A RUGBY COMPARISON.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 28 June 1926, Page 4

A RUGBY COMPARISON.

1890 AND 1926.

(Specially Written i-for the Star.) Yes, I can give your readers an: idea of football and what we had to go through in the old days. Memory re u calls a trip by the W aimate team to-n-lay Manganui, as a Stratford; team was then called. We left Manaia. at 9.30 one Saturday morning in Rhody Slattery’s coach, and our first walk was up Yorke’s kill a>t- In aha. iuis walking up hill business’ was continued at everv .steep hill all the J way to Stratford, where we arrived Wt, 2 p.m. Our Jehu would stop the horses before tackling each hill and. genially ®mg out, “Get out, my lovely ‘pippins, and I will pick you up at the top.” Goodness knows how many w.e footed up, but- I know the longest climb was up a steep one on the Mountain' road. Of course ire had our lunch with us —-made up by our good! old mothers. No dining in hotels in those days; and no cigarette cases or empty beer bottles were to be found in the coach or strewn along the roadside. The ground we played on, at Stratford was iust stumped and cleared, and, as it'had been raining hard! the previous dav, it had .numerous potholes full of”water. When the hall gob floating around in one of these small lakes the referee blew his whistTe, and the fellow with the longest leg and largest foot (Dan Hughes) hung on to other players and hooked it out. After the game was over we had a bath in the Pa tea river near by, a good rub- down, bought- some biscuits and cakes, and jumped into the old, coach again homeward hound. AY© refused to walk in) the hills going hack, but had to get out at the big Mountain road one, and arrived at Manaia. at 9.30 p.m. , . , . The Goods and Jim Lambie had then to ride to their homes at Oeo and Pihama. Often' this_ was accomplished on young horses, which would buck for 10 minutes or iso before starting. No wonder the footballers were hardy in those days, and could, put on a rally the last ”10 minutes of a game tha-t would he an eye-opener to our players of to-day. A very noticeable thing in football matches to-day is to see the numerous cages' of injured men who have to leave the field. This was a rarity in the old days. The gam© to-dav, of course, is played on better grounds and the rules altered, which tend to make it more spectacular and faster, hut. man for man, we had sprinters, long distance runners, wrestlers, boxers andallround athletes' who would compare favourably with any present-day footballers.

A< striking thing is noticeable in the •uhysiqu© of the “now” and “then” footballers. This is the -difference from +h© breastbone to the waist; now it is full or level. The abdomen is too extended. a result of too much rich food and not enough hard toil. In conclusion;, may the good old game always prosper, and my kind readers who may he footballers excuse -any comparisons or criticisms I have written. as they are intended for the benefit of Rugby in general. —Rangi.