THE ROUT OF DEVON.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5732, 30 October 1905, Page 5

THE ROUT OF DEVON.

TH£ FIRST MATCH AT HOME. A sensational beginning; COMPLETE "WALK-OVER” FOR NEW ZEALAND. (From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, September 22. The amazing victory with which the New Zealanders opened their tour at Exeter is now a matter of football history. The colossal score, 55 points to 4, would tell its own talc every follower of tho game in tho colony, and it only remains for me to confirm the impression to which such figures would naturally give rise. It was, of course, more of a walk-over than a match. The paco of tho New Zealanders took tho Homo team by surprise, and very early in the gamo Devon lost heart and lost their heads; They “took it lying down,” as Mr Chamberlain would say. And tho dashing New Zealanders showed them no mercy. Tho fact that the homo defence had collapsed made them not a whit less keen; they played just as hard when tho score was 50 to nil, as they did at tho start of the game. It was a splendid victory, and tho memoirs of the team deservo the warmest praise for the fine display they made; but even their supporters would like to have seen them put through a severer test than tho driving home of a beaten team afforded. Devon wore so demoralised that they played far below their proper form—indeed, a sorrier display than theirs has seldom boon witnessed in first-class football. It was a miserable exhibition on their part. They cannot he said to have given battle to tile New' Zealanders at all. At tho first onset they fell to pieces, and tho match promptly degenerated into tho rout of Devon. The latter were practically defeated in tho first five minutes of the game, and at tho end of a quarter of an hour's play the only question was tho number of points Now Zealand would win by. The defensive powers of tho colonials were scarcely tested at all. The full-back, Gillett, wore a hat throughout the gamo, and might have added a sunshade for all the inconvenience it would have caused in his play. Ho touched the .hall just twice in tho_eour.se of the match! Onlyon two occasions wero the Devonians in tho least dangerous. The first time, hesitation on Vivyan's part threw away a chance of scoring, but towards the end of tho gamo Devon got within a few yards of their opponents’ lino, and Lillicrap dropped a beautiful goal. That was the homo team’s ono and only score, and New Zealand promptly avenged the chock by scoring another try and goal before the cal! of time. It was, <

indeed, a startling triumph; but a® a test tho game must bo pronounced a failure. In say inn tin's one does not in any way depreciate tho very fine form, shown by the men from Maorilau*.' The r b.'i'lliant win was Uioroughly dosolved. Moreover, it has served a very useful 'purpose, in attracting a great amount, of attention and arousing public interest in tho Now Zealanders’ tour. A -ensatioual success like that o" Saturday is the best, possible commence, meat, from the popular point of view. A match to one-sided hardly calls for serious criticism, and wc must porforce await a better trial of skill before attempting to estimate Zcr.*'.r.dors’ chances in tho international games. There arc coronal points of interest, however, to be noted in connection with Saturday's match. Tho place and dash ol the visiting forwards were y revelation to tho Devon people, and tho home team wore compilolely baffled. The latter evidently went on the field expecting something ■wonderfully new in the way of tactics, and instead of playing up they hung about waiting for what was going to happen. What d<\ hapiKMi was that the colonial forwards “ rushed things ” from tho jump, and gave their opponents, no time to pull themselves together. Starting off at a tremendous pace, the Now Zealand vanguard rushed the ball down inside tho twenty-five, heeled out, and enabled Hunter to score first blood within three minutes from the kick-off. Devon seemed fairly dazed by the suddenness of-tho onset, and, wijh one or two exceptions, they never regained their selfpossession. The systematic packing of tho colonial forwards was another factor in their success. Their seven men. wore far more than a match for their’ eight opponents. They easily hold tho scrums, and as their fruiiLrankeni nearly always hooked (ho ball, tho New Zealand pinch were ahlo to give their hack division abundant opportunities,, of which full advantage was taken. With a winning pack, and in tho ahson ;o of any determined tackling, tin* colonial hacks had it all their own way. There was nothing exceptional about! their combination—perhaps the oxtraordhary condition of affairs tended more to individual effort; bpt their superior pace and the weak defence of their opponents gave them try after try. George Smith had quite a fieldday. Tho hnrdlo champion simply galloped round his opponents, and 'placed lour trios to his team’s credit. Wallace crossed the lino three times and Hunter twice, whilo Glasgow, Nicholson, and Stead scored a try apiece. Wallace, in particular, played a brilliant game, quite up to tho beet international form, Tho combination of tho backs was nob up to the Welsh standard, but tho fumbling that marred their play ate times was perhaps excusable in their) firstftinalch after a long sea voyage. From an English point of view, tho only, new feature about tho colonials’ hack play was their practice of keeping a three-quarter on guard behind tho scrum when tho foam were attacking. In this country one usually sees tho whole four three-quarters lining out at tho sido of the scrum when near tha enemy’s lino, with the result that if tho opposing forwards break through they have a clear field, and may reach the full-back and smother his defence before the rest ol tho hack division can overtake them. Tho New Zoala miens' foundation in attack was sounder iip this respicct. And there was no doubt about (heir brilliancy in attack. Hoilii they will acquit themselves when placed on the defensive has yet to bo seen, but behind a winning pack they are decidedly a dangerous Jot.

