RUGBY FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20309, 17 July 1929, Page 15

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

RANFURLY shield match. I ' j WAIRARAPA AND HAWKE'S BAY. I THE all blacks on tour. ! Tb e first match for the Ranfurlv Shield this sexton >v.U played at Master!on cent Saturday betwoen Hawke's Ray {challengers) and Wau-arapa (holders), jjje Hawkc's Bay •euro looks to i>e hut ■ t shadow of the 'lre side which held < the trophy for five seasons. On the ; other band Wairarapa looks a strong team j on japer- Irvine. Harvey, Ccoke and j nun, who Will in the defenders' fifteen, | vers at! members of the 1924 All rtintbinatior! Irvine and Mill : Hawke's Ray representatives at that time. ; while C;f>KC was an AucklancJer. J. Steei. a member of '.he 1924 Ail i Blacks. -is reported to be play: 115 good , football acain this season tor the Albion j Clab m Christciurch. Steei announced : jjjj retirement two seasons ago and did . Sot play !ait vpar - Hie spell must have j done him good. as some Southern critics j are suggesting he should gain a place in the Canterbury team for its North Island tour. The return to the plavmg held of J. Steel wid N. P. McGregor (Canterbury), (J Vepia (East Coast), J. Mill (WaiPjxapai and K.. 5. Svensc.n i Wellington), ; after these players had announced their J retirement, makes one wonder whether it j is in view of the British team's tour next j season. j The All Blacks will play their sixth j match of the tour against a country team j i.o-dav. Tlie second test match will be | played against Australia at Brisbane on < Saturday. Neither same will be broad- j cast. ! Tcwsrs an Absentee. Australia will be without the services j of Towers on Saturday, as he nas not re- j covered from injuries received in the first ( test match at Sydney. The remarks passed ; bv the Australian player regarding the ; tactics of the All Blacks have caused a : food deal of comment m Rugby circles throughout the Dominion. No doubt the ; All Black team is also very much con- ; cerned as instanced by the remarks of the j manager. Mr. J. McLeod, who stated j Towers' injury, although unfortunate, .; was quite accidental. Ponsonbv and University still retain ; their record oi two losses each in the Auckland Riisrl.y Union's senior competi- | tion. but the latter has yet to plav Manst i in the 'first round match. University 1 reeistered a remarkable score under the , conditions r <i 36 to 0 against Graft-on j last Sat ur da v. In its nest match, bow- | ever. University will experience much , stronger opposition when opposed to | Grammar Old Boys. According to the first round draw the | senior matches for next saturdaj are as ; follows-.—Manuka* v. Training College, j Ctv v Ponsonbv, Msrist "Gruffon. L/oJ- j We Rifle" "v. Technical. University v. j Grammar Old Boys. The last-namea j match --vill probably be given pride 01 , elate, out City and Ponsonbv would pro- | vide! good curtain-raiser. _ 1 iL the Ponsonbv custodian who j has been rather on colour in recent games ; cot a much imr-roved •nsplay against . Jfannkau -m Saturday. He fieiaed the hesvT ball accurately and kicked w,.h , sound judement. resides being respon- | sible for some good defensive work. j An Amusing Incident. L Rizhton. one of the hardest-working forwards m the competition, came out as a place kick for Ponsonbv he landed a Sne coal from a difficult angle with a heavy bail Later in the game ha attempted to drop a goal from a penal*v and caused no end of amusement when'be lost his foothold, missed the hall and fell over. As in the first round, Rifles proved a match for Grammar boys and again narrowly missed registering a win. The first time these teams met this season College Rifles created a great surprise bv running out winners - points to 6. It was College Rifles tirst sctcess in the round. The Manst team is improving and may cause some of the leaders trouble before the end of the season. Led bv Hadley it has a hard working-pack of .orwaxds. while individually some of the backs are very clever. r ALL BLACKS' BEST TEAM. 1903 SIDE IN AUSTRALIA. "Subscriber."' Te Aroha, writes as follows:-! see 'it has been mentioned in yoar paper that good New Australian critics consider the 1905 AU Black team the best that has ever represented ;be Dominion. Would you nindly give the personnel of that team and its record'' _ , The members of :t»c team were: Bacust A. Asber. H. iKernan, R- McGregor • (Auckland). W. J. Wallace (Wellington), A. L Humphries (Taranaki). D. -lcGregnr, M. E. Wood 1 Canterbury), j. Duncan, captain. .T. Stalker i Ota go), J. W. Stead >Southland). Forwards: D. , Gallaher. A. .T. Long, G. W. Nichoison. G. A. Tvier (Auckland), L. Armstrong A. McMlhn, D. Udv (Wairarapai, J. Spencer (Wellington 1. B. J. Fanning, K-J.-Cooke 1 Canterbury), F. Given, H. jPort eons (Otnco). The teara olaved 'en matches an d won them ail: as'followsNew South Wales, 12—0; Western Districts (New South Wales),-47—7: New South Wales. 3 —o; Metropolitan Union (New South Wales), 35-3: Queensland, 17—0: Western Districts .'Queensland). 29—0; Queensland, 28—0: Northern Districts (New South : Wales). S3—o: Australia. 22—3: bined Country (New South Wales), 52—0. i Points for, 275: against, 15. BtJGBY IS PXiAYEB'S «AME. j COMMERCIALISM OF LEAGUE. Rugby League football, or professional Rugby as it :s called in London, is regarded as a game for the spectators b} a leading London sportsman, and not a 1 . game for the players. It is in such a . respect, that he considers the game differs mostly from the Rugby Union game, •which he regards as the more suitable of the two, because of its being a player s game. When the authorities controlling the professional game in England decided to their cup final in London, most persons associated with the game were surprised and F. J. Sellicks, well known in , loot ball circles, in a special article deal- . ins; with the decision of the. League ' authorities, said that spectators who for ll* first, time would be looking at the - League game would have to remember . *be essential difference between amateur *od professional Rugby. "It is not merely a natter of rules," he said, "or the psiy- • 1 nwitrt oj- non-payment of players; it is thfl fact that the Rngby Union game is run in interest of the players themselves. The :.<i4' ; ; .aagby Leagne, as if caßs itself ncwra- ; H»"' caters not for the: players, cpat LVfeptib» spcitatoca. It is a. commercial;, j prise,. Mid: as.. such" it must, attract crowd. otJteorisw it cannot • ... ' ...