RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19497, 4 June 1925, Page 4

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

By Pnu Back. FIXTURES. July 22.—Otago v. Southland at Invercargill. August; 23.—Otago v. Southland at Dunedin. OTAGO’S NORTHERN TORE. September s.—Play Canterbury at Christchurch. September t*.—Play Hawke’s Ely at Napier. September 12.—Play Wellington at Wellington. September IG.—Play Wairarapa at Carterton. PATNE TROPHY MATCH, August 29 Between the premier teams o! Dunedin and Christchurch, at Christchurch. NEW SOUTH WALES TOUR. August 29. —Otago and Southland at Dunedin. SYDNEY UNIVERSITY. Juno S.—Third Test at Auckland. ■ June 10.—Auckland University College. EANFUELY SHIELD MATCHES. Hawkes Bar. the present holder of the Eanlurlv Shield, ’ have a big list of representative niatehes. Tiusn; in which they will be called upon to defend tho trophy are as follow # July 29.—V. Waikato, in Hawkes Bay. August s,—v. Canterbury, at Napier. August 8. —v. Southland, at Napier. August 15. —v. Poverty Bay, in Hawkes Bay. August 22.—V. Taranaki, at Hastings. September 9.—v. Otago, at Hastings. September 12.—v. Wellington, at II ellington. A few followers of the game were inclined to question the judgment of the Flag Committee in fixing the University A-Zingari match for Carishrook, considering that tho Kaikorai-Alhambra match should have been played there. The Flag Committee, however, quite justified itselt. as the game at Carisbrook was bright anil fast, whereas tho other game was of an uninteresting description. The /tnsrariRichmond men started off well, and their backs were given plenty of the ball, and though at tomes tho passing movements looked promising they failed at tho critical moments. Tho Blue forwards wore breakini’- up too quickly, and losing the ball, and the Zirigari-Riohmond forwards wore quick tS‘ take advantage of the mistakes. Still, .the Blues just missed scoring once or twice, Hasan, on the left wing, making several bold attempts to get .across, ’ Williams stopping him well. Heazlewood, the Colours’ full-back, was, however, fielding the ball well and putting in some welljudged kicks, and Proctor, five-eighths, was also playing a sound game. Neither M‘Naughton nor R. Johnston was getting the ball clean from tho scrums. At halftime the Colours were leading by three points to nib . * In tho second half quite a different aspect was given to tho game. The heavier Blue pack made the game tighter, and kept possession till their side got to their opponents’ twenty-fivc. Tho change in tactics proved effective at once, and the Colours were kept very busy chasing Aitken, Mitchell, Ross, M'Clymont, and Hanan. Tho Blues quickly ran up «L 9 points, and then in th© last 10 minutes the Colours camo again, and their forwards launched attack after attack on The Blues’ line.. At last Wildgooso battled over from loose play, and Heazlewood kicked a goal, the whistle then sounding. The good display of tho Zingari hacks in the first half was not maintained in tho second, and Heazlewood also did not shape so well in the second spell. The Zingari hacks, in fact, were kept mostly on defence once the Blue forwards took charge of the game, and they could not get across to stop the fast Bine backs when the Kail waa sent out into the open. The Zingari forwards and backs broke down several of tho attacks by the Blue hacks, but they had more than enough to do to hold the opposing vanguard, and the spectacular movements at this stage bf the game found them at times out of the play. Dunne scored a couple of wellearned- tries, and M’Clymont and Hanan, with,one each, showed themselves dashing players on ‘ attack. Nicholson played a fair game at full-back. Dickson, M’Cluggag© and Ledingham also played hard parties in tho forward ranks. R. Johnston, the Blues’ half-back, should vary his tactics more. Ho favours the open side too much. Heazlewood, as slated, played a fine game ill the first half, but was not so sure in the second, and Procter and M’Naughton shaped well. Hawkins and Williams are •a promising pair of wimr- three-quarters. Ono or two of the Colours’ backs -were ini dined to go high for their men —and miss them. Wildgoose, Garside, Brien, and M’Ewan were a. quartet of solid workers from start to finishAt Mosgiel, Pirates had a tough fight to avert defeat at the hands of Taieri Rovers. The jram© was a hard struggle from beginning to end, and though quite interesting to watch, it was