SPORTS OF ALL KINDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21406, 6 August 1931, Page 4

SPORTS OF ALL KINDS.

RUGBY FOOTBALL

By Full-Back. OTAGO FIXTURES August B.—v Wairarapa. at Dunedin. August 15. —Payne Trophy match, at, Christchurch. ; August 22. —v. Australia. August 29. —v. Wellington at Wellington. ' September 2—v. Manawhenua, at Palmerston North September 5- —v. Auckland, at Auckland. September 5.• —Junior representative match at Palmerston. . September 9.—v. Taranaki, at Hawera. September 12.—v. Canterbury, at Christchurch; Otago junior representative team v. Canterbury B team. September 12. —v. North Otago. September 19. —v.' Southland, at Dunedin. South v. North Island.—August 15, at Wellington. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS \ *. “ Captain ” writes: —What would you advise a captain of a team to do if after having made a study of a certain legitimate fine point in Rugby, and coached your team up in that point, you found that when you tried. it on in a match the referee, being a junior one and nqt up to the finer points, would not allow it? 1 would advise the captain or the coach of the team to approach the referee before going on the field and find out from him what hie ruling would be on the point in question. If you are quite certain that the point you wish to try on is a legitimate one, there would be no harm done 'if, in the event of the referee stating that he could not allow it, you pointed out to him the reasons why you were convinced your interpretation of the- point was the correct one. If, after having done that, 'the referee still-has his doubts. I would advise you not to try the point on in the game, but to request the referee to bring it up at -the nest meeting of the Referees’ Association. 5 “Wrong Ruling.”—You are quite correct. I have noticed'the point .on two occasions at Carisbrook this season. The ball, in each instance, was kicked too hard by an attacking player.* It struck a- de- • fending player, glanced off him, went over the line, and was forced.’ The referee, wrongly, in each case ordered a scrum five yards out. The defending side was really penalised for the weak play of the attacking -side. A force down would have been the correct ruling. COUmKY WEEK FOOTBALL After watching the matches played on Thursday and Saturday in connection with Country Week. 1 am forced to the conclusion that a better '.system, if the Otago Union desires tot bring on country football, will’have to be devised. Under the present system the country players cannot be expected to have any great combination, and that is the more apparent when a combined country , team meets a metropolitan side. Town teams have coaches, and they are taught combination, so that when a metropolitan side is eelected the players can drop fairly easily into a combined system. Country, players, generally speaking, have not this advantage. "There are some fine individual players fin the four country teams which came to Dunedin lasfcweek, but when it comes to combined play they are, naturally* enough, under the circumstances, considerably handicapped. The forwards, particularly,-put . plenty of dash'into their play in the match on Saturday, but they could not hold the town team in the scrums,.. and they had, the. ball hooked • from them in the second half repeatedly. In the loose rushes, however, the country forwards well held their own. There can be'no 'doubt that the Otago 'Union is doing its best to assist football in the country, but.athe'result so far achieved raises the question whether the system being adopted is the' beet one. It appears to me that the better way would be ,to send a team to play in the country towns. The , players on both sides would become better acquainted, and greater opportunities would be afforded to give the country players some bints on the game, and also some coaehintr. H. M'Skimming retains all his dash and determination when running with the ball. He should try, however, to check his inclination to run into trouble instead of away from it. Morrison, the Eastern Districts centre three-quarter, has speed'and a good cut in. He was not selected for the Combined Country,, team, and must be considered unfortunate that he did not catch the eyes of the selectors. Morrison, I understand, used to play Tor Southern. C. Nicolson was not a success at fiveeighth. He played well, however, at full-back.

