FOOTBALL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18323, 13 August 1921, Page 6

FOOTBALL

CANTERBURY v. WELLINGTON. GREAT INTEREST AROUSED. (From Oub Own Correspondent.) . WELLINGTON, August 12. unusual interest is being taken in tomorrow’s Rugby match here between the Canterbury and Wellington representative teams. The fine physique of tho visitors, together with their victories over the South Africans, Taranaki, Wanganui, and Wairarapa is sufficient to account for this. Weihngton, it will be remembq(Bd, was beaten by the South Africans, and local enthusiasts are keen to get the full measurs of their 15 in a contest with the only province that has beaten the Springboks so far. The Wellington team has been improved by the inclusion of some new backs, and tho fact that they will bo playing in the places they ar© accustomed to will make them more dangerous than they were against South Africa. The weather is dull and misty, and the barometer unsteady. RANFURLY SHIELD MATCH. ARRANGING FOR SPECIAL TRAIN. A meeting was Held in Mr E. L. Mocassoy’s oliice yesterday altornoon to discuss tho possibility of arranging for.a special train from Invercargill to Dunedin on the occasion of the Raniurly Shield match between Otago and Soutnland, which is to be played at Invercargill next Saturday. Mr H. .Harris (president of the Otago Rugby Union) presided, and explained tnat those who desired to see tho game could leave for Invdrcargill on Friday or Saturday as they pleased. The proposal in which they were interested, however, was whether they could arrange with tho Railway Department to put on a special train leaving Invercargill at 5.50 p.m. on Saturday night and arriving in Dunedin at 10.50 p.m. Before that could bo done a guarantee of £145 was required, and as the fares were 14s 6d second class and £1 Is 4d first class about 80 passengers were required in each class, or 100 second class and 50 first class passengers. The point to bo noted, of course, was that there would be no early train from Invercargill on the Monday morning, and those who wont south would have to return bv the special night train if they wanted to be in Dunedin on Monday morning. After some discussion a small committee was set up to push forward the matter in every possible way, and it was decided to advertise tho proposal fully. The secretaries of the various football clubs are also to be asked to assist, and persons desiring to help in obtaining a guarantee are requested to hand in their names at tho Otago Sports Depot and to deposit the sum of £l, which will be refunded if the guarantee is not obtained. THE ETHICS OR FOOTBALL. TO TBX EDITOR. Sib,—When the English football team came hero in 1904, wo were told by them betore the Otago match that they would give us a clean game. Unfortunately they did not do so, with the result that our football suffered for some years afterwards. Exactly the same • thing has happened in tho case of'the South Africans, and the feeling leit in the minds of a groat majority of tho spectators alter yesterday's game is one of keen disappointment. Vour reporter, in his account of the match, refers to tho unsatisfactory nature of the play, and he winds up his report by referring to tho game as a gladiatorial contest rather than a football match. It is not necessary to my argument to discuss who were the aggressors yesterday, the South Africans or the Otagoites. it is sufficient -to observe that, seeing that tho South Africans were the more powerful and had a considerable advantage in weight, if they had exercised any restraint in their style of play they would have had the full sympathy of the groat' crowd, and any attempts at unfair play on the part of their opponents would have been promptly resented by the spectators. Tho Otago public does not like "dirty” play, and never hesitates to show its dislike whenever such play occurs. If the South Africans did not begin tho unfair play, they very soon accommodated themselves to it, and' we had the sorry spectacle of the referee remonstrating with the two captains right befoie all those rising young footballers opposite the grandstand, who were given a position of prominence by the Otago Union in order to enable them to see how a game of football should be played. We have not witnessed such an unfortunate incident on Carisbrook for many a Jong day, and I am quite certain that, if the school teachers spoke to their boys to-day about tho gam© at all—possibly they preferred not to say anything about it —their chief comment would be: "Do not take any notice of the stylo of play that you saw in the big match yesterday. Think only of the fine sporting spirit in which the Macandrew Road and Forbury Schools played in tho game before the Otago match, and try and live up to that spirit.” Is it too much to hope that a strong effort will be made to ensure that Saturday’s game may bo free from the undesirable features of yesterday’s match? Desperate diseases require desperate remedies. If tho referee is firm and lets both teams know distinctly that any player who is guilty of illegal play will be sent off tho field, then I believe we may get a clean game. But, if tho same spirit is allowed to prevail as was exhibited yesterday, very serious consequences may ensue, as both sides will bo so keen to win. We all want to see a good, oven game, but the first •essential is “clean play.”—l am etc., Enthusiast. August 11. THE OTAGO TEAM. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In tho account in your yesterday’s issue of tho dinner to tho South Aincan and Otago teams, Mr Pienaar is reported thus: “If he might be permitted to criticise the play, ho would say that they had developed their forward play at the expense of their back play.” One is at once reminded of the remarks in last Monday’s issue of your paper to tho effect that it was difficult to assign a reason for some of the selections in the back division of the Otago team, and that it, might bo advantageous to have a back on the Selection Committee instead of three forwards.

It is easy to be wise after the event, and I have no desire to enter into any controversy as to the merits and demerits of tho tcafn. I think, however, that all who saw Wednesday’s game will agree that the selectors’ object was to pick seven backs who could be relied on to go down to evv'ylhina that came along, irrespective of their strength on attack; and in this, with, possibly, one exception, they were successful. In other words, the intention throughout was to make the game purely a forward one. I am not devoted to tho fetish of tho “open game,” or, rather, the “throw-it-about-at-011-oosts” game. On the contrary I regard a fast pack not lacking in weight, as an essential. But is not Mr Pienaar ri"ht in questioning tho wisdom of neglecting the back game entirely? Surely the backs arc intended to score tries, not to mere collaring and line-kickirag machines , ~ For several yeax-s Otago s main strength has been in the forwards, but we have some loams which are not afraid to “lot it out” when opportunity offers. I hold that the selectors’ attitude is small encouragement to them; further, that this continual n'-v’’"-for safe tv and refus-d to take reasonable r fcV s ' is contrary to the snirit of the game, and. if persisted in. is the surest wav to cause its deterioration and ultimate death.— I am, etc., Rugby Follower. Anderson's Bay, August 12.