a disappointing display. On both sides good, fast, open play was conspicuous by its absence. Any attempt lat combination by the Blacks was quickly squashed by the Greens, who were tackling in a very deadly manner, which at times was a little too vigorous. Taieri made no attempt to combine, as each man seemed to be playing for himself, and when there was a chance for passing or concerted action most of them, seemed 1 at a loss to know what to do. Offside play was - frequent throughout, tho Greens for the most part being the transgressors. M’Pheat, cost his side nine points by his repeated infringements. Vickers, at fullback for Mosgiel, was invaluable to hi? side, and saved tho situation several times by sure tackling and good lino kicking. Of the other back-rankers, Bathgate showed up best, though neither of tho wing threequarters was given many chances. Murdoch’s claim to mention results from his having secured two tries for Taieri, though ho did not distinguish himself to any great extent in general play. Grieve, for the Greens, was very handy with his kicking, converting ono try and; finding the up- ■ rights with two free kicks. The backs gave a mediocre exhibition, though for the first spell they got the hall almost every time. They failed, however, in doing anything with tho- ball when they had it. The forwards worked hard and kept up a ceaseless hammering, which carried all before it time after time. M’Pheat and the Findlay brothers were always in tho van, and it was their unbounded, and at times badly judged, energy which caused too much whistle. The combined efforts ol the team seemed to bo concentrated on thr spoiling of any sallies by tho opposition. * Considering some of the games that .Pirates have played this season, they made a sorry show on Saturday. Walker, at full-back, was in good form, and kicked well, but for the line and at goal, though he failed to convert a try which had been - scored between tho posts. One kid: especially is worth mention. From within a yard or two of tho halfway line lie kicked a fin© goal. Wise, Robinson, and Morgan were not allowed to get far at any time. Morgan took some hard tackles, and was thrown pretty heavily at times, but seemed none tho worse for his buffeting. Wise raced over twice, but did not get a chance to distinguish himself, as the ball was not corning out of tho scrum very weii. St. George, at half-back, was moving smartly and handling tho hall a lot. Graham and Stuart had plenty to do, and did some good work, but all passing rushes were quickly nipped in the bud. Of the Black forwards, Maule was easily the best, and the> only brilliant piece of work which resulted in anything was due to a smart break away by tho big forward, who all but readied (lie lino when ho was brought down, though not before ho had passed tho hall to St. George, a try resulting. All the forwards , had a big contract on to withstand the repeated onslaughts of tho Green pack. At half-time it seemed as if Pirates could not make up the difference in the scores, but the Blacks came off the field with flying colours, winning by 18 to 14. Still, the game was anyone’s for a long time, and Pirates were rather fortunate in not losing their position as first, equal with University, on tho list of First Grade teams. Tho Alhambra v. Kaikorai match resolved itself into a hard, desperate game between the forwards. Very often it was a case of no man standing, and with both packs binaking up quickly and getting amongst tho backs the latter had very little chance cf shining on the attack. Both teams are fielding young backs who still have their experience to gain, but unfortunately neither side has an old experienced hack ,to give the youngsters the lead. Kaikorai missed Callander, who is on the injured list, ami the rest of tho backs did not scorn to he -able to connect up with each other. Bolting (Kaikorai), a promoted Third Grade player, who played five-eighth in the first spell, was lacking in experience for that position, and when removed to wing three-quarter in the second half showed very much irn- / proved form. Johnstone, the Kaikorai fullhack, although very young, is solid, and has tho mailings of a good full-back, but, he has a had habit occasionally of speculating at a ball that is just dropping out of his reaoli. -On ono occasion on Saturday he pot his side into troubio through this fault. J!e should also practise usinir his left foot fur kicking, Williams, M’Meeking, and

