General Gossip.

NZ Truth, Issue 110, 27 July 1907, Page 3

General Gossip.

Great prominence is given /to the impressions of Swannell on the matches now being played by the crn-leaf boys m Australia, but did that sweet-tempered gentleman ever show 'New Zealand toeballers the way the game should be played when he was round these- parts with Bedell-Sivwright's team ih 1904. As another writer not inaptly puts it, his statements- on the first game would give one the impression that we should hark back to olden days when more fire was put into the game, instead of such genteel play as now witnessed, '"l^ic game, with one or two exceptions, was devoid of those electrifying bits of play that make the crowd stand up and yell their hopes and fears," he says. Possibly he meant that had Mynott's eyeballs glared as he ran about with a tuft of Wood's hair, and "bold Wallace stood with some of Waddell's molars m his hand," or Casey had thrown away part 'of an opponent's ear, whilst Seeling hurled his foeman's nose to the ground, the public would have been electrified.

Writing to a northern chum after the New Zealand v. Provincial match " Jockey" Breen, who was Auckland's rep. half m the early ninties, and who is now attached to the local wharf staff of the Union Steam Ship Company, said :— "Spencer at full-back was a bit slower than usual. Mitchinson is ia good man, but gets out of position, as Mynott and Hunter run straight, and when the latter passes, Mitchison is . too far out. Gillett was the needle and the ball was the magnet, and they took some parting. Abbott got m some good work. Hughes, the Southland forward, was always to the fore, and was about the best line-out man on the ground. New Zealand's -weakness, if any, will be m the threequarter line ; Wallace is the only man who can play behind Mynott ,and Hunter. If " Jockey" saw Saturday's game he would probably come away with a changed opinion concerning Mitchihson's ability to play behind such tried veterans as Simon and his cobber Hunter. H. F. Braddon, the famous New Zealand and New South Wales footballer of the eighties, is contributing a series of articles to a Sydney publication, m which sound advice is tendered tp the boys of the present generation. Braddon hails from Dunedin, and m his playing time wa-s one of the finest full-backs m the colony. His eoual. perhans, has not yet been found m thte Doj minion. His superb tacklinp* was an object lesson to all future Rughvites. His active connection with sport nowadays on thc other side is princi* ir, llv confined to golf. To some of Ibe St. James' backs who essay the feat of .lumping clean over the crouching opponent who wpi'S for him as he racos for the lin* 1 , 'T would say he ta v, *s a neck pr nothing chance. Ti-"> kangaroo act must eventually land them m

the hospital or under the sod. The hurdling game cost poor Barney] Armit his ifc a few years ago.

A disabled football writer from the Noithern Rivers, who saw the inter-State matches m Sydney' this season, summed up the Cornstalkers m the following trenchant fashion :— "If they are the best thirty men you have m Australia, all I can say is that they are a poor lot. The Queensland forwards, did have a bit of life m them ; New South Wales were like farm horses." The selectors should take twenty men and teach them to tackle and work up combination, then send them to the Blue Mountains to get some vitality." Anyway, they had enough spunk m them to smash up our fellows on the 17th.

A Masterton correspondent forwards me a clipping from thc Sydney "Referee," m which appears the amazing item of news that Neil Galbraith represented Wellington m junior inter-union games, but did not gain a senior cap. "And this is the type," adds my correspondent, "that tells players how the game should be played. His administrative ability is equal to his playing credentials." Where are those emblems of clean sport, the N.Z.R.U. Committee ? plaintively asks a Manawatu correspondent. Where is the immaculate G, F. C. Campbell, the deposed chairman,, or. the man who thought he owned the "All Blacks," .George D^on ? The papers here are reeking with locals of a most disgraceful orgie that took place at Sandon last Saturday week between tho Sandon and Albion team (Foxton). It was a fightirig match, m which blackguardism was prevalent, and a free fight and drunken brawl afterwards. If the head body does not immediately deal with at least two ruffians that took part, they should be wiped out of existence. "Pakeha" was paid tlie greatest compliment of his life over the bar of a local pub the other day. Two members of the N.Z. R.U. Committee were • having a whisky and soda, when a friend dropped m, and was invited by the pair to join m drinking success to the fernleaf wearers against the Welshmen. The matter of "Truth's" strictures cropped up id the course of the conversation, when one of the committeemen made the remark, within the hearing' of a pal of the writer's :— "I would give a fiver right of! the spot to set** that little dumped over the wharf with five ton of cast-iron hanging to him." Fact;, and I am told that my well-wisher is "iot the only mem ber of the Executive who holds the same sentiments.

Where was "Gaily" at the big gathering to do honor to the New Zealanders m Sydney ) AttorneyGeneral Wade and Oakes who sits m thc N.S.W. Parliament, are rattling »-ood speakers, but Gally's previous display, of oratory with ins touching little interludes, "er, er,. that, that" would have knocked them into a cocked hat.

It is never safe to prophesy, and probably "Hasbeen," a Wairarapa writer, whose norn de plume I think I can sort out, very, easily realised the stern truth of the old axiom, when thc cable flasher at the other end dumfounded us with the intelligence last Wednesday week that the All Blacks had been slated by the Cornstalks to the tune of 14 to nil. Writing before thc game m ouestion, our friend said, "To-day they will have recovered from thc trip, and there will be a different tale. The board should read something like 30 to 0 at the conclusion of the game-

. .'. The result of the present tour will surely convince Australians that though they may give us points at cricket, at Rugby we'll down them every time." "Hasbeen" evidently thought that the New Zealanders, having brought along a shipful of scalps from the Old Country, were going to get away with the Welshmen's head covering every time.

