Outside CHat.

NZ Truth, Issue 161, 18 July 1908, Page 3

Outside CHat.

Some of the biggest barrackers for Mir-, ainar on the Wellington' Rugtoy Union's . Executive, take all sorts of line cars to ; dodge "Siberia" now that the Park is again available for championship competitions. Their acrpbatism would khoek Rickard's latest imported artists into a cocked hat. Do you hear, me Johnny. Burns ? Rather sensibly I think, the N.S.W,, Rugfby Union has' decided to take .; fi ad trainer with the team to Great Britain. •The manager is empowered to engage one m Fqgland. - That popular dark-colored covey, Charley Hill, is missing a good thing for once m his life. '-, We are told that a conference is to •'. take place at Rotorua between Manager Hartnett of the Anglo-Wales team and as many of the mis-management committee of the N.Z.R;U. as can make the trip. Wylie's grandmotherly push, reckons that the time it .devotes to bunglingalmost everything connected with administration of the game m the Dominion ..deserves some recompense m the shape of J& delightful little outing to the northern all exs.. of course, beina: liooted' by the parent union. The players. pWho toil hard to bring grist to its fjnill are a secondary consideration • they donit even get a rub-down or refresher at lemon time, but these incidents are. of .small consequence so long as the Wylie-'curo-Gally crowd'' have their ;day's enjoy-, ment of the good Rugby things of this life. Six brothers and their old dad form, the backbone of a. Queensland outback toeftall team, and it is stated when the big sixget a forward' rush on they take a deuce of a lot of stopping. , .''..' What a. solid combination the Wigan (Lancashire) forwards make when m action. They aggregate 34 stone, and- are fast with it. Nice gentlemen to hump up against. A Palmerston paper, recording Mr Neil Galbraith's arrival m that town with with the Britishers, makes the momentous statement that Gaily had been connected with the N.Z. , Union since its inception. I hasten to assure the, country scribe that this eminent personage's association with the boodle grasping body k - only dates back t0' 1903, When Iky Hyams chucked up the treasurersbip and he (Gaily) was chosen, to fill the .vacancy. , The writer regretfully records the fact that he was chiefly responsible for putting Gaily there, a circumstance which compels him to do penance for the rest of his natural. Apropos of the suspension of F. Jackson, the English footballer, it might be as well for tho N.S.W. Rugby officials to enquire into the status of some of their- players who will make the Home trip shortly. If the information m my x possession, per medium of a friend over. Sydney way. is correct, half-rardozen of them arc greater professionals than anyone of the 'New Zealand team which left these shores under the eye of ' deceased Baskiville. .Anljs'zark, the crack N.S.W. fiver-eighth. Who was one of the Australian team s round these parts m 1905. is now nlayr ing -with the Queensland League team . f-a^aipst the Maoris led by O'pie Asher.' ."■■. Is it true that the oflidials of A the Bay Rugby IJnion resented the . dQTryiieering attitude of . tl>e * representative of the governing -body m regard ; to vthe gate receipts at the recent big- fixture in ' Napie?: ', and practically told hipi fbo go to the warmest cUmas6 that they any "hearsay knowledge of? The iniah m the. sweet prqf esses to, knQW>- ; something about the matter, and /where?; ;there!s smoke one can generally* look for 'The line-jimpire whose ears /were offended by Hamiltjop's chinripusic during .'l^. -M.ejK'Oserßhheke [prqc'e'edhiglj ;j, on S.atU«l£y, ! WoiUd'. t^aye done hiin§6_.f greater credU vftatf/he reSporteid the mattei;' at v o^ce %q !??the referee. I haye seen, pro^s pkirtisahr A'jov di^pla_yed 'by tciuch jud^s $n. mmi f tOcqasiQfl^, 'but m tlie iucidfeht referreu'^to fbhele w^s absolutely nothing iifr "Bob ; __MpeQhlsf decision^ to -syatfant the' slightr jest exception hein^ ta^en -to them. ' T'bie j Spectacle 'of players and touch' 1 judses ;na'gfcing' at one another is not an 'edify-. ip£ one. ' „ A Brisbane correspondent assures m,q ; that nett season will see the League, .making fery sgrious inroads into the ranks of j the Queensland 'lthpby Union. ylfimmy Jpnes, Who dazzles all local : whrfefclertooters with the radiance of his LNapqleanic pjehius at the Monday night ' confabs, cherishes a fond delusion that . ;tsj TSrvZ^R.U. Will despatch him to the {Mp.thef-land to confer ..rwith the Rugby ftdefeticts there aOo the wisdoih of making * improvements m the laws of the •game. Tommy's clacker since Georgerllivon and his colleagiu.es got to work on. rthose recommendation's last week, is pit? riatyle. and a broody old hen is" a. 