Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume VI, Issue 309, 2 June 1906, Page 19

Rugby Football.

THERE has been ta,lk at different times to the effect that the Athletic Park Company were going to put up break wind:, at our mam football ground- From our experience so far this season the sooner this work m carried' out the better it w,ul be botih for the comfort, of players and of spectators alike. To vary an oldi saying, one as inclined to write tnat "The northed- we have always with us." Andl Saturday's blow was one of the worst—keen and searching, in which the shorthand pencil occasionally refused to do its duty. But, lam not growling — on, no 1 .for even a northerly wind like last Saturday's is better than rain. Thanks to Captain Edwin for What he has ailready given us in the matter oi weather, and if the. supply only keeps up to the pi^esent samples footballers wall not complain. ♦ • • The main attraction at the AfcMetic Park was the Old Boys-Oriental game. The ground was in beautiful order, but the strong wind previously referred to prevented, any .really good back play being indulged in. Both forward teams were welllmafeched, and they kept the play on the dead side the greater part of the time. In. the second half, tinners were much more interesting than in tlhe first, and the flashes of bright play were of more frequent' occurrence. The game ended in a win for Old Boys by ten points (tries by O'Leary and A very, converted by A. D. Thomson) to 6 points (tries by Manning and Uunckenburg). The Old Boys had made an alteration in thenr back division, "Ossy" Ctelamd being brought back into the team. Be was pil'ayed) at five^eighth, and, although he did much good work, he hung on to the ball too long im the endeavour to make better openings for the fliers behind him. But fa© made a mintage here — he should have given them the ball sooner, amdl let them make their own openings. What I don't like about the Old Boys this season is the fact that Daweon does not get enough to do. "Cocky" is a glutton- for work, and, unless his own side sends the ball his way, it only comes to him as the result of a forward rush. It would be a good) move* on the part of the Old Boys' skipper to ttry Dawswi at five-eighth. He is clever and fast enough to be a success in the ptotsition. Buddie was pretty solid at full-back, though he gave mi© the impression that he was luoky several tomes. Oriental's second 'try was the result of Buddie being collared in possession of tihe ball close to his own goal-line. Matthews was> rather weak on the left wing three-quarter, but the brothers Thomson both did all that came to them in good style. Dodd has been prevailed upon to put the white jersey on again, and the Old Boys are all the stronger for bus new resolve. Dodd i» one of the best forwards in Wellington, and his pretsent form is good enough for has odd place vi the Wellington representative team. His mate Watkins was in great heart on Saturday, his form being an improvement on has -display against Melroee the previous week. With Dodd and Watkms both well, the Old Boys i<s a team that will take a lot of reckoning with. W. Alexander and O'Leary are both great grafters on the pack. Avery is a fine forward in bbc open, and has play is as clean as a whistle. I say this advisedly, for there are two of the Old Boys' forwards that do not play the game asoleanly as he should. One, I noticed particularly, was doing many unfair things on the line-out, mainly with the object of stopping Orientals' best player in that position. Charley Bush was back again in the Oriental back division, andl a.t centre three-quarter did some fine tackling andl stopping. A new back in the Oriental team was a brother of thei forward-tihree-quarber, Oollerton. He has the reputation of having represented 1 Wangamui in the three-quarter line, but his form on Saturday was hardly worth his place in the Oriental team.

