FOOTBALL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12418, 30 July 1902, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

Br "Foil Back."

INTERPROYINCIAL FIXTURES. . OTAGO TF.iU'.'s TOTO. August 23.—Otago v. Southland, at Dunediu, August 30.—Otago v. Canterbury, at Christchurch. September 3.-0 tngo v. Hnwke's Bay, at Napier. September v. Wellington, at Wellington. September 17*.—Otago v. Southland (return), at Jnvercargill. * This date has not definitely been arranged, SOUIHLAND TRAM'S TOUR. August 23.—Southland v. Otago, at Dunedin. August -30.—Southland v. Hawke'a Bay, at Napier. - September 3.—Southland v. Wellington, a( Wellington. September G.—Southland v. Canterbury, - at Christchurch. CAXTERBUnY TEAM'S TOUR. August 2.—Canterbury v. Auckland, at Auckland. August U.—Canterbury v. Taranaki, at New Plymouth. August 9.—Canterbury v. Wairarapa, at Masterton. August 30.—Canterbury v. Otago, at Christchurch. September G.—Canterbury v. Southland, at Christclnuch. Scobio Mackenzie, tho ex-Otago representative, has won his way into tho Auckland team, to play against Canterbury on ■Saturday next. Mr A. C. Tvovris, of Wellington, has agreed. to referco in tho inter-provincial match between Otago and Canterbury in Christclmrch on August 30. Pirates bad great difficulty in getting a team together to meet Kp.ikorai last week, and <in Saturday morning' were hunting round the town for members to make up a fiftoon. Result Mils that ihe weakest team of the season stripped at Bishopcourt to battle on behalf of the Black?; yet they made a good fight, aucl played one of their l)C3t games. A Wellington correspondent, writing to a- southern evening paper, endeavours to point out. tlmi the news item appearing• fn -those' columns last week with reference to (leorge Smith', the Auckland and-New Zealand throe-quar-ter back, having been approached by M;uiningham (Kng.) is incorrect, and says that Jacobs is the player referred to. Apparently the northern correspondent is wise after the event—a long way after. Tho

. paragraph in our columns is correct in so far as it refers to George Smith, of Auckland, having been approached by Mnraiing- • bam. Iho news item \va9 a direct communication from an ex-Otago player in Knglsncl who had been sent down to London i on purpose to get the New Zealauder to , sign on. Alannragham and Jaeolw, of Southland, may liavo eomo to an arrangement, but with that our paragraph has nothing to The Wairarapa representative full back ,of tins season i 5 rather a solid gentleman t?;' °^°„ 3,n "\, 1 :?>' crs t0 >»<"'P up against. His name is M Kwizie, and his weight 15.8. JiY t Cr T n i° Nnrth v ' South Island - ■ " 1" Wellington on Sepombe. 13, it was decided at the last meet. ?of } PW Zealand Union to ask tho unions to defray tho transit expenses of any ■■of its reprcfcn atn-05, the Xo w Xo,lancl Union to bear the expenses incurred'in tho -nj" ot 1,10 '°ani during the stay in Tho selectors of the North v. .South I«!-iul teams—Messrs Kllifon, JMamoie, and MurUlbrnith (Sou.M-ara to l>o asked to liavo both teams chosen by September 1. Ben Bain, tho Southland wing throequarter back, who had the misfortune to break Ins arm by colliding with Jacobs in a recent match in Southland, has been BugRested for the position of manager of the southland team while on tho northern tour. Bain in all probability would liavo been selected as one of tho Southland team to make tho northern tour but for tho unfortunate accident. In view of this, and in tho light of tho fact that ho done ycoman s service for tho southern province, no more graceful way' of appreciating his past services and sympathy for present incapacitation could be shown thaii that of offering him the post of manager to tho Southland team while on tour. The following players will represent Ancleland in the Intel-provincial match against tho Canterbury touring t«un on Saturday next: lull back, AV. IJarripon j threequarters—Thompson, Mackenzie, Aslw liye-eigiilh, JPUrogor; half back. Kiernanwings—taing. Doran ; forwards—Brady, Tavjor, Cunningham, Nicholson, .M'Dufi. A. Wilson, Long. The team (wires my AueK land correspondent) is a sound one all round, the backs being speedy and aggressive, with defence above the average: whilo the forwards arc powerful and 'weighty, avera"iti" upwards ol 13 stone. If they play up to their best form and are beaten, then about, as good a team as Auckland could put in the field will go under. Harold .Tudd, who toured New Zealand with the New South Wales team last year, is said to have a knack of playing in - biofootball much above Tiis club form. In the recent inter-State match—Now South Wales v. Queensland—Judd played the strongest forward game on the ground. While in Now Zealand Judd was singled out as tlie finest forward the Welshmen possessed. T. Costello, who captained the Now South Wales team in New Zealand last winter, was elected captain of the Welshmen against Queensland.'' He makes a, good skipper, and in the forwards is now- playing a good solid game. A few weeks ago (says a writer in St. James's Gazette) a football team' travelled from tho north to play a match on tlm southern soaboard. Tlioy were provided with a spccial saloon carriage for tho greater part of the way; but towards their journey's end, there being a short distance to travel on a branch line, the company's officials requested them to change into ordinary first-class carriagos reserved for thorn. Tho manager of. tho team refused to do so, for feav, as he said, that the fresh carriages might bo damp!. Does a bridegroom on his honeymoon ever liavo such tender solicitude for his brido? Referring to the first inter-Stato match, New South Wales y. Queensland, "Cynic;" in Sydney Referee, says:—Coming to tho play of tho individual, it will, I think l , be generally admitted that the soundest back on the field was ]?. G. Finley, tho Now South . Wales scrum half, whoso defensive work was not only great in quality but great' ill quantity. His pluck is undoubted; his ability to stop rushes and to tackle undoubted; besides, he is remarkably smart on his feet and quick in passing. If all our backs were as 6tire in defence as Finley, New Zealand v. New South Wales on the Sydney Ground next season might be tho match of one's life.

