing away a prospective try, by passing the ball, when all he need have done was to use h''s great weight to carry him over the goal, lino, where only one opponent stood to stop him. The worst otiencc in a Rugby player is that of failing to pass the ball through selfishness. No one could accuse- Rapeon of that. But it is ako a sad happening when a player fails to pase with judgment, and that is exactly what Rapson did. A wise player profits by his own mistakes as well as by those of other people; and a word to the wise is sufficient. | The Athletic backs did well for th* most part, but S. Wilson was disappoiuii ing ; in fact, he and Elliott (Poneke) were not up to the pitch of their fellow players. % Walshe, Poneke, also was below the standard of the day. Murray • and Cunningham both shaped nicely for Athletic. The remainder of the backs on both sides, were neither brilliant nor bad. The Miraniar football fields are in many respects the best in the Wellingi ton district, the polo ground in particular is easily first, when rain has fallen. When the Athletic Park is a puddle, Miraniar is nice and springy, just, a lit- ; tie damp, but never muddy. It is in ' facilities for accommodating players that ; Miramar is so deficient, 'lake the polo grounds. The men undress and dress in the open, where he or she who runs may see. That is not all, for footballers are | hardy enough as a rule, but there is at I present no water to be had-, for drinking on the polo ground. Somebody has kindly let tho superfluous iiuiti away from 1 the tank. Nor are there other conveni- | ences, such as shower-baths, washingj basins, and the rest. All these deficieni cies make the aftermath of football most ■ unpleasant. Anybody can tell a car oi | footballers as it passes. Then there is 1 the cold journey home by tram or by boat, attended by no little risk. A simple dressing shed with a tank of water, a few basins, and other minor conveniences, would do much to make a football trip to Miramar more of a pleasant | Saturday afternoon- thai it is at present. If the union has any money to spare, it could not do better than devote it to such a purpose. There was a yeiy clear and useful object-lesson provided jointly by the two senior games at Miramar last Saturday. 'Ihe facts are these: Oriental suffered an ignominious defeat through the absence ot their sine qua non, Fred i Roberta, and again Victoria College, af- | tor having decidedly the better ot their game with Mcl rose, were unable to grasp the victory through the absence from their team of such a player as Roberts. There are players who are really indispensable when it comes to a pinch. With a football fifteen it is a case of "united we stand, divided wo fall," as much as it is with the British Empire or a trestle bridge. Take away the bond and awa" falls the structure. Now, Roberts does act in this_ way as a bond or a keystone, or a hinge or a lever, or any other indispensable land of connecting link in the football fabric. The openings in the attack in the match against Petone were almost wholly due to him. Ha is unable to play against tho Old Boys ; the link is missing, and away go the hopes of the Orient.. M'Leod played gamely enough, but without Roberts ho loses half hjs value. He was too light for the position on Satiirday, quite unable to stand up to Harry Avery, who was out to make the victory secure. With all these reservations, however, Old Boys are entitled to a great deal of credit for a hard-won fight against tho toam that displayed such form against Petone. Their victory should encourage them after their winter of discontent to hope for a spring of better things. They have a very fine forward team of keen, active stalwarts, and a worthy leader in Avery. There is one thing, however, where they excel in no desirable manner. They make- far too much noise on the field. There never was such a team of talkers as the Old Boys. One cannot imagine ' fifteen lawyers making more ado about i mostly nothing. Their captain told them to ihut up several times on Satwr- ■ day, but still it went on. And this is 1 all the more peculiar, as College football 1 is usually a silent game, like whist. Still, ' a boy does ehango, when he becomes a i man. [ Over on lh& other field Victoria ColJ lege were running all over Melrose foil wards, but had nothing to show for it. . The return of De lv, Mare, always a staunch stand-by to. the College, in the