“GIVE A DOG A BAD NAME“First tlio feast, then the pill.” Th« general chorus of praise of the New Zealanders’ game at Exeter was marred by one discordant note. With startling unanimity the critics discovered ana fastened firmly on “one blot” in the game as played by the Maovil i mlcrs. and one, wo are told, that is “against every canon in Rugby Union football.”' Hus blot is, of course, the work allotted to the “wing forward.” According to “O. B. Fry’s Magazine,” my poor old, friend Tom Ellison claimed to have invented this personage in a Rugby team and held that lire “winger” need never l transgress the rules if ho knew his business. Our English. ■ critics, however, condemn the wing-forward utterly,. They ban him by boll, book, and candle, goal-posts and referee’s whistle.' He is “no forward at all,” hut “an extra, half-back,” whose duty is to “loaf or tho outside of the scrum, and obstruct either’passively or actively the opposing half, whoso game may thereby bo ruined.” Wo are further infornled that ‘,‘tho moment tho ball is heeled he becomes off-side, anyl liable to tho penalty for obstruction.” Not a single critic of Saturday’s play whose writings I have soon fails to curse tho “winger”—in Parliamentary language, of course—and most of them suggest that tho penalties lie •will incur when tho team is on-, gaged in important matches, and play< ing under tho hose of strict referees, will bring tho New Zealanders to grief; At Exeter tho referee pulled Gallahen up three or four times for “off-side, but in the view of many of tho journalistic experts present, he was blind to a large number of similar trcsjiassos by that player. Whether tho English clubs will seek, to combat the New Zealanders’ innovation by indulging in “winger” tactics, themselves, or will bo content to roly, on tho rigid administration of the offside rule for an equitable solution oil tho matter,/remains to be seen. Undoubtedly, after having their attention so forcibly directed to the likelihood of frequent transgressions by thoi “winger,” referees called upon to act at the New Zealanders’ future matches will keep a very sharp eye on that player. Possibly, indeed, they may, prove so “down” on that player that the New Zealanders will find it policy to abolish him for the rest of the tour. In so many words, and from many quarters, referees have been told that tho “winger” is really a person worthy of ail discouragement—a player who can .only bo really useful to his side if ho can keep on tlio referee’s blind side. This being so, tho referees will ba mono than human if they do not take particularly good care of tho “winger.’' And, when you are watching a player in tho hope of catching him “off-side.” tho chances are that you will soon find’ reason to penalise him for that offence, Tho known or suspected pickpocket. can't go within a yard of a possible victim before the policeman's hand is on bis shoulder, and Gallaber will, I fancy ;l often find himself the victim of a decision based on the principle of tho cricket umpire who once no-balled me foi throwing. Ho had boon told I threw. “What did you no-ball me for, umpire?” I asked after the match. “Throwing.” “But 1 didn’t throw.” “Perhaps not,” ho replied calmly, “but you was sendln' ’em in faster an’ faster, and gettiir precious near to throwin’.” I fear tho -New Zealand “winger” will often ■ bo “precious near off-side,” and suffer accordingly. NOTES BY ERIC T. HARPER. Wo were all very surprised at the rfc., suit of the match. We considered tho chances about even, but from tho very

