NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL TEAM.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXI, Issue 8959, 7 December 1905, Page 1

NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL TEAM.

■IW vJi.kctkk; Telegraph.—Copyright.]

XEW ZEALAND v. CHELTENHAM

(Per Press Association - .) I'.eceived December 7. at 9.58 a.m. London, December 6

Seven thousand attended the match at Cheltenham, which was played in lovely weather. Roberts (Wellington) secured a tiy within eight minutes of the start, and Abbott fi'aranaki) secured a couple of tries before half-time, Harper (Canterbury) converting all three by brilliant kicks. In the second half very even play took place, Cheltenham being in fine form with a sound defence. Abbott secured a further try after half an hour's play, which Jlarp.'r failed to convert, and the game endid: New Zealand 18. Cheltenham 0.

AN IMI'KUIAI, TEST MATCH.

Hy llamish Stuart, in the London Dnil; Chronicle.)

It seems unfortuna'.e thai no attempt lias been made or seems likt-ly to be made to alter or to add to the Xew Zealand list of fixtures, which seein.s to have Ijeen arranged on a faUe estimate of the excellence of our visitors and the importance of the loir as a "landmark" in the his!orv of 11 n<£l >y football. In the second article oi" this sv-rios (September 20) 1 sug-

g-'.sti-d that the New Zeal tinders should be accorded the honor of meeting an Imperial t"niii —a .side, that is to say, drawn from the players of all four countries—■ provided their performances against the four national fifteens warranted the arranging of tlii;:. the very first true "test" match in the history of football. Such a fixture can and may yet ho arranged. 1 hive reason to believe that the Rugby Union regard the proposal with favor. It is admitted on all sides that the vi>it of the X.-tv Zealanders has led to a "Rugby revival." and we could not give better expression to our thanks for the _'' tod whiel, they have done the game than by according thorn the high honor of a real ••test."

If arrange,l, the game would probably plaved in the first week of January, and on some London ground capable of aecommodating the vast crowd such a fixture would attract, csjiecially if the King were present and the game were played for tiie Hospital Fund. I do not pause lo discns.s whether an "Imperial" side would le stronger or weaker than a good national fifteen. I merely repeat- the suggestion of September 20. with a view to keeping the. subject before the Rugby authorities and the Rugby world. As to the Xew Zealand fixtures othenvi.se, it is unfortunate that no attempt has been made to alter the game with Surrey on November 1 to a match with London, under tho auspices and mana cement of the Surrey l!.l*. A London team, picked irrespective of nationality (for the metropolis is in this [■onnec'ion the mother of all who playfootball within her far-flung bounds) would give the Xew Zealanders a much better game than Sydney. The Surrey side have already been selected. .vi that it may now be too late to substitute a I-ondon side for the county team. Blackheath or Richmond may. however, r-ee their way io play a London fifteen, or even a London and University team, against tho Xew Zealanders. in place of their ordinary club side. As already stated, the London or London and 'Varsity side would have to be picked without regard to the nationality of the players, l'eople will doubtless go in their thousands to "see the New Zealanders." but they would go in their tens of thousands if there were a reasonable chance of the "home" teams in the next three matches in London holding their own with the colonials.

A mere alteration in the sides would not necessitate change of venue or in the arrangements of the New Zealanders, so that the proposal here made is not beset with any of those practical difficulties which would lie urged against absolutely new fixtures. As to the venue of the match with England, the Union may be relied U|K)n to play the match on a ground with sufficient accommodation for the huge crowd which (he game is certain to attract.

Swansea having at length met the inevitable doom of all sides after a long period of immunity from defeat —it is two years since they suffered iheir last reverse at the hands of Xewport by a. dropped goal—it is highly probable that the victory of Cardiff on Saturday will be made the text of many sermons on Welsh decadence by Saxon optimists. The surprise success of Blackheath at Xewport last year and the falling off in the form of Cardiff and Llanelly were hailed by many as an indication that tho Welsh period of supremacy was drawing to its close. The most optimistic scouted the idea of any Welsh decadence, and hugged the belief that the comparative success of English clubs acainst Welsh was not so much due to any falling off on the part of the Cymri as to a decided advance on the part of the Saxon. The Welsh team, it was fondly hoped, would reflect such slight decadence in the Welsh clubs, as even the optimists admitted, while the English team would show that the advance made by die Saxon was as real as it was national. "Swansea" provided a very rude awakening from these vain dreams, and England suffered the most severe reverse in her "international'-' history at the hands of Wales.

The fact should aivc 1.0 pause. Swansea have certainly fallen from groainsss—the greatness of sustained success—bat they are still a fine side. whom tin: «nart of defeat, so long rrfelt. may to the doing of deeds fiat will r.-atorc them to pride of place. Thf-v \v;re p.-jl at full strength on Saturday, aivi tii-i- only real weakness was at outride half. In any case it would he rash to assume +'iat ' ; v: Welsh fifteen will be weaker than usual because Swansea. hav? so far t , maintain their wonderful lorrn ci the two previous seasons. Let us remei.iber the lessons of 1904-5 in dealing with the probabilities of of 1905-6. The slight .header.ee ot Swansea is matter for rejnvt Kwcvor inevitable, in Ihs ordinary course ot events, simply because it coald not hav« occurred at a more inopportune time. to, say I refer to the unfortunate possibility of Welsh football failing to ((each its usual high standard in u season Vi wliieh there is a very special reason w'a/ all the footer world should wish Wales £ have an even stronger eide than the maw fin© teams she haa put in the field the past few seasons. \ .

Even those who take a pessimistic view of the prospects of ttie other national fifteens against the Xew Zealanders have been .nursing the ho[>c that- Walts would succeed in checking the nil-conquering career of tile colonials. Much may happen, however, before December 16. Wales may then stand where she did : all fears as to a falling off in her strength may have proved groundless. Moreover, England. Scotland, or Ireland may have relieved tile principality of the task of vindicating the claim of British football, as played bv representative sides, to be at least as good as the colonial brand.

The critics seem agreed that London Scottish are, at present, the best side iti town. With this estimate of the merits of metropolitan sides 1 am not in a position to quarrel, though I would point out that there is a possibility of the Scottish being seen to less advantage and playing less effective football when the conditions are not so favorable as at present to a side relying so much upon fast footwork and team-combination as tli3 Scottish do. A fast ground and a dry ball are almost essential to the success of such a light, fast, and clever side as the Scottish have shown themselves to be. So long as these conditions obtain, and the men can maintain their present form and fitness, the Scottish team have nothing to fear from any side on their card. They may have played above themselves in the second half against Oxford on Saturday, lie that as it may, they certainly gave the finest

all-round exhibition of Rugby football seen in a London club match lor many a day. In jioint of dash, stamina, going all the way, and energetic support of each other's efforts fore and aft they certainly" justified the comparison with tile New Zealanders which one critic drew, but the Scottish are not a side of stars like the Xew Zealanders, so that the comparison was merely a compliment to their zeal, keenness, fitness, and admirable style of play, which certainly recalled the methods of tile Sow Zealanders.