THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13028, 20 November 1905, Page 4

THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL.

The victory of the New Zealand Footballers over the Scottish team in the first international match of the tour is of a character that will rekindle enthusiastic interest in these worthy representatives of bur colonial athletes. It was a victory and a decided one but the battle showed that in Scotland our champions had met foemen worthy of

their mettle, and that there is still uncertainty as. to- whether at the close of the season New Zealand will be able to boast the unprecedented record of unbroken and processional triumph. Heretofore, no stand whatever has been made against our colonial players, who have literally had the ball at their feet in every previous game, with the result that even their warmest admirers • have grown somewhat tired of acclaiming their prowess against, opponents who seemed so completely out-played.' The Scotchmen, although beaten, have no reason to be ashamed, for they stemmed through the greater part of the day the hitherto resistless rush of what is acknowledged to be the finest football team that ever appeared on a, British ground, and only went down before the final onsets of colonial champions, whose skill and dash were strained to the utmost to save the colonial laurels. This is the sort of game which will appeal to all true sportsmen as incomparably more admirable than one in which either side is beaten from the start, particularly as the long stand of the Scots was the occasion for an exhibition of the spurting power in which it is an article of colonial faith that colonials excel in football as in all other things. If the New Zealand team, battling its way to victory against such hardy opponents in the international games, as well as sweeping .the field in minor matches, returns home unbeaten it will richly deserve the welcome in store for it. For $o-day, as in the palmy days of Greece, we cannot have the healthy mind without the healthy'body, and the career of our Footballers has proved to the world that in the colonies men not only preserve the physical prowess of their forefathers, but even improve upon it.