FOOTBALL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13518, 15 February 1906, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

B* Full Back.

'"The Lamentations of the Welshmen" would prove a very fitting heading to the reports of iho Welsh papers over tlio result of the Cardiff match, which New Zealand won by 10 points to 8. Percy Bush, who gave- the New Zealanders their second try by speculating and missing the ball, is made the scapegoat for the loss, very little, if any, notice being taken of . the fact that the New Zealanders were , without the services of O'Sullivan throughout the major part of the game. That the Welsh press has shown an inclination to discredit the play of the New Zealanders, while praising that of their own men, is shown by the following sample par, contributed by "I'endragon" to the Western Mail after the Cardiff ' match:—"The New Zealanders ought to consider themselves the luckiest team that ever played football. They have played four games in Wales, lost one, and won the other three' by pure unadulterated luck." "Don't ask which is Wallace," eayt a waggish scribe. "If you see a man dafh past four Englishmen, throw another into touch, and then, when tackled by five more, kick a goal, you may be sure that is Wallace." In the South Wales licho appeal's a photo of E. T. Morgan cucirclcxl by a laurel wreath. Underneath the nhoto appears tha : following large order:—"li. T. Morgan, London Welsh. The cleverest wing threequarter playing (ho game and the fastest : swerving runner of the day. His name will never fade from the memory of Welsh footballers, for ho not oulv scored Iho try that, won the match [Wales v. New Zealand], but prevented Deans from equalising." ' Among the South African team to shortly visit England is said to be a three-quarter who is reported to bo yards faster tlwn Smith, of the New Zealand team, which statement should, I imagine, be taken with the proverbial grain of salt. 11l the season of 1891-2 Newport, who were defeated by (lie New ZeaJan<!eiß by 6 points to 3, put up an unbeaten record in club matelics, and scored 536 points (77 goals 99 tries) against 25 points (3 goals 5 tries). Olio of the New Zealand players, di- • vested of his jersey, and seen in the pavilion of the Cardiff Club, when asked ' to express his opinion on the Cardiff game, jsaid:—"No. You want it for a Welsh paper, and you arc all bad sportsmen down here. Since we'vo been in Wales the Welsh press has given us no show, but lias charged us day after day with dirty and unfair tricks. You're the worst sportsmen in the world." It is said that Newton, of the New Zealand team, now tins the scale at 16st 71b. On Saturday, December 29,. 1888, the Maoris played the concluding match of their South Wales tour with Cardiff. They had previously mot and befitoii Swansea and Newport, and had in turn been heaton by Wales and Llanelly, and they camo to Cardiff pretty confident of success. But they found the Cardiff men equally confident. and the result of a great strugglo was—Cardiff 1 goal 1 try. Maoris 1 try. The duel between Wallace and Winfield at full back in the Cardiff match (says a writer in the Daily Mail) was worth going a long way to see. The latter, whose splendid kicking into touch had not a, little to do with Wales's memorable win, was again very safe mid accurate. But ho had for his vis-a-vis now a full back of_ different calibre altogether from Gillott, Wallace extricated his side time and again from many tight corners. His touch kiclci ing was as good, if not .better, than Win* field's, and the gratified faces of his for-, wards must have been ample reward for his many suceessis in this direction. Wah lace also saved one certain try in tha middle of tlio second half, when the Card if? paok broke away, with only the New Zealand full back to stop them. Stop them lie did by throwing himself on tha ball in front of the rushing avalancho and lying on the ball, but. of course, at thg cost of a penalty. This was bad luclf for Cardiff, as Winfield missed the kick. Thus a writer in the Daily Mail, re. ferring to the Cardiff match:—Of course, a large section commenced to repeat, parrot* like, adjurations to Ihe New Zealand cap: tain to "Play the game" and "Stop your dirty tricks," when it was obvious to any impartial observer that that unfortunate individual was innocent of offence. But tlio ebullition, worked up so sedulously by certain critics, was pardonable under tlja circumstances, and when towards the entj of the first half Callaher went into. tllfl scrum—vice O'Sullivan, who had retired with a broken collar-bone—leaving Stead to perform, exactly the same "dirty tricks,' 1 the unseemly interjections and ceased, demonstrating that, for some in.