Aitchison (Tuapeka-West Otago) was the best of the four country wing-forwards seen in action last week. W. Hughes (South Otago) . was about the next best. M'Pherson had few chances on the wing in the match:against' the town team, but he was always ready to come into the play when opportunity offered. Lawless, the ex-Pirates front ranker, was playing for Eastern Districts last week.

i Barber, the ex-Kaikorai five-eighth, played for Eastern Districts against South' Otago. He was' unable to secure a place in the Combined Country team. Some of the Country players seen out last .week had been included in other country teams which have played in Dunedin. Their form, however, did not appear as good as that shown on previous occasions,

first five-eighth, played a fine defensive game for the town team against the Combined Country team. He also passed out well on occasions. Richardson! -the ex-Kaikorai forward, who now plays for South Otago, was responsible for two good games. He was always in the play in the match against Eastern districts, and also shaped well in the match against the • Metropolitan team;

Kinnaird was another forward who often caught the eye, and Clouston and Miller were also well in the pietufe. Robilliard, wing three-quarter for the Metropolitan team, should learn to get off the mark quicker after receiving the ball in a passing rush. R. M'Skimming, five-eighth in the Cora-, bined Country team, showed distinct promise , in the match against the Metropolitan team. He was close to the ball all the afternoon, and proved he had a good knowledge of the requirements of the position. THE WAIRARAPA TEAM The following comments on the Wairarapa team by the Christchurch Timd| should prove interesting in view of their match against Otago on Saturday:— The Wairarapa forwards were responsible for a great deal of bright work in the loose," and gave Canterbury all they knew in this department. Canterbury won the majority of the scrums, and worked better as a team, although the selector must have cast an envious eye at some of the husky forwards opposing them. They hoed into the stuff willingly and came out with colours Wairarapa possess a line of sound .forwards, and chief among them are M'Gregor, Fairbrofhcr, and Smith. M'Gregor is the ideal type of forward, and proved his worth against Canterbury. He scored a gr£at try near the end of the game, pulling Roberts over with him as hi* got across the line. He was sound and aggressive all through, and a valuable back ranker. Fairbrother plays a similar game to M'Gregor, and locked his scrum well. 'He was useful and handy in the tight work, and took in his stride all that came along in the loose. Day and Anderson, the front-rankers, were generally around the spot where assistance was required, and played a good game together. Himona and Stringfellow, with perhaps Fitzgerald, were the best of the Wairarapa backs, and Canterbury had to ■ keep a close eye on them. Himdna Originally he was on the wing, but he i particularly gave no end of trouble. • was brought to first five-eighth early i in the game to try his hand at the Day* Oliver combination. He was a decided improvement, and strengthened up the defence to a great degree, besides making things dangerous on attack. Himona is

a battling type of back, speedy and always wa'nting to be up and doing things. His display was very pleasing. Stringfeilow was the other star of the backs, and he brought off an excellent try, running through the opposition when he secured the .ball from a scrum, the movement starting about half-way. It was one of the most spectacular points of the day’s play, Fitzgerald, on the wing, lacked the speed of Williams, but acquitted himself creditably. His kicking alone would merit attention. Trapp and Clark were rather disappointing. Roach, the fullback, was fair only. /I. Hart, the half, was not outstanding. Canterbury scored seven tries, two of which were converted, and kicked one penalty. Wairarapa scored two tries, one of which was converted, and kicked three penalties.

