BRITISH FOOTBALLERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13723, 13 April 1908, Page 6

BRITISH FOOTBALLERS.

TEAM FOR NEW ZEALAND.

INTEIIESTINC- PA RTICCLA KS.

[FROM orp. OWN*, fOBRESrOSTDEXT.]

Losdov, March 6. The British football team which is s'jout to visit New Zealand numbers 28, of whom nine r.i internationalist It has been, organised by Mr. George H. Harnett, of Kent County, a member of the Rugby Union Committee, who will act a* manager. The other officials will ho -A. F. Harding (captain) and P. F. Mc.Evei.iy rice-captain). Original y it whs hoped to include player* from Sotland and Ireland, but the unions of those countries have set their faces against Rugby tour-. on the ground that they tend to professionalism. The colours of the team are to be red arse! white, with a narrow edging of blue.

One member of the team will he recognised as a New Zealander by birth, vis., P. F. McEvedy. who has been chosen as reserve foi England on many occasions, and wl-.ise knowledge of back play—and of New Zealand buck play, too, which is an important factor —must naturally be of great service to the team. Harding is looked upon as the best leader of forwards: Jacketl and Dyke are both good fullbacks; Gibbs is perhaps the be>t wing-throeqiiartei in all the four countries, and his ability to play any wher* behind the scrum is an undoubted asset. d. L. William-, the Cardiff flier, is well known; he and \ assail are expected to do something Rue. The majority of the forwards have the reputation of being hard " shovevs," while two or three belong to the best men in the loose that could be found. One critic remarks that the men constituting the team should be capable of yielding a strong fifteen under a captain of so much spirit and experience as A. F. Harding, "but it is of necessity something of tin experimental team, and there will be, perhaps, a little disappointment that brilliant players are not plentiful in the party. R. A. Gibbs, of Cardiff, and H. H. Vassal!, of Oxford, are- the great 'crass* players behind the scrummage, and the element that must be relied on to make the tour a success will be the forwards. Those have been obviously chosen on the experiences of the New Zealand team which toured under D. Gailaher's captainship two years ago, and the powerful and hard scrummagcrs of the West and North of England and South Wales should readily hold their own against the sturdy type of player commonly associated with New Zealand. _ Halfback seems to be the we -t position in the party. H. Laxon, the old Cambridge Blue, and W. Morgan belong to what is colloquially known as the 'ninpy' species of halfbacks: W. •'• Davey has done well for Cornwall as a ' stand-off,' and Gerald Williams, it is understood, was reserve for England last season. There is a great amount of variety on the threequarier line, and the fullbacks are both very trustworthy. "The players h!1 possess the spirit of the game, and are sure to null together under the buoyant influence of the manager, Mr. Harnett. ... It is hoped that this visit will strengthen the New Zealand Union in their fight against professionalism."