RUCBY FOOTBALL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 30 May 1914, Page 11

RUCBY FOOTBALL.

FIXTURESThe following fixtures have been ar-* ranged for the Southern oivision:— • SENIORS. June 6.—Waimate v. Okaia>va. at Manaia; Opunake v. Kaponga, at upunake; Hawera a bye. June 13.—Okaiawa v. Opunake, at Okaiawa; Kaponga v. tlawera, at Kaponga; Waimate a bye. JUNIORS. June 6. —Hawera v. Opunake, at Hawera; Okaiawa v Waimate, ac Okaiawa; Kaponga a bye. June 13.—Waiinate v. Kaponga, at Manaia^ Hawera v. Okaiawa, at Hawera; Opunake a bye. Except where > otherwise stated, all matches will commence at 3 p.m.

Kaponga and Waimate, who met today, are the two unbeaten teams in the senior contest. The former have secured valuable assistance in the two Oamerons and a new-comer named Newton, who is highly spoken of. With some coaching their back team should take some beating. Their forwards include several of Taranaki's best men, and are heavy and fast. .They are all in good trim too. and can last the whole way. It. is hard to forecast winners, but there is no doubt that either of them will prove a hard nut to crack. .

Hawera hare rather : disappointed their supporters.. They have the: makings of a good team. If they like ,to train and i-! get together for combined practice, there is no reason why they should not redeem their refutation and be well up-at the finish. Could not arTanffements bo mad.9 for some pvmnasium training? What of the Wihtex Show Buildings? I ,

Okaiavva miss R. Roberts very much. If he cornea iv to help them tney win have to be reckoned with. Without him the team is much at a. loss. Stratford am evidently a formidable combination this season. They have two Wins to their credit in their first two matches. They are strong both back and forward.

Stohr and Loveridge were prominent in the match against Stratford lastweek. The former commenced his season's goal-kicking record by a fine penalty kick but failed to convert Loveridge s try. He is generally, better with difficult kicks and shines at the very long distance range. With the Ranfurly Shield to protect against all-comers, every player should be out to do his best and to keep in the best of trim.

Representative matches will be playled as follows: June 3, Wanganui, at Wangauui; June 24, Wellington, at Hawera; June 27, Wanganui, at Hawera. The Wairoa sub-Union will be invited to play a match at New Plymouth on Thursday, June 11, during the Winter Show week, and a special visit will be paid to. Wellington at a date to be suggested by Wellington. Some interesting records are given below of New Zealand rep. football and laranaki players' list of honors men The first year the Taranaki men figure m the records was 1893, when A. Bayly, A. Good and J. Lambie went over to Australia with the New Zealand team. New South Wales returned the visit the following year, when A. gayly, H. Good, W. Bayly, j. Lambie, U. Hughes, and A. Humphries were included from Taranaki. Of the 1897 team which toured Australia A. Bavly (captain), H. Mills, L. Allen, and *A. Humphries went from this province Not till 1900 did New South Wales return the visit, and that year Tara■naki supplied three representatives, L. Allen, A. Humphries, and B. O'Dowda! A. Humphries was our sole representative in the 1903 team which went to Australia.

In 1904.the chief event was the test game against Bedell-Sie-vwright's British team, when W. S. Glenn gained a place from Taranaki. The following year, J. Hunter H. J. Mynott. F. Glasgow, W. S. Glenn and'j. O'Sullivan went with the colonial tenm to the Commonwealth, and these Taranakians, with the addition of H. Abbott, went with the famous "AH Blacks" on. their memorable' world tour.

No one from this province was included in the- New Zealand team against ./W+.r^ia here in that ye^K ■"'hil" in 1907 J. Hunter (can'tainS h J. Mynott. J. Colman and J. O'Sulliran went across the Tasman. 1-n ipng came A. F. Harding's +cam of BritiVhe**s>, and J. Colman (2V T). Cameron (3), J. Hunter (3), and Glasgow (1) earned their rep. cans from Taranaki, in the number of test matches indicated.

Taranaki men in Australia in 1910 were H. J. Mynott and J. Stohr, while last year, against the Australians here, our rep. men were: R. Roberts and H. Dewar in the first match, and C Brown and R. Taylor in the second and third.

In connection with the New Zealand visit to A p -■•'■ -i last year, a quintette from ■TnraW:?—R. "Roberts. H. Dewar, J. Stohr, G. Loveridge. and M. Cain—made the trip.

