General Gossip.

NZ Truth, Issue 117, 14 September 1907, Page 3

General Gossip.

TSh-B story is goin? round , that Coleman, the Tar a naki player, will take up his residence m Wellington, but I don't know how true it is. Two men ordered oS the field and others cautioned m the course of its southern tour. ?.s not altogether a pleasant record for the Auckland team to return home with, not to I mention the four 'drubbings administered to the blue and whites right off the reel, and the caustic comments of the southern newspapers on the northerners' alleged savagery. . Bob Deans is said to have created a jrr-eat. impression m Dunedin by his dashing play for Canterbury against Otago. Previously the big fellow had not shown his best form to a Dunedin ipotliall audience 1 , and the puibtoc was delighted with the exhibition of generalship and powerful running. One Ota-go back, who was left very much to himself to stop the" career of the big Canterbury centre, . said it was like trying to stop a runaway draught horse to 1 bring Deans to earth. This was the opinion also, of the majority of the Otago backs who attempted to bar "I ho Canterbury man's progress over the Blues' line. During the progress of the representative football match, Wellington v. Wairarapa, on the Master-ton show ground on Saturday afternoon, a spectator from the city became rather excited m proclaiming the merits of certain Wellington players. As his enthusiasm increased he made use of an obscene expression. Tho remark could not have been heard five yards away ; moreover, there were no ladies m the vicinity. However, Sergeant Miller passed by just at the crucial moment, and promptly arrested the' delinquent. Who was the individual, anyway ? The annual meeting of tho Durham Rugby Union showed that organisation to be m a liighly flourishing condition. ' The income was the largest m the history of the Union, the gate receipts amounting to £1140 10s 4d. Some of the "gates" were really astounding, the fixture with the South Africans ' at , West Hartlepool drawing no less than, £312 10s Id— an easy record for the county. The expenditure left a balance m hand of £203 6s 3d., to say nothing; of £370 14s 8d standing to the credit of the Union m Consols. Alex. Takarangi, the Wanpjanui foot* bailer, is still confined to the hospital as the result of a broken ijaw. sustained m the recent Pirate-Kaier-au match. Tabarangi has had a severe time, and it is doubtful if he will be aJble to leave the institution within four or five weeks. "Kia-ora" writes to a Sydney paper : "T-ha All Blacks piled up enormous scores m the Old Country. But if you had only seen the class of football shown by some of the teams the New Zealanders were called upon to meet, you would smile. . The New Zealanders made one big error— they played their best men too often. The others were Quite good enough to haive won easily, but they were kept idle. Result :: When the Welsh matches came on, the champion players among the All Blacks were stale. By the way, it is rather peculiar that when Wales beat them excuses were made for the All Blacks, and now when New South Wales does likewise similar excuses are made. Looks as though some people are not good losers." Next year a strong British' team will visit New Zealand, a team from the Commonwealth will visit England, a team of Soccer players from West Australia will probably g 0 to Sydney, and a New Zealand club team may go there too. And on top of it all the Rugby League promises to be alive and bidding for the support of the public. Things should hum m the toeball world m 1908. The manager of the Wellington representative .team that played Wairarapa at Masterton (Jimmy Smith) informed a "WairaraPa Age" representative that he had submitted to officials of the local Union a proposal m the direction of arranging matches 'between the leading Wellington and Wairarapa club teams on "off" Saturdays. It so happens that each

