Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume X, Issue 476, 14 August 1909, Page 18

Rugby Football.

THE Athletic Park was in its chiioziic static of recent tumcs last Saturday — water heie, a mud heap there, and slush in abmndaaioe everywhere. The spectators also were iv sufficient numbers to keep the gate takings up to the £100 average, and the two matches played ended in such a way as to ensure a final match for t!he honour of being the champion team for the year. As the two fifteens who have to fight out this match are Poneke and Petone, a rattling attendance of the public us assured, no matter what the conditions are under which at may be played. The smiles on. the faces of the Mainageimeinrf) Committee of the Rugby Union at the conclusion of play were therefore onily wihiat might be expected, because a final match bo an interesting season's football should make their operatiions vmy successful from the financial! point of view. The Athletic and Petone teanis vrfrc given the doubtful honour of playing on the No. 1 ground ; doubtful l from th^ fact that the Slough of Desrond along the northern side of the playing area was a ternible thing to look forward to spending the afternoon m. Howevor, I have said all I am going to say about the state the No. 1 ground has got into, and can only express the hope that an improvement will be effected before another footbaffl season comes round. Despite everything, the dalsplay of the respective players in the Athletic — Petone match was exhi'ia rating afllT the time, although it seemed to me that the lads firom the viiHage always hadl a sufficient advantage in the exchanges to guarantee that they would run out winners when, the final bell rang. The Athletics were not so convincing forward as against the Poneke® the previous Saturday, wnich bears out a Dunedin fellow-scribe's often-expressed opinion that : "A team only pfllays as well as the opposition will allow iit to do." The difference between the Poneke and Petone teams, a® fax as tli exp'rience of the Athletics was concerned', is that, whereas the forward rushes of the 'latter made great holes in the Poneke defence, every man in the Petone back division, was a hurdle in himself to get over, and each one did his share of the work in a surpassingly sound manner ooaisidering til* state the ball had got into before play proceeded far. Amd, as t3ie Petone forwards were as aggressive as their opponents — with tine backs opposed to them not so hard to beat as their own wore — ifc is bwfc natural that the latter were bound to quaJEry to contest the final match for the senior championship with the winners of the Ponieke — Oriental game. w • • This match was played on the No 2 ground, and was more interesting to the general body of the spectators than the adjoining game, mainly from the fact that it was drawing wear its conclusion before the ultimate winner could be definitely forecast. So well did Oriental play in the first half, and so resistless were tiheir forward rushies as far as the Ponekes were concerned, that it looked almost a certainty that the three points lead they had seemed when the bell' rang for the temporary cessation of hostiEties would be too much of a hurdle for the red and blacks. But a change came o'er the scene when play was re-commenced, for the ball was only set in motion, a few minutes when a penalty goal brought the sooies level. And then, far a matter of about twenty minutes the team lied by Gardner dominated 1 the play to such an exent that six points more were credited to them as the result of two tries being^ recorded by their backs. The feeling of relief among the Pomeke supporters was well expressed by a fair red^and-bfllack barrackeT in the grand rtand whien Mitchinson failed to convert the second try • "Never mind, Match ie, you've got ecough!" • • • Taking the play in the two matches right ishrough from beginning to end, ita is a fair conclusion that the two "P V were the best, and it is but fitting that they should play another match between them to dlecide the ciampionship. As the match will be played to-morrow (Saturday^ week, it i> a fond hope of ©very player and

