FOOTBALL.

Evening Star, Issue 12885, 7 August 1906, Page 8

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY. [By Rkverkb.] The following table shows the positions of he clubs engaged in tho senior grade contest:—

OTAGO REPRESENTATIVE MATCHES. August 15. Against Southland, at Invercargill. August 18.—Against Southland, at Dunedin. September B.—Against Canterbury, at Christchurch. September 12.—Against Manawatu, at Palmerston North. September 15.—Against Wellington, at . Wellington. September 19,—Against Wanganui, at Wanganui. The victory achieved by ’Varsity on Saturday was popular and well-deserved. It triumph of an accumulation of skilled habit over more or less unskilled determination. This accumulation of skilled habit has boon acquired by a long succession of weekly daylight practices extending over years, and the result as we see it now is no more than the effort deserve-;. As was remarked last week, tho remit of the ’Var-sity-Alhambra contest ought to finally decide the superiority of field practice over talks in a hall. , grand feature about the ’Varsity game |3 the attention which the Bluos have paid lately to the improvement of their forward game. They are now playing the forward business with a dash and vigor which was previously lacking, and the, best te-stimonial that they could have got was the spectacle of Alhambra refusing line-outs and taking scrums. It would be difficult to particularise the best forwards in the team—all were excellent—but, generally speaking, to state that there are eight better forwards in the Otago team than Foote is only another way of saying that thc sole selector hardly knows the rudiments of his business. Absolutely the best player on the ground was Wi Repa, His try was a beautiful effort, and if he had not touched the pulse of victory when he did it is hard to say whether or not the game might not have ended in a sombre draw. I understand that this player was placed at five-eighths by the wisdom of Ibe club coach, and practically by nothing else. For years past the public have never given him a hearing. Neither have 'tome of his own club. But Saturday’s game, and some preceding Saturday’s games, have “raised him some.” and wisdom is finally justified of her children. Gilroy came to light. His try, like King s, was simple—that is to say, simple for the clever, but difficult for lesser lights If this player were not gifted with the analytical turn of mind he would probably succeed even better than he did on Saturday. In this connection it is worth recalling that a Sydney paper once printed these remarkable words: “On the tour Ran jitsinjhi is going to write cricket for various papers. He will probably make few runs as long as he remains a winter. The habit of mind which is favorable to analysis is not favorable to achievement.” In the ’Varsity team the thing is well exemplified by comparing the two ’Varsity wings. The Alhambra side of the game is easily summed up. If they wished to score with their backs there was no hope of doing so from the scrum. For one. thing, Knowles was too slow in getting the ball away ; for another, the Blues’ backs were, man for man, fast enough to catch any two Reds, bo the only chance which the Reds had was to draw the Blues’ backs out of position with a furions forward attack. A correspondent in yesterday’s issue, urging the claims of Lomas for “rep.” honors, states that he played behind a beaten pack. Maybe they were beaten a little, but for the purposes (if victory they were not beaten enough. Indeed, it is doubtful if they were beaten at all. Southern, after having had a not very smooth passage in the early part of this season’s race, pnt in a very strong finishing run down the straight. On Saturday they scored a very meritorious win over Kaikorai. As Southern have the bye next Saturday, thc season is over for them. They were playing such an improved game that they were looking for more scales before the winter ended. It was a forward game at Tahuna. Both packs played well, but the Southern pack, who are now almost as formidable as ever, got the_ best of things. In general, the less said of the back play the better. Kaikorai made innumerable mistakes behind the scrum, and the Southern backs simply waited for these and profited by them. “ Very shoddy back play all round,” was one player’s verdict. Booth was about the only back in good form for Kaikorai. but he got some assistance from Johnson. Of th.eir forwards, Porteous. M'Donald, Adamson, and Cubitt were all playing up to reputation. The two Caseys and Sheehan (forwards) and Shirley, Eckhold, and Chambers (backs) deserve honorable mention for Southern.

