GENERAL GOSSIP.

NZ Truth, Issue 327, 30 September 1911, Page 3

GENERAL GOSSIP.

As? far as this season is concerned Rugby football m Wellington is just about as dead as Julius CaesaT. The Charity Cup. match on Saturday last,, drew a few hundred enthusiasts to the Athletic Park, but they mostly cleared at half time, and nobody seemed to take anything very seriously, and now we have got to wait till October 7 for what should be the event of the season (and won't)— the North v. South Island match. It seems a great pity that this game, which has shown us some splendid football m the past should be;played m the cricket season. The public will roll up (some of them), but to expect wily old players to bust themselves up at that time of the year, when the grounds are usually as hard as the 1 Hobs of Hades and the sun shineth hot, well, they just won't do it, and I don't blame 'em. Perhaps next year the enlightened Management Committee of the N.Z. Rugby "Onion will get their tricks m first, and piclc out a date to play this fixture and TAKE it. Marlborough decided not to tackle the Aucklanders for the Shield this season, and probably it was just as well for them- On their showing againsit Wellington they could scarcely tackle Auckland with any hope of success, and the only advantage of playing and getting a darned good hiding would assist m pulling down the size of the hat that Marlborough has been wearing for some seasons. Once more the Management Committee of the Otago Rugby Union have got the nasty turn down. This time from the N.Z, Rugby Union over A. McDonald's case- The latter appealed to the governing body against the sentence- ol disqualification handed out to htm by the Southern Committee, and, as m the

case of Tansey some time ago, the New Zealand Union upheld the appeal. Otago will probably refer tbe matter to the Appeal Council, which this year sits m Wellington vrh&i wanted. When the Appeal Council reversed the N.ZJB..U- Committee's decision and once more placed Tansey under the ban, the said Council sat m Dunedin and consisted of some of the same parties that inflicted the disqualification m the .first placeTherefore Tansey had no chance m the world, but m McDonald's case things are dafierent, and it will be interesting to see what stand the new Appeal Council will take- The whole trouble seems to be whether McDonald was formally reported to the Union as laid down m their own bye-laws, and the governing body says No. Also McDonald was neither warned nor cautioned, which appeal's to put the whole thing out of court. But lor Barney Campbell to put on his most dismal expression (when Barney likes he can look as dismal as Dunedin m August) and tell us that the new Appeal Council must .be fcound by the decision of the last he's talking through his hat. He'd better tell Fred Pirani that. Latter is one of the said Appeal Council. Don't know why, but he is. There appears to be a pretty .general falling off m the quality •of South Island football this season. The Otago-Cantermny match was.. probably one of the worst things of ' ; its kind ever rung on to an thisus-' pecting public. Why is it? In. the' case of the Otago players one is afraid that the presence of private detectives, m the shape of the members .of the O.R.TL Committee, has got all the men into such a tame state that they are , afraid to open their mouths m case they are •accused by some fussy individual of saying "Damn." And this, not being good Scotchbyterian language, car- ! ries a severe penalty. Likewise, the "Mary Ann" tackle taketh-the place of the old style, so to capture your j man anywhere below the waist band j is dangerous (to both players). ] Otago lias overdone the watch-dog^ business, and its football is suffering. As regards Canterbury. Well ! Canterbury always did pride itself \ on the nice gentlemanly game of Rugby played m • their province, and it is a really nice, quiet outing for the young fellows. This year : is just about the • last word m real , tired play, and it is time that some- j body shook themselves ■up m Christchurch and started m to make -brings ■■> hum and improve matters if there is time. Two good Northern Union v teams visiting Dunedin and Christ- j church just at present would give -1 Bugby Union people the biggest shock of their sweetly^ contented and self-satisfied lives. And the only man who can see it sticking out a

yard is the Dunedin Chairman. Barney Campbell. After last Saturday's scramble with Canterbury the Wellington selectors can arise and point the finger of scorn at their critics, also they can buy thetmselves 9everal drinks ; but it doesn't alter the fact that for do- ! ing strange and weird things m the team-picking line this Selection Committee takes the jam jar. They : might do better picking gooseber!ries than picking rep. teams, and Ithey would probably have to be on wages to do any good at that, if the other is a sample of their contract work. I Have always sullered from a hazy idea that Hugh McLeod was the best first five-eighths player m Wellington City. Evidently he is not, as ihe was not even asked to join the [Southern touring team. (One doesn't need to look very far for the "hustler* on the Selection Committee. Petone supplies four men.) Anyway McLeod "IS" undoubtedly the "best man m Wellington m his place, and a Selection Committee that can't place him m there is either run by one man or doesn't know its business. It's the limit.