enthusiast that the present dampness iji the ground may be dined up before that date. Who will win? I gave up football prophesying a 'long while ago. Jim Ryan was the soundest back on the Athletic Pa,ik on Saturday. His kicking, running, passing, and uishstoppmg weie excellent, and his liand Iling was good enough for a dry day What could Lne been more bnlil'iant 'than the manoeuyie that led up to the t"-v scored by Gi-een ? Finding his way blocked' on the neai side. Ryain ran across the face of the goal, and', in good position, passed to the little halfback, whr, had laced lound aftei his centre The dive thaifc landed him safely m Jus opponents' in-goal was woitliv of Dick Caviill iax his best dlay — a an exponent of diving of course. Green hinise>lsf was in the thick of eiervthang, and I still think, iff full justice had been dome his poweis, lie would be wearing the black jersey against Taira,niaki to-morrow (Saturday)*. The team is weaker than it shoniiH have been by reason at his exclusion. Teddy Smyrke has gone back to N<aPer, and,, although he has played many good gamas for Petone, he never gave me the impression that he would get Ins side out of tioubl'e when/ a forward rush came along. Miller took his place, and satisfied tie spectators that he had all the necessary quaJSficaitions for a fuJl-back. being particularly cleian ao taking the ball and soilid in his* kicking. I am not given much to prophesying, but I will venture as regardls Mil Her that if he keeps oni playing fullback representative honowis wild come hi& way directly ; piobaibly before many moons. Nothing to equal his showing on Saturday has been given this season, in Wellington. Joe Ryan, McKenzie, aend Daley were aflected with the same complaint as their mattes — cleanness in catching the wet and dirty bail, amid soundness in kuckmg. The former's try sihowed that his pace on a wet ground was good enough to get away f ram the <ypTKxsi'tion, and the soundness of McKenzie' s exhibition is proved by the fact that, though not seriously coi»sidered m the running by many people, thr yoitnig fellow won the confidence of the selectors of the Wellington representative team. * » w Jack McKenzie is only seventeen yeans of age, and therefoie wears the black jersey for the first time at the same period of life as that great WetUngton player — William J. Wallace — ■ d.id. That m itself is something for a young feLilow to be proud 1 of these days. But, McKenzies rise to greatness has been predicted by tba/fc astute judge of a football ci — Jannes Lynskey. o 1 " Petone —^and lam not far wrong in saying that he was a proud mam when first he saw the team announced with ]\lcKenzie's name w it and another man who wouM be looking for a larger size of hat from the same oause wooild luave been Boniface Joe Hooper, who a white back was mine host of the Empire HoteJ, at Petone, but now controls the destinies of a hostteiry in Hamilton, the principal town in the Waikatto district. Hooper is stepfather to Weikngton's youngest representative player and in hils sojourn m these parts was wont to be found wherever the Pet-one schoolboys were playing. To get back to McKenzie himself. At school he was a champion, and as a fifth-class player he helped the Petone boys to wipe out all oppositkxn on several occasions. Between the 1907 and 1908 /seasons he went to live with his parents in the Waikato, but the inland towns had no charms for him. He wanted to get back to Peifcone, andi, incidentally, to play football' thei c. With the .assistance of Mr. Lynskey, he was apprenticed to a dentist in the village, and, as I mentioned once before in these notes, when the footbaJfl geason was drawing near a rumour went round Petone that the coach of the fifth-class team was looking for MeKenzie to help his side. But it was only barrack, and the subject of these notes started playing junior. When Mick Ryan was laid by, he was 1 brought into the Petone senior team as emergency. Since his advent amongst that company he has not Hooked back, and ioi his first year he wins his cap. Me-

Kenzie's rise seems Jhke a fairy taille. Schooll one year, fifth-class two years junior, senior, and representative pßaye; m one yoair. Tins is a record that any roan or boy might be proud of. I have digressed a long way from the showings of the individual players, bait the exti aordanary oiicuanstances warranted it, I Lhwik. To get back, /then, the Petome forwards one and aJflj played/ eplendidlh , the kuig-pm of the lot 'being veteran Haa-dtam, and I wouM not have been surprised if he had been dice again honoured as a .representative. Others that impressed .me were Pi ice, Fishoi , Lindsay, <and W. Ryan, though Sha/idlow Drummond, McFar'laae, and Dent played right up to their best form. • • « I have little to add to what I said about the Athletic players last week, and practically ail I could! say on this oocasion was that individually and collectively they did not j-ise to the high standard sot by them in tJhe match against Poneke. For 'instance, Cunningham, McDonald and Wfllson were a bit umcertain where trey made practically no mistakes the previous week. Evensen, McKotz . and Organ were about up to thie same standard, but Denham seemed to be ir a happier mood than in the sltuish in the same place seven, days before. The Athletic pack is a fine one, and played right up to its reputation, breaking away in fine style, but, as I said before, the Petone defence was solid and, good 1 and all 'as a forward pack may be, the opposition backs have to make mistakes and be found) out of their places for them to be in the limelight aJll the time. Ready, Kiveil, and Wilson were on the ball with much persistency, the former playing his best gaime of the year. What the Poneke back team wouflld bt without Mvtchnnson is not a very hard problem to solve, 'especially on a wet day. The ISttle New Zealand representative is here, there,, and everywhere, covering up the mistakes of his fellow backs as only a player with his head on the right way amd with a quirk pair of feet and & handy Heft could no. Can I say amy more thorn that he is the handy maji of the backs, tho hardest worker, and the brainiest o* the whole seven? WalsShe is a bard man to stop, amd played one of his old-time games, bustling the opposition aHI the way. His ti\v was c fine example of stremigth, practically crashing through his opponents on his way to the Mne, and the penalty goal was a good effort. Slater wag vea-y uncertain at fuillback, the mud seeming to get him right down, although ocoasionaJly he came to light Ryan. Elliott, and Flannagan weie not happy at all, amid I cannot for the life of me see how the former has been considered good enough for a place in the representative team when bis last three games aire remembered. Given a fine day and plenty of mom to manoeuvre m, he is a topnotcher, but on a wet day ' The steOiectors probably amtioipatfcei p<R eTr fcC?' of fine weather. Tilvard had another hard row to hoe for a midget and did wedL Gardner was on the ba,ll wlhenever it broke clear, and ihis inclusion mi the repjesentatives did not coroe as a surprise, although Hard'ham musrt have run him close on the day's play. (Continued on page 19.)

