RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 10 September 1921, Page 9

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

There has been a lot of interesting events packed into the iast week or two by vhe {springboks' and New South Wales' visits to .New Zealand. 'lhe former were met/ as was expected, by teams which were considered the best. New Zealand couid muster. The results of the nrst two Tests have shown that this is necessary i. For the latter the second-class unions have as a rule been chosen, with two or three exceptions. The question was* asked in this column before the opening why this was so, the Welshmen having shown themselves to be a good team. Their record so j far is excellent, only one loss being.recorded and that at the hands of Wellington" They have shown themselves worthy to meet our best. The Test they plaveU was apparently a much mismanaged affair as far as regards the New idea-land team. The selectors have teen slated in practically every province. Commenting on the Springboks—-Kew Zealand play, the Referee special says the New Zealand team that played in the first Test is a long way removed from the All Blacks of happy memory xThose fellows in 1905 reached the high watermark, ami it is on the standard they reached that a critic is; justified m .comparing the showing of the teams. Neither side was up to the standard ot what an International side should be. It is amusing to see that the best forecasts often go astrayiior the special correspondent .opme^. that the second New 1 Zealand team would Be harder to beat, but they were beaten. on the Springbok forwards, he says: Ralph Connor in oi«*' of his books, describes a football match, in which his hero. Shock, is applauded for the ground he gained by hanging ,«n to the ball like grim death and "bulloeking his way through the oppost. iiou' ■ The majority of these bulky for- j wards in the South African team seem to me to have adopts Shock tactics. Theirf prediction for the bunched for-ward-game is surprising for a side .claiming to be International. It may •be all right from their standpoint to atraint every nerve to pre^rent the op-' posing teaqj from winning, and also with the object of making the scoring pendulum swing their way, but one is only within his rights in expecting a side eager to play for the Rugby championship to exhibit.some of its bright "features. "The hope is mine ' he adds l * B<that the other games will be better exhibitions of Rugby, for the »imple reason that the public are taking ah immense interest in the tour, and deserve to get the best there is. Taranaki have, besides the match at 'Auckland to-day, to meet Otago at New Plymouth on Saturday next. Many fine matches have been played with the Southerners, the most noteworthy bein^one way back in the nineties, m the palmiest days of both ' provinces, when players on both sides were New Zealand reps. In -that particular jmatch. at Hawera, Taranaki won by • the 1 narrow margin of two points. *; Otag* to-day are said so be a very fane ■fceain, and an interesting and good 'match may be looked for. New Zealand's football reputation s will not be enhanced by the successive 'defeats at the hands of South Africa and New South Wales the Auckland Herald). The first was in a sense jmavoidable, our best, or practically »nr best teani going down before an . exceedingly strong side, which was superior on the day's play. On the other fcand.Jn the debacle on Saturday there ,was aviairge-element, of bad management. Tho event has shown that the ' selectors miscalculated the strength of ifche New South Wales players in ex■pecting that a team, far from New Zealand's best, would beat them without previous practice. The difficulty of netting the best team together fortfmtf -Test matches were no doubt formidable, but there was at least no reason why the men chosen to represent the Dominion" against New South Wales should not have "been given time to practice together and develop camtnna- . tion. Rugby is only a if our national game, but even a game is worth playing well. Our" men are un•der the Jam! handicap as England's crickets. The programme is too congested akd we have not done, ourselves, iusticein the inter-Dominion.matches,. It would-have been better • not to haye met New South Wales than .to do .the •visitors the doubtful courtesy ofSiting them- with an improvised team which, as it proved, had no chance against them, tfew Zealand s Bugby reputation is now very denmtely^ at stake. j A striking illustration of the vinter--«st being taken in the test of strength Between the Springboks and A^Blacks was evidenced on Saturday last-during **he course of the Rexdajte Company s >nnual says the-' Pahiatua paper. The meeting was, at times, a lively one, and so it happened *hai when one' orator was "going at •top" a head was thrust into the room and a -stentorian voice uttered the words—''Springboks won— 9 ,to 51» ( * Immediately - the effect of an electric*hock Was Jelt. The woundup orator was silent, and sat down heavily, ior about five.seconds there was a^breatfc.- . less "hush; the severest-critics of the directors forgot their criticism; the diredtors forgot their critics. - Then.| $he'\ meeting broke silence and thous-| *nds of opinions were uttered as to why this awesome catastrophe had ( overtaken She country. There was a SC whirl of-excited Toioes some of the pwners of which rose to their feet, | - gesticulating wildly,' Awhile •rthey j gave expression to their opinion as to why the Springboks won. It took tne chairman fully five minutes to secure the sane attention of the meeting to jjthe business in hand.