OUT DOOR Sports and Pastimes

Free Lance, Volume XVIII, Issue 952, 10 October 1918, Page 24

OUT DOOR Sports and Pastimes

By Touchline.

Rugby Pootball.

WHEN it was decided, at the beginning of the Rugby football seiason of 1918, to make the Senior competition of the Wellington Rugby Union open to players of any age, I was amongst those who doubted the wisdom of such a decision. But now that the play is over and done with, .and the doings of the season travel across the memory, my conclusion is decisive that it has been the best Rugby year, for a long while. There -was a time—even prior to the greatest war of all history—when the devotees •of Rugby football were not at all pleased with the methods of play that, were coming into general use, and that in consequence the game was losing its hold in popular esteem. Then the war came, and the leading players left with the other boys to do their share for King and Empire. The Rugby Union, true to the reason for their existence, did their best to keep the flag flying, and eventually decided to limit the senior competition to players. under 20 years of age. It was felt —and rightly, too —that unless a man was prepared, to enlist for active service opportunities should not be given "him of indulging in New Zealand's national game. .For a couple of years this policy was pursued, and, although many bright exhibitions of Rugby football were given, the public could not be prevailed upon to attend the Athletic Park ixi numbers consistent with the merit of the play. In consequence of the paucity of the attendance, and the lack of revenue thereby, the Rugby Union •got into financial difficulties. A special committee, with Dr. P. F. McEvedy as the prime mover, put up a splendid canvass to help to retain the Athletic Park as a-'permanent ground for Rugby football, with the result that over • £2000 was raised and the bugbear of debt lifted off the shoulders of the Ttugby Union officials.

This campaign was the beginning of the .revival of interest in Rugby football, and many people who had lost the habit gpt it again—the Athletic Park found them' back in their old places of a Saturday afternoon. The

players also rose to the occasion, and, although there have been a few games this season in which the football has not been of the best nor of a particularly high standard, yet, taking the season all round, the Rugby game has come back to its old popularity amongst the public. It has, in my opinion, entered on a new era, and, if the powers that have the control of affairs handle things in a proper manner, Rugby football will resume its old place as New Zealand's national game. *. * * * • A few words about the play. The remarkable finish; to the senior championship will remain in the memory for many a day. , Some people did not agree with the way in which the Rugby Union had brought the Petcne and the Poneke teams together so as to make possible a final match for the championship, but there are none who were disappointed because of the two great games that resulted. Maybe, some of the Petone Club's supporters would have been better pleased if the suburban team had prevailed, but there were many who enjoyed the games, regardless of which team was the premier one. That Poneke gained the honour

by a substantial win in the final match was deserved on their play on the day.

The University fifteen started the year as probable champions, but their fall was even quicker than their rise. Their position, after their displays in the opening games, was unaccountable, especially when one thinks of the quality of the players in the team. The Wellington College "boys did not play as many matches in the championship contcst as most people would have liked. But they won the interCollegiate tournament at Wanganui, and, as that is the primary thing in the football year as far as the College players are concerned, the authorities of. that institution are more than satisfied. The boys, however, played such fine Rugby that a wish to see them oftener is a fair one. The soldier teams from the Trentham Camp were composed of some fine specimens of young New Zealand manhood, and many excellent Rugby exponents. The A team were easily the '.strongest side in the competition, but, owing to certain reasons never properly explained, they, withdrew from the actual competition for senior honours. The Old Boys fifteen were a disappointment to me, for they should have .made a better showing than they did, considering the many good players there were oh the side. They were an in-and-out team of variable moods. Wellington, Athletic, Oriental, and Selwyn all had a sprinkling of oldtimers amongst the youths, and always gave a good go to the sides opposed to them. *■ * * # Now and again the Rugby rough showed a tendency to upset the traditions of the game, but he was not over-

prominent except on one or two occasions. To my mind the unfair player who cares not a jot about the traditions of the game—the only thing that matters to him being the win, no matter how it is obtained —rwants stamping right out if the game is to progress. It was my hope that the weeding out of the older players would have cleaned up the game, and the least chance of the rough element coming into, prominence again starts me going.

Passing this, the play right through has been bright and interesting, with the public attending in increasing numbers Saturday by Saturday. To me, then, the future of Rugby in New Zealand is such as to make its supporters as optimistic as it is possible for anybody to be.

