NOTES BY FULL BACK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2626, 13 July 1904, Page 60

NOTES BY FULL BACK.

The following table shows the. positions of the teams at the clo-e of the Senior Grade championship : —

PREMIER CLUBS. The following is a list of the premier clubs since 18S5, with the season's record of each: —

The promising University forward Andrew, who might hr.\e won his representati\o cap this beason, sailed for England 011 Sunday. Th° local union purpo-es doing honour to the British Rugbyitob 111 the b?st colon-al ftyle. The dinner gnen in the- Britcn^' honour is to be on a scale of bumptuousness rarely attempted in thi.3 Scotch city. Ho.v sumptuous it will be may be gathered from the tariff: 10s per head. The Otago Union has not so far received any official notice from the- New Zealand Union in rc&pect to the withdrawing of tho o'rcula- re leplacing injured player*. i*aued io affiliated unions last season. Apropoa r i tliii, recent incidents in tho British matches in Austya'ia point; to the fact that an in jared pliyer cannot be replaced. Ihe writer waa talking to an old iinglish footballer a tew days ago and gleaned from him that the practice in England \vj<= not to re-plica an indirect player. The- quostiO'iv is an important one, which should be aetlkd befLie the icproenratiie matches commence si».l before- the Britishers invade the^e .shores.

George "Williams, ot the famous Nati\e team, who is coaching a combination of Itngby players in the Ov\akn di>tnct. has rocomnitiiided to tho Ota'io Union for inclusion in the temn ag< l in=t the 13i;tis'iors a forward of tho hea^y and agTc = -i\e tj-po. Tho old fooib.'lier has, I ha^e no don'it, good iea=o,'is foi hi^ recommendiH-ioi), for ho know- the game Imni einl to enc' and the stamp of player required. It is more than po«-'ble that buned in tho bn.ck-biock.-sre a number of plajers who, i' gi>'".; an opportunity in big football, would make a r imo for themselves aud tho provnee Too long has the bcL"f pie\dileJ that all that is good in Rugby football is confined to. the centres.

Fi\e Mnllmors for 90 m'nutes' Rugby is a fancy price for that art^le, yot that is tho figure ih» New Zealand Rugby Union purpose asking intending patrons of the grand st.md to v itn( >c -s the big match New Zealand ag.unst tl-e Briii^h. in Wellington next month. »Sti ike^ tho writer that if New Zealand plays 'wing forwaids agonist the footbUi<M--» of th» Cn-.ttd Kingdom the game, ni'trui tivc^- and -.pepti'-'ii'arly, will be killed, and ihat tint scctinn of tho public which has bought its Rugby at 2s bd a spell, exp»ehng 10 *,cc a brilliant exposition, may po-.-iblv say tliir»s when the wh'stle rounds Tor "Time." Yei again maybe not. If the New Zc-al.uidc vi 5 succeed iv twisting violently the tail of tlie British Lion siul mak1,1a; that animal squirm ihe public will "hooi'oo" lotidly ond declare ihf-y ha\e had their moiiey't worth.

A fijtitbail "rr ck ' not often played on the fakts of Otac;o wa- attempted by a Soutl'CHi plajor in ih" match d^ain't Union on Sunn'ay. Ihe ineid«.".t happened right in fro'it of the pre-s box, «o Hie writer had r good uc-w of what orcuired. Phiy was in Southern's iwenty-fivr, and (he Union forwards were comipor throiurh with the ball btiu )dmg i.n fionL of them. A iSouthein player, lejl'-^ng ih?.t he ",vr.= in a tig'-.t comer, a-* <i means of stopping tho rush, deliberately tlncw the ball out of play. The artion diJ not escape the notice of the refe-u'e, who inimediactlj r penali-cd the Scathe-ru by awarding a free Lick to Union. iiuiAt doubt uiaj \.Qa. ibly ha\e tuir.o.u iv ike

