FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14984, 4 May 1912, Page 9

FOOTBALL.

THE RUGBY GAME. NOTES • AND COMMENTS. The second of our special series of Rugby football articles will bo published on Tuesday. Tlio subject is scientific forward play, and it is from the pen of Bees Thomas, a famous Welsh forward. The Auckland Rugby Union's senior championship competition will open at Alexandra Park this afternoon. Iho matches will be:—University v. Marist Brothers' Old Boys; City v. Ponsonby; and Parnell'v. College Rifles. All three will bo played on that portion of tho Park generally called Potter's Paddock. The Canterbury Rugby Union's Annual for 1912 maintains the high standard which it has set in past years. It is a model of careful compilation, and tlio s Canterbury Union's hon. secretary, Mr. W. G. Garrard, has reason to be proud of his work. I have to acknowledge, with thanks, tlio receipt of a copy oi tho Annual from Mr. Garrard. An Ota go representative team will leave Dunedin about tlio end of August, and play matches against Canterbury, Wellington, Wanganui, Taranaki, and Auckland. A. Macdonald, the "All Black" forward who successfully appealed against his disqualification by tlio Otago Union last year, has decided to play again. " It is excellent to have a giant's strength, 'but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant," is tlio advice offered to strong referees by an English writer, when referring to the case of H. S. B. Lawrie being ordered off. The occasion was such that the opposing captain, H. D. Stoop, the English international, at once asked one of his own side to leave the field and make the numbers even. "This' action on the part of the Harlequins' captain will probably cause some controversy, but the genuine Rugger man will applaud it as a piece of chivalry fully in accordance/with the true spirit of tho game." Football is encouraged by the Welsh Union in tho elementary schools. A sum of more than £200 was voted for this purpose when the Welsh Schools' Union was established, and annual contributions havo since been made, besides donations to tho funds of all the intermediate schools practising the Rugby game. Several of tho leading Welsh clubs include players from the elementary schools, and as many as four of them wero in tho Welsh team "against, Ireland a few weeks ago. On the other hand, the English Schools' Union is in serious financial straits. C. Forgio and H. Butterworth have been chosen as emergencies for tho Parnell senior team against College Rifles to-day. D. Dowe, tho clover ex-Wanganui representative halfback, who played for the Grafton Club last season, lias joined Parnoil.

This afternoon the Ma.rist Brothers' Old Boys' senior team will practico with the club's third-grade team at Alexandra Park, and the teams will bo finallv selected after* wards. The fourth and fifth grade teams will practice after weighing, and Mr. T. Walsh, tho junior coach, will refereo this game. A special tram for players will leave the corner of Victoria and Hobson Streets at two p.m. That the new Auckland Rugby Referees' Association is progressing well is indicated by the fact that seventeen members wore present at the last weekly meeting. Two now members, Messrs. W. J. •Crichton and Hannigan, were elected, .and three others were proposed. The Marisfc < Brothers' . Old Boys' Club seems to bo in a very strong position. Eighty-seven players practised on Wednesday evening in the training shed which tho club has rented.' During the coming week tho club will discuss ways and' means of getting a training-hall of its own for next season. '

G. A. Tyler, the famous All Black hooker, who has had a long and distinguished career as a member of tho Oity Club and an Auckland and New Zealand representative player, has definitely decided to retire from tho game. His duties as dockmastor to tho Auckland Harbour Board interfere with football. Thirteen years have passed 6inco Tyler won senior, representative honours, and ho has played in the Auckland representative team in 11 seasons. C. A. Moffitt, a Waikato player of some promise as a threequarter, has joined tho City Club. Until Moffftt has qualified to play in Auckland club football by residence, Speight, a junior player, will bo in tho threequarter line. I am authoritatively informed that A. Campbell, formerly of tho Ponsonby Club's junior _ team,. and a junior representative, has joined tho City Club, and will play as " lock " in that club's senior forwards. ' Last

Saturday I stated, on reliable authority, that Campbell would play for College Rifles. It is said that Campbell is joining l City entirely on his own initiative. If tho City Club desires to play the game in* the true spirit of Rugby, it should ascertain whether Campbell gave the College Rifles a promise to play for them. If it is found that ho did, City should refuse to play him. Such cases as this provide a good argument for the district clubs system. It would not bet amiss if the Ruff by Union's management committee made a practice of inquiring into transfers of this naturo. Owing to A. Barclay having been injured at practice a few days ago, IL Thomas, a (roldfield's representative last year, will play five-eighths for City to-day. The position with regard to the City Club's juniors being a little unsettled, a meeting of all tho club's junior players will bo held at Alexandra Park this afternoon, when all the grades will be required to seleot their officers for the year. ' Apparently tho Wellington Rugby Union is much perturbed by the possibility of territorial parades interfering with fotball. There is roally no occasion for perturbation. Nearly all the Rugby Union authorities m the Dominion recognise the necessity for tho territorial defence scheme, x'hoy also know that General Godley has given an assurance that all branches of sport will be considered as much as possible, and that tho General is a man who will keep his word.