'fool cirr icuinstance to it. The wtitej badly Swants to spe Tommy at work with the,[.whistle m a bfe championship match. X Yfhen m Brisbane, the manager, of the. 'New South (Wales team asserted that' "the' was making no heading and vyas I'somefllujig like a minstrel 1 show. He should step over this way and one night ' With the New Zealand committeemen would ; convince him that the cork burnt business is not altogether a lost art m the Dominion. Poor old Horace Bent would have heen easily snuffled out; by ' the ignoramus bossing our Rugby ; show when it came, to a question of revising such subjects as improvements m the laws of the game. What a grand minstrelsy combination chorus the New Zealand Union committeemen could heave forth after , making provisions for each other's outine to Rotorua on the nod. The constitution of the Wairarapa team that is to tour the South Island has been altered through McCarthy, .Wfckens and Plairbrother being unable to , [make the trip., Their places will be taken ■'.by Lyall, Thompson (Masterton), and Oadwallader (Carterton). „ J, jr.; Calvert, the gay old bqy. who . fdli the Presidential chair of tlie JWa. Rugby Union Council, flayed m 'goalfor Oxford University m 1851, and, .ol course some of , the younger fry. who are leaders Of this day on the Rugger .fiolds. open their eyes unduly when this fact is made known to them. The story goes that' George Dixon will . have the very pleasant experience of accompanying the AnglorWeJsh team, as the , representative 6f the N.Z.R.U. . during the- ; visitors Australian . tour. George is a stranger to "Strajiai I believe, so this' ;free outing will pot cortie amiss to' him, ; Anyway, ' I congratulate , my Australian rJtiigby 'friends qn being;; spared another m Mictiqn of the pompoiis Gaily, who it is reported has been telling people up f^Nqrth that '! he hasn't really' the time, .'.dbh't you know, to' get aWay for ; a trip. . *o£* this kind, etc.!! ' Arty Fuiltord is soxe._over the Spen ? cer incident last Saturday.' ' and Brooklyn's first citisen threaten;? to- put aside [all .his electric light' and other ruunicipal^ ■SChej&es till S«ch time as referee Wylie". ,is hi^hiJjered among the slain Rugby her? \osi_ -of the past. Arty is going tq see, •|he . aßair through,, make no mistake, and ivliairman Rr,ow'n and merry men will %c pilloried snquld .his net Georee, get SfeVen a Week's stretch. The little fellow (I? more enthusiastic over this business 'than Jill' the' nighisoil contracts that evfe'f :perplexed the good peqple. of Brooklyn. ; BUly Hardcastle, the qne-tjme Melrose Club and Weflington and New Zealand ■ rep., has shown as much keennp.ss m Brisbane pro matches as a voupk and aspiring representative player pick.cd to

uphold the honor of his State for the • first time. " According to Australian files. Queens* dand.- is now, playing better football than, it has done for years, especially among the forwards. Who shook the toeballer ? s togs at Mir-> amar ? The penalties that the copper '' cave would receive for < this miserable ; < outrage would serve him bally, well right.. A man who would . steal some af our footballer's underlinen would rob his . mother meat-safe and. think nothing of