minds of the Southern players whether the rcfprc c- had po-\>oi to cviaid a fiee kick ior the oiirnce. 'but if any such doubt existed (and there did not seem to be) a reference to the. rule which provides that a free kick by way of penalty shall bo aw aided if any player' "'wilfully ob->tiiicts, pausing Tinnems-sai-y loss of time"' wucld settle tho matter. A le^ cxpeit loferco might ha\e ordered a scrummgo at the. spot where the infringement took place. Had he done so the side committing the breach would have gained the advantage and the non-iufrmiring side would h<^c boon indirectly penalised. The offence was not paiticularly heinous, but was one of thooo little, ilugby tricks which should be put clown. Time was, and not so long ago, when a prominent or-Orago representative resorted to the practice when in a tight corner, and the populace applauded the action, the referee merely a\varchn° a sciummage. Apropos of this same breach ot rule a confrere recently stated that a SSow Zealand iootballor was once ordeied oft .he field ior the practice, but I cannot, call to mind when such a happening e\entua«rJ. Another of the tauious New Zealand Native team has crossed the Great Divide. Jtlarry Lee. who died in Wellington on Monday, originally hailed from Southland. He wa-a a. u-eful forwaul. and could play a splendid th'vo-i|uartor ba.ck trame I-ee particularly diitipgui <s hed himself in one match with the Native tram in England when -opposing the crack three quarter back, Anderton, who wos a member of the English tsain which toured New Zealand in 1888.

Is tho average Rugby footballer of tHa Scotch city of a hbrraiy turn of mind, or fioes he simply congregate in knots and '"talk" the game from morn till ovc until his head has swollen to the size of the leather sphere to which lie administers a kick 011 Saturday afternoons? In othfcr words, does he read his newspaper (if ho doesn't he will miss this), more particularly that department of his news sheet which 13 deioted to me doings and the- method of doing of those clever exponents of Rugby the Britishers, in Australia. The. writer ib forced to the conclusion that the Dunedin Rugbyifce is not a student, not even of the literature which is written for his benefit. AVhat ib the object of those special a- ticks in the local newspapers giving tw graphic insight into the methods of the Britishers' play, if not for the instruction and guidance of the footballers in Dun--edin., that they may profit by tb«- knowledge ere the players from the United Kingdom happen along to rub our Rugby noses in thd turf? The present-day New Zeakoder knows a little about this game,, but 'twere bettor in some things that he had not learnt so much, and that m other things he efecruid be-gin again in the infant ciass. His knowledge of some departments of forward play is undoubted, and did not some genius in the far north — not very far north — bring to light an gentleman, wto, for want of a better us me, is called a wing forward, an in-dividual who^e mission is m the main to pounce on to tite opposing halfbaok and prevent that little innocent — lie :s generally little aad not infrequently ranooenfr — getting the- ball away to his fellow backs? Splendid in its own way, but tfa:s is not the Alpha and Osiega of Rugby. What has become of the expert dribbler, of the forward who oan do his share in tho hurly-burly and then come cut aud take :i big part in a hand-to-hand passing rush ; of tho lino out man. who can gather in the ball cie\eiiy. break awry with it or te'il off on the line and passed it out to aia backs? Gone, like last year's snows — passed away with the players of the eighties. Does the British Rugby team number amongst its best men tho c e who do all tiiosa things and do them brilliantly, or are the pros'; scivbcs on the Australian side only •'fooling"? Ann what of the backs! Aie th.-dy ouch «pry indnkluals on attack, who, though possibly doing noiJung new, do it so cleverly thai tneir every effort stands out? T'le writer had anticipated that the publication of the«» prlicles on tho Rugby method* oi ihe Britishers would have been. lor sood. and thought t-o have noticed, if not cxaclly an improvement in the games 5.3 played here, s*t lc^'.-st some- of the clubs practising Brilisn tactics. But my faith in the press as an educative in Rugby football has received a shook. This was brought home to me tho Other day when parsing, a knot of footballers who -were discussing the Briti.-h team and Tvhat the newspapers had. said about them, one pale-faced youth interjected • "Oh, but ye're can't believe them, newspaper blokes" !

