NOTES BY FULL BACK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2579, 19 August 1903, Page 56

NOTES BY FULL BACK.

The match Wairarapa v. Otago presented co special features, and was in the second spell a rather uninteresting exhibition of scrummages and line play. The first naif opened promisingly, during which time the tail was passed out from the ecrums and handled by tho backs ; but! in the second spell the burly gentlemen from Wairarapa taade -the .game tigfc/t and kept th© ball at their feet, frustrating any attempts on the part of Otago to make open play. Adams, the University representative, .■a3 not ha,ppy in his position as full back, 'a.nd has given many better displays. Hia chief fault cm Saturday was hia habit of waiting for the ball to bounce up to him {instead of meeting it and taking it on the full. With a fast team, ol followers like Wairarapa this was a. dangerous proceeding, which frequently landed the full back in trouble, from, which he could enly extricate himself by kicking ptraighfc across the field to the touch-line. Next Saturday I hope to see a vast improvement in the University player. In the three-quarter line Baxter held pride of place, giving a .good exhibition of attack »nd showing some knowledge of defence. The Kaikorai player rarely made a, mistake i-n taking the ball, and ran with great dash for the. line. His try was only obtained After a strong and determined run, for which the trimly-built' Blue expressly gathered himself together. In tho first spell Bennet, in the centre, played with raro judgment, fielding the bal\ cutting in, and passing in fpl&ndid etyie. This player waß maiuly responsible for tho >rry scored by his club mate, M'Kay, the 'bringing about of which was a fine effort. -When Otago was called upen, to defend, ■■Bennet showed a lamentable knowledge of •rush-stopping, and rarely attempted to get down to his work.

M'Kay was watched very closely, and it was with a feeling of uncertainty that one •saw him handle the ball for the first time in the. match. This foiling were off as tho Alhambra. player continued to make good use of bis opportunities. While Otago was on the- attack AT 'Kay played confidently, (but immediately Wairarapa turned hunter ihe Alhambra back was found wanting, especially in ru?h-s i toTspin3. of which he has ibut a crude idoa. Had M'Kay dropped on the baU about the halfway fla<? tho Wairarapa vanguard would never have got away on Ufa- fjxiesw rush of tho day into Otago territory. Whatever may be gakl concerning M'Kav'a defence — and by defence I mean tackling a»d rush-stopping — there can fbo no question about his abilities as a ikirkcr. His goal on Saturday, kicked from .'within a couple of yards of the halfway, [was one of the bevt seen on the Caledonian jGround for *ome time. Tho half back and five-eighth division (were in the- thick of attack and defence-'thc-oueho'ut the two spells. In the first haJf (Knowles got the ball away smartly, but tho 'offside tactios of Wairarapn'd wing forwards )zrcat!y hampered the five-eighths, who wero invariably pounced upon before getting the •ball out to the centre. This wa9 most noticeable early in the game, when the fivemighfrhs were standing close ivp to the half. .On deepening a bit a marked improvement Wa3 shown. Knowles played pluckily, and /Was Jhe only man, with Penwick. who did sany following up. Hislop and Munro had "their work cut out in defence in the eecoind spell, and splendidly did they perform! it. I have nevp.r witnessed a finer piece of rushstopping Mian Munro's effort in the firs'b spell, when he alone of all the Blues got down to the ball and checked that great rush of Wairarapa forwards. -» DeepEte the great advantage in weight of the opposition, t.he Blues' forwards invariably secured the ball in tho scrums. This icccmplifihed, their duty, excepifc in one individual instance, apneared to end, for they made no effort to follow up a kick, though by so doing they might have had at least two more tries ito then- credit. On the linedut, too, they showed to. poor advantage,

frequently leaving- Wairarapa men unmarked. In fact, it was a common sighfc 'to ccc three Blues marking one man aou ■three othor men along the line unguarded. If Otago wi-sh 'to make a decent show faigainst Southland next Saturday they will (have to remedy these defects.

