FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1260, 23 April 1896, Page 27

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY UNION CHAMPION,SHIP FIXTURES. SDN Kill. The following fixtures for the first round havo been drawn : May 2nd—Melrose v. Poneke, Athletic Park No. 1 (north) ; Athletic v. 'Wellington, Athletic Park No. 2 (south). May 9th —Pctono v. Wellington, Park No. 1; Poneke v. Athletic, Park No. 2. May llith —Petone v. Poneke, Petono No. 1 ; Athletic v. Melrose, Park No. 1. May 3( •111—Wellington v. Melrose, ParkNo. 1 ; Petone v. Athletic, Park No. 2. June (sth—Petono v. Melrose, Petono No. 1; Wellington v. Poneke, Park No. 1. .r un ton. May 2nd St. John’s v. St. Patrick’s College, Petone No. 1 ; Oriental v. Poneke, Island Bay ; Athletic v. Solwyn, Newtown Park ; Aleiroso v. Petone, No. 4. Till RII-U LABS cuAMriOXSUirs. Oriental v. Poneke, No. 2 ; St. John’s v. Petone, No. 3. RUGBY FOOTBALL. The history of the Rugby game is told in an interesting article by Mr J. F. Ramsay, in the January issue of that excellent periodical, the Windsor Aloguiinc. We make the following extracts :

The apparent simplicity of the Association game has led many thousands of people to imagine that they are fully conversant with all the, nice points of the code after witnessing two or three matches, and perhaps without ever taking the trouble to read the rules. In the name way, I am of opinion that there are many Association referees even whose knowledge of the rules is most superficial, and these causes have led to most of llie scenes which have disgraced the Association football field during past years, and enabled the cynics to coin another phrase for the English language —“ Referee baiting.” The modest fashion in which the Rugby Union was established can be gleaned from the first balance-sheet, 'i he income amounted to £7 for the year, and the expenses reached £5. The membership comprised 33 clubs. What a change has taken place since that time ! There are now about 4Gb clubs on the membership list, and although the Union disburses some hundreds of pounds per year in charity a substantial sum has been invested in Consuls. THU FIRST 1 ,VJT. UN ATT '■ >.\A I. G.lMli was played bct'.v< mi England and Feu! land in j.,71, at Ivi in hu: eh. v !u. :i the boot.-, v, on by a goal and a try to a ti y. In tlm following year the Kngb.-h it plain [datives reversed that verdict in London, and up to the end of the season of 1895, when .Scotland surprised us by beating what was considered one of the best teams that had been put into the field for England for years, the record of the Rose against the Thistle was eight wins against seven, with seven draws. Outlie establishment of the Irish Union in 1875 annual matches were commenced between Ireland and England, of which England has won 19. Ireland two, and one ha 3° been drawn. It is only fair to say that, although generally beaten, the Irishmen have always come up smiling and played a good forward game, their weakness being mostly apparent at back. They secred their first victory in Dublin, in 180/, ant! tneir second at PJacklitiHh, :u tool. In the

latter year, for the lust lime, " the wearers of the green” were champion nation, as they also beat both Scotland ami Wales. In Rugby football, as first played in public schools, the sides generally consisted of an indefinite number of players, while in international and club matches twenty men a side took part.

Till' CHANGE FI!OAt TWENTY TO FIFTEEN' (the number now played) occurred in I■’S77 at the request of Scotland. The (alteration was desired because club secretaries often found a difficulty in putting a full corncle-