Corkin were the pick of a very hard working set of forwards. Glengarry, the Alhambra half, showed good form until he was unfortunate enough to injure his knee and had to retire. Parsons at full-back was safe, although a little slow. Callander at five-eighth gives his pass far too soon and makes no attempt to make his opponent take him. Knox and Coombes were prominent amongst a very even pack. The tackling on both sides was very deadly, and although it was a hard, willing game, it Was never actually rough. The referee appeared at times to have both players and spectators puztlod over his rulings. There was not much interest shown in the Dunedin-University B match. The B team was weakened to fill places in the A team, and it took the field with 12 men, which number was added to as the game went on. The students held their own in the first half, but in the second spell the Dark Blues dominated the game.

Notes.

Commencing on Saturday, local matches will be started at a-quarter to 3, and the interval between spoils will be. reduced from ID minutes to live minutes. 1 leanlewooil, the Zingari-Kiclmiond fullback, is a line long-distance place kick. Ou Saturday against University A he had a shot from right on the centre line, and the ball fell under the crossbar. Pennycook, the cx-University player, is teaching at Duntroon, and is playing football with the local club. The following Auckland cablegram appeared in a recent Sydney Sun under the heading “Junior Fifteen”: —“The selection of the. All Black Kugby loam has caused considerable surprise in Auckland because all the Auckland players nominated have been chosen to make the trip to Sydney. Frankly, several of these men arc not up to international standard. As a matter of fact, the team is really a junior fifteen. Local opinion is tint the selection a poor compliment to New South Wales.”— It will be interesting to follow the doings of the Xcw Zealand team, in the face of this comment. I personally sec no reason why the New Zealand team should not come back with an unbeaten record. Six famous Kugby players, including IV. W. Wakefield, have been appointed by (he, English Kugby Union to try and clevis ■! some means of doing away with the present difficulty of getting the ball into the scrummagcs. The problem, which has been particularly acute in England this season, largely concerns half-backs and forwards. Under the, heading “New Blood for the English Kugby Union.” the Westminister Gazette records the nomination of Admiral Percy Koyds and Mr James Baxter as vicepresidents. Mr Baxter will be the Kugby Union president in 1920-27, and Admiral Koyds a year later. Both have done splendid work for Kugby in England. W. F. Langbein, the cx-Sonthland and ■ Canterbury rep., who played for ’Varsity in Christchurch last year, is now living in Wellington. As a. French Kugby .(earn is likely to visit Now Zealand next year, export English opinion on the form shown lately should prove of interest. "France has come quite into lino with the four countries to which the International championship has hitherto been confined,” says the Westminster Gazette, “and if she has not yet become prominent among them it is because the individual qualities of her players are still a source of weakness to her. Their dash, their keenness, and their fine speed lead to impulsive breaches of the rules; and these actual virtues will not conduce .to perfect combination until they are brought thoroughly under control. In the science of forward play the French packs have still much to learn. A Wellington Times writer on the Now Zealand team for Australia: —The New Zealand selectors know their job. No ether committee of selection has over known so many players from end to end of. Now Zealand, and few other selectors have been so disdainful of “reputation” when considering the claims of players to represent New Zealand. In the list of players nominated for selection for tho New South Wales tour were the names of several veterans. In the list of the 23 players chosen are several names almost entirely new to the followers of big Rugby. This indicates a wise policy. A veteran player is entitled to full consideration on his merits, but as scon as his admirers are board to claim that he should go jn a team because he has represented New Zealand for many years there is good evidence that ho should be omitted. England’s faith in veterans (only the - / call them internationals” or “old caps” in England) kept tho standard of the game low, as they arenow beginning to realise. It is related of the All Blacks that when looking over the list of players in the next team they were to meet they always counted the names of “internationals”; it there wore enough tho All Blacks felt certain of winning the match. “Wacka” Walker, who has handed Ins last dummy, and is now a Rugby Union selector, has been classed with tho greatest half-backs Australia has produced (says Smith’s Weekly). He is certainly one of the greatest football humorists. On tour in Now Zealand, the arrival of mails was of no concern to him until ho was rallied on the disinterestedness of his friends. Thereafter on arrival at each town he was always first to the letter rack, and road aloud extravagant criticisms of his play in the preceding match. He posted thorn to himself. “Touch Judge,” the London Sporting Life writer on Kugby football, in an article headed "Great Lesson of Present Rugby Season.” says that .Scotland defeated Eng land by the" speed of her backs, and state: that “the Scottish backs would have beater any combination that has ever appears in' tho Rugby field. But England hai not men fast enough to drive homo th frequent advantage gained for her b; Wakefield, Tucker, Voyce, and those othc redoubtable forwards.” _ He refers to tin play of tho Oxford University to illustrab his contention that tho groat factor ol success in Rugby is speed. “When New Zealand ended their tour,” ho writes, “both C. G. Porter, tho captain, and J. Richardson, who led tho team in three international encounters, informed me that tho hardest game in which they had been engaged was that with Oxford University, and they expressed admiration of tho speed and audacity in attack. It is a coincidence that the«e same methods adopted by Scotland gained for her the international championship and tho Calcutta Cup, iud resulted in the defeat of England, Ireland Wales, and Prance. Tho Oxford-Scotlis! game is indubitably based on those gloriousmethods that the genius of Adrian Stoop gave us in tho Harlequin side prior to the war. In those days the Harlequins, with such men in their ranks as Captain Stoop himself, the lalo Ronald Poulton-Fal-rucr, John Birkett, and other men of speed, dominated (he situation, and caused consternation wherever they played. In some subtle manner Oxford University has assimilated the old Harlequin methods, and there can bo little doubt that nothing so effective or so gloriously spectacular has been witnessed from any overseas combination, no matter how wonderfnl may have been their records.” —[All the University teams in Now Zealand adopt tho system of attack tho best defence.] The present season has been a great one for Scottish football, both Association and Rugby (says London Sporting Life). The, Northern nation has won the championship under both codes with maximum points—seven games and 14 points in all. This, it may be said, is the first occasion in history on which such a happening has been recorded. It is. of course, nothing new for either the “Soccer” or “Rugger” international teams to come out on top. with full points; but. it lias never happened in one and the same year. Whether the Scottish Kugby fifteen would have scooped the pool if they had engaged the All Blacks is a matter of opinion. Perhaps--and perhaps not. “Interested” writes: —It often happens that the curtain-raiser, at Garish rook has a close finish, or is interesting as being between the same clubs as are engaged in the big match. To have the scorn of tho first game posted up would not be very troublesome to the Rugby Union officials, and would ho a great convenience to the spectator-i.

