General Gossip.

NZ Truth, Issue 217, 21 August 1909, Page 3

General Gossip.

Auckland meets Wellington at the Park next Saturday. A blithering battle is. anticipated, though ' some" of the Northern team's barrackers reckon it's going to be a Cakewalk for the blue and white, jerseyed brigade. If the local packmen can only keep going as well as they did against Taranaki, the Aucklanders will have to extend themselves to again snatch the laurels of victory. Big crowd expected to roll up to the Park this afternoon to see Poneke and Petone clashing again— this time for the honor of which shall be premier m the competition. The blues are strong favorites, but given a decent ground and dry ball to manipulate, the townsmen must have a say m the argument. Jack Peake did not paralyse Wellington votaries of the winter game with those lovely whistling solos which referees oj the louder order think it necessary to trot out when facing a few thousand spectators. And Jack didn't think it worth while to treat Saturday's crowd with the "semaphore" acts so everlastingly perpetrated by local tooters upon the toeball community. Savoury, of the Ponsonby team k was a veritable nightmare to a Sydney scril:e judging by the way he . wrote the visitor down after the firrst match with the Metropolitan team. This is how friend Savoury' was dealt with '- — "Savoury was using his legs and feet to great advantage repeatedly 15 or 20 yards ofi-side, and was not a bit particular whether he kicked the man or the ball— so long ! as he kicked Something. He gave Luscomfcc an unmerciful kick m the region of the kidneys, and that ■ player was not himself for the rest of the game, as he moved about very slowly indeed. Un-Savoury will ~be a lucky man if he reaches New Zealand with a whole skin. Flesh and Mood cannot stand his assaults." "OffSide Mac" m the whole of his stormy career m the Rubby arena, never had such .unkind things said of him by indignant scribblers. While giving m to the contention that Wellington, geographically speaking, is the most convenient . centre for the InterIsland match to be played, the "Otago Witness" toeball critic points out that there is a broader aspect of the game to be considered. "Evidently," remarks our Dunedin friend, "this phase of the j position 'is overlooked by the Rugby authorities m Wellington." A split has occurred m the Rotorua Rugby Union, which has culminated m the formation of the Rotorua Rugby League, to play under Northern Union rules. A special meeting of the Rotorua Rugby Union was held the other- evening, when, after a long discussion, only 16 out of an assemblage of 60 signified their intention of standing by the Union. The Union, however, has stated that it intends to carry out the fixtures arranged for the season, and as two Unions cannot possibly exist m a town like Rotorua, it will be interesting to see which will ultimately survive. "Opie" Asher has been electrifying the Sydney crowds by his hurdling feats over human obstacles. When "Opie" gets his jumping machinery going at full top, it spells danger for the other side. Those who saw the fern leaf combination's matches m Australia m 1903, and I was one of them, will not readily forset the bouts between Albert Asher and Charley White. The pair clashed often enough, but "Opie" was up against one of the deadliest tacklers of the day, and did not once get thoroughly going m tiny of the big matches. On the . other side 'of the Tasman Sea .1 should say that rcfereeing m football matches is aot all beer and skittles, and and woman whose hubby nils the bill should insist upon him insuring his life. Assaulting referees Is a dastardly business that should be stamped out with a pair of hob-nailed boots. The spectacle of a few hundred or so maddened hoodlums rushing m cowardly attack upon a single and defenceless man, as we have read of m Melbourne and Sydney lately, smacks of appalling barbarity. In this respect, New Zealand teaches the Commonwealth States a good lesson. Aucklanders are flattering themselves that Dave Oallaher has the material at his command to pick a very strong team —both back and frontr=wh«n the rep.

' matches happen along presently. The Blue and White combination is expected to late a lot of heating. Whiln agreeing that the Rugby game must be entirely catholic m its laws and that there must be no proselytising to new tangled ideas, I take except on to the argument that any country whicn breaks from that fossilised instituticn iv the Old Country— the E.R.U. to wit—becomes ostracised as it were, because, m order to be able to take part iv any foreign contests, it must revert lo the old system, and that means that its tuoi'uall would, be interfered with to such an extent that success would not often attend its efforts. This is a fair sample of the rubbish that has been so often Shovelled up by George Dixon, Vin'ny Meredith, and others o£ thn good old "crimson bonds" push whenever the question of the parting of the ways as between Fogland and Mew Zealand has been reviewed by Rugby legislators. In many matches this season I have noted, with curious interest, the playing of the ball after a tackle. Mo'g infrequently a man is penalised because he docs not get rid of the sphere after licing tackled. Yet. at times, he is physically incapable of doing so because a host of opponents hurl themselves on top of him. The hurlers are the ones who should be penalised. Again, one must have often seen a player penalised for holding on after a tackle, yet the ball was not "held" as the player hadn't it m both hands, which. were free and would probably have passed had a .comrade been, handy. "A tackle doesn't necessarily mean that the bail has been held. Of course a tackle that -brings the player to the ground is a different matter. Were the rule on the point strictly .enforced, a lot of heavy scrummaging would be obviated. If referees would keep their optics on important happenings of this sort ana not seek to jolt the game by attempting to discover the absurdly finer points of it, the exhibitions from' players , would appeal with a greater force to patrons m a spectacular sense. The suggestion has been seriously put forward m Sydney that should the Welsh team make its appearance there next season, the Australian team's visit to New Zealand should be deferred until 10il.. At the request of the Cornstallcers, the Australian team's visit, which m ordinary course would fall due this year, was postponed till 19 iO on account oii i the Wallabies having only returned a few months ago from an Old Dart campaign. Some remarks on the personnel of the North Island team arc crowded out this issueAuckland Rugby Union is winding up the season with a picnic and sports meeting. C. P. Sticlcbury is coming South as manager of the Auckland team, which bumps up against the local boys on Saturday next. Hopes are entertained by the promoters of Northern Rugby football that six teams will be playing under its lules m the Taranaki district by the time next season rolls round. As ' the result of a conference between Taranaki and Auckland delegates, it has been decided that

no player or players shall receive any money excepting when on tour, m which case he will receive payment lor loss of time at a rate to be fixed by the Executive of the Taranaki and Auckland Leagues respectively. "Actaeon," the Auckland "Star" critic, commenting on the action of the N.Z.R.U. m regard to the letter received from the E.R.U. , on the question of proposed .alterations to the rules of the game, gives the Dominion body a nasty dig m this way : — "One can hardly imagine a Union holding the position m .the football world that the N.Z.R.U. does, taking such an insult so calmly. Fortunately, however, for football generally, there are affiliated unions who do not intend to let the matter drop, and the Auckland Rugby Union are to be commended on making a move to have the question thoroughly ventilated."