of tlio Rulin' there was no ii,whatever as to which was tlio V, Irani. The •Devon men a-cmol oil! of form, null playoil with very liltlo so.in or il.isli. Tin’ Hist try was oh■,.Li:us! hy Hunter in the first five ininuiei; i; was a jtoml try, hut the opposi:t): sole !i:i<l many opportunil ies of collaring him whie.lt they ilitl not take. Fa,, minutes later Wallace kickcel a tvti.iity )'o.sl. The rest of Ihe tries t'o ehtaineil were Very simple, the tai’kliim ■,.f the IVvon men Briny; extremely weak. Our backs simply el id what they liketl with the hall, ami scorcul when they I.lu-d. The forwards from the very comineneeinent of the rniim completely took rh.uv.e D! ilmifcs. Our sonnn was very much hotter and mure compact than Devon’s. The Devon forwards pack down in any position they happen to and thomieh-e* in; no forward has an appointed place in the scrum. One man niifrht ho playing front rank in one -arum, anti in the next scrum in the back rank. Unr formation proved itself far superior to the Jtnglish btvV, and in conwqucnco we were able to get the ball tiinu times out of ten. ]'he Knglish scrum never looked compact like unr own. ft is dtfUcnlb losco how it can ho when no man lias an al'otted place in the scrum. Pur wing-forward was a great source of annoyance to the Devon’s half-hacks, and tv lien they did get the hall, which was seldom, lie was there as soon as the hall got to the halves.

Generally, wo play a much harder game (.so far as we can judge from this match) than the Knglishmen. their forwards ami hacks go in for passing far more than we do. AV hat passingrushes they did participate in were not effective. The hall went _ too much across the field, ami when it came to the wing-thrc.i>fpiarter fie was almost an the touch-line when ho received it. Our play wus much harder and much more dashing, and the Devon hacks did jiot seem to like onr forward rushes. Their attempt' 4 to ' st[l P them (veto very feeble. It is an attractive game, but not half so effective. Throughout the game our men find the upper hand. There was hardly ■an occasion when the Devons were in our twentv-livo line. A splendid reception awaited our team on the arrival of the train at Newton Abbot after tho match. Although it was midnight, the whole town turned uut, and amid cheers we were escorted in procession to the hotel, headed by tho town brass band. AVe wore at very struck with this ovation. We all of us enjoyed our .stay at Newton Abbot immensely, ami wore very sorry to leave on Monday. THE GAME. In a game so one-sided a mere narration of tho scoring suffices for a description of the actual playl. Tho N’W Zealanders, with their backs to tho sun, started forcing tho play in a fashion which suggested “bellows to mend” in .short order, unless, as, indeed, proved to bo tho case, the visitors wore much Utter than one could reasonably expect them to ho after their shipboard spoil. ’Their forwards wore “all over” the Devonians, and less than three minutes from the start a brief bout of short, quick passing between Roberts, Stead and Hunter was wound up by the lastnamed scoring close to tho posts. AVallaoo had an easy place-kick, and duly converted, amid much applause. Give-and-take play was tho order for a spoil, ‘Smith distinguishing himself by stopping a dangerous Devon rush. Then tho Now Zealanders became buoy, and ■rushed tho Devonians all over the field. Seeling secured, and put Hunter and Nicholson on the move, hut AA’allaco failed to properly gather a back pass from Gallaher, and a golden opportunity was lost. Tho New Zealander, however, quickly made amends for his blunder by placing a grand goal from a free-kick. Gallaher was presently penalised for off-sido, and for once in a way tho New Zealand twenty-five was invaded. Thompson relieved with a splendid kick, and Gallaher breaking away, tho New Zealand forwards were soon right on Devon's lino, but tho referee's whistle for “off-sklo” against the visitors prevented what appeared to be a certain score. Tho homo team now attacked, but a moment later play was transferred to tho other ond, and a splendid round of passing between the New Zealand backs ended in Smith scoring a doubtful try—doubtful became it appeared to many that AA r allaco. from wham ho received tho ball, had been pushed into touch by Jago. The try was not converted. A couple of minutes later AVallace .scoured a short punt from’ Roberts, and outpacing tho opposition, scored behind tho posts. Taking the kick himself, he added tho additional points. A New Zealand forward rush was the next feature of tho play, and Nicholson wound it up in proper fashion by touching down under tho posts. AVallace’s kick hit the upright, tho Hy not being converted. By this time the Devonians wore all at sixes and sevens, and shortly afterwards Smith, quit© unmarked, secured tho ball aud raced in under tho poets. AVallace onco more did the needful A really grand bout of passing between Stead, Hunter, Smith, and AVallace next roused enthusiasm, but it was not rewarded by a score, Smith being resolutely tackled and robbed after taking a return pass. Tho New Zealanders, however, had not long to wait for another try, for from the next scrum AValla-oo easily crossed tho line. Gillott’s attempt to convert was a failure, and half-time arrived with tho Now Zealanders holding tho overwhelming advantage of threo goals, ono penaltygoal and three tries to nil. Of course, all tho interest had gone out of tho game, and tho spectators began to leave tho field by the hundred. Tho game, indeed, had resolved itself into a problem its to how much tho visitors would win. by. AVitJi the eun in their faces, tho New Zealanders still kept up their hot attack, and after forcing a touch-down, Glasgow, breaking through from a forward rush, scored another try. AVallace converted tills, and a few moments lator was called upon to do tho same for a try gained by Smith, who raced through tho opposition in wonderful fashion. Tho next to score was Hunter, who got in after a bout of passing with Wallace, which completely non-plussed tho Devon defence. This, however, was not converted. Then Smith romped through tho Devonians again, ■ and AVallace placed the seventh goal, and followed with an eighth from a try by Stead. Then the dead-beat ond utterly demoralised men of Devon performed a miracle. They actually scored! Tho manner of working this marvel was thus. Helped by a penalty-kick, they •reached New Zealand territory, and tho ■ball being passed back to Lillicrap, that long-suffering full-back dropped a brilliant loft-foot _ gaol, amid terrific, hut wholly ironical cheering. No sooner had tho Now Zealanders’ lead thus been decreased than it was again lengthened, for Wallace, in the closing minute of the game, got possession, juid racing through the whole Devonian team, scored and converted, notching tho ninth goal of tho afternoon. (So tho game ended with New Zealand’s