A?i cv Otago representative, in the per=ora of Geo. Smith, turned out in his old club" 3 colours for tho Snii-h and Foreign in«ur-ai'-ce footballers aaninst New Zealand last AVednc-day. The Zmgari man v/as brilliant in spots, which . canno* be said of lnany of th ■• o.her-. on h ; c- tnlo. Ono particularly briahi «pot on tho pa i- t of the old-timer \vas a di'ibbljiig rush which he headed, the ball bpiiic; takea almost from one ond of the field to th™ other. When within a few feet of the New Zealand line the ex Zinsrau player slipped and fell in a heap, missirm by a Mruie- 11 ceitsin «core.

Th? Auckland Rugby Union District Cap conipct.lions were concluded on Saturday afternoon (<v res ray Auckhuid corresnontlcjt). Ciiy and Nf-th Shore met on No. 1 Giound, City winp.ng by 11 points to 3. pfter ha\ir.s; had a sood deal the best, of the play 111 what wa«, or rhe .vhole, an interesting niateh fiom a snectaror's point of vipvf. On the adjoinii'g field Newton defeated Pon-onby by 1? po'-Js to 3, having 1 the bo^i of a snir.cwhat uninteic«ting game, ir\ <h"* pl^v iis cor'fir.ed mainly to tho forwaid=: and on No. 2 Ground Parnell nof-c'jod then- fi>--t i:e*ory of the season, betting Suburb* by 5 points to 3. The result" of Pitu'd.iy'-* gasnos !p.m^ tlie Newton Di. trict Club holden of the FirM Grace Cliampion->hip for so? on 19C 4 . their represcn'utives having won s-ix of the nine matches pkn-ed, 10-- one, aid drawn two. North Shore, who are iuniKr.--un, wen an. equil number of grimes, but were defeated on three occasions. Altogether tho season w. 1 ? a successful ono, art! tho competition, vciy e\eti as between foar of the teams, bub tho p.'-rsi-tcnt piactice here of late yens of cutornig for the fotAsa'-ds c^M.-cd tho play to be somtvhat uumieresting fror-\ a s')«tfaeular" point oi \ lew. th" bacicdivision of tho teams bcina consistently neglccied as an at Lai kins force.

A specijl meet me of the commirtco of ti <> Auckland Rup.by Union wf^ lIOH la«r Fi>day ivght (wiies my Auckland correspondent) to inquire into fie. biol-mont that a City r'rb jilayor hid been ott'ererl a =r.m of money on the condition thai ho did i'c l play his host gftnie for the team he rej.n -,( >■>{■'> I iv the City v. Nowton match 011 the picviou« Saturday. The meet nig lasted f>o;n 8p m. till 1 a.m . I. .id 0 lail-a amount f>£ c\idfnee v, a- tjk.->n. l^ wit- cv«)i f ua"v decided that two pi iv- is pi' d squolificd froia yLj:.^ lq. 10 i^.sj cdqicd yd tha

h

grounds under the jurisdiction of the Auckland Rugby Union for that period, aud that an outsider be ordered off the grounds imd&r the union's junsd'etion for lilo. Mr F. 8. Murray has chosen tho following players to represent the Auckland Union against Thames representatives on Saturday next: — Fullback, Renwick; three-quarters — Asher, Gerrard, MacKenzie : halves — Wood, Ward, Ki&rnan ; forwards — Gallagher, Tyler, M'Cluskie, Nicholson, Lewis, Seeling, Trevarthen, and Joyce. The team is a sound one (wires my Auckland correspondent), amd will probably not undergo any very materiil alteration b&fore meeting the representatives of the sister provinces ar.d the Britishers, the only likely change, as far as can be seen at present, being the introduction of one, or perhaps two, forwards from the affiliated country unions, such men perhaps as Cunningham, the ex-representative pivot player, and Hay ward, of the Thames, ■who toured south with the Auckland team last season. Reonwick, who is chosen to play full back, has been representing the Ponsonby team in the three-quarter back line this season, but a year or two ago played a, good game as defender of the sticks. He is cool, fairly fast, a good kick, and sound tackier. The thre-e-quarters are. all known down your way as members of last year's Auckland representative team, though Gcrrard more frequently played halfback when on tour ; and equally well known will be the three members of the half-back liinie, the Wood referred to being "Morry" of that ilk, the Ward being Peter, of Invercargill, and ELiernan the New Zealand representative half of 1903. The three halfback game is being tried as an experiment on Saturday next, and the continuance of •the system will depend largely on its success or otherwise against Thames. Dave Gallagher is to be our winger, and, as you know, is one of the best in this position, always spoiling the opposing backs and backing up and eupporting his own rear divi&ion when on tho move. Tyler (George) and ZhFGluskie are a good pair of hookers. Lewis played in tho lock down south last year, and Nicholson was also a member of that team. Seeling is a recent arrival from Wanganui, a fast, powerful forward, and Joyce hails from Wellington, where* he enjoys a good reputation which, has been maintained in cup football here. Trevarthen is a member of the Newton (cup winners) team, and an hon&st, hard-working forward, always on th» more. -