The Wairarapa forwards are a darhdng, ■willing lot — fast on tbe follow up and excellent on the line-out, from which they 'break away in great style. Their dribbling •rush in tihe first spell on Saturday was one of the finest displays of concerted footwork it has faecm my pleasure to se-e for many a Icng day. Every man came awpy at tho gallop, tha ball bounding at their toes, and •had it not been, for the determined etop.ping of Munro t-he Greens would not have {Dulled up until safely over tho line, with •the ball grounded in their favour. What ■these wily men from the Tara.ruas woi>ld be like if reinforced by Armstrong, Udy, and 'M'Minn one can imagine. They are a "weighty lot of players, and though p&iying •two wing forwards easily pushed Otago in the scrum«. They Dtopped ait that, not 'knowing enough to secure 'the ball in *he> Scrums or 'to push right over the Blues, leaving the ball for tho half back to pick 'up. The Greens' backs were, with two exceptions, a mediocre collection, and failed 'to come up to club form. Udy &s full back 'and Workman on the wing stood out by comparison with their fellows.

The referee in toe match Otago v. Wairarapa could not be classed in the front rank, and hi 3 efforts with th.3 whistle would ■lead one to suppose that he has not had a great deal of experience. He permitted Uo much offside and so much knocking on that one concluded the game was too fast for his eye. WairarapVs tactics in putting the ball into tihe scrum a*lso escaped observation, and one Wairarapa player in particular, failing -to reach the ball with his (foot, stooped down repeatedly and propelled the 'ball wi*h his hand in the direction of his opponents' goal right under the very uose of the referee.

How long is the British football publio going to put up with the alleged official football guide purporting to give the numbers and correct weights of the players, in its present form? Last Saturday's Guide ■told us that Otago was pounds heavier than Wairaiapa, but as a matter of fact the reverse was the case, wi'tih this difference: thait for pounds read stones. To satisfy myself (a doubting Thomas) I approached two burly Wairarapa gentlemen, whose weights were set down on the Guide ac 13st and 13st lib respectively. They told me itheir true weights: 14st 121b and 14st 9lb respectively. Which shows th^ value of the Official Guide! Nor were itho weights of the Otago team correct, and I would again urge upon the O.R.F.U. to have the men placed on a weighing machine in their •football 'toga to ascertain their correct poundage. Also, in numbering the jeiseys for ithe convenience of the public the full back might wear No. 1 ; the three-quai'tora, Nos. 2, 3, and 4; five-eighths, 5 and 6; half back, 7, and so on 'through the forwards.