it. A lightning jerker m Napier writing to a Wanganui 'friend of his. impressions of the match with the sunny Northern i- town, gives the visitors' "rats" for their method of putting the ball m the scrum and their s - off-side play. But most of our whistle_rs.'.are- over-awed by the self-imttort-~ ance of Harding's crowd, and they haven't 1 jgot spunk enough to bring them up with a •good, round turn for the commission of ffiej^g&ences. / *nSa^.9n Harper, who refereed m the ' Ariglo^Wales-Wanganui match, does not neglect his parochial work for football, being one of the hardest working of country clergy, and as his district covers an immense tract of country outside the town of Palmerston North, .'he has much travelling. When appointed to the position of vicar of Palmerston North about ten years ago football was at a very low ebb there: Auckland Rugby Union-is supplying its representative players with stockings. It jiow behoves the , jnqn 'to g;et decent blue ,pants and ; to appear m a uniform costume, and not, as is often the. case', a sort of piebald team. . Reports of rough' play come from Hokianjia way. At a recent meeting of the 'Rugby Union, three players were disqualified for life for rough play and threatening the referee, while,, a captain of one of the teams was disqualified from acting as captain for life and from playing for a year. . Opponents as well as friends were genuinely sorry when"- Referee Wylie felt it his stern duty to ' order George Spencer off the field last. Saturday for. maltreating ah opponent per medium of the 1 hoot. Spencer has hitherto played a consistently honest and sportsmanlike game, making every allowance for those, little! irritations which notv unnaturally troubles a man's feelings when he finds that the hustling moves of his opponents are calculated to ' place his side m danger. His action was indefensible, 'tis trup, and one can only ascribe it to a sudden fit of mental aberration. That Spencer felt keenly, the humiliating, position m which he was placed goes jvithout; saying. It is hard lines on George that he should have been retired fpr what I ; believe is the first offence charged against him m -.-.■ his Rugby career, while some of his cluliinates. Saturday after Saturday; have been guilty of tlie most discreditable tactics, which should have earned. -.for' them a' three years' stretch at the least, biit somehow they have always hoodwinked , the referee and so, escaped the . penalty of their sihsi I have ; consistently; opposed the proposal to invest line /umpires, or any person for the matter of that, outside the referee, with the power to report players puiltv of dirty or fo,ul play, but the capers of some Melrose forwards this season has caused me to considerably modify my views on the subject. It is a standing disgrace to Rugfay that men of this stamp should be tolerated. I have no /time for the kid-glove display of the [winter game, lialtfneiss _ and robustness ace, m .my opinion; essential nualifications for a good game, - but there .is a liniit to everything, and the present-day policy of some Melrose players wants wiping out. altogether by the enforcement of t)ie sternest of repressive measures. Are there any referees m 'Wellington With, su^acignt backbone .tq step m and remedy tlie present intoletable state of attains. I think. ho.t. ■ v / ' -' Jackets ' has hjeen lifted to 'the highest pinnacle of Rugby (ame'by qpe of the (l£.U,v j?r.e_§s cmroniclers, who dubs him .the 'finest full-jiajck eVer seen' m Austpal&sia. It's a cj^r, case for ''passing the ap" to thP reporter .m question. He fust have beep ? ' ttyptty" . when he madeat asserjton, or the Britishers string yietories;vof late has affected/ his top* JpieeeV - - ' : 'Referee Wjlie £a$ been praised by one UpcaK %Xi'fc.er 'far hjs handling of the M?l---xpste£oaeke matcji- i can't §cc where, jt eom^s iji. HscF Edgar taken the pull by .i\\\9 horns 1 at t)le outset, tjiere would %ss ; "been -qohe- ol t&P&e foul ta#ics whj|ch imri foirtun^iy'tiv-^l^d.'.tjie display of onej of the amtes.tin*t "teams. '" ' Elie xUspt-w. of the Britishers," doings, as qirro#iie4 hy ofce or tv?o pr^s^jj^ci..cqpip_e_jmi£ vthg^ bn tour are saturatedWith the ino'^jJ "grpyelsonae drivel 'that* thi^spubi? -j.rag'tqnib'ied Across for a 'b^s -.per&d. What as we expi?ina|ion of thjf-S 1 ;ia?y|^% to a team whjcji Is largely mad.<?<. >of bidets of Jy typd abhorent to pepple* of a "deffiborasfcic catintry like New Z'ea?' .land ? '$ne spectacle of fepres'entatiyes' of the much-vaunted free and' enlightened/; : press of fliis dominion serving up suchg cravyjsome twaddle is calculated tq make one wonder Whether, after all, if. this is hot the champiim a>;e of nypopisy. " If - ;all\the' stdthe^ about tbe) Britj^he'rs- ko. : lings oh m Christclnirch, Dun^dih. ajjd the . West Coast vfere fecbrded ih> cold tvpei my readers would probably lose ho time , m cpmijig' to the conclttsion that th^y ar£ nq.t the deini-gods Ws 'cringing scribblers j'njake them put to be. 