The criticisms by certain members of the Canterbury Rugby Union in respect to the attitude of the New Zealand Rugby Union in the matter of gate receipts from the British team's match against Canterbury Slave apparently raised the ire of the controlling body. A Wellington correspondent writing to the Canterbury Times in defenos of the New Zealand Union* "slates that the travelling expenses, including those o£ the New Zealand team, will amount to about £850. The New Zealand Union estimates that the entertainment expenses at the various oentres will absorb £250, and es the latter item is borne entirety by the 3few Zealand Union, the net leowpts will lave to exceed £1350 'before the New Zealand Union can make a profit. This requires a net return of £270 from each match. To this the writer on the Canterbury Times replies: — "The defence of the New Zealand Union's position I regard as very unconvincing, and. if. the best that can be put forth, might well have been left unstated, for it will not satisfy those it 4ia9 been, presumably, written to con •»ince."

How will New Zealand faie against the Uritishers? is a question we hear on all sides, says a Sydnay writer. Well, no matter how that all-important game «nds, it is sure to be a desperate one, with the British forwards battling for their lives, if JKT-sw Zealand of 1904- be equal to New Zealand of 1903. If New Zealand were as adapt in foot-passing and attacking by o&ntred punts and kicks as the Bz-itishers one would much prefer iheir prospects of ■winning the great match of the tour. But es far as ono can judge by their Australian form the New Zeaianders are a good deal inferior to the Britishers in this respect. The centring of the ball has played havoc ■with our defenders accustomed to facing stereotyped method? of attack. It will revolutionise the game Here once the local clubs take it up. By the time the British team reaches New Zealand they may find the footballers over there have be-cn picking Tip som* wrinkles in attacking by this •neans, and in stalling off attack of the land. New Zealandsrs are quicker than Australians to learn at football ; no doubt 'because they have le^s to learn, and because it is their national game, as cricket is c urs. The British forwards dribble the. "kail better than the New Zeaianders, but in other branches of forward play the 1903 New Zealand vanguard made a more powerful division than the Britishers have so far shown themselves to be — that is, in either of the two New South Wal&s matches.

A New Plymouth telegram states that the Taranaki Senior Rugby championship was won by Tukapa beating Waimate by 8 points to 3, after a hard game. An Auckland telegram sates that in senior football City beaifc North Shore by 11 to 3 : Newton beat Ponsonby by 12 to 3. Newton thus wins thp cud.

A Wellington telegram s-tatps that in tho senior Rugby games Old Boys (6 points) beat Wellington (nil), Poneke (24- points) be-\t Athletic (5), Petone (6 points) beat Oriental (3).

A G-isborne telegram states that at football Poverty Bay defeated Waiapu by 9 points to 3.

A Palmerston North telegram states that the Manawatu football representatives beat Wangaaui by 16 points to nil. The score was made up of three unconvertpd tries (secured by Arohie M'Minn, Baker, and Alex. M'Minn) and a goal from a mark. The game was played in the mud, and evenly contested throughout.

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