FOOTBALL.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIV, Issue 124, 2 June 1910, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

THE MAGNET OF MAGNETS

NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALLERS IN

AUSTRALIA

Some idea of the interest felt in New South Wales in the coming visits of the Maori team and the New Zealand Rugbj representatives may be gathered from £he following enthusiastic remarks by "Arawa" in the Sydney Telegraph: — The Maori has been a great figure m the history of New Zealand's national game, and his coming career in Australia, mapped out in the hope of proving that native skill on the football field did not wholly die with the Tairoas, Warbricks, Wynyards, Ellison, Gage, Swindley, and Hiroa, will be keenly followed by the football student. The clash between the husky boys from Nevada, and the descendants of the Ngatiporau and Ngatirakawau, on June 25th, for sheer physical speed, ailarity, should earn an undying place in the records of things to be seen, and never forgotten. As this will only provide the prelude to the New Zealand v. Australia match, the day should be a great one. But the star attraction, by reason of the world-wide fame of the "All Blacks" as brilliant exponents of Rugby, will be the New Zealand representative fifteen. Australia judges its standard of efficiency by its games with the players from the Dominion. The spirit of genuine rivalry is more readily awakened. ancLmore vigorously maintained in New South Wales by a visit of New Zealanders than, by

any other combination of Rugby artists. Facts aftd figures prove this. Three matches . in height days drew 123,000 spectators. The magic of the "All Bracks" may possibly some day disappear before theglamour of the sprightly "Springboks;" :or the wonderful men in red jerseys with emblazoned dragons who came from Wales, but up till the present no band of athletes has proved such a draw to sporting New South Wales as a New Zealand Rugby team. There is a reason for this. New Zealanders at Rugby are always interesting; they are so full of adventurous individualism.

But apart from the attractiveness of their own play, there is another factor which makes New Zealanders the magnet of magnets to a Sydney crowd—the hope of victory against these island stalwarts. Has the terrific excitement of two years ago— when the New Zealanders were thoroughly beaten by New South Wales by 14 points to nil—ever been equalled in Australia. It was not excitement, it was frenzy. Why, the sane and sober actually hugged each other as the laurels the New Zealanders had worn for so many years were torn from them. It is for a repetition of that wonderful scene that the thousands who will crowd into the ground on June 11th will hope. But between the patriot in^blue and another such victory, there is an earnest, determined figure in black—swift and strong ,physically fitter to test every inch of ground than he has been for years, and eager to recover all He lost on that memorable day. The mission of the New Zealand team is-to win back its fame, the object of New South Wales is to defend the well-won honors of two years ago, so that the coming trials should provide the toughest of battles.