THE PREMIER AND "THE ASHES."

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8965, 3 August 1905, Page 6

THE PREMIER AND "THE ASHES."

o SATURDAY'S FOOTBALL MATCH.

Was Saturday's Rugby match a true test? :< Xo," said Sir Joseph Ward, at the farewell on Saturday night, and the Vice-President of the New Zealand Union (Mv G. P. C. Campbell) declared it *'no test <£ all." The Wellington team was, he admitted, a remarkably good one, but he did not say it was possible for any team, in the circumstances, to give a good exhibition. He thought the team failed to beat Sydney in the last match because it held its opponents too cheap. As against this latter contention, Mr X. Galbraith, who went with tho team to Sydney-, expressed the opinion, that the chief -reason of the draw was the Sydney team's vastly improved form. The President of the Wellington Union (Dr Newmata) entirely differed with the idea that Saturday's match was Hot a test. The Wellington team wanted a dry da}-. He had asked one of his Union's selectors, Mr Laughton, whet the Wellington team was like, and Mr Laughton replied : "It will be an eye-opener for them." And itwas an eye-opener. (Applause.) It was left for the Premier to steer, with incomparable skill, a middle courseon the thorny question. He waded through the record of the team's matches till he came to Saturday's, which, he said, was a. "mud-scramble, and — well " A voice (with emphasis) : Well ! (Loud laughter.)

The Premier : "I «ome to a stiff fence here. If I say the New Zealand team jiiet wanted to leave something behind, er— (Laughter.) On tha other hand, if I were te sa.y the Wellingtonian3 were just simply giving the team a warning not to hold theft 1 foes too cheap — " (JHoro laughter.) "However, it is a nobla game, one in which our race excels, and as wo beat the home team when it visited the colonios, ,they are panting for those ashes. Don't let them have any. Keep them where they are. We feel confident that you will worthily uphold the honor of the colony, and represent us in a fitting and proper manner, and demonstrate to the Mother Country that by crossing the waters, with the mora congenial and salubrious surroundings of tJiis colony, we can improve and have improved on. the Mother Country in its production."— Post.

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