NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 58

NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALL.

~-~~~ frtixe Club (Port Chalmers) jib the nineties, ~-Jind was a member of the" crew that won "_■ -the, four-oar championship in 1895 and 1896, - » now located in _Christchurch> If he can .. be induced to take' tip _coaching', says aOhri«tchurch- writer/ he -will' earn the hearty .. • thanke of many, for,*- locally, rowing is at l_ ~* T«ry low standard just now. : "

■X&E FOEMER' VISITING. TEAM. SOME CRITICISMS. "_ v \Pbok Odb Owk-Oobreseondent.) . . :. LONDON, November 1. : ~.^A.*J the^ new number of the Fortnightly i^jiow.-just out; Mr E. H. D. Sewell, the

famous cricketer - And high authority on 1 sport and athletics, has an article in which he- deals with, several points as to which New... Zealand footballers Tare greatly interested. - - " .-*.," "* First .Mr grouping the previous New. Zealand; and the : South African tours together, says : " pne effect of the two tours; is that no such" tour in "the future will he- timed to start, in:- this country in' September.. Either the foreigner — and by foreigner is included" New! Zealand, South : Afrioa,.-Australia,~-jand, in"yearB jx> come, Canada,^ and/ --let. ; 'us hope,' France— will" have to start his invasion after his Christmasdinner,; or -there ,'wul. be no~xnore,.-suclr tours - in. this country. _^ So much importBiice was : a*ttaohed^ during -the New' Zealand visit, especially, to the- physical unfits ness; r o£ , our- players during September, October, and~"Npyember,."-as" if they had been- sitting doing nothing since' the" pre-^ .vious March r that this , result :of the two 1 ;tours_ 7 will-~be a very good" thing. It will deprive, those who did all they could towards minimising the ability of -the NewZealanders of at* least, one excuse, while' it wiltat^the^eame'.tinie give .our selection committees -more -time in which- to arrive at r their-really b"est."nfteen.~ - .... -, -. ' -»t» t " .-"The rear-qbeotiori to the--N,ew Zealand game. _is, .x^f- -coursei" - he_~aaysy;/"> the,f jiving-* forward "-{tasition, 'and it "~ heed -^-surprise nobody^ : ir-befpre ; 'th'et "n^xt team ?f rom .;tlua" oountryl visits-- New ; Zealand _or" : their- Je&m visits-; us ;-.again- A tjbe i" ..wing-forward - is -jahplisned^^As ? thevNew- -Zealanders v themselves <,do';-npt ?admit^ imalftyj^ and. as they ftp hot" lay very^inubE .stress "upori : the' wing- , forward factor -in" the-sucr"-cesstzof" -theit; -attacking " ifiaeniheprthey': should,' -considering, the large -amount "of jdeyet -.study/tiiey^giye to "this',:game, = be table "to device--; some J- plan that; wUll at once.^leave jthem-' all' their? pld .--delightful fiffeotiyeness and rid : ~the"ganie of^this / posfction,'.« in*}wh"ich-.even a. saint could- not helg but invite .retaliation.;" <)f the "/two teama,; the^ew tZealandefs^owing ~£o their formatfon and .-the -brilliant way -^in which" they ] played it/" caused, most effect" upon football, generally.", - _1- "' " * ~--' > . ..." ; As to sthe moral-- tone; _of - the - game, Mr, Sew^ll - itemarks r" "Thej--New" Zealandera, playing perhapVa-. little'too .much to jwiri' and -'win" 1 largely, not have - improved the. tone,-- but- lentireljr' disagree with any-" one^who holds": that":*tEey -lbwered 'it. , - JDri -this matter I judge, mainly.- btr-^rfaiat T saw. myself,r and I" saw- more their --matches', than any-other.^ writer on the" game:- : But" myfflwm' opinion is, 'backed -tip^by^ thit -'of- several ,-plaiyers' of rdiffererit^ "olubsi: counties" and' t countries, and/n^t; only-mem'J hereyj^ iiioae teamsToyer" r wiiom'l i fhe " New, ZeS.ladders r acored .easy .victories, and. .would thus ni^have^-Men^temptecLtc- ptft^ont-'-fhe thumb-sofe^. ,Y,3^esV, opinions, ",taken^lqig after , the Jour .was over and" from JliKe right : sort" -of;. -player, .whose ,ppinion . is " wbrtk ;haying, v one" an4~::all agrfed.that th'e.THejr Zealanders .^played'- straight-^'and never started.- -rough'- play- l"iiheni&&lves." - They :Would,-.hdwevef, quickly resent' rough? _play r arid,».the .aggressor "generally. -go't"~the-^worst' of At.f'r s "V-r v rlasKed.-several "forwards^if they. -ever -saw : .the' New "Zealand "rfpr^rds hand rthViball^but; of the^ser um;., arid pnty one. replied ' Affirmatively- ■ Jtnother ' secbndV hand decidedly, ";tbat fthey handled ,. the bair out in "the _ Surrey- matcte. This 'was .the.^wint ,upon whic3i_chief stress was^ laid; t though' more ~was>made of -the; alleged "unfair way in- which Gallaher. pirt the" ball in ;the • sorum* , particularly -in :the Welsh .match." 7--- Anyiiing"- more" ridiculous I ' never, read or head - of." I saw the "match as "oloseiy". as anyone 1 , and if .Gallahef put the"baJl-*in .unfairly, then" his faction stamped' ".the referee,"- Jr J.^ Dallas, -of ; " the .Wetspnians,"' - e.i-1 utterly incompetent."-" -I I neTer" saw Gallaher^put th'el hall" into {he scrum "linfairly - ivhwnighout? flic" four/ ,. "Another _ r pbint... it -was end^avouie3.."to""niak-e-against "Jbhe morals " of. - this- .team- -was-'thafr they;, played , -to' sail^ as iiear ther wind as could! ;b~e,*i and/:-am6hg -biherL,tningsV -to lie on the;: Ball inTdel^n<ie-,and ->isk the* penalty goal, J so., long- -as"".theyr saved -the -certain try..-. Putting! as|de- tie objection, fo; this theory^ i£at"no.try. IB certain until scored," how often on ttheCtour were" NeHv Zealand _ baoks/^eeh .to fall, on the. hall at all? "_ The >sa»ie^qritic, most prominent/ in ' these accusations Vaa ' among y the ;first ,to. twit.^th'e-'vNew. -Zealand baoks with-'lack'of courage forTnot" falling on the ball. -*". The fact: is, if," is not -part of : the New Zealand game, to- fall- on -the : ball. iThey handle the ..ball.- instead of" falling oh it, .'and "at once paas_ to. a, comrade -who is lying handy, generally' unmarked, as the}- foremost' members; of.- the- attacking sides>are" usually bunched onthe'-balLtwien there -'is' a possibilitvf of > 'someone " falling on- it, .--The .NeW- Zealanders were, most unfairly criticised in, many "instances^ and- 1 can oiily -ascribe~ this ,; fact" tb-- Jingoism or itoolass halted.' : , : They-- were, not all of .the upper. teo;i these .magnificent players, and no> 'of" the same Jsocial i standard, as. -the South, Afrioanß,- -TJiis "fact.-'to my- mind, rather enhances the "beeuty of the" fact that, they" did -play such. a. :straightforwara "game" than" otherwlsel" rl -"- • - ,-". - ' • tastly, on the subjeot of professionalism in Rugby football," "the New. Zealand Union," writes . Mr Sewell, "have -shown very plainly how thejr are at one: with i£ie Rugby Union by their action \»Jith regard to the tour of a - team of acknowledged professionals from" New "Zealand to this country this season."