From 1592 to 1913 the record of matches played between New Zealand and provincial teams against Overseas combinations is 196, of which 140 were won, 47 lost, and 9 drawn. The points scored in these games were- New Zealand, 3120: Opponents. 1055. It may not be generally known that referees have power to prevent a game starting until they have been supplied with the nlayers' list on the official forms. These may be obtained on application to the Rugby Union. The same thing applies if the grounds are i>ot properly marked out, and line flags nut in place. The Referees' Association has decided to strictly enforce both of these rules in future.

It will be interesting to know if correspondence between New Zealand Rugby Football Board witb reference to the proposal of a "Springbok" team touring the "land of theMoa" in 1915 will be re^opened this sen son (remarks the Sporting Star of Johannesburg), whiohgoes on to add:—"The New Zealand invitation for a team this season had. of course, to be refused, but it is understood that t«e Dominion authorities were informed thnt if the request ■>vas rAne-we^ for t^e f blowing season, it mirht not h<> turned do-ivn «o promptly. It is. of course. South Afrit's turn to r^'eive an o^e^ea team, but the Not- 2&*\*y\f\ iT^itpi-imi name first. and' it is understood, tacitly, at any rn&e, that exohange* of visits between the two countries si^ou'M rightly oommenc wi+V the Soll^ .Africans visitin> thp> ■Dominion. And. to my way of thinking, there is ro spring reason why they p^c'ld n^t. It wW, of c<v"**e. be argued t*at it costs South Africa a considerable sum to fit out a team whoso absence detracts from +he. frame during the local season, to make t.h/>"sands of pounds for the co^n-h'^ they visit. But wh'nt is wrong vi+\* — rangements being ma^e on th*> fi«nn^i'»i basis of thp visit's of the ' All' pinolV »nd first 'Springboks' t/% ihe "Pri A".T-i Isles? On such terms —if t^e to"r included a few matches in Np'W South Wales—the tour would be bound to prove a big financial success in all the countries affected."

"At the worst, the South, African Board., f^uld make such arransementa ac would ensure of its not beinp a penny out of pocket in. providintr kit and outfit generally for its side. Moreover, there is every reason to believe that the came in this oountrv will be very atrona next season, and that a very fine side could be selected.'

It is pleasing to note ftba+ tbe sale of tickets in oonneftion with-th« benefit +^»- that plucky little player, T. T. M. Piki, which tak^s place at, Lancaster Parlc on .Trine 1-^th. .in/ptinp' on very aatisfactorilv. ard it is honed that a hugje attendance p+- Lancaster Park on the above date will considerably swell tl"> rece:ptß.

In a staf^e^t in j» South Wn'es "^wßnmjer, Mr J. "R. Oreen^ood. +np ■"^"oriifsV 'nternn.+Kmal and ex-Cp^Tiridere TTnivArßity cant«in, pays a trihntfl t^ Wolsh for^rard T'lay. and says F-TT^nd hns n^- fo^waT-r»«3 of pMch a Tinst^)/ tvr>o. T}>a F.^EfVsh prviicy was t-o play mo' 1*? to the. barley. ' Tnl tW of the r°rpint Arit^^v «»o^iinst the fl.llefTed ronior^ t>la.v by Welsh plavp^s. Mr {3ri«vnw'vd • »+.a+'n* tTint t^l© TT-ai'vri+.v of I'Jn^ish P^a-bv forwnr(J s Aid epical and Mhor "^w "t<v?c ■wbi'' 11 r'M r^t trnd "+rt ""hn'-den" t^p"i. Wolsb r-^ayers did nif>»i-n<i.Mp7-vor. Tl^e rp-snTti v-'^! tbf'" W«lr'*i icfyTj^.^c. F^e iriore aible- to stand thft hard knocjks.

; *tv «">ld ' intern ntirvrinT. "Pnphvr £"•<•>+,- 'b>.ller ''■> r ieu+^noTit-nn^-"^ F pWi. nameiv. Wales; Scotland, and EicVnd.

■'■•■i.4 T^elc or two sniw' vr& n.n+afl thpf */vYf,T»nll wj>«i 'T\r?rf>asirtpr.i'r'. TvopulaTH,y in fr^rm^i-.T-'finVl WDS rPOPiyvn^ T*»T»ch On coTzracorner* fror/' Army nr^ "i^av" «-n_ thorities. Now, when one reads that a

Soccer team, visiting from Great Brita,m, is mobbed and maltreated after the match, one concludes that clubs will not be too anxious to continue visits. It is not long since a touring Scotch team in Paris was pretty severely handled.