hour of need, has strengthened the vanguard immeasurably. One would hesitate to pick a better forward team in the loose than Victoria College, on the form they showed last Saturday. They did well enough in the scrum, too, and fully held their own. The College backs have the makings of a good combination among them, but unfortunately there is one man missing. Duncan on the wing is very fast and can take a pass, but he plays a headless game. He ought to have scored at least twice in the second spell as a finish to some very neat passing across the line of attack. A swerve would have carried him through, but he went on into touch instead. His defence is very weak, far too ladylike for football, as she is played. He tackles somewhere in the neighbourhood of his opponent's manly brow, instead of low, low every time. These are points for a player with a fine turn of speed and sufficient pluck to take to his man, if he knew how. The supersession of Hamilton by Phillips at full-back has strengthened that weak spot beyond recognition. Phillips was very satisfactory indeed on Saturday. Individually the other backs were all reasonally up to the mark. Amadeo scored a very fine try by one of his blind side evolutions, for which he has a notoi'ious propensity. O'Leary played a solid, strong game, and kicked very well, except when he had an easy chance at goal. Out on the wing, Berendson enhanced his reputation by one or two plucky runs and two or three good screw kicks. De la Mare was, of course, the pick of a good lot of forwards, and of him it is safe to echo a sentiment heard after the game that had he been playing for any other team but the College he would have .been in the reps, long ago. That, however, is one of the penalties of patriotism. Of Melrose, a team with a superiorreputation, there is not so much to say. They were not brilliant. Ryder was outclassed afc full-back, Greeks and Beavis and Marshall were only middling. Murphy and King were the pick of tho forwards. King did a very clever bit of intercepting in the first spell, which deserves just the mention. Though Petone had to climb a bit, up to half -v. ay, the remainder of the Southern wall was ea&ily attainable. The ball played leapfrog now and then on the lumpy, bumpy Petone recreation ground, and, too often, it was a sad thing to wait for {lie bounce. The Southern team put up a game fight, but were overmatched, especially in the second spell, when the local team's superiority behind the pack was too prominent. The play during the lirst half may have been hard football, but it certainly was not attractive. The combatants galloped wildly and promiscuously about the field, met and bumped, disentangled themselves, and ag,ain took to the trail, "the hard trail, the old trail, etc.," with unabated vigour. Meanwhilo the elusive ball led the chase, and the strenuousness of the fight was something to marvel at. Still, if there was -little sparkle about this spell, there was earn••est endeavour in it, with more kicks than glory. To begin with, the scrum work was bedraggled and futile ; on the line-out the play was not clean or clever, the players being inclined to play the man too much. What avails tho lowering forward if he gets the ball, and — immediately surrounded as he mostly is — endeavours vainly to set off with it, with human anchors dragging? Some of the handling, however,* was safe and satisfactory, and some of the kicking good. It is true, too, that a heavy cross-wind did all it could to open *up the game, but notwithstanding these reservations, Petono v. Southern, first spell, does not call for loud approval. Play during the last half of tho contest improved considerably, tho outstanding feature being the clever business of Green, M'Kenzie, and Corson, who set a 2.20 -gait — which was rather rapid for tho ponderous Southern forwards. It is only fair to Southerns to mention that, mostly, they played with fourteen men. Their full-back was present, but, on the day, he was almost a negligible quantity. lie displayed no brilliance. In the crises he was a man bewildered and overwrought, and, as lull-back, was out of hia place, literally and otherwise. J. P. Harris played with spirit, and Jack and Les. Campbell were always as prominent as they wore permitted to be. The latter was on« oi the best forwards on the ground, and his penalty goal was a clinking good one. The Petone fifteen included several juniors, who wero not out of place in the team. Hardham, Nankivell, M. Ryan, and Tresize were standing down, through injuries (not "influenza, ' a& other hands than the writer made it on Saturday evening). Ryan (3), and all the backs had a good time after the interval, Will Ryan shining among the forwards. His brothers put up a fast, strong, and fair game. Green and M'Kenzie streaked and dodged, to the evident satisfaction of the local supporters, while Corson raced, through