Dunedin beat Pirates by 3 to nil in a game that was for the most part very much of a scramble, none of the men being able to keep their feet on the slippery ground at Carisbrook. The attendance was so small that when the hailstorm came on the whole crowd found some sort of shelter under the lee of one umbrella. The feature of the game was the gallant attack of the Pirates’ forwards in the second spell. Three or four times they seemed sure to score, but the luck was against them, and in one way the speed l of their fast men— Wilkinson, Fenwick, and G. Nicholson—■proved a snare, as these three several times raced away from their supports and were disposed of by the better combination of the Dunedin team. Kelly, the Dunedin full-back, is always a difficult man to get past. Once in the second spell he slipped to a sitting posture whilst in the act of arresting a rush, but managed to.hinder the attacking party and thus prevent a score. The Pirates’ backs shaped well individually, Wyinks fielding safely, Hayes (wing three-quarter) saving a lot of ground in the first spell by Hjs fielding and touchkicking, Clark doing capitally at half, and G. Nicholson playing a very'dashing game all through. But these and the other backs never seemed to have any plan. It was in this respect that the Dunedin backs showed superior play. The passing from Clarke to M’Phail was always sure, and when either Turnbull or Gollan came next some clever play could ne safely prophesied. Teesdale did all right, too, but he was consistently unfortunate. Of the forwards, the best on the Pirates side wore Fenwick, Wilkinson, and Denniston. and of the Dunedin pack Paton, Fitzpatrick, and Whelan. Taking the game as a whole, the honors were as nearly as possible equally divided. FACTS. At the end of the-jclub season last year I wrote The success of the University this year is very gratifying, and had they won the flag their victory would have been the most popular ono in town. . This is the first season the Light Blues have done so well, and it is to be hoped that next year they will again be seen in as good form as that which marked their play this year.” lam indeed pleased to know that they have gone cne better this time, and have won the nremiership for 1906—-the first time it has gone to the Varsity in the history of that club. Their success is well deserved. They have played consistently well, and have given the finest exposition of the game of any team in town. _ My heartiest congratulations to Captain Adams, his men, and their coach, whose services have boon invaluable.

Every team in town has gone down before the Light Blues, who, however, had two or three hard fights. The only game they did not win was the first match against Alhambra, last year’s nrenuers, which ended in a draw. They had evenge however, on Saturday, when they Macks. Wm agamst th c Rod-and-j4The*L“vSv,'e S„ ,>liiye ‘ l pujS to a» twd w Year was - Pi J „ Thtnr re «>rd last S'K 121 ’ & r ay ß6 16 n r o-ir'° a ’ l^ st championship points 16 Kaikorai .and Southern tied for third P A?Cr\ g 5’ 3, and drawing A ham bra had to "hre two of their old *5 U.S'W- 3nd Philips) Sat? sto y n I ' osu ?S thc devices of Johnf°" and M Benzie. The forwards plaved thougb some afterwards complaaned of too much “ scrum.” in top match that attracted most attention secol jd grade competition on Satth,t Same botween Dunedin and Alhambra, the result of which, it is understood decides thc nremiership. Dunedin won by 14 points to 10. spn^ cdm i - have had a most successful l Whlch bas heca well earned. in y hoto Ve I ° f real good Pjayers i both first and second, and better things may even be expected from them next year. The All-Black members of the Taranain team thoroughly enjoyed their stay in Dunedin, and had a particularly pleaAi"n lheir old "Casey, M Donald, Johnston, and Booth. Glasgow, another Taranaki member of he famous New Zealand team, captained the Wainawa. team at Hastings (Hawke’s Bay) last week. Of the f OU r matches played between University and Alhambra, the former have won 2, the Alhambra 1, and 1 nas been drawn. The two matches lost by ’Varsity last season were against. Kaikorai and Alhambra. They also had a draw with the Blue-and-Blacks. i® current report, in Dunedin (says the ‘Southland Times’) that the Union intend, at an early date, to make a strong effort to purchase thc Caledonian bronnd outright from the Caledonian Society. ru^m 33- " 16 pa P er - in ita report of the Utago-Taranaki match, says :—“ It savs very little for the Taranaki pack that, with thc advantage of over a stone oer man in weight, they could neither hook the ball nor obtain it bv pushing thc Otago scrum back. In fact, for a crowd of their weight the Taranaki forwards gave the ‘ deadest ’ exhibition seen for a long time on the Caledonian Ground. Loveridge was the only man who seemed at all alive to his responsibilities.” University had the same number of points (o2) scored against them in their eleven matches this year as was recorded against them for the same number of games last season. Thc writer in the Hawera 'Star’ was correct in his prediction that the match against Otago would be tlie hardest of Taranaki’s Southern tour. The ‘ News ’ also remarked ; •“ More interest is being taken in this game than in any other fixture in the tour.” After the match the Manawatu ‘Standard wrote;—“ The news of Taranaki’s defeat caused considerable surprise amongst local followers of the game. The event was the topic of conversation on Saturday night.” “We do not vouch for the truth of the rumor that the defeat of the Taranaki footballers by Otago has had the tendency to decrease the value of oil shares, anil has also caused a slumn in the price of Taranaki cotter at Home.”—‘ Taranaki News.’ . The football contributor In the Hastings ‘ Standard ’ antlv reolies to a correspondent : —“‘Sport’ should remember that straws float the surface, but pearls He at the bottom. The hard workers are not always in the van, but are > often making way for the genius to snring into the gan to secure the credit of others’ work. The opportunist is not to be encouraged on the football field, or degeneration will t v llow.” Tho Sydney University team hope to leave Sydney for Dunedin on the Ist of next month, but they have informed the local boys that this will not be definitely settled until after a meeting of the Metropolitan Union.