Some New Rules.

Players should mako themselves familiar with the alterations which have been made to the laws of tho game, and the new interpretations which have been adopted since last season. Several of these have been published in this column during the last week or two, but there aro one or two others of importance which should bo understood thoroughly. New Zealand referees liavo not been unanimous in penalising the lifting of feet in a scrummage, but they will now have to be stricter. The English Rugby Union has added to _ the laws regarding a scrummaeo a provision that a player shall 'bo considered as wilfully preventing a ball being fairly put into a scrummage if, before the ball is put in, he moves eithor of . his feet beyond tho front _ lino of his forwards, or follows the ball into the scrummage with either foot. Front rank men must therefore bo particularly careful to keep their feet still until the ball is in the scrummage. An addition has also been made to law 6, which previously provided that tho ball may not bo picked up (a) in a scrummage, or (b) when it has been put down after a tackle. A third clause has been inserted, viz., " When it is on tho ground after a player has been tackled." Tho following note has been added: "When a player is tackled with the ball it cap only ho brought into play with the foot." I fail to see any neoessity for tho third clause, because, so far as the intention of the English Rugby Union is concerned, there is really no difference between it and clause b. In fact, tho new provision is but another instance of the English Union's carelessness in the, use of words. To interpret the clause strictly would bo to rule that once the ball touches tho ground after the first tackle in a match it may not be picked up at all.

Screwing the Scrum.

There 13 one alteration by the English Rugby Union which is likely to cause an uproar of dissent. If adopted in this Dominion it will cause the abolition of the Now Zealand method of screwing tho serum. Formerly, tho rules provided that free kicks by way of penalties shall be awarded if any player " intentionally either. handles tho ball, or falls down in a scrummage, or pick 3 tho ball out of a scrummage." To this has been added the following clause: "Or picks it up in a scrummage, either by hands or legs." In tho spirit of the cranio there is no difference between the New Zealand method of screwing the scrum with the "lock" man picking up the ball with his knees and the English system' of keeping the ball on the ground. The New Zealand method is more efficient, and the likelihood of tho back-row men getting off-side is sufficiently provided for by the other rules. Tho new rule is not 0110 for which any necessity can bo seen in this part of the world, and it can only be taken as a result of tho mania for legislation which not infrequently overcomes filectod porsorfs. -H " ever, as tho Now Zealand Rugby Umon

blindly follows the English Union, the rule, I suppose, will have to be followed in Auckland. The Newton Club. Last week tho Newton Club felt assured that it,would bo able to put a senior team into tho field this season. But it now appears that some of the members do not deserve the good things which were said or their keenness. Several promises have been broken, and now Newton find that they cannot raise a senior .fifteen. Wliilo the reducing of the number of teams to six will obviate the inconvenience of a bye in tho senior championship matches every Saturday, it is regrettable to find old and honoured clubs falling on hard times. It. is curious to find that, _ although Auckland boasts of a proud position in New Zealand Rugby, it has only six senior teams. Dunedin, I notice, has 10, It seems that only three senior players turned out for the Newton Club's practice on Saturday last, and only two were at the training shed on Tuesday evening-. The club will now affiliate with. Pamell, and put a strong junior team in the field. A Comic Touch. . * I There ia a Gilbcrtian flavour in the de- | cision of the management committee and | tho junior advisory committee of the Auck- [ land Rugby Union regarding the weight i limits of players in tho fourth and i fifth grades. These limits will bo fist 71b for tho fifth grade, and 9st _ 71b for the fourth grade, at the beginning of the season, but later the players will be allowed up to 71b over the limit in each grade. Sumincd-up, this means really that the two committees referred to are seized with the idea that the more football matches a player is engaged 1 in the heavier lie becomes. It also means that the committees tacitly approve of tho pernicious system of " sweating " down to the prescribed weight at tho beginning of the season. What eommonsense is there in fixing a limit and then deciding to make an allowance on it. If it is folt that players weighing up to 9sfc should not be barred from the fifth grade in tho middle of tho season, why not make 9st the limit for tho whole of the season, and, similarly, lOst in the fourth grade, and adhere to these restrictions? If the union set its face against "sweating down," and fixed weight limits, that would be reasonable, and would also remain unchanged for tho season, it would serve better the purpose tho union has in view. In a Cleft Stick. There is no reason to suppose that the management committee of tho Auckland Rugby Union intends to deal lightly with players who offend against the canons of sport, but it has only itself to blame if I players misapprehend its Attitude toward rough play. In recommending the ' New Zealand Rugby Union to remit half of the sentence of disqualification imposed upon C. McDevitt for striking a City player in the last match of the 1911 season, it has established a bad precedent, even if it has, in so doing, made the sentence a. just one. As a matter of fact, tho action which the committee took in this case at its meeting on Wednesday evening is equivalent to a censure on last year's committer;. One point which should not be overlooked is that only two members of the present committee were not members of the previous committee. One member stated on. Wednesday that ho was satisfied, from what reliable persons had told him, that McDevitt had received provocation, and the name of a certain representative player was mentioned. These statements confirmed those urged by McDevitt in mitigation of his offence. As it happened, the iMarist Brothers player was the only one detected by the referee. But no referee can bo expected to see all that goes on during a match, and a Rugby Union committee is failing in its duty to the game when it. waits for players to bo reported by referees before dealing with cases of foiil play. On tho admission of at least one member of the present, committee who was in office last year, evidence of foul play by another player was available, and the committee have fully investigated the case, and punished all who wore to blame. Another _ indication of the committee's weakness in this case is that too much weight was given to McDevitt' apology for lus remark, at the original inquiry, that he would repeat his act in similar cases. No amount of subsequent apology ctn alter tho fact , that such a remark indicates that the blow for whioh this player was punished was deliberate. _ From what was said, on , Wednesday evening, the committee appears to havo taken McDovitt's remark as an affront. Instead,. it was just a straight- ' forward admission of guilt, and the commitfceo of last year had no right to include in its sentence on McDevitt on the original charge of striking an opponent punishment for making .that . remark to the committee, ' If tho committee had considered tho remark insulting— it was not— should liavt made it the basis of a soparate charge, anc separate punishment. ' In short, the position is this If the present committee feels that McDevitt deserved ' a year's suspension from play, it is guilty of weakness in recommending the N.Z.R.U. to remove the suspension; if it feels that the " sentence was not deserved, it is practically admitting that the members who sat on the ' committee last year—almost the same as this . year—were wanting in their duty. So tho h committee has placed itself in a cleft stick.