"When Critics Fall Out.— New Zealand correspondent with 'Hie New Zealand team in Australia: "Before leaving for Australia M'Minn was regarded in the light of a great forward, but his performances to date have been disappointing. I regard hini as a very weak spot in the vanguard. Nei'feher in the loos© or on the line-out, where his height should be of imimense service, has lie done anything worthy of mention^ while his shirking of eoli'd scrum work is notorious. H« punting is also marked by an utter lack of judgment. M'Minn has developed a, ' swelled head,' and this may be the cause of his failures." Mr M'Cormiek, the secretary of the Auckland Rugby Union, who has just returned from a trip to Sydney, where he saw the New Zealand team in iho throe bier matches, regards M'Minn as the finest forward he has ever seen. Two ex-Otago focwards in Mathows (late of Union) and Roddick ('ate of Alhambra) hove found placce in the Canterbury representative team to meet Hawke's Bay next Saturday. The following team has been seleote'd' to represent Canterbury in the match against Hawke's Bay at Lancaster Park next Saturday afternoon:— Full back, S. Turtill (Albion); three-quarters— H. D. Thompson (Christohureh), J. Lavory (Albion). P. Menzies (Merivale) ; five-e^hrlu, G. C. Martin (Christchurch) and R. G. Dca/is (Old Boys) ; half back, P. Harvey (Christ cbmch, captain) ; forward-,— A. Brunsd-n (L:nwood), R. Gillespic (Albion), G. M'llwraith (Chnetchurch), G. Mathews (Linwood), G. iSiven (Albion), L. Atkinson (Albion), J. Roddick (Sydenham), A. C. Wilson (Ch.nstehuic'a). Of tho players chosen, Gillespie, M'llwraitn, and WiUon are representing- the province for the first time. . "The sole topics in local football circles a« present," wires my Auckland correspondent, "aro the North and South Island match U> be played here -iext Wednesday w*»ek, and the probable personnel of the team to represent Auckland in the southern tour, wlnoh will he under the managcm<yit of Mr V. Langford the ponular treasurer of the local union. The South Island team has already reached us, and is regarded here as a eound combination. The northerners have yet to be picked, but as the Pr<w<= Association telegram stated, the forward team will no doubt be almost wholly composed of players now in Australia, while four of tho backs of the touring toam may be set down as certainties. On his splendid showing on the other side, Wallace will probably be the one to fill tho important post of full back, and if the selectors can unearth a suitable fiveoighth from among the players of the sister unions south of Auckland, Asher. R. M'Gregor, and Wilson (Wellington) should form the three-quarterline. Should the five-eighth not be forthcoming, then the chances arc that tho selectors will nlay R. M'Gregor in that position, as a very solid flayer is required to keep an eye on such a dangerous and slippery pair of gentlemen as Duncan and Wood. Kiernan will, of course, be the team's half back, and Armstrong is » certainty as one of the wiug forwards. If Gallagher is chosen as his companion, then the forward division should consist of thosp two and Tyler, Udy, Cunningham, Lang, Nicholson, M'Minn, and Spencer. "Harrison waa in town, with tho Northern Wairoa team on Saturday, and although the day was such that a good exhibition of th© Rugby game was impossible, liis display was such as to indicate that he has lost none of his old dash and is still as sound as ever in defence, and can field a ball with the best of them. I should say it is almost certain that ho will be our full back for tho southern tour, and that R. M'Gregor will have to be played five-eighth. If this course is adopted by the selector, the main difficulty will be that of finding a suitable centre I threequarter, as A&her, Absolum, and Pil-