RUGBY SELECTION. Tlic following letter was published in (ho Christchurch Star on May 25; (To tho Editor.) Sir, —I would like through vour columns to congratulate the Canterbury Rugby Union and their selectors for the very able and conscientious system of selection of their representative team. In Canterbury you get the best team the. province ran produce, irrespective of where they play their football, or what sub-union they belong to. In (rtago (which is considered the most conservative Rugby l.nion in New Zealand) they nick the provincial team from Dunedin only. In 14 years there has only been me man to represent Otago who docs not. play in Dunedin, and he only got in while the A team ware on tour in tho North

Island. It took 35 players to make up both teams, so now you see the reason why ho got in at all. In the Canterbury touring te,aiu last year there wore eight men in the team who did not play in Christchurch. What a contrast to Otago! You even nominated two men from ihe sub-unions for the All Black team to Australia this year, and got one in, too. Otago has never in the history of the game nominated a player outside of Dunedin clubs playing their football on Dunedin grounds. The football 'down that way is wrongly “billed.’’ When the word Otago is-nsed it should be Dunedin v. Canterbury. Dunedin v. Southland, and so on. J. Grainger, of Oamaru, is undoubtedly the best full-back in the South Island today. and yet this player is practically debarred from representing his province because he docs not live in Dunedin. Ask anyone who has scon him play and they will tell you he is hotter than Harris, of Canterbury. Grainger is amongst, tile first flight in Now Zealand. I do not wish to discredit J. Harris; I congratulate him on his selection, but Otago selectors will bis compelled by public opinion to bring Grainger north this year and you will see him in action against Canterbury. A meeting of indignation was held in Central Otago this year to protest against the system now in vogue. Canterbury footballers have a lot. to be thankful for in having a Kugby Union and selectors with such a broad and wide sense of duty to all players alike, whether they bo north, south, cast, or west in tho province.—l am, etc.. Provincial. I would just like to add to this letter that tho Ota&o R'’"fcy Union also endeavours to give overv player, town and country alike, an opportunity of representing Otago. Last year, when an Otago team visited Oamaru. the Oarnaru speakers at the. dinner given in tho evening thanked the ..ago Union for tho interest it. had shown in their football and thoir footballers. MATTERS FOR NOTICE. “France would scorn to be prepared to play under rules which England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland would not he following, with the result. tlvat France would have cither to drop out of international competition with these countries or would have to place a handicap on her teams by playing under the old rules on various important occasions,” states the Athletic Nows. Commenting on the fact that (he French committee had asked for the exact text of the alterations. The Times (London) states: “It seems odd that after corning to such an important decision it: should still he necessary to ask for the acluiil text of ihc alterations. One assumes, of course, that the French Federation is aware that the now rule compelling tho five yards’ thrown-in has already been adopted by the International Board.” In the event of the French decision being carried out in full, observations which should lie of interest are suggested by The Times (Condon) as follows: — "(1) Whether it will improve tho game if they retain Hie, orthodox or English formation. “(”) Whether (hoy will find it advisable to adopt the New Zealanders’ formation as well the latter’s conception of tho rules. “(3) Whether in the latter case they will grasp the full significance of the New Zealand formation as adapted to the new rules. “(4) Whether they will play in the Now Zealand formation in intoruationa' matches, though, of course, unable to use the only New Zealand alteration that really matters —the rule that lays it down that neither side may kick into touch except in its own twenty-five.’’ WEST OTAGO SUB-UNION. Tho West Otago Sub-union competitions wore continued on Saturday. The weather was fine and some, good football was 'witnessed. The following are the results of Saturday’s games. —Heriot 49 points defeated Kelso nil; Oookston 19 defeated Waikaka 5; Tapanui 9 defeated Waikoikoi 6. My correspondent states that in his last report of tho competitions he gave tho score in the Waikoikoi v. Kelso match as 28 to nil in favour of Waikoikoi. Tho correct score was Waikoikoi 15, Kelso 3. Tho following is now tho correct table: Points Flng

r. W. I). L. For A?sf. pis. HfTiot 4 -i — -- 140 14 « T.'ipiinui 4 — I 41 24 n Crnokpton - — 1 27 47 4 Waikoikoi 4 2 — 2 •J4 4 Kolso n — — ;i 6 70 Waikaka i — — •1 1»5 80 —