Another case of “ ringing in ” is reported. At last week’s meeting of the Wanganui Union it was reported that Skelley, the Manawatu rep., had played for Wangaelm against smother team under the name of McLaughlin. When asked if he was not Skelley, the player denied that that was his name. Since then the referee had seen the same man at Wanganui, where he plnvcd under the name of Skelley for Rangitikci. It was decided that Skelley be suspended till the nest meeting of the Union, and that he he written to asking him to attend the next meeting of the Union and explain his cor duct. The Wangaehu Club were also suspended pending the receipt of information as to why they played Skelley in recent matches, ho not being a member of their club. Mr P. M'Minn wan appointed to select the Manawatu team, but failed to do so. The Union then dispensed with his services, and appointed a sub-committee, to select teams for the reet of the season. Stalker, the ex-Dunedin player and New Zealand rep., is playing five-eighth for Manawatu. Thoughtful Footballers.—When the Taranaki team were passing through from Timaru to Christchurch the Temuka, Club met the visitors at the Temuka station and presented them with a large hamper containing liquid and solid refreshments of a most enticing nature, says the local paper. The presentation naturally took the Northerners by surprise. None of the Temuka players, by the way, took part in the Taranaki-South Canterbury match. From all accounts, they and Timaru are not a very Irappy family. Canterbury, who play the first match of their Northern tour against Wanganui tomorrow, are weakened through R. 0. Deans being unab’e to go. Two of the emergency backs, J. Weston, and J. J. Stevens, were also unable to make the trip. They play Auckland on Saturday, but appear to have little chance of securing the Ranfurly shield from the Northerners. A correspondent slated last week that “Referee’s” notes would make more eejoyab'e reading if he ceased to see the game' through a Red-and-Black eyeglass. Just co. But the next stage of “Referee’s” evolution threatens to be more pronounced than the other—in fact, “ All Blue.” For wheresoever the best football is, there v ill the most enthusiastic notes in Referee's ” column be gathered together. A curious question was a<ked in the John-ston-Duncan inquiry. Mr M’Lareu said: •'Were you told off specially to mark a man on the lino out?” With the same truth which marked the rest of his statements, Johnston replied that that was never done in the Alhambra Club. In asking the question, Mr M'Lnren laid bare some want of knowledge. The art of winning matches is to keep' a greater number of men “ on the ball” than the other side. It is a great thing to average 4.5 men per minute on the ball while the other side are only able to play the leather with 1.3. No doubt, in Mr M’Laren's day, it was held to be an estimable thing to “mark the man.” It is not so now. A man told off to mark another man means l-15th of a team “ off the ball.” The Alhambra Club found this out

eight or nine years ago. Mr MTaren’s question indicates that he has not found it out yet. When tho Johnston-Duncan incident was revived last evening by a letter from Johnston to the Committee of the Rugby Union tho silence which followed the reading of the letter was amusing. Great is the desire to be on tho safe side, and the silence indicated that some members could not discern wniether Johnston’s view or Duncan’s decision was the “popular” cause. So they refrained from speaking. Yet. there was no doubt as to what was the proper thing to ... “.Eton’s letter merely asked for a mitigation ■ of sentence, but. stated no reason why his case should be reopened. Failing to state a reason, bo was simply asking the Committee to stultify themrelves - bv going back, on a previous, decision arrived at on tho evidence. This, at last, was too much for one member, whose honestv- of purpose is well known, and on hia motion it was agreed to leave things ,as they were: Iho same integrity marked Mr Sincock’s attitude towards the proposal to subscribe to the Hocken collection fund. It is very doubtful whether a vote of £20.. however popular, was justifiable in view of the general position, and Mr Sincock’s proposal i• r , „ Nvas P'raps enongh. In the lull which followed (be defeat of Mr Sincock’s proposition the chairman had some difficulty in getting members to vote. “They are all waiting,” said a member. “ to see if anyone will bump it up some more.” Ultimately Mr Dey succeeded in pushing a ten-pound proposal through. It was 'the best that could be done under the circumstances, and it was satisfactory that Messrs Smcock and Dey had at least been able to halve the original proposal,

i3mnn, who played five-eighth last, year for the second New Zealand team against Australia at Tahuna Park, and Sam Abnm, formerly of the Alhambra, are both members of this years Nelson representatives. D. M Gregor, the All Black three-quar-ter. is now in Christchurch, having secured a position in the railway service. It is caid that lie has decided to retire from the game. Cunningham, of the same team, is playing as well as ever in the lock at Auckland.