( Continued from page 28 j

Thoie i,s something radically wiong with the Poneke forwaid diyusuon, especially in the early stages oit a game. On Saturday , tor instance, in the first half they seemed to be at sixes and se\ ens, playing moi c as unuts tlian as a combination. Someone must have spoken to them pretty straight at the iutei\al, foi they improved conisidlorahly atter they had the spell-oh. TaiunaJiiil (.Kia Ora junior and Poneke senior this season) was light out on hi', own and satisfied the selectors that tihe Rua Ora team woae lucky to have retained hi* services untill they won. the champi nship Treziso caught the eye many tamos foi fine wouk the kickung by him that led up to WaMue's tiy beinur a splendid efhwt. llie others wore about on the same level', although Demnediy tiasliea aciuss the visioai pretty often. m Theie were h\ c Ryans playing on tihe AtMetie Paik test Saturday— 4Jiree bi others m the Pito.no team, another (not a brother) in the Ponebes, and stall another ot lhe same name amongst the Onentals The latter was, pJia^mg lull- back lor tho black amd whites and, oonsidei img irt was his first game as a semoi, he did rema-rkabfly well, I %m told that, 'he is a ireoruit the Orientals have worn over from the wb. Patrick's College Old Boys. Everybody -probably, I may except n few keen Poneke ba.rrackers— was pleased to see Freddy Roberts in the jersey once again He was pkywiig left-wing three-quarter. and proved himself cllever enough to do credit to the Slide and his own reputation, vi tlhe position His kicking and! fieMimg ot the greasy ball were first-class. Kinvig, Maze, and ilcLeod I dud not notice particularly euther for good or indifferent work. The efements T\-ere against their usual .style o± pJlay, but they all showed plenty of pluck m getting in front of some ugly rushes, 2nd did their best to get the snrie out or trouble McLeod tried hand to make much P-ood play but the conditiono frustrated many of his best efforts Still-rock did some splendid left-foot kicking, and on, one occasion in the second spelili he caused a mighty choer toa.n,sefrc,mthe supporters of the Unental side He made a pot-shot a.t the uprights, and the ball went as tiiue o.s a due in the right dn-ection, boifc the cheer died down ais the ball was seen to fall a few yards sibrurt into the aims ot ■i waiting Poneke back. It was a fine effort andi if lit had met with success might haye been the turniing-pomt m the" fortunes of the game. Can ad was not a Fied Roberts at half-back, 'although he got through the work that came his way remaikablv well and Hubbard, on the wing-for-ward, was noticeable mainly for the many times he was adjudged off -side by therefeiee. One of tl we occasions ■was responsible for the penalty go-ad kicked bv Walshe. Peny was the shining ikghit among the Oriental 1 foiwardis and I thought when watching hum that if he had stuck to St James this season he woulin have been of Rieat assistance to that brigade Peiry's t^ was weffl-carmxl , anri he kept on the ball Tight to the bitter end. Tvnell and Fanr were well-mated .n the fiont row and \\est did wdl m the fiisfc spell A «Jlisht concussion of the jaw 'f r f^ d , that half of the game, kept hhim fauly quiet in the coiK-ludimg pfflrtion As a matter of fact the Oi iiwutal fonvard-s us a ooimbmation weie not nearly po conTijioing after they had a quarter of an hour's rest fi ~<m active hostilities . * • On recenit expei.iences I am perfectly satisfied that our semoi refeiees do tv-t interpret Rullc 17 00-n-ectly This rule leads — ' If a pl'avei shall wilfuJly kick, pass, knock o,r caii^- the ba'/ bnck across his goal-line and it there bo mad dead," etc. To the ordinary lay mind that sentence shouM be oasv to tianslate, but the reicrees have some d-fficulty m appieciiatning the English of it. A few iniytances. — In the Poneke — Mel rose match a plover with one foot in-field and the other over the goal,lme, picked tho ball up while in the field of play, amd placed it on the ground over the goal-line Refeiees decision Touch-down (not wilfully done). Oriental v. Poneke. — An Onental forward wa^ tackled o>n his goal-line, and tin own across i>t w,i,th the ball m hi^ possession According to the refrree ho wilfully carried the ball over thi' line — the Poneke' s man tackle did not eoxmt — and a sorunmmage was ord<rred where ho first got hold of the ba)l. Oriental v. Poneke again. — An Oriental three-quarter gorfc hold of the ball' a toot trom the line, and was pushed across. 7i touch-down wias allowed this time. Athletic v. Poneke. — A Ponieke threequarter ran Tound behind hus line, and endeavoured to kick the ball atnto the field of play, but it slipped off the side c* tiis foot, and went to touch-in-goal The referee ruled this to be a wilful kick, and gave the porummage wheie he picked up the baM.