The West End Rowing Club's football team will play a match with a team from Hardley and Hardley, Ltd., at the Sacred Heart College grounds, at three p.m. today. ' A drag for referees' officiating at Alexandra Park will leave His Majesty's Arcado at two o'clock this afternoon. As the school fixtures commence next Saturday the conveyance will leave at 1.10 p.m. as and from that date.

UNDER LEAGUE RULES.

During the week G. Gillett has been visiting the goldfields, .in an effort to advance the Nortliorn Union game there, at tho instance of the Auckland Provincial League. The annual meeting of tho New Zealand Rugby League will bo hold in the Trades Hall, Hobson-street, at two p.m. to-day. The Auckland Provincial Leaguo has registered 105 new members already. All the Provincial Leaguo players will regrit that Mr. H. Oakley has found it necessary, through stress of business, to resign the secretaryship of tho league. Mr. Qakley has proved himself a very efficient and popular official.

THE ASSOCIATION GAME.

The Ever ton and Ponsonby senior teams will play a pruetico match at Victoria Park to-day. The game should bo a very fast and interesting one, as both teams have greatly improved on their form of last year. Mr. Dawson is working very hard for tho Ponsonby club. Although tho club has lost one or two of last year's players, ho has not been long in replacing them, and a very strong eleven will be put in the field. Tho Everton club is also a 'little stronger than last year. The backs aro practically tho same, but in the forwards there are three new men—Rod. Webster, Shergold, and R. Boyno. Soccer enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that R. Boyno, tho Everton centre-forward, is progressing very favourably after an operation, and will' be taking the field in a couple of weeks. Everton's second division will play a match with St. John's at Victoria Park today. The team is newly formed, 'but with a little practice should bo hard to beat. Everton's fourth division captain was a junior player for the famous Everton club in tho Old Country. A match will be played on the Domain this afternoon 'between the Hotspur and Carlton Clubs.. Hotspur players are requested to bo on tho ground at 2.30 p.m. sharp.

AUSTRALAN RULES.

What has been generally called either Australian or Victorian football, but is nowtermed officially Australian Rules football, has been retrogressive in Auckland during the past year or two. The fact twit many of those who have played the game in this city have been birds of passage has influenced the small band of enthusiasts now remaining in Auckland to decide to allow a senior competition to lapse for the approaching sear BOD.

The junior competition. however, will bo continued, and as there are some good workers at the helm of this competition, it is hoped that, in time, and by starting almost from the bottom again, the game will be worked up to a better position than it has held beforo in Auckland. From the junior players of tho present tho seniors of tho future will be drawn, and so earnest work among the juniors this season should result in tho game being placed on a better footing later.