OUR FOOTBALLERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5728, 25 October 1905, Page 5

OUR FOOTBALLERS.

CABLE NEWS.

CNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. —BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. COPYRIGHT.

THEIR FIRST MATCH. FURTHER. COMMENTS OX THEIR PLAY. THE WIXG FORWARD. SYDNEY. October 24. Further comment on the New Zealand football team.is contained in the English files which have arrived here. ‘■The Times” of September 181 h, referring to the first match, says:—The colonials gained a remarkable victory over Devon. So unequal were the sides that no score would proportionately set ouj the overwhelming superiority possessed by tho New Zealanders in pace and skill. The wing forward position is, however, a startling innovation. His position imperils ids team under tho off-side rule, and much trouble may bo expected in future matches, if Ills work is conducted on tho same linos as in tlie Devon match.

Tho London “Daily Telegraph” states; —ln tho startling triumph achieved by tho Now Zealanders in their opening match, tho prestige of Devon football received a severe blow. That the visitors would probably win was expected, but no one was prepared for tho utter rout af all points. Tho visitors wcrOy deafly superior, and were in no way flattered by tho score, heavy as it was. Tho Now Zealanders, who were physically a fine set of men, set about their task -in a workmanlike manner, and had their opponents demoralised with astonishing rapidity. Quite tho bes,t feature of tho New Zealanders’ play was the work of their Seven forwards, who wore mor6 than a match for their opponents’ eight. The paper —“lt tho English team should bo compelled ill self-defence to play a ‘winger’ the game from a spectacular point of view is not likely to bo , improved.” i' , : THE EVE OF THE CAMPAIGN. (From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, September 15. To-morrow tho New Zealanders - will open their football campaign at Exeter, where they meet a strong Devon County team. Since their arrival a week ago they have been quartered at tho Globe Hotel at Newton Abbott, and have gone in for steady practice on tho adjoining football ground. Mr G. H. Dixon, tho manager, took a run ap to London on Wednesday to visit tho Now Zealand Government offices in connection with the tour, hut the rest of the team 'have spent tho week at their training-quarters.- A member of the team writes to me from Newton Abbott : “Wo arrived here last Friday morning, and started training the same afternoon, doing only light work—kicking, passing, dribbling, etc. The ground is good, and there is every convenience for dressing and baths. We practise every morning at 10.30. On Monday and Tuesday mornings we had regular games of thirteen aside. Both wore very fast and hard games, and wo played for an hour and a quarter. The men seemed very fit and well. There was no game on Wednesday, but wo practised passing, dribbling, etc. The ground was rather hard, and there were one or two minor accidents, but nothing serious.

“In the afternoons we do as wo please. Many go for walks into the country, os far as Torquay ami Teignmouth. Others go for bicycle rides. All of us are charmed with the beautiful scenery and the quaint old villages, through which wo pas.sod, and it is interesting to compare notes on our different excursions when we return in the evening. Wednesday was Fair !)ay here, and wo attended, ami thoroughly enjoyed the novelty of the Fair, which was so utterly unlike anything we see in New Zealand. Thursday’s practice will ho our last before the opening match, as we shall rest on the Friday.” Mi - Seddon’s announcement that tho High Commissioner in Loudon was arranging to have, news of tho team’s doings cabled out to Now Zealand seems to tickle the fancy of tho London newspapers. Tho “Daily Graphic” declares that never since Pindar wrote his odes have State and athletics so joined hands. Tho “Westminster Gazette” pictures “our own Colonial Secretary” giving out nows of the Test Matches, hut remarks that tho man iu the street would probably not be content to wait so long for his news. The “Daily News” observes that the NcW Zealanders are '•probably the first team to receive State recognition.” The lastnamed paper sent i: representative to interview tho secretary of the High Commissioner’s Department on tho subject, and next morning Mr Kcnnaway was astonished and considerably annlsed to find himself reported as saying; “It is an excellent idea; The team is, so to epcak, yet another instrument for the welding together of the Empire ” a piece of flowery rhetoric which had its. origin in the. interviewer's own imaginative brain. Sporting writers have devoted a good deal of attention to the visit of tho New Zealand team during the past week. The “five-eighths” system, winch is new to this country, comes iu for a good deal of discussion, and tho jMckiug of the forwards and the position of the “wing” have given tho critics plenty to write about. The chief difference between English and Now Zealand styles of play is in the packing of the scrums.. The New Zealanders pack 2—3—-2,, whereas the Englishmen pack 3—2—3, the wing forward having no existence iit this country. Hatnish Stuart, in the course ot a column article in the “ Daily Chronicle ” on the subject of the visitors’ system remarks: —“Tno New Zealanders justify their system on the ground that the two front men—called ‘ hookers ’ —can get tho hall just as well as t hree, and that the five behind have tho same pushing power as our five. Now, nnr front throe are supposed to do some pushing, though their first aim should ho to get below the opposing three, with a view to pushing them up, and so getting tho ball with the first shove, made as. soon as the hall is ‘ in.’ The Now Zealand front two do not push at alt They only try to get the hall. Like our front three, they must roly upon the men behind to push at the psychological moment. Here, I think, we will have the real contest of tho system, and. if the No\t‘ Zealanders .beat ollr host packs for