DOINGS IN TAIHAPE Any local players who are liable to carry their play past the permissibly strenuous stage would do well to read the following excerpt from the Taihape Times, arising out of a recent club match:—“ The game became a little fractious at times,” states the report, “and especially in the closing stages, when three or four of the hotheads on either side seemed bent on paying more attention to personal grudges than to the game. Some players are shrewd enough to wait till the referee is on the blind side of the scrum before giving, the other fellow a jab, but they forget that hundreds of eyes see every incident, and indeed see more than the players see themselves.” After referring to; some alleged indiscriminate kicking. the writer continues; “ That sort of thing is as bad in its effects on the player as it is on the game, for the moment players begirn'to think mostly of ‘getting one bn to the other fellow,’ team play suffers and becomes disorganised, and the chances of success become correspondingly reduced. The desire to retaliate is natural, although not commendable; but if retaliation means losing the game, as it often has done, and no doubt will do as long as men meet in rivalry in such games, then the price is too high to pay, and the team that has suppressed this desire in the interests of the game and has won the victory is doubly successful. If football was devoid of all danger, it would not attract fullblooded; 'healthy young men.. The only reservation is that it is folly to allow grudges to mar the chances of success. Victory is an ample consolation prize for much personal injury,- fanciful or otherwise.” ■ "■■■’ NOTES Several alterations have been, made in Auckland’s team for-the game with Taranaki at New Plymouth to-day, but these, it is stated, are due to some players being unable to make'the trip (states a writer in the Wellington Post oh Saturday). It is not known/whether Heazlewood was invited to take a place in the side, as this player-i is, certainly; eood enough to be in the running for the fullback position in the North Island team. He was not nominated for the North Island team, nor was-Corner, the halfback who represented New Zealand last season. It seems that Davies (Training College) finds a greater appeal as fullback than Heazlewood with the Auckland selector. So far as Corner is concerned, his of inclusion in the North Island (team could not be very favourably regarded on the form he has been showing. There should be little doubt about Kilby being the North Island as well as the New Zealand half-back this year.—[Taranaki won by 11 points to 9 points.] E. A. (“Moke”) Beiliss, who, by the way, captained Wanganui against Waikato in his accustomed position as rover at Taihape last week, was referred to as follows i n a report of a Taihape club match: “Huias were pressing Hautapu (Belliss’s team), when . Rawhina (the opposing wing-forward) tried a trick on Moke Beiliss at wing- forward play that Moke knew all about when Rawhina was a toddler, arid the referee awarded Moke a penalty kick for obstruction.” R. G. Bush, the University full-back, has been awarded “ blues ” for athletics and cricket by the Auckland University College. Though South Otago deserved to win against Eastern Districts on Thursday s it did so only by means of a lucky try. W. Hughes (South Otago), a strong kick, ha:d a shot at goal from 45 yards out, but the ball went wide. Morrison (Eastern District) ran back and picked it up when it was only a few feet from the edge of the grass, but neglected to force it. Evidently he thought that he had done so, because be kicked it casually along the ground into the field of play. MTntosh (South Otago) happened to be “ in the line of fire ” and picked the ball up. He, too, had evidently not realised that it had not been forced, but there were frantic shouts of advice from the crowd and he saw his chance, making a short run and forcing his wav across the line with two opponents hanging on to him, scoring in a good position. I remember a similar incident which occurred in almost the same position at Carisbrook a few seasons ago, though I cannot recall the exact circumstances. Webb was the player who failed to force the ball on that occasion, and he kicked the ball back into the field in the same way. “ Crossbar ” submits the following selection of the Otago team to play against Wairarapa:—Bush, Robilliard. Ross, Smith, Fookes (captain), Bathgate, Simon. Souter, Hore, Finlayson, Wilson, Watts’. Allen. Strang, and Laing. Bert Geddes was Southland’s best trygetter on tour (writes the special reporter of the Southland Times). He scored two against TaranakUtliree in Wanganui, one in Wellington, and two in Christchurch. Add to the two he scored against Otago and the total is 10 for six matches played —a splendid average. He and Hart look like being the South Island wings. The most improved forward of the splendid touring pack was Jack Murphy,, the Winton boy. Champions met on tour were Frank Kilby (half-back), Herb. Lilburne (five-eighths), Solomon (wing-forward) George Hart (wing three-quarter), and M'Lean (pack forward). This quintet should walk into the New Zealand team to play Australia at Auckland later in the season. George Nicholson, 1905 All Black, and present Auckland sole selector, holds a try-getting record against Southland. In one game at Auckland, in which the Maroons suffered a heavy defeat, Nicholson scored no fewer than five tries. This calls to mind a feat performed by Dick Webb in a club game at Dunedin a fevt years ago. Playing against Alhambra for University in the first game of the season, Webb scored six tries in the first spell. Dear “ Full-back,” —You published -last week a paragraph in which it is stated that “Mulvihill (Wellington University) got the ball at halfway and ran towards Petone’s line with Simmers, University’s wing-forward, run-