I lengersrsall moro at home on tho wins, and I your old friend Scobio Miclceizio, though 1 standing out very well during the l?.st two or three weeks, has been rather in-and-cut, taking the season all round. If, on the other hand, Sutherland shapes sufficiently well to warrant his being sent south as full back, no difficulty would be experienced in filling the post of centre threequarter, as Ilarrison would dovetail in very nicely. Kiernan will be the half back, and if the latter-mentioned course is adopted by Mr Murray, thc-n the rearguard should read: Full back, Sutherland; threequarters, Asher, Harrison, and either A'bsolum or Pillen^er; five-eijjhths, R. M'Gregor; half back, Kiernan. Mackenzie may get in at centre threequarter if Harrison is played full back, but I cannot say that he has created a very favourable impression, and his inclusion would emphasise the fact that we are rather in a tight corner for a centre threequarter through having to place the two best men for the post — M'Gregor and Harrison — elsewhere. Gallagher, at present in Australia, will probably be chosen with Doran, to play on the wing, t- and this would necessitate the selection of ' another man to go into the front row with Tyler. lam not in a position to speak of the country players yet. R. Handcock, who wa3 a member of the New team that toured Australia in 1897, is about the best, and a solid hard grafter, though rot quite as heady as he should be for a, matt who has played so long in first-class football. He, however, will be hard to beat for the place. Cunningham, our burly lock, must go in if his leg is all right, and Nicholson and Long, of the New Zealand touring team, must be ticked off as certainties. Another likely pair are Eaton (who has for years past been close handy, but just failed to get there) and M'Duff (who has won the Auckland representative oap for a couple of seasons, always giving a good account of himself)." The following are the credited weights of the Southland reoresentative team: — Manson, list 61b; Bain, Il3t 3lb; Reid, list 101b; Christophers, 12st61b; Ward, list 51b; Burges3, list; P. Ffaser, lftet 71b; M'Nie, 12st; Robinson, 12st 41b; E. Purdue, 14st 101b ; C. Purdue, 14sb 81b ; W. Fraser, 13st ; Jenkins, 12st 61b; J. Taylor, list 81b; Haines, '12st 41b. The New Zealanders play the last match of their Australian tour against Combined Country to-day. Nothing short of a miracle will prevent them, returning homo with an unbeaten record, and proving beyond question Manager Norris's and Captain Duncan's parting words: "The finest team that ever left New Zealand." Barry Speakman, of Stoddart's English team, who is now a miner at Rockhamptou, was a spectator of the first New ZealandQueensland match. At the half-time interval of the Queens-land-New Zealand match at Brisbane, an exhibition, of boomerang throwing by several aboriginals greatly interested the visiting footballers. Despite N. S. W. press reports that it was open to question whether the New Zealand system of one scrum half, two fiveeighths, and three threequarters was superior to tho N. S. W. arrangement of two scrum halves and four threequarterS, the grade clutr* in Sydney are initiating the New Zealanders' style of play. Supporters of Combined Ausr.-alia were anxious that the day on which the big match with the New Zealanders was to take place would be wet in order that the winning chances of the Maorilanders might" be reduced. A strange wish truly, in the light of th© fact that N S. W. and Queensland teams are used to playing on dry, hard and fast grounds! Bub then, they did not look for a Combined Australian win, but a small defeat with. the possibility of a draw. Tho casual footballer in S' Africa is padOed on all points like the American baseballer. The hard grounds necessitate this preo^ution. In a match played recently, one player went out clad only in ordinary football togs. He limned off almost a wreck — north, south, east, and west of his body showed plainly where those points had touched fche ground. " Scobie" Mackenzie, tho ex-Otago rep. who. has for several seasons been resident in Auckland, is still a footballer of good repute. "Scobio" played centre threequaater for Auckland against Thames tho other day, and assisted considerably towards winning th& game for the Auckland gallopers. The Wellington. Referees' Associstion have decided to abide by the decision of the English Rugby Union that a player injured in a match cannot be replaced, and have instructed referees that in all future matches tho English Union's decision be adhered to. "B." explains: Feeling in N. S. W. ran very high ? gainst the court-martialled M.L. footballer for rough play recently, but in the cjses of rough play the shriekers overlooked the fact that in each instance the same N. S. W. player was participant in the trouble. The M. L. style of forward play in big matches differs =o greatly from N. S. W. play that it seems brutal ; still, followers of club football in Sydney have seen more Kpiteful play in competition games — notably Eastern Suburbs v. Newtown, when the password was "Play them at their own game" — the "own-game" signifying rouglim>;9. The game is" "football" with the visiting M. L. team, and they play it for all it's worth. "Actaeon," of th eAuckland Piar, deals with the subject forcibly and 1 well: "Writing to the Sydney Bulletin, ' Offside ' Mackenzie, diealing with tho New Zealand) rep. team, observes that several of the players — Fanning, Udy, Stead, Given, Gallagheri— aie 'good footballers, but not eantruinary enough to be successes in a Maoriland team.' Please observe that to bo a ' success ' in high-class football you must be 'sanguinary.' ' Nowadays,' adds ' Offside Mac,' ' a man can never make his nvirk in Rugby annals unless ho cares as little about his own neck as those of his opponents, and, to the writer's mind, tlm is the virtue which is lacking in the team of 1903.' This, it will be noticed, is the deliberately expressed opinion of the man who Iras done more than anyone olso in tho last 10 years to influence the theory aad practice of Wellington football. I say emphatically that we need look no further than these sentences for reasons for the deterioration of football in Wellington and other provincial centres during the last deoade. In the hands of the gentlemen who demand 'sanguinary' play, and exhibit a sublime disregard for other people's necks, the forward game espeoially ha 9 become in many cases largely a question of brute strength and ferocity. When those qualities are combined" with a. determination to ignore the law 3of the game, and to ' beat ' the referee, it is not hard to understand how and' why the game: has been for a long time past on the down grade in Wellington. Is it not very significant Uiat the man who has done more