Roberts still keeps up has form, but McMnm, Cleary, and Highet did noithmg sensational. Manning gave a fin© exhibition of open forward play, keeping well on the ball, despite the unfair attentions of the opponent mentioned previously. Bunkenburg played one of those dashing forward games 1 that he occasionally favours us with, the try scored by him for his side being miakily the result of his individual efforts. Baskiville proved that a mistake was made by the Oriental Selection Committee in dropping him from the senioi team, and Brenchley caught the eye for solid work . • • • The Athletic-Poneke match, on No. 2 ground, promised! at one stage to be very interesting, but for some reason or other ±hie play went off as the game progressed. Mr. T. A. ELunt&r was referee in this match, and was very punctilious with the whistle. While watching the .game I thought of tihe New Zealand team's match against Surrey — what a worry it is to hear the whistle going all the time, and far the smallest of infringements. To see Mr. Hunter down on> all fours watch the ball in tlh© scrummage was a sight for the sods. As an apostle of refereeing, Mr. Hunter does not convince me. The match resulted in a win for Poneike by nine points (two penalty goals by Waillace, and a try by Mann) to three points (a penalty goal by A. Evenscm) . Poneke's weakness is in the front of the scrummage, and the few times the backs get tihe ball from the vanguard handicaps them severely. But, still, as I heard a spectator remark last week, thle Poneke back team would be like a ship without a ruddier if Wallace wias not playing. The whole of tihe back play revolves round the "All Black," amd he keeps those with htm going in good style, while playing well himself. Athletics are pretty strong at hooking, but there is not enough finish about their play or vim in it to be as effective as it should be. There is a lot of young fellows in the team, and, as they get more expenien.ce, will take a lot of getting away from. They want a bit more weight in the pack, andi I hear Coady is being pressed into service for tbie next game. Slater has replaced Hodgson as Poneke's full-back, and instils more confidence into the supporters of the team. Twohill make® some fine runs, but does not put his full pace on when making for the line. Walsh has not produced his form against Orietnate, although he works hard. Mifcchinisoii's play was the 'best I have seen froini him this season, his taking, kicking, amd passing being excellent. Horgian and Instone did nothing startling, although tihey made no mi&t<akes worth memtdonimg. Mick O J Sullivan — a Poneke junior player of some years ago — promises well as a wing-forward. He is quick on the opposing backs, though 1 he is ratheir light to he very effective . He is inclined to kick rather hard when he breaks away in the open. An Athletri/o forward that will work his way into the Wellington represetntative team directly is ''Rangi" Wilson. The black boy is developing both -as a player and physically, amd his work is tihat of an expert. He is quiet and unassuming with it all, and us the makings of a great forward. A. Evenson is a big lump of a laid, and kicks with good judgment. He is a fair place-kick, too. Burns -played neatly at full-back for Athletics, kicking very well. McLennan, Atkinson, and O'Sullivan did nothing sui passingly brilliant, and Scott nipped many of the opposing rushes m the bud. Bray — the '"bearded pard" — is a great hand at "hooking" the baW ; in fact, he is one of the best in the senior competition. In "Tiny" Baker the Athletics have the makings of a good forward. He is burly and willing, but does not know much yet. Still, he is eager to get over the latter failing, and, as he is young, he may be heard from later on. • • < The two unbeaten senior teams, Mekose and Petome, met at Petone last Saturday, and Petone suffered defeat by 13 points to 3. This at first sight looks as if the game proved for Melrose a fairly easy one. This*, however, was not the case. Their score was made up of three penalty goals and one potted goal. The, Petone score was a penalty goal. Neither side had its line crossed, and, strange to say, theie was only one force-down durinsc the match. Such a game will probably not be seen for many ye>ars to come ' The Melrose team were in ereat form, and they will be a really hard! team to beat this year. Although they have practically no scoring back®,

yet they are safe in 'handling, amd they found the lane on Saturday like tradesmen, and thus saved then forwardlsi time and again. George Spencer, at fulll-back, was tai© &am© old George we know so well— r cool and collected at all ponuts. His lime-kicking was magnificent, and those three penalty goals of has were r«allly beautiful kicks. McKays left-foot kicking was a tieat to watch, although whenever he got into a tight corner you could see that "Mac" still suffeirs from the oild complaint. His potted' goal was quick and true, and save Melros© any amount of heart. Miller and Irtixford dlid good line-kicking throughout. What a grand set of forwards Melrose have? Calnan and J. Spencer are two of the finest generals among forwards. They know the game in and out, and are adepts in th© art of starting rushes. Both these players were going at top, and did very fine work. "Bill" Adams put in an immense amount of graft, and I doubt if I ever saw "Waterloo" play a better game. Gilchrist was also very noticeable, and he is, without idoubt. a very fine forwa.rd. Ask Jack Lawghton if this is not so. The left wingiforward for the Melrose team is one of the finest dribblers to be found in senior football. "Paddy" Murphy plays the man too much, .and shou3di learn straight away that he would be doing his side more good if he attended to the ball. The Petone team seemed to have a day off. There is no doubt that on the play Melrose were a long way the better team. Thedr forward rushes were brilliant, and every forward took a hand in them. Among the Petone forwairds a new player. Conn Byrne, caught the eye most frequently. He is young and raw, but he is the makings, of a great player. Next to him probably comes Phallp, but he must take the same warning as Murphy unless he wishes to find himself on the bank. Tom Cross, Dan Fraser, and Reedy were in a class by themselves. They oould hardly muster up enough wind among them to fill a penny squeaker. I understand this was Fraseir's first match, so he must be excused. The other forwards were all prominent more or less at various points, but tihiere was lacking that well-trained style of play that their opponents had. Among the back®, Mick Ryan was very solid, and lie got through a heavy afternoon's work in finst-irate style. Brother Jim, on the wing, was also in good form. Ramsden, at centre, had not mamy chances, but in my opinion there are very few better centres about Wellington at present. Kelly, on the other wing, is young, and very safe. Pity he wasn't a bit faster. McGregor, at five-eighth, was disappointing. To-ue, he played! a ejood game, but after his Poneke match, we were expecting something better from him. Green, the half, is, without doubt, very olever, but he is very small for a Melrosle match. Homever, he got through a heavy afternoon's work well, andl threw some big men about in a workmanlike manner. Mr. O'Connell acquitted himself in first-rate style. He is the only referee so far whom I have seem penalise the wings for mot working back with the ball. He was also mightily strict in penalising men for lying on the ball. The game throughout was ha*d and willing, but was played in the best of temper by both sides. • • • The acting-secretary of the Southern Club writes : — "The club at the present time is in a stronger financial position than it has ever been, and the active membership this season) exceeds all previous figures, being well over ninety. Gut whole five teams (last year it was four) play football for the sport, winning matoh.es being a secondary consideration. Our senior team has a very heavy task before it, and one which ha© to be faced by any club. I don't think you can point out a single instance where a team comtesitang the Senior Championship has been successful until it has competed for a number of years." My correspondent assures me that the Southern Club have no intention of disbanding, and expresses the wish that it would have been better on my part to have written some encouraging remarks about their players rather tli an the remarks which w-ere published. What was written by me was done in good) faith, and mainly with the hope of keeping some good lads ©tall playing the Rugby same as time goes on. It is all very well for the Southern Club's secretary to say that the winning of matches is a secondary consideration with his members, and that they play the game purely for sport. If my memory serves me right, I believe particular mention was made in the club's last annual report of the wins recorded by the senior team during the last season.