terutable reason, if. was poor Gallaher himself and not tho "wing forward outrage" that, had aroused tho passions of Wales. And it was a remarkable thing that after Stead had superseded Gallaher in tho work of putting the ball in tho sorum, the "All Blacks" cot it out on their side much more frequently tha,n had been tho ease previously. Which would go to prove., if it proved anything, that Stead is a. greater master in tho supposed art of putting "bias" on tlio ball than his captain. So much for the crowd, which, 011 the whole, was a. sporting one. Writing to the Sydney Referee immediately after the Wales match at Cardiff, W. J. Wallace .-aid: "Wo are having a wonderful time, and Wales beat us after a great go. Ot)r fellowß have gone very stale. Some of them will have to have a long spell. I get sick st tho mention of the name of football. Roberts has been playing wonderful games. I havo managed to keep in good form, though at ono time I was Buffering from a poisoned leg, which was very painful." Mr L. 11. Browne, who is well-known in New South Wales football circles, writes as follows to the Sydney Referee"Tho jnatches I have seen include those against Scotland and Ireland, and I think I am safe in faying that the exhibition on the part of England for a representative teamwas the poorest so far of the tour. I havo often seen Sydney First Grade teams mako n. much hotter show. Thero was a total absence of combination from the kick-off to the call of_ time, and had the ground been in anything but tho sodden state it was, tho New Zcalanders must have easily doubled tlich points'. After this match I havo been wondering where Great Britain got together tho strong combinations that have inflicted so many defeats on Australia and Now South Wales. In fact, in the Rugby contests I havo seen hero (and I follow up the best) I havo not, up to date, seen anything like the displays Mullilieux's and Bedcll-Sivright's teams treated us to in recent, years at Sydney. When I decided to 'winter' it here I hoped for a treat in the home of Rugby, but have been sadly disappointed. Rugby has been on the decline for some years, and nobody can explain why. 'Soccer' is the game tho public cry out for here. At ordinary league club matches I hare attended crowds numbering from 20,000 to 25,000 roll up, and the excitement is of the keenest order. At the League Cup finals the crowds number from 70,000 to 100,000. At tho Eugby competition matches at any time tlio spectators can be countcd in hundreds, and at a semi-final at the Crystal Palace Lift, year I am told tho gate receipts did not total £10. "Tho New Zcalanders with their marvellous record of 709 points to 22 against have made themselves very popular. I have been with them a good deal, and they don't show tho loast sign of going 'stale.' With the exception of slight injuries sustained by Gallaher in Scotland, and Georgo Smith in Ireland, they have been very lucky in this respect, and are all in the best of health. Old 'Jim' Duncan actually wants to take a hand, in some of the matches. It ia quite amusing to see the antics of 'the old war home' during the progress of a. match ; he gets so excited at times. M'Gregor and Georgo Smith are the 'heroes' of the team, tlio former being known as the 'Plying Scotchman.' All tho team wish me to remember them to.their Sydney friends, and to say it is all 'kapai feno' over here, and that they will lie sorry to say good-bye to Old England. Tho visit of an English team direct to New Zealand is spoken of as a certainty within the next two years. In what I have said I don't think I wish to detract an iota, from tlio New Zealand team's merits. _ They are absolutely the finest combination I have seen from their country, and play together liko clockwork. " <■ mist in Ireland I saw Limerick play Kerry on a Sunday. The match was the re-play of a draw in a cup final from last season, and a kind of cemi-soccer rules that were beyond me. From the deliberate kicking in the scrums and ruck I did not think a 'tall' was necessary at all. The gnme resulted in another draw and a free fight (no points scored), the referee taking refuge in a tree until aufficient police were brought from the town to escort him home. I think they must have been playing 'Killaloo' rules—'all in.'" When tho New Zcalanders Ti6ited Wales there was much heartburning over the referee and Mr Dixon, manager, deemed it advisable to send the following letter to the press:—"A great many untrue, unfair, and unsportsmanlike statements havo been made in various papers illeginsr, amongst other things, that the New Zcalanders put tho ball unfairly in tho scrum. I have suggested to tho Welsh Football Union that in any or all of our. future matches ■in Wales the referee bo asked to put the ball into the soium on every occasion. If this be done, the public will be enabled to judgo by results which side has been tho greater offender in this respect. I desiro also to correct the statements made regarding our attitudo over the appointment of a referee for tho Glamorgan match. All that wo have ever asked, and still insist upon, is that w« should be allowed a voice in the appointment: in other words, that tho referee should be mutually agreed upon, as proTided in the laws of the game.—G. H. Dixon, Manager New Zealand team." Mr D. Gallaher, the New Zealand captain, in replying to tho toast of the team at the banquet given by the English Rugby Union, said he "really did think they had gone to sleep a bit over here, so far as football was concerned, and John Bull wanted a little waking."