FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12818, 18 March 1905, Page 5 (Supplement)

FOOTBALL.

The Australian Rugbv team (New South Wales and Queensland) leaves for New Zealand on August 12. The match against this team will be the only important event as far as Auckland is concerned dining the coming season. It has been suggested that the North v. South Island match should this year bo played in Wellington on June 3 (Prince of Wales Birthday), in the presence of the New Zealand selectors, who could note the form displayed with a view to filling tho vacancies in the team for the Old Country. D. P.. Bedell-Seivright, captain of the British team that toured the colonies last season, returned to Australia in the steamer Empire a few days ago. He has visited Japan since leaving Sydney, and will lease for England in May. Wales recently defeated Scotland under the Rugby code at Edinburgh by 6 points (two tries) to 3 (one try). The winning learn included Llewellyn,'(Ja.bc:, Morgan, and Harding, members of the British team that loured Australia and New Zealand last season. Llewellyn scored one of the tries for Wales.

The Rugby match England v. Scotland was to have been played a day or two after the last English mail left. C. F. StrangerLea ths, who played fullback lot Bedell-Seiv-right's combination ill the colonies last season, was chosen to represent England in that position: while Rogers, who was also out here with the team from the Old Country, was in the forward division.

An ox-New Zealaiidor, writing mo ("Forward," of tho Otago Witness) from Cornwall, England, on the subject of the New Zealand Rugby team's visit to the Homo Country, says the first team they will meet in England on September 15 next will not bo a particularly strong one, but the New Zealanders must not imagine they have a soft thing on, for tho English teams have a knack of bobbing up when least expected. "If the New Zealunders suffer defeat oil their first appearance on English soil, they might as well roll up their jerseys and return to Maoriland by the first boat, for the tour, from a financial view-point, will be doomed." My correspondent is, however, of the opinion that the New Zealand team will win more matches than they will lose. He has come to that conclusion after having sat out many matches in England in which socalled first-class teams were engaged.