Union this season has had to draw a> bye each week, and it is proposed that should these conditions . obtain next season that alternative matches should be played m Wellington and the Wairarapa. "Such a proposal, if put into effect," said Jimmy, would tend to improve football m the Wairarapa. We would send up our best teams to play, and as an illustration a match might be arranged whereby Poneke or Petone would play a co-mliiiiod team fr«m the Masterton and Red Star Clubs." Says the "Age" : "There is no gainsaying itihe fact that this would prove a boon to local football, and it is safe to predict that the Wairarapa Union will eagerly .fall m with the suggestion." Several of the leading football enthusiasts m Palmerston North intend asking the Horow-henua Union to throw m their lot with the Manawatu body and thus form one good Union. The matter, no doubt, will be tharoufihly considered, but definite steps will not 'be taken until next season. Thus the Foxton "Mail" on a local grievance : "It was understood, that the return match between the Foxton Sub-Union and Horowhenua would bo held on Saturday, but the Foxton people again cried off, stating their inability to raise a 'team. Horowhenua sent a team to Foxton this season on ibo 'distinct understanding that Foxton would return the compliment, a.nd it is discreditable, for them to shirk their responsibility and not fulfil- their promise, which Foxton's attitude amounts to. i An • Auckland enthusiast who travelled round with the team as far as Timaru says that the blue and whites scored two fair tries m the Taranaki match, but the.' referee did not keep Inn -with 'the -game, and, not foeinc 1 1-herc when the tries were scored, gave the defending side the benefit of the doubt In the case of Williams' try, a fairer score could) not have been imagined ; but by the time the referee arrived a Taranaki player had his hand on the. ball, and a • force down was awarded. The backs played very poor football, the only two to ss o w anything like rep. form being Ma<gec and Murray. Jn tho eye of the Sydney small boy and the ardent "football barracker at the present time, Messenger, the me- | teoric three-quarter, is a greater j hero than Napoleon. It is to be hoped Ihat the fleet-footed yo-un-c- .man is the possessor of a neck which is not too elastic, otherwise the adulation of the press and public will cause his head to turn completely round. An excited New Zealand barracker for Baskeville's 'Pros." became so \ carried away by his enthusiasm m the third match that he offended a barracker for the local team and finally received! a blow between the eyes from a set of: bony knuckles. He allowed himself to be carried away by enthusiasm and ended up by being;, carried away on a stretcher. When the Australian or New South Wales team to visit England is being got together next season, it will probably be composed of thirteen backs and fourteen forwards, as was the New Zealand team. All things considered, the public extended good patronage to the three matches of the' New Zealand professionals, roughly about 30,000 people on the aggregate being present, averaging about 10,000 per match. "Rebound" m the Sydney ''Sportsman" :— ".Whether professionalism has come to stay or is only here for a period is a matter, of much argument at present. Those m charge feel confident that it has taken root, and will gradually grow until the metropolitan standard is reached. ..The movement is rather young for anyone to express an opinion with any certainty, but there is one thing certain, it will introduce into the M.R.U. a number of really first-class players who have hitherto been played ' outside football with teams not tied to any body. It is said that a number of these purpose coming to the assistance oi those clubs m their district who are suffering losses through players leaving and joining the new league. Of course, this will not be seen unto next season. In going the rounds of these clubs who play matches amongst themselves on Saturdays and week-days, one cannot but remark that there are a number of players who, m some instances, are above the standard of those who take nart m first and in-ter-State football. Professional Rugby will result m bringing the Metropolitan Rugby Union into contact with these players, and will help to set aside a number of older hands who long ago should have retired on their laurels." Tuthill , the Canterbury player who' went Home with the "Professors," is considered by many good critics across the Tasman Sea, to be a superior man to either G-. Snencer or Booth m tlu role of custodian of the goal-posts. The Auckland men Have made a name for themselves with a vengeance on the tour which ended on Tuesday. A writer says the vast majority of the spectators at the Otago-Auckland match, left the ground describing it as the worst interprovincial match they had seen. "If," said the scribe, "the display was a sample of how they play the game m the Far North, then all I have to say is that their idea of the laws of the game is totally different to that held m all other parts of the Rugby world. It wasa case with them on Saturday of '<win, no matter how"? The Wel-j lington "butchers" were apparently j saints m the eyes of the Dunedin ! people compared to Doctor -Murray's slaughtering brigade. The less the Wellington Union officials pander to the big guns of the local Rugby playing world, the better it will be for them and the public which supports the game. The Taranaki-Wellington fiasco emphasises the need of demonstrating to those players who are "tin gods" m their own estimation, that other powers than they are going to boss the show. "There's just as good fish m the sea as out ot it," and even such mighty men of Ru.trby valor as the "All Blacks" can be done without when the time comes. The slipshod policy adopted m Rugby unions nowadays m regard to the "krect card business deserves the strongest censure. On nioro than one occasion this season patrons of the game have been swindled by a publication purposing to give the correct names of players and numbers attached to their jerseys. After cudgelling their brains to dis-

cover "whos who," they find that players who are set down as taking part m the match are viewing; the proceedings from the bank, whilst strangers have been pressed into service m their stead. The matter of adjusting things properly m regard to "the official programme wants going into thoroughly by the Union, which should see that the public have no cause to complain of the misdeeds of the purveyors when next year's events come up for decision. A Sports Protection Society has been formed at Devonport, and all the local atheletic clubs, including crickee, football, rowing, tennis, sailing, golf, etc., have affiliated. The chief object of the society is to debar defaulters m one sport from entering upon another until their just obligations have been met. Properly carried out, these institu* tions serve a very useful purpose, keeping m check that meanest of all cumberers of sport, the subscription dodger. The rock on which such societies have- split m the past, however, has been the failure of clubs to notify the default of men of particular playing ability. A correspondent writes to the Auckland "Star" m the following strain :— "As the New Zealanders have gone to meet the Northern Union clubs, and the best players that can possibly be put into the field, it will give great satisfaction to all interested m football ; and if they win from such clubs as Halifax, Oldham, Salford,' and Leeds. I shall admit that N.Z. is a good football team. From what I have seen they will -have a lot to learn, and they will have to learn to keep behind the scrimmage till the ball is out. I have seen m some reporis that this team will meet with the same success as the 'All Blacks.' If not, will N.Z. be disappointed, and sajf, they have not sent their best team ? I hope not, as they arc mooting, a different lot 01 players altogether ; and if they can win half their matches they will do as well as the 'All Black' team. As lam a retires Northern Union player, and came out here to settle down. I wish the team success ; and I was very anxiqus for the 'All Blacks' to meet a Northern Union team . when they were over there. As a fnir test M their strength, I see they have four easy matches for a start, so that will give them a better chance of getting into the Northern Union game." The five-eighth system was nlayed m the. Wairarapa for the first time on Saturday, and did not prove successful. The system itself was not to blame, but. the player for whom the position was created had no idea of what was required of him. Advices to hand by the last x mail state that Mr P. Coles has resigned the post of secretary of the English Rugby Union, to which he was appointed m 1904. on the retirement of Mr Rowland Hill. The death is announced of Mr F. ("Chubb" 1 * Smith, a prominent Rugby footballer m his day. who represented Otago m the early seventies. Paton, whose inclusion m the New Zealand team for Australia, caused a broad smile to p-o round Dunedin. has not played up to form since his return from the Australian side, and no surprise will be evinced if he is dropped for the next interprovincial match, that against Southland on Septembec 14. Quite a number of the leading players of Otago are -suffering from staleness (says a Dunedin • writer \. due to the long and somewhat arduous club season just passed through. One player, when approached to represent Otago against Auckland, refused point-blank. "No," he said, "I've had enough." And there are several more like him. but they continue playing. Staleness is apparent m every movement, and it were better if these men took their Rutrby from the bank for the remainder of the season, and gave place to younger, fresher and more vigorous exponents of the game. Mr W. J. Wilson, of Dunedin, will act as referee m the match between Canterbury and Wellington on Saturday. is the first occasion since the annual fixture with Wellington was inaugurated m 1895 that an outside referee will have control of