the hall, thou our forward play, or, at least, our scrummage work, may Buffer considerable modification before the tour is over. We are hardly likely to adorn, tho professed wing forward, either in Ins defensive or aggressive a.-pet. Indeed, I expect an early collision between this rover and the referee at Exoteb on Saturday.. In New Zealand he is allowed to obstruct tho opposing half, or in other words, to prevent him getting round when ins own side have the ball, pror vidod ho keeps one hand on tho scrum. Tlie proviso suggests a latitude of law 1 likely to bo more honoured in tho breach than tho observance in tho heat of a keen game. Lot mo not strike, however, a discordant note until the winger's ways have been seen and noticed at Exeter next Saturday.” Dealing with the New Zealanders" visit as an event in Rugby football history, Hamish Stuart suggests that tha colonials, if successful, will leave their mark on English methods of piny. “It would bo idle,” ho says, “to pretend that tho visit of the Now Zealanders will make the same appeal to the football public as tho Australians make te tho cricket public; it marks; however, a new epoch in the game, and may have far-reaching consequences, for it given to the governors of this code the proud distinction of being the pioneers of Imperial footer of tho same class, and, for the Rugby world at least, of tho same interest and importance as Imr porial cricket. Tho Now Zealanders, it is true, are not the first colonial football team to visit England; we have had. Maoris and Canadians, the latter under both codes as our guests, hut they aro assuredly the first (side who can f airly! ho described as of tho same class as exponents of Rugby as tho Australians, are of cricket. Possibly theiKexcellence may have been exaggerated, and their methods extolled beyond their merits; until, however, they aro put to tho test of actual play, wo must accept the Now Zealanders as an exceptionally, fino side, who play a ‘game’ which differs in so many respects from our various ‘games,’ that our methods may suffer considerable modification before the. tour ends, provided always our guests, meet with that measure of success which alone would justify imitation oil their ways on our part.” A rather patronising article in tho. “Pall Midi Gazette” on tho subject of the New Zealand football team inform* its readers that tho Antipodeaus “ play; ratner an old-fashioned game, and English tea me may very well hope to leach, them something.” The article concludes with tho remark that “ anything; colonial will receive encouragement in those days from the Motherland” —ai piece of patronage for which the colonial team, if they re;id the “Pall Mali! Gazette,”'must feel deeply grateful! As to New Zealand football tactics being old-fashioned,' it Will bo time enough to say so when the matches, against British teams supply tho proCf, and tho London paper would have been wiser to wait until the colonials hud, given their first exhibition before committing itself to this extraordinary statement. Considering tho defeats inflicted upon Bedcll-Sivright’s team by New Zealand and Auckland, to say nothing of the Rotorua Maoris, it wouldsoom' as though tho boot were on tho other foot, and that. England might, have something to learn from tho “ oldfashioned” colonials in the matter of football. And lam quite sure tho New Zealand team can get -along without patronage.

GOOD MANNERS FOR SPORTSMEN. (To the Editor. “N.Z. Times.-”)

Sir.—ln vtxir sub-leader of the 23r(V iust., entitled “Four Hundred and Eight Points,” yon ask the'question, "Can they’ play fbotball in England at all, or should, their national game be ping-pong or marbles ” Without in any way wishing to detract i'r>m the remarkable success of tho New Zealand Rugby team, you might, I think, show a little more of the true sporting instincts by also informing your readers that (1) Rugby football has been on the wane in Great Britain for tho past twenty-five years, during which lime the Association game has gradually supplanted it in popularity. This was well demonstrated bv the fact that wbilo only 4000 people witnessed the lallrt Rugby county chanipionsbio at Hartlepool, between Durham and Kent, over 100,00® travelled to the Crystal Palace to soo the final' for the English Association Cup, between Newcastle United and Sheffield;. (2) I have never hoard any one claim, that Rugby football was England's; national game; in fact, every schoolboy knows that cricket occupies that position, as docs the game of “poker” for America, and, judging bv the cable of the Premier when drawn out by the half-penny “Daily Mail.” and your own remarks as quoted above, it may reasonably be assumed that ‘‘skito" is the New Zealand national game—or is fast becoming so. It may possibly be news to you and to> the Premier that the true sportsman and gentleman is modest in the day ot success. Such remarks os I have quoted, aro quite foreign to the above sentiment. I cannot oven imagine aißritish journalist making such comments on, say. tho defeated Australian cricketers ' or New Zealand riflemen; so do not let this col. ony tarnish Its good sporting name bjn being caddish.—X am etc.. TRUE SPORT. Hunterville, October 23rd. fUnfortuhately for our correspondent'* contention that British journalists are sc immaculate that they do not rejoico in the successes Of their representatives iu any manly sport, wo publish-from omn London , correspondent to-day certain extracts from tho “Pall Mali Gazette," whose patronising tone admirably reflects the English attitude toward colonial sport. The article was written before the Argil match was played. They hoped to teach ns something. We are busily engaged at the present time in teaching them.—Ed.. “N.Z. Times.”] HOW MANY ARB NATIVE BORN P Sir, reading an article in this mom. ing paper headed four hundred and eight points, you ciuote these words Can they play fbotball in England at all, or should their National game be ping-pong or marbles in taking up the cudgels on behalf of ray follow countrymen I must admit that New Zealanders arc far ahead of England in the Rugby game, and so they ought to be, if you consider how the people live at home, and out here New Zealand ought to outshine the. Mother country in every game, but they cannot England can hold her own, against all-comers in soccer or cricket, or iu every game bar Rugby there onh game New Zealand can play and‘that Rugby you must excuse this writing, as I. am” no scholar, but it does break m« up to hear so muck about the New Zealand football team at every meal tabla or club or whether one happens to be the topic is football will yon please answer me the following questions:—(l) how main- of the team that are in England now are Native born. (2) why didn’t the New Zealand Rugby Union accept tlie invitation of the South African Rugby Union for a tour through that country.—l am, October 23rd. [We publish the above commnnicatiofe exactly as ive received it. We b<» v e pleasure in giving tho information required in our correspondent*© first Question in; our editorial columns. With reference* to the South African ifitir, it must W remembered that our team was got together to plar against England-not to tour the globe.—Editor * f N.Z. Times.”!