than any other player of late yeaTs to lead football opinion in Wellington is known •throughout the colonies a* ' OKside Mac ' — the man who invariably broke the fundamental rule of the game whenever he got a chance? Tho palmy diys of Wellington football wore, I piesume, in the eyes of the Canterbury Times' correspondent, the days when deliberate breaches of the rule>=t and ' sanguinary ' play received their most striking exposition at Me hands of this popular idol ; and now we ccc the result in this public lamentation over the ext?nction of the 'dashing Wellington forwa-rd.' (Of course, it is easy enough io -explain. ' Sanguinary ' p'.ay requires no skill, and the ' points ' which gave Mackenzie his highly-prized nickname have nothing to do with real football. Depending on such resources as these, forwards at Wellington — and elsewhere — have ceased to play the game as it might' and should be played; and co Rugby football, when it is confined to the forwards, is generally a stupid scramble, relieved by an occasional 'scrapping match ' — when the referee is not looking. As far as Wellington is concerned, I have no hesitation in saying that this reeulfc is largely due- to the baneful influence' exerci=od upon the game by 'Offside Mao' aod lib imitator?. I don't wish to be unjuft to Mackenzie. He had many of tho qualifications that go to make a fine player, and ho might have been a first-class footballer. As it was — well, he preferred to" be known 39 ' Offside Mac ' ; and now, from his wellcarnetl retirement, ho still preacher the merit 9of tho ' sanguinary ' game. It was said 'years ago that, in the interests of football, it would pay the Wellington Rugby l Union handsomely to settle a good income on ' Offside Mac ' if ho would only keep off the football field ; and now I think they might try if a substantial pension would dissuade him from doing «.ny more harm to the methods and the reputation of New Zealand football by writing such dangerous monsense as I have quoted from the Bulletin."

After the interval in the MetropolitanNew Zealand match one or two of the local backs started badly (says "Cynic"), and their mistakes soon get the side into trouble. The New Zealanders then ran clean over them, outclassing them (as a body) in knowledge of the game, in combination, in dash, and in everything. Try succeeded try until 33 points wero piled up, the game endiug 33 to 3. There was noi the shadow of doubt as to the great superiority oi tho New Zealanders, both back and forward, especially in the backs. Several of the local backs "killed" their forwards through the consistency with which they failed to find tho line. In the use of the lino ■ and in appreciation of its value, both as a means of defence and of attack, the local backs were outclassed in much tho same way as the classic Truniper outclasses as batsman the ordinary thirdgrader. The contrast was just as *reait. The climax to this fai'lura came when New South Wal^ were awardeo. a penalty kick at Hie twenty-five. Johnston, against the breeze, kicked straight up the centre of tho field, the ball was marked 'by Humphreys, pnd placed on the halfway line for Wallace, who landed a .goal ! Time after time tho Torwards in a body followed up the long punts, and time after time they had to imlvediately turn and retrace their steps afctcp &,,?ed— to defend the line. If they had steam engines ineide them, they could not have lasted.

