The New Zealand Football Team.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXI, Issue 8960, 8 December 1905, Page 1

The New Zealand Football Team.

WELSH VIEWS OF THE NEW ZF.A

LANDERS' CHANCES

Mr A. J. Gould, writing in the London Daily Mail of the approaching Welsh matches says : It is quite refreshing to see tlh- tremendous interest the brilliant performances of the New Zcalanders are causing in the Rugby football world, and it sc.-ins as though the long-needed fillip to Kuv.iiah Rugby football has come at last. L/; somewhat amusing, though, to hear the doleful expressions of a number of tinfollowers of the game. They tell vis that. no club team can possibly stand a of a chance of holding their own against the redoubtable colonials, and i:okl out the faintest, hopes of possible litiecess in the international matches. \\ ell : as far as the club games are coneenK'd, surely it cannot be expected that ordi-

nary" town teams will be able to defeat a picked side such as the New Zealandeni have brought over, and the only real t;i;t matches are those which will be play-ed against England, Scotland, Ireland, ami Wales. Another great point is made of the phenomenal scores that are put up by the New Zealanders in each match ih-y

have played. But the heavy scores a;e not difficult to account for. When ,-. -jii have a perfectly trained team- playing in gether time after time, with a thorn,igii understanding existing between each m. :»i----ber of it, there-is sure to be a time daring a game when that side will have their opponents so thoroughly beaten that. a few tries more or less added to '.:.-' score is nothing. A recognised all round strong team, Ijrilliant and versatile, as ;.r<the colonials, will be certain to have th.-.e opportunities when playing against tci'ivs which cannot possibly lie as tit and v. 1 ='ll together as they are. In proof of this it "is only necessary to took at the match at Gloucester last week. For the ilr-it twenty minutes there was no score, and then the visitors crossed the Gloucester line six times in a quarter of an Ivuir.

In the second half of the game the l:o:>ie team kept their line intact untii i.n minutes before time, and then four tries were registered against them. Thiriien or fourteen years ago, .when Newport had that wonderful strong side, we had seve-

ral instances of really powerful tv.-ims cracking up for a short period during the game, in which time our superior eo;u''. : i.i and combination enabled us to pile up the score in a. rapid manner. Wlku I mention such clubs as Oldham, whose h"?we crossed ten times, Ralford ten, Bradford eight, Oxford seven, Blackheath >l:v, my meaning will be plain. In those d-sys these teams took a great deal of i: ;r----ing. Suppose it were possible for :i;e unbeaten Welsh team of last season !o play tiie teams already met by the .'■■.'.-■.'.- Zealanders, T should be inclined tr. ■,-■ .- that victory would rest with the YV.i-ii-men in every encounter. One great :. : - take is 'oeing made, however, by soi:>" :.; the clubs w!io are to meet the color! •'.-. That is the alteration of the back {'.]:■'•- sion by attempting to copy the vis;': :'• in playing the rive-eighths game. >Sur- '"•■ it cannot strengthen a side to plac a man in an alisolutely strange position, ;:•::' expect him to be at all effective? Lc; >:; first of all see how the five-eighths g;\:: <■ answers when opposed to a really strong

and clever team. It will be time f.-r us to copy the New Zealanders' mci!o;l of placing the field when we have £• n enough to convince us that it is the nr :■■ per game to cultivate. That our visitor are a wonderfully fine and clever lot n e footballers there is not the shadow of a doubt, and it will take a particul: r : ' powerful team to lower their colors. If they are able to get through their in::vnational engagements successfully v, i!i

•Scotland and Ireland, and come to u -f 'Wales on December 16 with an unhe::i n

certificate, the Cardiff Arms Park will !. ,: l>e large enough, to hold the crowd. Among the spectators at the match last Saturday {says the Stars j*:<-.--don correspondent) was Percy Bush, who toured New Zealand with BedeU-Sivri«'ii'« team, and who captains the Cardiff u■:• n this season. Interviewed after the ron:.:h. Mr Bush expressed the opinion that ■!"» New Zealanders were not. so good a -•'■'■-■ as that- which he played against hi X Zealand. "'The team w r o met out ther-v"". he said, "had more cohesion. The •'--:>*- wards had more ability, if I may say .=:>. in looking after the game. Their dribbliiis was almost unstoppable; indeed, but for Teddy Morgan and Tommy Vile we wo'--<: have been in a. bad way in the test match." In this connection, it should be not".'. however, that the New Zealanders had V; r no means their strongest team out b\*i Saturday, nor did they show their V-r,t form. Smith, Hunter, and Roberts w -.:. absent, as well as M'Gregor, whom i'Cardiff captain considers a better I!'.'' ••- quarter than any one of those who hr,i; yet done duty in the present tou>i n\.i the back division on Saturday did p-n pjay up to the team's, 'jsual standard ■■■:■ excellence. Asked for his explanation t:f the New Zealand team's wonderful g: •••;■ cess sinco the beginning qi the tour. "*' • Bush said: "In the first place, footbrilh-:. in Ivew Zealand are much keener on •;'•>. game than they are in this country. !•■

is a passion with them. Then they cr-v----here after a, pleasant voyage, they are >n the pink of condition, and they mpr! :•".*■ county and some of the club teams i-i-n.--"

our players are in form, for, as you 'iviv:, for the first month, or bo, of the sea in v. players in this country, are not in really good fettle, and the combination machhrr-,-doesn't run smoothly. The visitors, tons, have tbd advantage of association; t'r: ; -y know each other's play to a nicety: t'.".-v have nothing to do but to play footh?'i • they are well trained, and they l:«.-"i themselves fit. The result is they are frill of vim, and they, are able to play m^t' attractive football. Their passing in th?Gloucester- match was beautiful, was it i not?" "Having considered all that, v/l:->t ■do you think of Wales' chance ajra'T*?; . them on December 16?" j —"l think Wnle<? will win. If, for instance, the. Wtfel* backs got the chance- that the Gloucester backs had, they will probably get over ' the line a few times. I think Gloueeste- < made a mistake in playing seven for wards. Gar plan is to stick to our pro-' sent method, and get eight forwards wV> will make thorn, scrummage, and "bustle" them a bit. If that is done, not onlv Wajes, but Glamorgan County and Cardiff, j will probably beat them. I prefer not to ( sneak of Swansea and Newport's chance yet, but I think that the Swansea, team of list season -would certainly beat them." A WEIGHTY SET OF FORWARDS: Wales can put eight first-class forwards into the field who wffli not be outweigh o .! even by the New Zealand pack. The following nine, forwards are as clever urd sneedy as. they are heavy:—Dai-Jones 15s*. "t?k» Harry Jones 14st 81b, W., Joseph l&t 101b, W. Neill 13st 41b, J., Brown 13st 41b, J. J. Hodges 13st 21b, J. F. Williams 13st 21b, Dick Thomas 135** M. Pritehard 12st- 101b, A. F v Harding 12st IMb.