Francis, who played so well for the New Zed and forwaids against Australia here last year, has, ’ says an Auckland scribe, “nt superior in Auckland on this season’s form.’ Mr A. Bnyly, selector of the Taranak. team, is said to have remarked that he considered Cohnan the best winger in New Zealand—a tall order, but perhaps the remark was never made.

A match for the benefit of the Tkranak Referees’ Association was recently plavei between two senior teams at New Ply mouth. J

At Feilding the other day n, player is re ported to have struck an opponent a heav blow on the face, Thc latter was severe!-. J.ized by the blow, and staggered abou thc field in a semi-fainting condition, th blood flowing profusely from a wound ovc thc left eye and also from hia nasa organ. After the match the injured playc was taken to a local surgery, where, * i’ addition to the wound near bis eye, whicl necessitated three or four stitches, exami nation also proved that his noec wa; broken.

The Southland High School will play : match against a second fifteen of thc Ota;;. High School at Invercargill on the 18tl first.

A Sydney writer advocates the sending o an Australian team Home at the eraf o 1907-8, “after an active season, in whicl they would have played against the visiting All Black team.” All four contests between New Sout : Wales and Queensland played this seasoi have been won by thc former.

fhe Alhambra have a lead for the thin’ grade flag and are also in the running foi the fourth grade championship. ° Seeling, who some sav was the best for waul in the All Blacks" is describe bv ; Sydney critic as a “ beautiful ” forward. Now South Wales football is being greatly boomed by local writers this year? If all we hear be true, the game must have made marvellous strides since a second isew /cm land team badly beat Combined New South Wales and Queensland only about twelve months ago. - Thus a writer;—“lf the club standard ir Sydney ;s as high as that of the principal New Zealand cities—and from what one is told by men who have often been through Now Zealand, there is little doubt that it is—the representative New South Wales teams ought to be as powerful ae those of New Zealand. But they aro not, though one looks forward to tho time when they will be. At present the average New Zealand representative team combines like a, machine, without any laborious practice, whereas it take; the average New South Wales representative team some little time to work with anything approaching the neat mechanism of club football. The explanation lies in the fact that the finer points of the game, as they apply to individual effort, us well as to collective tactics, ate better known m New Zealand than in Australia to the average player. However, the New South Welshman is slowly coming up to tie New Zealander. His future is hopeful and full of possibilities.”

The Auckland City team, on tho whole, are little if at all better than five or six of the beat Sydney clubs (says the Sydney ‘Referee ). It would be interesting to know how Petoue (Wellington) and our crack ’Varsity team would shape against Auckland City. However, we will be able to form a fairly definite opinion on thi: point when the Sydney University (who downed the Aucklanders) play .Otago’s premier team next month.

Southern have been showing better form lately than in the earlier part of the season. They should come near to the front again, next season.

Hobson, who for the past ten years or so has done yeoman’s service for has definitely decided to finish up his football career this reason. He is at. present the oldest player in town. Mi T. Hunter, formerly of Dunedin,, but now a member of the Wellington Rugby Union Committee, recently suggested that one of the players should be appointed manager of the Wellington team to tour North. ” The suggestion,” saya a Wellington writer, “ did not commend itself to his colleagues, who had the experience of the Auckland Union in view. That body some years ago sent a representative team South, under the joint managership of two of their players. From a financial viewpoint, the results were not quite, satisfactory to the Northern union, refreshments being a big item on the expenditure list. Mr Hunter’s proposal was foolish, and the Union’s Executive showed their wisdom by kicking it out without much consideration.” O’Sullivan, of the Taranaki team, who had his shoulder dislocated in the Canterbury match, also met witli a similar misfortune at the close of the New Zealand team’s Welsh engagements.

Club. O i c £ SH 1 .2 *) tJ e CO ja a £ S & o hi Q o fu 0 Ch s University 12 ii 0 1 115 37 23 Alhambra 12 8 2 2 72 47 18 Dunedin ... ... 11 7 4 0 75 59 14 Kaikorai ... ... 11 6 5 0 97 62 12 Southern 12 5 6 1 63 59 11 ZingariRichraond ... 11 5 6 0 66 57 10 Pirates ... ... 11 2 8 1 56 97 5 Port Chalmers 11 2 8 1 70 112 5 Union 11 1 8 2 49.115 4