I would! like to ask my correspondent if it is not a tfaot that a meeting was called to consider the position of the club from the pllaying standpoint? I was aegiired there was goring to be euch a meeting, hence my advice to tfaana to withidlraw from the Senior Championship only. I -have a 'terrible lob of time for the Southern dub, aawJ would like to see them making a match, of it with tihe other teams in the senior oantesfc. But, my fear is that their pla/yens will become disheartened! . by their heavy defeats, andi attendant knockings-about, and will give up iflie game earlier thian they would under ordinary circumstances. » • • The annual meeting of the delegates of the Wellington Rugby Union decidled that it/ was advisable in the interests of the game to curtail the* number of representative nuatenes tihia season. It was, therefore, strange to read that a request from Wanganui for a match on the Northern- tour is likely to be acceded! to. I have been thinking representative matches over in thia connection, and the 'matches I think that be dropped without any loss of dignity to the Wellington Union are 1 the following : — Hawkefe Bay, Wairarapa, Mianaiwattu, and» Horowhenua. The three last-nam-ed are all in the Wellington province,, and the real obiect in playing games with them was the bringing of all -the unions in the province under the one head 1 . That obiect is not likely to b» fulfilled' in our time, as long as the Wellington Union semlds its team to play matches against them. As for Hawke's Bay, I am strongly in favour of playing Wanganui in, preference to them. For several reasons, the main one being that Wanganui fits in much better when making tihe Northern tour, and isi, thus a muck easier and less expensive match* to play. And the latter is a big reason just now with the Wellington Rugby Union. (Continued on page 20.)

(Continued frontpage 19.)

The Kia Ora team, use a tent to tram m at tue Lower Rutt. ••Bumper" Wright is keeping himself in form. Labt Saturday he bhot two goals in a junior match under the Wellington Football Association. "Smith was the best! of the backs. All through he played a Heady 1 game, and his great pace proved a very solid ad vantage." — it comment on the flying Auckland three-quarter. The Oriental-Old Bays match dad not start until 3.15 at the Athletic Park last Saturday. Hasn't the Rugby Union a bye-law which says that a bell shall ring at certain* tunes at tlhe .Athletic Park? Whose duty is it this season to ring the belli ? Something worth notmg . Roberts, Wallace, McGregor, and Thomson, the "All Blacks" playing in Wellington, are the place-kickers for their respective teams. Humphries filled a vacancy in Ims club's team (Stars, New Plymouth) the other Saturday, and showed that, although he is now classed as a veteran,, hie can play as good a full-back game as most people. Duning the match he went half-back when the play was going against hie team. Sweeney sprained his ankle in the gymnasium last Friday, and! was unable to play for Poneke against Atnletic. Hardham, the Petone captain, had the misfortunei to run a piece of steel into his hand on Friday, and ctould not lead has team against Melrose. They must have massed him greatly. One of the humouirs of the Rugby game. On Saturday last an Oriental forward had the ball in has possession, and was promptly bundled into touch by three or four opponents. As the several Old Boys picked themselves up off him ,a pleased expression, came o'er their faces as the last one to get off said, "I beg your pardon, old mam!" The remark after the expressions on the faces of the various tacklers was in the nature of a joke. "Full-back" says • — "Quite apairt from the breaking of the laws of the game, there is a positive danger in players lying on the ball after they have been/ tackled. It was to obviate this danger, a 6 well as to make the game faster, that the penalty for lying on the baJl was introduced." These ane my sentiments, too, and I make tlhe extract with the request that rerferees will bear it in mind.