J. R. Henderson gives his views after tho Isew Zealand-Queensland match: "The New Zealand forwards gave, in my opinion, their best display, walking over the ball in scrum, and for forwards on tour gave a ■pood f-howing, especially in the second half : their line work was good. New Zealand backs played soundly, but were not so brilliant, considering the chances they leceive-d, as in the first game in Sydney. The selecting of the Australian 'team is a most difficult task, the form of both State 3 being mo 4 disappointing. Those whom we have looked upon as our most promising representatives have played below club form, and I can only account for this failure a3 due, to a great extent, to staloncsa. Players reached tho top of their condition early in tho hope of representing the State. They started playing m April, and that fact on our hard grounds has caused paleness. If the team — especially the forward' — could be selected early next" week— say. the Queensland mon left out of their next match, and the> New South Wales men omitted from their competition games so ais to allow of their being rested — we would then hnvc- a chn.nce of the team making a creditable showing in the big Australian fixture." Porteous, the Ota.go forward with the New Zealand team in Austialia, sprained his ankle in one of tho matches, which necessitated his laying up for a day or two. He has now completely recovered, as have the other members of the team who at various times on tho tour were suffering from injuries. An "Offside Mac-"' item: "The Otago Rugby Union, is a body which, if it ever •2<>ts to heaven, would complain of the cold." The above i» a sample of Mac's alleged happy style ! Also: "The team [the recent Wairarapa team] may be a good one, but the writer ["Offsido "Mac"'l thinks ie would male« a good s*ho\v only agaiu<a a combination se'ected from a home for the aged and weaj-y." It uould probably have been a good team had the "Offside." , Mackenzie brotherhood been included.

That Wallace, the Wellington representative player, was not in goal-kicking form in the match a-eainst Northern Districts last week, in which the New Zealanders put up tli& record score of 53 noints 'to nil. is e\ idenced by the fact that out of 15 attempts he only succeeded in placing four goals-. Towards ■the ond of the game New Zealand scored six tries in rapid succession, Wallace failing at goal in each effort. The following table chows the merits of the various Now Zealand team 3 which have

The New Zealanders have shown themselves to be as formidable as any of their predecessors—that is, taken all round and with their best fifteen on the field. On the form shown here (says "Cynic") R. M'Gregor and Duncan musfe be in the best fifteen, for their presence strengthens the team in both attack and defence. Is Australia capable of putting a pack of forwards into the field likely to hold.' Ithe New Zcalandor3? There is no possible doubt as to the strength and dash of the New Zealand

vanguard, and one is afraid fha'fe they will beat Australia in the pack unlecs different tactics from those usually observed by our 1 forwards be carried out.

Commenting on the alleged rough play iw the first match played by the New Zealand team in Australia an px-Ncw ZealanxJer, inking to an Auckland scribe-, sums tho position up : "Personally, I saw nothing but keen hard play, which it would greatly benefit New South W?i!cs to adopt. . Tho keenness and ' devil ' of the New Zealand mon was a great factor, as it always has been, in winning the game for New Zealand on Saturday. Had the. match resulted differently we should h'a.ye> lieard nothing of rough p'.ay. The newspapers have been very unfair, and my principal object in writing this is to ask you and other New Zealand writers not to too readily accept the jud'gmant of New Zealand play as given from a New South Wales standpoint. I will onlysay that if the New Zealand team play a) rough game, then StcddartVs English team were \ery rough. There is one way to ■stamp out such ' rough ' play as the NewZealand men showed on Saturday, and thafi is — drop Rugby football altogether. I faeL quite coivtont to leave Now Zealand football (provided it is no tougher than it was here ln?t Saturday) to the verdict of the Englishmen, but co-i'tainly object to a. Sydney crowd, which has just- had a victory scored against thorn, being the judges." A Sydney writer refers- to the New Zealand team thus: "It is too early yet to compare tho train with its- predecessors of 188*. 1893, and 1897, though in attack there is reason, to believe-, oven now, that <he> present team- will at least equal, and probably surpass, the focst of other years. Whydo the Now Zea'a«dtNrs not come to Sydney ofcener? Six years between visits is far too lengthy a period. Once every two or three years would! be far preferable from every point of view. They aTe such fine footballers, and fine follows, that the football public would like to see a good deal more of them. Thoy certainly know all about Rugby football. Mr J. R. Henderson said a-t- Baihurst that their captain (James Duncan) knows the game from A to Z. The remark may be aptly applied to New Zealand footballers generally." Aslicr, the sensational Auckland threequarter back with the New Zealand team in Australia, found Ogaard, a- wing threequarter playing' for Metropolitan, a veritable stonewall to bump up against. The Maorilander's attempts to jump over the Cornstalk usually ended in the latter catching the heels of Mic Maori and 'bringing him violently turfwards.