ning about two yards in front all the way. When Mulvihill got to the fullback he passed to Simmers, and the referee (Mr-11. Leith) blew his whistle and gave Petone the choice of a free kick or a scrum back. Petone tqok the scrum.. Two of Wellington’s Rugby notables, who were on the line, expressed amazement at the ruling.” There is, of course, a possibility that the referee was penalising for obstruction and, if so, the penalty kick should be taken where the obstruction took place, but if he ruled Simmers, the University wing-forward, offside, even although he was two yards in front of Mulvihill, who passed the ball to him, his ruling was incorrect. The infringement was a pass forward, and the referee should have ruled whether the pass forward was deliberate or otherwise and awarded either a • free kick against the player who passed the ball or a scruni for an unintentional pass forward. Either the free kick or the scrum must take place where the player passed the ball. But when the referee ruled wrongly in awarding a free kick against the wing-forward for being offside he continued ruling • wrongly in that he gave Petone the choice of a free kick or a scrum back. Petone took the scrum back. The rule in regard to the penalty for an offside player who infringes reads: “Penalty kick awarded at the place of the infringement or scrummage where the ball was last played by the offending side, at the option of the other side.” The passer of the ball being the last player who played the ball by the offending side, the scrummage could be given only at the spot where the pats took place and not away back where the wing-for-ward first started to run offside or, in the event of the opponents taking the free' kick, siieh kick would take place on the spot where the actual infringement took place. Provided a player on one side is running with the ball, there is nothing in the rules to stop any player of the same side from running offside, provided he does nothing to interfere with his opponents.—l.am, etc.. Old Referee. There is not much to add to what has already been written about the game between University A (winners of the senior competition), and Kaikorai (run-ners-up) in the Charity Saturday match. The Blue forwards started off wall, but the hard-working hill pack besn to dominate the position before the end of the first spell, and in the second they had a definite superiority. The passing movement from which Johnston scored was one of the finest seen at Carisbrook this season, several backs handling the ball cleanly to give M'Farlane a clear run over. Braithwaite, first fWe-eighth, played a sound game for Kaikorai. He made several good thrusts into the Blue defence, though he nullified some of his work by trying to go too far. Lewis, full-back, gave another excellent display, his fielding, both in the air and on the ground, being well done, and his kicking to the line particularly good in that he always gained a stretch of ground. Ross, second five-eighth, featured the cross-kick with judgment, and his defence was <as impregnable as ever. Allan, Sdnntag, and M'Hardy were a trio of very solid workers in the forward ranks. The value of fast following up was demonstrated when Watts scored his try in the second half. The ball was punted over the Blues’ line, and Bush was handy to force i% bounced right back, however, and Watts took it in his stride. '‘Francis (half- back) varied his play well, and his potted gpal was the result of judgment and quick thinking. Francis, to my mind, is inclined to overwork the blind side. The Blue forwards were kept busy from start to flush, but they did not put the same dash iuto their play as on the previous Saturday, when they beat Kaikorai handsomely in the deciding match for the senior flag competition. Gifford, however, was always in the play, and he played. a very solid game, and so did Service and M'Curdy, the hookers. The Blue backs did not get many opportunities to link up in passing moverpents. Dunne played a plucky game behind the scrum, but was not always able to get . the greasy ball away to his inside' backs. Bush was generally sound at full-back, but his line kicking was not as accurate as it might have been. Neither Smith, the dashing Blue wing-three-quarter, nor M'Kenzie, on the other wing, received much of the ball, and Fookes, centre, was inclined to take things easy, as he has not yet apparently fully recovered from the injury he received in the club match against the B team. Nevertheless, he followed up well on more than one occasion and brought off some good tackles. He made one clever dash in the second half, however, which took him well through the defence. In form, Fookes is without doubt the classiest back playing in Dunedin to-day. >

Charlie Sonntag, the popular New Zealand, Otago, and Kaikorai forward, who is retiring from the game this year. Sonntag. first played for Otago in 1915, • and has represented his province on many occasions. During the war he played with the New Zealand Mounted Rifles team in Palestine and Egypt. He had the rather unique honour of being carried off the field shoulder high on Saturday by members of the University team after the match with Knikorai, _of which team Sonntag is captain. i

RUGBY IN FRANCE A NEW UNION FORMED. JEALOUSY AND FINANCE. Jealousy of men and clubs wbo wanted to govern Rugby in France, and the matter of finance, are the main reasons given by Mr Cyril F, Rutherford, secretary of the French Rugby Union, for the recent split in the ranks when 12 of the leading clubs in France started a union of their own. Ho states, in a letter to Mr S. F. Wilson, of Christchurch, that the arguments concerning rough play and disguised amateurism were really only secondary aspects. Mr Rutherford has forwarded copies of two articles written for the Morning Post (London) by M. H, Desgrange, a French journalist who is described as the leading man in the background of tlie “ rebel ” clubs who formed the new union. An official reply from the French Rugby Federation is also enclosed by Mr Rutherford.

