FOOTBALL.

NZ Truth, Issue 136, 25 January 1908, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

» - .(By "Pakeha.") The best players available m ' the Old Dart are now being picked for the New Zealand tour for the coming season. There is always a big section of the Dominion's public which enthusiastically hails the prospect of an international battle. Rugby is a stirring old game and no maladministration pn the part of the governing body will ever efface its popularity, m the writer's opinion, m this Dominion. New Zealand is a fine country, but it is only now that the natives are coming by their own. In the bad old days the bulk of the gold-dust was shipped to Lunnon, w.'ere it was made into money and circulated until such times as the Rugby footballers from "gad's am counthree" should come along and pick it up. Each member of the Maoriland professional team will return with a smile like the man m the moon, as he exhibits his bank book and points out its columns of three figures. "Flaneur," a noted authority on Rugby as played under the Northern code, is inclined to sympathise with Baskerville's boys. They have had, he says, to entirely remodel their game, and they have found the opposition so strong that they have had to play at top pressure m every match. * Moreover, to keep their record clean so far, they have been obliged to play their leading men m nearly every match, and the strain upon these men has been very great. From what "Flaneur" has seen of the New Zealanders, he has no hesitation m sayingt that had the Northern Union clubs been compelled to play the game as understood m the colony, instead of the colonials having to conform to tho new pattern of Rugby, the All Blacks would have won every club match by a substantial margin. They do say that a certain gent m the city whose name stinks m mapy

ately for a seat on the New Zealand Rugby Executive • when .the annual elections come round, and that he has- openly boasted that ho has squared the editorial commander-iitchief of ..this -paper to such an extent as to preclude any criticism being upon his merits. "Pakeha" promises his readers that this "brassy" personage that he will get more than he bargains for when the blossoming time eventuates— squared or not squared. "Flaneur," the English sporting scribe, t is of opinion that when the professional Rugby tourists get back i ™, ir <>wn. country they will hard- - - *£„ ©owing tales ab-,out the ad-, visibility of playing the Northern Union rules m New Zealand, whatever they may think of the Northern Union • principles. _Hamish. Smith, the well-known Rugby .writer, says the New Zealanders .will ever be welcome visitors, l or iv- • w are no fliier natural footi.\,1 s - , than tye colonials, whose biend^of: race seems to have incorporated m their football all the great qualities, of the "four-footer nations, the strong individuality of England the speed and dash of Ireland, the stamina' and stubbornness of Scotland, and the science of Wales. The colonial professional brigade has never struck some of the Home critics as being good tacticians. They are said to have been easily-de-ceived >by a tricky runner while their defence has been penetrated' with. far too great ease. -. Some idea ofthe value of a nrofessional footballer m England these days may be gathered from 1 } ■ fact that the offer of £1000 made by the Blackburn Rovers and of £1500 by Chelsea for the transfer of John Simpson, of Falkirk, was refused. . Af cablegram has just been received by the New South Wales Rugby Union, from Mr Rees, hon. secretary of the:, Welsh Rugby Union, aa follows : "Wales offers hearty welcomes same guarantee as South Africans." The Irish • Union had already offl cially written to the New South Wales Union, extending a hearty welcome to the team. The team will fulfil a programme something like that of the South Africans. They are to return from Great Britain via America, for the purpose of assisting the gatae there and playing matches against the universities m California. Mr James McMahon is regarded as the likely manager. , Henceforth Rugby football is to be played at Harrow during each Easter term. As "Rugger" has also now been introduced at Eton, an Eton v. Harrow match is, according to an English writer, quite within the bounds of possibility. A letter, which appeared m a prevaious week's "Truth," signed by R. Armitt, has exploded- a fallacy which has been rampant from one end of the Dominion to the other, To say that it caused a sensation in| Rugby circles is only a mild way of expressing the general feeling among footballers. Alf Bayly has gone to his last account, and out of respect to his memory, "Pakeha" doesn't intend to dwell any further upon such a painful matter. The v£sit of Edgar Wylie and his merry fern-leaf wearers to Australia last year was responsible for the first real bust-up m a Sydney family and which subsequently led to the machinery of the Divorce Court being set m motion for eight days. The respondent, Mrs Dearman, who is a New Zealander, attended the reception concert m the Sydney Town Hall on July 11. At this same concert were the co-respondent, his brother, and a Mr Webb. These three were also New Zealanders. It happened that the lot of them.— women and children— were disporting the New Zealand fern-leaf cm 1 !) liem, and m this way the whole five of them came to get "chatting" one another. Supper followed m due course, and subsequently the relations between the parties concerned were not to the liking ofthe petitioner, who alleged something else /than mere friendship.