'In short, they might well' be put under the heading Of .'fUhdesitafile Immigrants." The^Waifece Testimonial Fund promises to come up to 'the sanguine expectations of the pro.moi;er'-f, notv?ithst£.nding there-, jtusal' of many' niean skunks to ante-up eyen a sprat for the cause. It is this kidneyi which most vociferously acclaimed Wallace as a hero what time he was displaying his prowess m! the Rugby arena, but When the opportunity is afforded tbqm of suitably recbgnisihg the deeds of one of the greatest players who has ever donned a football jersey m this or any other generation, they keep their nurse strings tikht, and invent the most despi-, ciable yarns to stall off the energetic canvasser. The N.Z.RvU. officiai. and a prominent . Petone player who were so loud m their denunciation of the movement, as tending, m their opinion, to encourage professionalism, will receive my very kind attention before the* presenta-, tion is actually made. In the meantime, I am storing- a liberal .stock of ammunitioii to be fired, ofi for their behalf when the conyeriient time eventuates, They will be very sorry they ever opened their jaws on the subject. As far as the New Zealand Rugby Union is cqneerned there will evidently be no improvement m the rules of the game worth speaking of. Of the recommendations submitted by the Referees' Association and affiliated unions, and considered by the parent body's executive last week, all the old features of the game Involving del£y, waste of time and obstruction still remain, with very few insignificant exceptions, AH the of any consequence were kicked out. v Ve haye longHbieaped derision upon the E R.U. .fqr its r,ptsen conservatism m rejecting proposals that would make for the betterment .of the game, but after last week's farej.c?ii exhibition the' N.Z.R.U. takes pride of plape. The sujsperision of F. Jackson, of the An^lo-Waigs team, recalls the case of 'J". P. Clowe's m 1888, ' He was'- a member of the English team which Shaw and Shrewsbury organised to tour through Australasia, but was. suspended owing to his having accepted a sum of money for the purchase, ol'his butfit ; for, the v trip. ,He tbtired with the team, but was" 'not fallowed to play. 6y defeating Poneke last Saturday Melrqse" is gractically assured of the senior chaftipion|hip premiership fpr the 19U8-U seasoA. The leeway of the other leading teams is too big to give them a chance ol bridging ; over the gap m the contests yet to' come. The selection of the New Zealand team to meet the Britishers m the final test at Auckland is not a very happy one. Why Mynott is put aside m favor ctJboih

Hunter and Stead passeth all understand.ing. I am not surprised at the strong feeling displayed m Taranaki at his exclusion, and the remarks of the critics as to his superiority over Hunter hears out the arguments I adduced m these x columns after the second test m Wellington. The selectors seemingly have p&d. some difficulty m alighting upon a good ,wing threeiquarter, and this probably explains why Deans has been placed m this role. A better choice of five-eighths would have been Deans and Myn6tt, with, say, O' Sullivan, of Dunedin, as wing threeiquarter m, lieu of the Christchurch man. O'Sullivan is a .fine attacking playeiybut rather weak on defence. He is said /to possess all the attacking attributes so no- : ticeable m Dunk McGregor when at his [jjest. Glasgow's position as front-ranker comes as a surprise. He has been playing back for his club m Invercargill this •season. Frank, however, is not altogether inexperienced m the duties of a hooker having done good service , m thai* capacity m Taranaki, and also 1 understand, on occasions with the All Blacks m Great Britain. Ready is not class enough for' a New Zealand . rep. team ; we have, m fact, far better hookers playing m ilocal junior matches. lam not enamoured of Pater-, son's inclusion, and would infinitely prefer Iviraey, or Fitzpa trick;, of Dunedin, _ or Rush, of Wellington, to hini.