OUR FOOTBALLERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5734, 1 November 1905, Page 5

OUR FOOTBALLERS.

A TRIUMPHAL TOUR. ENGLISH CRITICS AM AZED. NOTES ON THE EARLY MATCHES, (By Eric Harper.) (Per Sonoma at Auckland.) LONDON. September 25. New Zealand 55, Devonshire 4; New Zealand 41, Cornwall nil; New Zealand; 41, Bristol nil; New Zealand 33, Noiv thamptou nil. Such is the Now Zealanders’ record in the first three matches of the Britishtour. A fortnight ago the idea of such, performances would have been scouted as impossible. Certainly notliing approaching it has been accomplished by a Rugby team iu this country. Hitherto no English fifteen would have deemed it possible to walk over the teams named in tho way the Maorilanders have done. “The situation,” says the “Daily Telegraph,” “is becoming quite alarming. Even Swansea, the strongest of the Welsh clubs, would never have dreamed of heating Bristol by 7 goals and 2 trios to nil. This week Northampton and Leicester will in turn go under, and there is no reason to expect that Middlesex, in tho following week, will bo able to avoid tho same fate.” At the time of writing tho Rugby public, including many- good judges of tho game, are beginning to regard tho New Zealand team as superior to tho strongest combination that the Old; Country can raise. After seeing tho New Zealanders romp over -Bristol on Saturday-, one of tho Welsh selection, committee remarked that tho best Welsh team would have to play much above form to beat them, and tho secretary of tho Welsh Union summed up his comment iu tlio-phrase: “They arehot stuff.”

THE BRISTOL MATCH. LONDON, September 30. It would not bo fair to Bristol to call their defeat on Saturday a repetition of the debacle at Exeter. The Bristol men played a far pluckier game than did tho Devonians. In stamina, determination, and perseverance there was little to choose between the Now Zealanders and their opponents. Bristol was “game” to tho hist. Where the visitors excelled was in skill. They outplayed Bristol at all points. Tho pace was a cracker throughout, and tiler local press declares that the exhibition given by the New Zealanders surpassed I in individual and collective merit anything previously seen at the ‘Bristol county ground. “Their play,” says tho “Western Daily Express,” “was a. revelation to tho majority' of those present. Wo have for many years past been accustomed to exceptional skill in handling the ball, when Swansea, Newport, or Cardiff liavo appeared on tho ground, but in many respects even those famous Welsh teams have yet much to loam before their play roaches the standard of the Now Zealand fifteen.”

Altogether the colonials crossed the homo lino nine times, tho scorers being Smith (2), Thompson (2), Hunter' (2), Roberts, Seeling, and Stead. Eight of tho tries were,scored by' men oatside the pack, and tho other was duo. to a mistake by Oates. Four tries were scored in the first half and five in the second, and Wallace converted seven times.

It is only fair to note, however, that Bristol did better than Devon or Cornwall. At Exeter the New Zealanders crossed the lino a dozen times, whilst the Cornish lino was crossed on eleven occasions. Tho Bristol players aro to be congratulated upon tho spirit with which they entered upon tho game, and! at the dinner which took place after tho match the visiting captain paid the. citizens a compliment by saying that, tho number of points did not do justico to tho Bristol men’s play. Tho gate receipts, totalling ,C2!10, exceeded all previous Bristol Rugby records. From’ what one hoard, we expected to have an easy win over the Bristol Club. This is tho best team wo have met so far. Tho scrum was better, but, like the other teams we have played, it lacked systematic formation. How-, over, the Bristol forwards played wolt together, both in tho scrum work and in the open, and their tackling waa good. Our backs were altogether too fast for our opponents, and ran round them as they liked. The Bristol backs) tackled splendidly, and their kicking' was fairly good. Their forwards wore able to got tho ball at times, but their backs wore never dangerous, and did. not run straight, but passed tho ball, from player to player straight across the. field.

From all sides one hears expressions of wonder and admiration at the speed of our backs and their accurate passing,, and the general impression seems to ho that unless some team adopts our style of play wo shall go through the toui* unbeaten. Some of dur players, through minor accidents, have boon unable to play so far. Glenn has a poisoned foot, McGregor a bad knee, and Harper a sprained shoulder; but they expect to. be able to play again in a few days. THE NORTHAMPTON MATCH. Tho ground •at Franklin’s Gardens was packed, and every available coign of vantage near the field of play woo occupied long before the hour of play, fully eight thousand people being present. When tho New Zealandors cams out from tho pavilion they wore cheered to tho echo. Tho visitors took tho field thus:—Wallace (back),’ Abbott, .Stead, and Harper (three-quarter backs)-, Mynott, Hunter (five-eighths), Roberts' (half-back), Tyler, Glasgow, Cunningham, Nicholson, Corbett, Seeling, Sullivan, and Gillott (forwards), tho latter being deputed to “ swing ” in place; of Gallaber, who injured his knee at Bristol.