score at eight goalo. one penalty-goal, and four tries—oil points all told to Devonshire's miserable four points, accruing from Dillicrap’s despairing final kick. In spite of the Devonian debacle, the crow,] sorely diminished, but still a fairlv big one-—gave the New Zealanders a rousing reception as they left the field. One point about this memorable inline —probal.lv the most memorable in The annals of‘Devon football—was the condition of the New’ Zealanders at the finish. All through both spells they wore going at top speed, and they stayed right to the bitter end. This evidence of fitness at tho very commencement of the tour suggests that -Air Dixon will find it somewhat difficult to prevent staleness making its appearance among his men ere they are called upon to tackle tho most serious part of their programme. which, 1 fancy, will prove to be the series of matches in AVales, commencing with the international on December Kith, and winding up with the game v. Swansea on December tiOth. The teams were a-s follows: Devonshire.—F. Lillicrap (Dovonport Albion), full-back; Lieutenant Aloir (Deponport .Albion), A. J. R. Roberts (ffarntable), E. J. A'ivyan (Dovonport Albion), and F. Dean (Albion), threequarter backs; R. Jago (Dovonport Albion) and J. Peters (Plymouth), halfbacks; AI. Kelly (Exeter), J. Tucker (Torquay Athletic), T. AVillcocks (Plymouth). D. Gordon, AV. Spiers (captain), and AV. Alii Is (Dovonport Albion),. J. Huggins (Paignton), and AA T . Knight (Plymouth), forwards. New Zealand.—G. Gillott (Canterbury), full-back; AV. J. AVallace (AA'ollingten), G. AV. Smith (Auckland), and It. Thomson (Wanganui), three-quarter backs; AVI Stead (Southland) and J. Hunter (Taranaki), five-eighths; F. Roberts (Wellington), half-back ; G. Tyler (Auckland), A. H. Casey (Otago),. W. Cunningham (Auckland), J. O’Sullivan (Taranaki), G. AV. Nicholson /Auckland), C. Seeling (Auckland), F. Glasgow (Taranaki) and D. Gallaher (Auckland), forwards. Referee, Mr Percival Coles. Many well-known figures in tho Rugby world were to ho seen on tho ground. Mr Rowland Hill, tho president of the Rugby Union was there, surrounded by a phalanx of tho “old brigade.” Air Percival Coles, the secretary of the. Rugby Union, an old Oxford University player, acted as referee. Tho New Zealand Rugby L'nion was represented hy Mr C. AV. Palliscr and Air O. H. Dixon, the manager of tho visiting team. Air Duncan, the ■New Zealand coach, acted as ono of tho line-umpires. Ho came in for some “barracking” on the part of the crowd after Smith scored his first try, the popular opinion being that tho ball had been carried into touch before it reached Wallace.