These instances could be increased to .any extent, and it seems to me that, considering that the .referees meet weekly, they sboaiild come to some unanimity on this matter It should not be liard .at any tune for th© refeiee to decide whether a happening is wilful ot not, atnd eomiuon-son.se slw>u(id Ik displayed b\ the offiraaJs. Last Satuida\ 's matches resulted as follows — Petone, 9 (tries by Joe Ryan, Gieen, and Hardliain) , Athletic nil. Poneke, 0 (tucs by Flann'a,gan and ■^'ailishe and penaty goal bv Walslie) ; Oriental, 3 [h\y by Pcny). Southern, 3 (penalty grab by Les Campbell) , Victoria Ooillege, mil. St. James, lb (three tnos by Bau,mgait, tT\o coant'ited tries and penalty goal by Oirweo, Me'li ose, niL The Old Boys and Wellngtnn match wa«? not played at Minamar a leferee being found cnura<reous efflio-ngh. to exel cisc the p.' were given ham under the laws of the an me m declaring the ground unfit foi pi- ay.

Fied G&idnei, the captain of the Poneke team, has 'eaimt all ha& football jn Wellington, amd is yet another "old boy" ot the College that us priviJloged to haye Mr. J. P. Furth as its punc.pal to win Ins cap as a 1 representative player of Wellington. Wlhen first bv placed senioi football it was in the ■white jeisey of tihe Old Boys that he took the field, but the last three seasons the Poneke Cltub li.aye /had the boiiiefit of his sei vices. Quiet and unasaumnig, and a w an/g- forward tihat pays more atttntion to the bail'l than tr> the man opposite him Fred's seJectioin afc this &'tapje i- generally approved bv followeis vf tli'P Rugby gactno m the city Thcip i/s a good bill of faie for pations of rjtigby at the Athletic Park tomr,ir,).w af einoon — Wellnntrton v. St. Patiiick's C>l ■ ge, at 1 30, Tananiaki v. WoJllingt^n, at 3 The takings at the Athletic Park last Satuiday amounted to £129. The Wellington and Wiaaraiapa schiooliboys play tiheir annual match at Groytown to-morrow (Saturday). At last something ha-s appeared in prmt as emanating from th© New Zeaiand Refeiees' A^sociati'^n. A little more 'limelight on that bod'y's doings will be weloomcd. The Sydney JJnueisity teaan, whidh is booked to pTay several matches in New ZeaHmd, leaves Sydney to-mor-row (Saturday) afternoon, and will' icarih Wellington om Wednesday next. I hear that there was a diversity of opinion among the members of the Postponement C mm ittee of the Wellington Rugby Union ,Uist Saturday as to whether m itches should be played -fihat after nooin. The Auckland Riugby Unicm is heaping up trouble with its diistrict sefheme. The seniior competition bas got into a very knp-"Mdod arnangemen't, aand now tho transferring of players from one team fr> another in tJie lower grades is oauwiiiia: mai'Kh hoartburninig, andJ many haid words to be said.

'Mr. H. Franks the ilnisfcliinig land and commission agent, of King's Cbaim'b.prs. djjawa attention elsewhere to some s;ood "propositions in the way of exchange <fcli<a,t he has on hianA, viz., a fine property of four acres at Island Bay for a house in tihe city, a block of 12 mtv housies for a aheap-fainm, and 66,000 acies froehold for other properties. Speralat-ors would db weiH to give Mr Fi anks> a caSIL