FOOTBALL.

NZ Truth, Issue 137, 1 February 1908, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

[(By, "Fakeha,")" It was a 'matter of considera.ble comment among Dunedin people, as, well as visitors from other parts .of the colony as to what had become of, the representatives of the Otago Rugby -Union at the funeral 'obsequies of John Wiwi Tairoa, the noted Ota-> go and New Zealand player- of former days. Fancy such precise gents as Barney Campbell and Jimmie Hutchinson allowing i'he passing- of .such a noted' player like deceased without attending his funeral, on, are we to 'have the eulogy reserved for the annual meeting of the New- Zealand Rugby Union m May? During a Rugfiy match m; England, Harry Totterdell, one of the touchjudges, ttropped dead while running back to Ms place oh the touch-line, after seeing, a. goal kicked by the home team. The death of Mr 'John H. Ktam--mond occurred suddenly m London m; November. He was one df the most esteemed and best-liked personalities/ m London Rugby. He twice visited South Africa, playing m every match o! the British tour m 1891, and m 1903 acted as manager of the team .that Mark Morrison captained. He had great faith m the development of the game at the Cape. Two Rugby League clubs have been formed m Sydney, viz., Glebe and Newtown. A correspondent, A.M., asks me to' define a, Rugby referee. Well, it's a very fair contract he gives me, hut briefly, here goes for its accomplish-, ment :— Referees, I think, may he divided, roughly, into two classes, ; the referee who is prompt and ready to blow his whistle,- and who knows what he is giving, .'and ca^i, if necessary—and it is extremely necessary

m some cases— give a ready reason for his decision, on the other hand, there is the referee who gives you the impression the whole game that he does not know what he is giving, or is considering if it will be acceptable to both sides, and who does not toot promptly and decisively, and who} to cap all, makes the fatal sin of changing his nvind. We had a good percentage of the latter class - knocking about the Rugby arena last season. They are a curse to both players and spectators. The father of F. Bedc Smith, the .New South Wales rep. back who was round these parts with the last Australian Rugby team, died a few weeks ago as the result of a. fall from his horse. Ay Cr. Dent, treasurer of the N.S.W. Meti'ppolitewt Rugby Union, whose death occurred recently, had been laid ,up at -the Sydney Hospital for some mo'tiths, the original trouble being pneumonia, from which, however, he recovered. A big, powerful-looking, man, she appeared to have a lease- of life prior to his illness. Hon. secretary of the South Secretary District Club m its early days, he retired from that position a few years ago, and was elected hon. treasurer of the Metropolitan Rugby Union, a position he held until his <leath. ': From one of the professional All .Blacks came this interesting information just after, the fourth reverse : ■'What do you think of us now; rotten, is it not? lam sure \T cannot tell you what lias gone wrong, as I candidly believe that Broughton Rangers is the best team we have met so far. We have been far from being m our best form on the occas- i ion of our defeats ; certainly we have not "been blessed with the best of I luck recently. What with the two Wynwards and Todd laid up, and McGregdr clean 'off song,' we have been sadly hi need of good backs, and, be jabers ! that is all we need to win matches here, as a bit of juggling With the ball gets them m a sort of a fix, good though they undoubtedly are ; ask Sm/ith and Co. ti ' [ a.pare them with their previous opponents. 'Owing to an encroachment on my space this week, J[ am reluctantly compelled to hold over some comments on recent strictures of an "Evening Post" hireling scribe on the All Black professionals at present at Htome. These remarks, D.V., will certainly appear next issue.