ment of plaeyrs in'o the field. A more open style of play naturally followed. At one time it was customary to have merely ono three-quarter bock. The decrease in the number of players, with proportionately greater chances for fast individual play, led to the introduction of two three-quarter backs, principally for defence, and two full backs. Subsequently we saw the introduction of two three-quarter backs and the reduction of the number of backs to one once more. These were the positionsof four players, with the remainder of the team made up of two half-backs and eight forwards, until 1893, when Wales, who some time previously had introduced what is known as the four three-quarter back system—reducing their forwards to eight in number in order to carry it out—managed to win the championship by beating ail the other countries. This le i at once to the introduction of tho system by the other countries into their club, county, and international games. In making this hurried change no doubt many clubs were 100 precipitate, as in several cases, except in the way of defence, this extra man behind the forwards was wasted. This was very noticeable in the Loudon .Scottish, a club who can on occasion command the services of many of Scotia's best international players. Yet with four three-quarter backs it was a common sight to see those players ATTEMPTING THE OLD STYLE OF ATTACK—a long punt up the field into touch, with the idea of giving the forwards a chance to show their scrummaging powers. .Still many chibs and players are raj.idly learning the lesson taught us by tire Welsh, and good three-quarter hacks will probably be much more plentiful in the course of a season or two. The work of the half-back has also undergone a change. With a big pack of forwards in front of him, he had many moic opportunities of getting the ball and making a run for the opposing gcnl line. But the new condition of tilings lias led to the introduction of rather lighter though faster forwards, with the result that the half-back nowadays has to confine himself largely to the task of getting (he ball when it leaves tho sciummuge, and passing it out to the three-quarters. When his siuo is being beaten ‘forward that is a task of no small difficulty, as ho is very often collared before he has the opportunity of completing his task. THE FOHWAUDS IN THE FIRST INSTANCE were merely looked upon as so many pushers. Weight and strength were required to drive the opposing side back. Jn those days the game was not nearly so attractive as it has since become. A system of short passing was first introduced amongst the forwards This innovation was brought to perfection by Itlaekhcaih and a few other clubs. Then wc had developed a system of long low passing by Vaisall’s famous Oxford team, which enabled them, as we have before remarked, to defy defeat for three seasons. Ireland has generally shown ns some fine forward play in the international matches. Their forwards are usually of the tall, lean, and wiry type, who are useful both in the scrummage and in the open In 1891, when they secured the championship, they gave a display of both feet and hand work, when they beat England at Blackheath, that simply

UPSET ALL THE ENGLISH HACK PLAY. Last season the English team promised to give us an exhibition of forward play which had never previously been excelled. They weic all selected from Southern clubs because of the splendid fashion in which they utterly routed the Northerners in the North arid South match. They continued this form against both Ireland and Wales, I.lit on meeting Scotland showed an awful falling-

off, and the Scots, in something like the old style, with a good solid pack and safe work by the backs, gained a meritorious victory.

NEW ZEALAND RUGBY UNION. A. meeting of the Management Committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union was held at Mr Hatch-; (.Tice last week. Present—Messrs G. F. C. Campbell (in the chair), 11. McCaidle, I. Hymns, J. Bee, A. T. Bate and A. AI. DeCosta (act ing-secre-Liry). Correspondence in reference to tho proposed visit of the Queensland team was read and discussed by the committee, and it was decided to invite the team to visit New Zealand in August, to leave Sydney by the Alameda on the 3rd. The ActingSecretary was empowered to interview the manager of the Union Company to arrange terms.

It was decided (o endorse the disqualifi Cation be the Marberuugh Union of A. \V

U’l P.vyer. Tin l iiil’licul!y of colours bet. we n the Southland and .Manawafu Union ; has n"’,v I ,oeii ; el tied, the. latter lias, ing reg : rep-d green and while lin is. Southland '.'.'ill then, fore retain their oiiginnl colour.; (maroc >n). Tho ai raiigemcnl of business to e-me before the minimi meeting oil the 25th insl. was fixed by the committee. At a Hireling of junior members of the Wellington Football C'iitb 11. E. Mui-rah was elected captain of Iho second fifteen, and A. AI. Stuart , <E. Reeves and the captain were elected a match committee. C. limes was elected captain of tho third fifteen, and H. E. Morshoud and J. AY. Fleetwood, were appointed to act with the captain, as a match committee. Mr J. P. Firth has been elected chairman of the Wellington Referee’s Association. Tho Otug . Rugby Union has asked tho Referees’ Association to nominate a delegate to a conference to discuss the laws of tho game, and secure uniformity of rulings. In reply to tho Wellington Union, it was resolved to intimate that every endeavour would bo made to send a team North this year, but arrangements were to some extent dependent on the tour of tho Queensland team.