Harper and Wallace were certainly not quite themselves, the former’s shoulder being .still tender, and Wallace being somewhat stiff and sore about the hips and thighs, which no doubt accounted for his failure to do full justice to bis fame as a try-converter. In glorious sunshine, the Mavor set the! ball in motion, and then quitted the arena at a pace that spoke as well for his discretion as his athletic abilities in the not too far past.

Play opened very fast, the Northampton men—“ The Saints” the local papers call them—evidently meaning to hustle their opponents, if possible, off their proper game. For a time it seemed that thev would succeed, for the New Zealand three-quarters were by no means steady at the beginning, and their initial attempts at passing were not up to

standard. After a danßorous rush by New Zeal.-iml iiad been ciiwkixl by tbo hf>mo full-back, a 11 rvo cro.ss-kick took play into Xot Zu;il;ui<l’.s twenty-five, ami Stead was tackled. Harper cleared with .a fine run, and after a brio) Bitell of fast but scrambling play. Northampton were nemdised on their own line. Wallace’s shot at goal was a failure, li,ml flic ball was once more sent into Maori territory. Twelve minutes from the start, Jlyiiolt took a clever p.uss from Hunter and scored, but Wallace, ivho seemed bothered by the rather long grasH, failed to convert. There was then some very oven play, with plenty of whistling accompaniment and much scrummaging. Once New Zealand’s lino was in grave danger, a splendid kick by Miles, grandly followed tip. leaving Wallace no alternative hilt to touch down. From this out the game- went all in favour of the New Zealanders. Roberts, Hunter, and Mynott got going, and a boat of pretty passing, rounded olt with a brilliant dodgy run hy Hunter, enabled that player to score behind the posts. Wallace once more failed to add the extra points. Now the New Zealanders penned " The Saints ” in their own twenty-five, and were “all over them.” Nothing but faulty passing prevented the visitors scoring half a dozen times. At. length, however, .a long pass to Stead enabled him to get in. This time Wallace made no mistake.

Roused by thin reverse, “The Saints” made a desperate effort to stem tbo tide of adversity, and almost looked like scoring, but a few seconds later they were occupied in defensive work. They ■spoilwl several pretty bits ot passing just in time, but finally Harper, tricking tho full-back, ran in, ami once more Wallace converted. Northampton now tried the wing forward policy, hut it did not alter tlio character of the game. Then O. Malkcn broke away, ami, eluding several opponents, got within a couple of yards of the New Zealand lino before being brought .down. Clearing (juickly, the New Zealanders swept up tho field in irresistible) fashion, and Hunter, getting possession at the centre, swerved his way clean through tho defence, and scored a magnificent try. Wallace converted, and half-time arrived with New Zealand’s score at throe goals and two tries (31 points) to nil. Tho remainder of the game was remarkable for the determined fashion in which “Tho Saints” continued to wage their losing battle. They never Joht heart, and the least easing up of the New Zealand attack was the signal for tho homo team to take offensive measures. Brilliant—if at fames erratic —passing marked the Now Zealanders’ game, and soon Tyler scored, Wallace again kicking a goal. A great run by Abbott was the next feature of note, ami then Mynott gob in after a pretty bout of short passing, marred, however, by a tendency to direct tho coureo of the ball groundwards. "Wallace’s kick hit tho right-ha ml post with a whack that made the slender top of tho upright quiver like a tuning-fork. A penalty against Now Zealand enabled “ Tlie Saints ” to inaugurate an attack, hut they were soon on tho dcfonsivo again, and now, to make matters harder for Northamnton’s plucky, hard-working forwards, tho New Zealand back division began to play that heart-breaking game of long kicking into touch—and they played it to perfection, until their opponents were “dog tired.”

Then they started another round of passing, and Harper got in at the corner. Wallace’s kick failed, and time saved Northampton from further reverses. They retired badly beaten by, 32 points to nothing. It was "a clean ganio ” all through. The crowd heartily applauded everything deserving of applause, whether it proceeded from their own men or tile visitors. A fairer crowd never watched a football match, nor a beaten team accept its “ gruel ” in a better spirit.

It is nrobablc that a match will be arranged in London with a representative fifteen picked from members of the London, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh chibs.