M. Desgrange, writing in the Morning Post,' says that its readers are not unaware of the fact that on the day after the France v. Wales match, the English Rugby Union broke off its relations with the French Rugby Federation, and that the rupture became effective as from April 6, after the match of France with England. “IN DEPLORABLE STATE.”

“The French Rugby Federation,” states the article, “ is under the direction of people who are socially in the worst position possible to understand the true spirit of this splendid game. They began by failing to grasp the fact that this game can be played by only a certain class of people—we do not say the aristocracy—that it demands entire disinterestedness, absolute amateurism, disregard of all money matters, the necessity of not being obliged to neglect one’s work, and that, above, all, it calls for a perfect fairness and a .love of the game for its own sake. “ The French directors, through their non-comprehension of the true spirit of Rugby, have allowed French Rugby to

fall into a deplorable state. They subordinated all to the necessity for making money, and got the idea that the more Rugbv players there were in France the moie profitable would be ' the t results of the federation. Their second fault lay in the fact that they held out the championship to their players as the sole goal for their efforts, because the championship brought in huge profits. Chios were no longer interested in anything but the possible proceeds of the championship, and it was not long before all the signs of professionalism, such as thcbuying of players famed for their roughness as much as for their skill, were evident; “REVOLT OF CONSCIENCE." The consequences were not only a caljous disregard for broken legs, arms, noses, and even collarbones, and indignant fariiilies refusing to allow their children to play Rugby, but the game itself lost its meaning, having developed into a purely negative form. It was no longer a question of straining for tries, but merely of • preventing the opponents from getting them. “ It came to pass, naturally, that when all the large French clubs, encouraged by the silence of the federation, had transgressed all the laws of amateurism, they had a revolt of conscience. They resolved on their own, whilst strongly contested by the French Rugby Federation, to renounce all canvassing, the payment of players, and so last year founded the French Amateur Rugby Union with the sole object of returning to Rugby as. played by the English. “With the championship suppressed, the new union will authorise matches between different districts, and these will do away with' all long-distance and expensive journeys, so suitable for the player who works.” - FEDERATION’S REPLY. The official reply of the federation States that the championship is optional for clubs, which have unanimously requested that such be held. Practically all of the directors had learnt the game of Rugby at a university, public school, or college, where the game had maintained its purest traditions and its best spirit. Another error of M. Desgrange consisted in his presenting exceptions as common occurrences. Thus, the few disguised amateurs who perhaps existed in some of the clubs represented,' according to him, the 100,000 Rugby players in France.? In the same way, says the reply, M. Desgrange went astray when he spoke of brutality, which the federation punished most severely. He represented an accident, which, unfortunately, was fatal, as the logical ending to the way in which Rugby was played in France, All money taken by the federation was used solely for its running, and the surplus was distributed among the poorer; clubs for the installation of football grounds. M. Desgrange would replace the championship by a tournament, which was just the same thing, and which would compel each club to do twice as much travelling as the two final competitors needed for the, championship. “ HIS SECRET HOPE.” V ‘All these contradictions do not worry M. Desgrange, who continues his campaign in favour of the dissenters," continues the reply. “ His secret hope is that, when matches are resumed with the British unions, \ they v .11 take place in favour of the dissenters, instead of the official Rugby Federation, and that they will be played on the new stadium which M. Desgrange is having built at the Parc des Princess, in Paris, instead of the federation ground at Colomhos. “Although it hurts us to be so illspoken of by a Frenchman, we hope that the readers of the Morning Post will not be any harder than our own clubs. At a ’recent general meeting at Bordeaux 650 clubs have, again unanimously given us their confidence." WATCH YOUR THROAT. Here’s a safe gargle for all ages; even small children can gargle Fluenzol. It is harmless if swallowed, pleasant and soothing to use, and a powerful antiseptic. Sniff up, gargle, or swallow Fluenzol every day. Price, Is 6d and 2e 6d. Made in N.Z. —Advfc.