FOOTBALL.

NZ Truth, Issue 181, 5 December 1908, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

[(By, "Pakeha.'X

The "Wallabies" are still hopping welL and winning m the Old Dart. ' It's a cert that, Bob Barr isn't going to make a fortune with his publication of the Anglo- Welsh team's tour through the Dominion last season. The book has slumped heavily on the local market and the probability is that the Dunedinite will 'ourn his fingers badly over the spec Patrons of- the sport were glad enough, m all conscience, to see the last of Harding's bounders, and -have no desire to be reminded of Fogland's wretched ,1908 Rugby product for some years to come. »

It is quite probable tihat.news of the next Rugby Union sensation will come from a district which, ( so far, has not given a great deal of bother to tho authorities, save that the clubs have provided many players to the Northern Union, says an English paper. But these players are not nowadays attached to the • Northern Union. Some of them' are assisting a Rugby Union club which was runners-up for a county cup last year. Beyond that we do not wish to proceed at present ; we only prepare our readers for the news of the affair.

The number of temporary injuries m the match between the Australians and Penygraig must have constituted a record. There were 23 of these, and it was amusing at times to note the rapid recovery of a Welsh, player when the ambulance corps arrived. 1 The only man really impaired by the result of an accihent was Bede Smith, the Australian, centre. He, had put in -splendid work ondefence, and even when he retired to full-back and Dix went -up to three-quar-ters he brought off several excellent saves notwithstanding bis marked limp. Several English writers aver that the Penygmig men feigned injury m order to gain time and wind when they were hard pressed. ; Daye Gallaher was much abused by English critics for his tactics as a wing forward what time the All Blacks were invading the Old Country's Rugby domain, bub the Aucklander was an angel m his methods compared to Row of the Wallabies, who, on. the. blind side of the scrum, plays the part of obstructionist to some purpose. Kow and one or two others have demonstrated that they know something more than Gallaher and his All Black comrade's m the way of dirty tactics : '

When the Anglo-Welsh footballers were touring this country last winter (says a Northern writer) they were very vexed when anybody ran into them, and if one of their number could display a bruise or a scratch of reasonable dimensions at the end of the game, the tragic news was at once forwarded home by cabli, and evoked torrents of commiseration from a sympathetic British press. Now that two Australian football teams are touring the Old Country, we hear occasionally of accidents m whicQi, so to speak, the boob, is on the other foot ; but the English sporting papers don't seem to be rending their hair to any serious extent over them. When a colonial team is playing a British team, and the Britisher- meets with an accident, it is always the "brutal .ferocity" of the colonials that is to blame. When Harding arx l McEved-"- ar>d yassa'l nmi

Morgan and Williams used to get hurt out here, their legs were "barked," or their collars crumpled by the wicked and deliberate and malignant "ferocity" of Seeling or Roberts or Francis or some other shocking "colonial." But when a colonial team goes Home, and its members meet with accidents, nobody belonging to good old England is never mentioned as causing these disasters, and it is delicately insinuated that the "colonials" do their own leg-breaking and jawfracturing> i

Although no official figures are at present available, it. is understood that the Auckland R.U. will make a profit of between £4'oo and £500 on last season's workings ; this amount being irrespective of the profit from the British matches, estimated at about £1000, which were under the contr.ol of. the N.Z. Union. As far as can be gathered at present, the usual grants will be available for the clu,bs, and probably the mortgage on. the Union's g-round will be further reduced. English writers are impressing upon the Home authorities the necessity of 'taking steps to render Rugby football more attractive.

Each player who represented Wal«s m. international matches last season has re-> • ceived from the Welsh Rugby Union ay handsome gold medal m commemoration of winning the -"triple crown." G-. L. Williams, the Lancashire County and Liverpool half-ba6k, who was a member of the British team which' recently visited Australasia, has declared his in* tention of retiring from the game. Wilson, who was prevented by the> Scottish Union from making the trip ttf 1 Australasia with", the British team, has-, had his suspension removed, and is playing again.

Hartnett, manager of the Anglo-Welsh team, .laid ; a proposal before the executive of the Vancouver Rugby Union for a visit of a Canadian Rugby team to Australia. He <had stated that Australians were veuy been on having a Canadian team m order to try and kill professionalism. An answer must be given by January 8.- II a team went it would leave Vancouver m May, and the tour would occupy about three months and ahalf. .