The agitation re revising the rules of the game will be one of the burning questions at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union. I don't anticipate that any good will result from the proposed inquiry by the Wellington Rugby Union as to who was responsible for the recent Auckland-Wel-lington representative match being played under what were to all intents and purposes rules borrowed from the League game. Suggestions have been made, that a special meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union should be held to consider certain amendments, but I am in agreement with the Canterbury Rugby people that no good will be gained by holding a meeting at which there would not be- a full representation of the whole of the Unions.

I am one of those who believe that there is no, necessity to change the rules of Rugby to make the game more interesting to the players. Of course, if the playe.s are to be a secondary consideration —and Rugby is to be a spectacle for the entertainment of the spectators—then there is a reason for advocating changes in the rules. When I feel this way it will be seen that Rugby football is good enough for the players, and that when all is said and done it is a game primarily for the physical development of our young fellows. That it should develop into a business entertainment, with the players as the puppets in the hands of the officials, is altogether opposed to my ideas of what Rugby football should be.

By the last mail I received a cheery letter from an old-time Wellington Rugby player now doing his- bit with the other boys on the Western Front. His letter is headed —"France, 2/8/18," and states: — " I suppose you will be surprised to hear from me, but I have been meeting some of • the old football fraternity lately, and knowing how keen you are both from a personal and professional point of view, thought I had better write you a few lines. •'» " A couple of days ago I was walking down a road and met Eddie Ryan: he was on his way to see brother Jim, who is Regimental Sergeant-Major in one of the Otago Battalions. [This refers to two members of the well-known Petone R,ugby family.] Eddie is at present working in an Artillery repair shop not far from the line. He was looking very well, and Jimmy also was looking, in the pink of condition. "Arthur (Ranji) Wilson has been having a bad spin lately with a kind of trench fever. I saw him about a month ago. He had just rejoined his unit and was looking fairly well. I came across him playing cricket, and from the way he was shaping it was quite evident that he has not forgotten how to send down a decent ball. Billy Wilson is also looking well, and has filled out a good deal. " Petone lost a good lad a couple of months ago in the person of "Sconnie " Dent, a brother of Tom's, the wing-for-ward. " Sconnie " was killed outright by a shell. I was speaking tot one of the battery officers a couple pf days afterwards (" Sconnie " was in the Artillery) and was told that he was one of the finest lads in the battery. He was a cheering soul, and was vdry popular indeed with all ranks. " Jim Moffat has gone to ' Blighty' to an officers' training corps for his commission. Jim is as good a soldier as he was .a footballer, and has earned a fine name, out here. ' Nobby ' Clark (the old Athletic and Petone threequarter) is with us in the front line and is pretty fit. " Billy Hill still keeps going and hasn't altered a scrap. [Since this was written, however, Billy has ' gone West.'] Saw Jack Hall (now Captain) recently. The old Aucklander is putting on weight rapidly, and I doubt if he will ever play in a fast game again. He is with the Pioneers, and is very well. " Jimmy Jones (a brother of T. H. Jones, the secretary of the Wellington Rugby Union) is a lieutenant in one of the companies in the fighting line, and wishes to be kindly remembered

to you. He expects ,to be off ,to Blighty on leave in a few' days.

" Life over here is pretty rough, but the boys are still pretty keen, and NewZealand has good cause to be proud of the Division. Massey and Ward have been over to see us. "There is a very strong feeling amongst all the troops—French, British and American-—that the end of this outfit is now in sight, and that this time next year will see the cessation of hostilities. Fritz is gamfe, though, yet it is hard to see how it can last much longer. The Yankees are a fine crowd, splendid in physique and rattling good fellows. They are very keen, and are out for fight from start to finish." * * ■ , ■» ■» The Free Lance penetrates to the fighting line in France all right. Some time ago I made references to the New Zealand team that played against' France, and I queried whether the player named in the papers as Carnegie should not have been Cornaga, an ex-Auckland League player. " Rugby Sport" writes me from France, under date Ist August:—" Dear Touchline,— I have just been reading the account in your paper of the New Zealand Divisional match with the French teani at Paris. You make a mistake in stating that Carnegie's name should probably be Cornaga. Carnegie is a wing forward, and came from Dunedin. He is the best Rugby player in the Division at the present time." My apologies to the Dunedin. lad.