Mr C. A. Crane, who has succeeded Mr Rowland Hill as President of the English Rugby Union, hails from Wolverhampton and has been a great worker m the Rugby cause, having been hon. secretary' of the Midland Counties Rugby Union since 1882. Mr Hill has done the Rugby cause some good but he is now approaching the stage where a younger and more energetic man. with up-to-date ideas should direct operations. Goodness only knows it wants somebody m the English Rugby Council who is prepared to march with the times and not get left m the; deep rut of Conservatism. The clique of old fossils who have been guiding the destinies of tlie English Rugby Union wanted "boosting" into the cold shades of oblivion long ago, as they, more than' anyone else, were responsible for the rupture that now exists ih the Rugby camp m the old country.

"I don't • think we will lose a match" said Edgar Wyllie to a "Tdmes" reporter on the occasion of the departure of the New Zealanders for Sydney. Wylie gave another shocking exhibition of tactlessness by indulging m this bit pf skithvs:, and m view of Wednesday weekfs debacle he will probably wish he hadn't "jawed" so openly. Had Wylie contented himself by saying that he was confident the team would give a good account of itself there would have beca nothing at all to take exception to, but to talk m tlie. strain he did only served to show his crass ignorance and lack of what constitutes good breeding.

A "Truth" subscriber ventilates a little matter which, m the light of my strictures m the same direotion .m the past, warrants publicity. He pours out his vials of wrath m this way -—'-Dear 'Fakeha.'— Have interviewed a man who has just returned from Sydney and who saw the first match on Saturday week. He reckons Mynott played well for New South Wales, as he " did for Wales when at "Home," My friend -says Mitchinson was starved through Mvnott's selfish tactics. Mynott and Hunter were evidently trying to ' play N.S.W. on their own. We know they have done, or rather tried that | game on here with tbe South Island team last year. Cunningham.- he says, was beat five minutes after the , kick-off Rush or "Bumper" \Vrieht ; would have lost him for vigorous, fast play. It is a pity we could not send over our best men instead of so .many "has beens." I think Dave Gallah-er and Co. oucbt to take on hop pickin-T inst pad of Ruirby selection. It is a wonder Newton, Mack- * rell and Corbett did not get a look

m on the -''passenger list. ''-'Gaily" has,, I see, opened his potato-trap on the other side. How they take that man seriously I don't know. By the way, the person who saw the match last Saturday week tells me George Spencer found the line very well, but the sore point was the way m whioh the "has been" five-eighth messed up tlie backs ; be never was a fast man.

Eric Watkins is to play for Wanganui against Buller this afternoon.

| Beer has been credited with running political elections, and with al[so entering into the diet of some footballers, but a Dannevirke player is the first who has had the hardihood to arise and assert that it potentially influences the selectors of football teams m- his district. F. A. Harrison, a member of the Dannevirke Sub-union, made certain reflections on the selectors. He was charged' with stating that "any player could get into the representative team by putting pots of beer into the selectors." The sub-union met* and, , after hearing evidence, concluded that Harrison had failed to substantiate his statements. The meeting then resolved to ask Harrison to make a full and ample apology to the sub-unicn forthwith, and failing this he be disqualified for two years. Harrison refused to apologise . and the evidence, after being attested, was ordered to be* forwarded to the Hawke's Bay Union. It is understood that Harrison has appealed to the H.B. Union.

It is marvellous how much Valuable time is consumed at the N.Z.R.U. committee meetings m discussing the most frivolous questions. Some members appear to take a fiendish delight m "straw splitting," as witness the Auckland Union's move to exclude the Auckland-Buller match from the regulations governing Ranfurly Shield competitions. It was plain as a pike-staff that the Auckland Union hadn't got a Im* to stand o.n m its desire to get the gatetakinjss poured into its treasury, yet pretty y/ell a whole hour was wasted before the committee made up its mind that the coppers were the .N.Z. R-U. property. Says the "Star" writer;;-— "The Auckland reps, had no difficulty m retaining the Ranfurly shield, when the Buller Union came up m quest of the championship trophy. The West Coasters are a willing lot, but their i.saowkdge of Rugby is limited, extremely limited, mi n fact I doubt if a greener 'foreign' team has been seen at Alexandra Park."

In view of his warning to the New South Wales team thaifc the ''All Blacks" would show something of their real form m the return match, Neil Galbraith's "phiz" must have been a picture after the debacle on the 17th inst- The pomposity of the N.Z.R.U-'s- treasurer must have struck the Cornstalks as something they arc well. -rid of m Rukby circles m their city.

Probably there are few people m Wellington, it least, who paid much heed to the views held by George Campbell and Diok Isaacs m regard to the threatened invasion of England by a professional combination. Campbell is an obsolete speciemn of Rugbydom who wants relegating to the toeballers' dust heap. About the only- thing he is useful for m Rugby circles nowadays is to pilot the ViceRegal staS to the Athletic Park enclosure _ whenever a big- mateh 1 comes up for decision. It is strikingly funny how the morning journal wastes valuable space and much ink m airing the opinions of N.Z.R.U. committeemen who carry about as much . weight m the football world as Jes-I sic Underwood does m the Courts of Justice.

It seams that the New Zealand Rugby Union is enlisting the services of the fossilised Wray-Palliser, and that effete body of Rugby councillors, the E.R.U., to block the progress of the professional . combination m the old country- And they have as much ohanoe of doing the trick as the writer has of stepping into our present Premier's shoes.

"Opie" Asher, who has been farmi%z m the Tauranga district, has re-" turned to Auckland, and will reside there permanently. He has not been playing this season, but has been coaching/ a native team, which, he says, ' possesses a very fair back combination.