A sensational development "in connection with tho Ihrox Park disaster at Glasgow: Alexander M'Donald, fiawmiller, of Part'ck, wasoharged bc-fore the sheriff with culpable homicide. It is alleged that, as contractor for tho stand which collapsed and caused death to 25 persons and injuries. to 50 other?, he used yellow pino instead of red pine at the joists. He was to have come up for trial at the Glasgow Circuit Court on July 7. \ • . . , ' Tho 'following account of a "match (New" Zealanders v. Military) in South Africa, by Captain Philip Trevor ("Dux") in the Sportsman, will he read with interest:—"The match ended in tho hollow victory of the Military, and in many ways it presented few points of general interest. What chiefly struck mo was the faot that tho Now Zealandor (tho Soldier Fifteen included no fewer than J1 Now Zoalnndera) lias a national aptitude lor Rugby Union football. It was not decided until the team took the field—l should say took thof beaton earth—who should play in the back akl who should play in the front-division. Yet. after halflimo, the soldiers showed, both forward and behind the scrummage, an amount of combination that was quite surprising. They passed admirably, and, as a general rule, the passing was about hip-high, Their tackling powers were not seriously tested, but on the few occasions on which they were called.upon to .pull an opponent down, they responded in hearty and conclusive fashion. Tile game, though a hard one, was never really rough, and from start to finish, thero was not a tinge of vindictiveness in it. The fsot that this was so was indicative of b. rather 'welcome l surprise. The oversea colonial does not- especially love the South African colonial, and it is quite possible for prejudices to appear in a game of Rugby Union football. Possibly had tho Now Zealand's oppononts been a South African colonial corps, and not a team of civilians, my duties as referee might have been more onerous, As' matters stood, I had a complete sinecure." ■' . ' *

j PLAYING OUT OF TOUCH. j There are many different styles of play ! out of touoh (says a well-known English international player), and 011 a great number . of occasions when the ball ie thrown out ■ of touch, the result is merely a ecrummagu. It is not an easy matter for a forward to ' gain much ground out of touoh, or, at aiiyvate, it should not be, if the opposing for-.' " wards miirk their men properly, A forward lms no business to be allowed to catch the ' ball when thrown out of touch aud run away with it. If ihiß does happen, it ie ' 1 simply a sign of carslessnecs on tho part of liia opponents. A powerful forward ofton • ma!:es several yards for his side by strug- . gling on until be is finally thrown down j or the ball is held, but the best way of gaining ground out of touch is by breaking j. awp.y with the ball at your feet. When the. half throws the hall out to bis forwards, the man who catchcv; it must try and put it down at ones in front of the man next to him, who must than break away into. a f dribble, followed bv the others. Tt is better to put the ball in front of another forward, . as it js generally a good deal easier for him to broak away than for tho man who has . caught the ball, as the latter js already probably half collared by his vis-a-vis, and is

thus hampered. I have seen this done most successfully—tho only danger being at tJie very commencement, when tho forward who IB breaking away in Richer apt to kick tho ball too hard, and thus feed tho opposing three-quartern, who will then' liavo time either to get in a kick or start a passing run. Another good way of making ground easily out of touch; and one that is very disheartening to the other side, is for tho forward who catches the bill to throw it' back again to the half, who must run behind tho line-out immediately he has thrown the ball out of touch, or else to one of his three-quariei'3, who can then kick it over tho fomrdii into touch again for a long way down. I have often seen the ball carried right dowii the field like this. To carry this out properly there must bo a perfect understanding existing between the-forwards and the halves; and the forwards haw to be very careful that the ball is passed straight to the half, and not thrown wildly aw?y anywhere, while the half has to make suro of his kick clearing his forwards mid also finding touch. It h useless kicking it anywhere up the field, it must go into toueii; while if the half kicks it right into the baci'fl of his forwards he very often lets his side down badly. Both these method-? I have mentioned should only bo adopted as far as possible in mid-Hold, as when playing on the defensive or in one's own twenty-five, it is foolish risk anything, while,, again, When one is in the attack, it is the behinds who must do the scoring by passing movements, and the hall must bo kept out of touch as muoh as poisiblo. X always consider it advisable when playing on the defensive to give the preference to a ayds scrummage rather than risk a o{ tolie,l > especially if ono has the better scrummage, and also when on the be advisable. BCrumma S e n ">y Every kick-off must be well backed un by tho forwards, and when the kiok-otf is'with your opponent?, the same three forwards should always drop l»aek~ono in the centre and ono on each touch lino.