Tno tecrotary of the Auckland Rugby Union (Mr M'Cormick), who has recently returned from a trip to Sydney, where he raw tho fix at three matches played by the New Zea.land<>r3, is of opinion that New South Wales is 10 years behind New Zealand in Rugby football. Neglecting to find tho Uno and faulty attack were tho apparent weaknesses.

Britannia's protest aigains-t bhe first of the three tries scored by ihe Star in the match which decided the Southland premiership was dealt with by ttie committee of the Southland Rugby Union recently. The ground of the protect" was that the referee •had no right to as>k the 'touch-judge's decision on line play in tSie way that he> did. The protest was dismissed. After the criticism J. Duncan, the Otago five-eight, has been subject to from certain newspaper writers in New Zealand, and Eomc New Zealand correspondents with the team in Australia, it is gratifying to_ hear something on the oilier side in appreciation of the captain of the New Zealand team. The following from the Sydney Referee on Duncan after the match against tho Metropolitan (Sydney) match will bo read with, interest: — "The New Zealand captain, Jamfs Duncan, gave a. reply to those who are inclined to underrate his ability as a player. He was the player of the- whole 30 in the second spell. "His knowledge of the game's finest pointp, and his quickness and ability to make the best possible use of overy chance, stamp him aa a wonder. "Were he only 20 years of age he would be a wonder ; at 36 or 37 he is simply a freak. When Gwynn Nicholls was out here in 1893 one never saw him once, in all the l&nglisti matches do anything which wa* tactically incorrect. No matter how difficult the- position, whatever Nicholls did always seemed to be the best possible thing in tho circumstances. Nicholls and Duncan, of course, are different types, but Duncan reminds one of Nicholls in his ability to be where he is most wanted at the right moment, and to do that which is required for his side. Our old friend ' Off-sido Man' and others may rail against Duncan's lack of youth, but, as far as ono can eeo, they are underrating him — very much so." The New Zealand Appeal Council ha? decided to dismiss the appeal of the Kaikorai Club (Dunedin) against the decision of th© Otago Rugby Union in suspending, until the end of the season those members of the Kaikorai team who refused to continue a game when ordered to do co by tho rcfereo on the recent occasion when the referee ordered off Porteous for rough play. A Wanganui telegram states that the representative football match Taranaki v. Wanganut resulted in a win for Taranaki by 5 points to nil. The first spell was fairly even. Taranaki acored a very luckf try from a forward rush, and converted it. During the whole, of the second epeli Wanganui had Taranaki penned in their twentyfive, Taraniki only getting over the halfway line once. There was fine weather and a large attendance. Reid and Gray No. 2 defeated Ropeworks. by 14 to nil. Sargood, Son, and Ewen (Auckland) beat Messrs Macky, Logan, Steen, and Co.'s Company by 16 to 3. A Wanganui telegram states that the football match Wairarapa Juniors v. Wanganui Juniors resulted in a win for Wairarapa by U points to 3. The match wa9 played in pouring rain. The match Lawrence Second v. Tokomairiro Second, which was played at Milton on Wednesday afternoon, resulted in a win for Milton, by 16 points to 3.

visr .usi tra: Mi : — 18S4. 1893. 1897. 1903. Pld. Won. "pidTwon. Pld. Won. Pld. Won. 8 8 10 0 10 9 9 9 Points. Point*. Points. Points. 'For. Ag^ For. Ag=>t?' For. Agst. For A«?rt. 164 17 IU3 44 ! 229 73 244 13