several times in dashing style. Arrowsmith and M'Fariane, up from the juniors, proved excellent substitutes, the former being always in the forefront of the pack. M'Fariane demonstrated that he has an accurate and hefty boot by propelling several goals. There is a lady follower of Poneke whose excited squeakings have come to be as well-known in the grandstand of the park as 'Arty FullfoTd's lemon 6 are on the field whenever the "red and blue" jerseys appear there. If a Poneke effort seems to be leading up to a try the squeal commences, and as long as the rush continues so do the squeaks, until they terminate in o, positive squeal of delight ac the red and black team scores a try. The general effect is so ludicrous that many a supporter of the team that is being vanquished finds himself "wreathed in smiles," when in reality his heart is "sick with sorrow." A question of how best lo deal with tho case of a player who scores a tTy after being tackled a yard outside the goal line, was discussed at last Monday's meeting of the Wellington Referees' Association, and it was decided to refer the question to the [Revision Committee, and ask that committee to submit a ■report to tho next conference of the New Zealand Referees' Association. It seems to this writer that the association would do better if it discussed more important matters than this. Too great a dibpo.Mtion exists at present, amongst a few of the referees, to split hairs about interpretation points. The most successful referee in Wellington about five or eight years ago was noted amongst players for not troubling himself concerning "ha'r splits." "Give mo old ," remarked a player to me; "he doesn't go in for all these fine points, but he does give yer justice!" And that represents the proper attitude for a reieree. There gjre well-known rules which form a good rule of guidance, and referees should weave a tissue of logical application around them, instead of trying to arrive at a mathematical demonstration of what they mean, and sometimes missing an obvious breach whilo i they are puzzling their brains with an ; unessential problem. If a man who is ', tackled one yard from the line is not to be allowed to score a. try, what is lo . be done in the case of a man tackled i one inch from it? Besides, a referee- [ who is about fifteen yards in direct rear of the player, which occasionally hap- • pens, can scarcely tell whether the playcf 13 a yard outsido the line or jxisfc over it. ■ The pursuit of such academical points ■ as this latest one should bo discouraged, . to far as Rugby is concerned. ) A certain critio in a. conteuporary has

written recently in doleful mood on the decay of Rugby football, as he imagines it — "autumn tints, dropping of leaves, poison in the trunk" and "flickering Rugby candle— ten years will see it blotted with Egyptian blackness" and bo forth. He attributes the degeneracy of the game, as he alleges, to "gasconade — gasconade is killing Rugby, 1 ' and in bright verse charges contemporary critics with over-praising play and'players. ' From the shrill hyperbole ! Libera Nos, Domine. To him "Dropkick" addresses the following lines :—: — When Ann dispenses football wit In rhyme liKe any Spenser, She really makes a job of it, for understandings denser; Come, what about that Latin bit? Ask any handy censor. Chorus : Let Ann disport diabo'.o, A butter recreation, And all will sing "Lavs Domino!" tor such a dispensation, Hear, hear, Ann, dear, For such a dispensation. .Poor Ann descantb upon the times, And vaunts her own dominion. As supreme critic of the Mimes, And football Jlounkerinian. Let Ann descend fiom lofty rhynjßß, Hear popular opinion. Chorus : Let Ann, etc. Let Ann discourse on any match, Hystericnl hasbinster, And, if you look around, you'll catch The flicker of a grin stir, Hie reader of a purple patch By that old-fashioned spinster. Chorus : Let- Ann, etc. When Ann described the chivalry Of Wales and England banded, What Sybil fell in prophesy?— Who told us how each man did, Who used the shrill hyperbole, Who sang the paean?— Ann did! Chorus : Let Ann, etc. When Ann discerns the near" demise Of football, once athletic But now degenerate, her sighs Are really quite pathetic; "There's poison in the tree," she cries, And calls for an emetic, Chorus : Let Ann, etc. Nay, Ann, discard that sable shield De&cry from heights Andean A fairer, brighter football Held, And drink the cup Lethean; Let storied past to future yield And sing another paean. Chorus : let Ann dismiss her tale oi woe For cheerier narration, And wo will sing "Lavs Domino" For such a leiormation, Hear, hear, Ann, deai 1 , For such a relormation.