RUGBY REFLECTIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2850, 28 October 1908, Page 63

RUGBY REFLECTIONS.

VALUE OF COLONIAL TRIPS. T. SMITH SUSPENDED. (Fsoic Och. Own Oobbespondext.) LONDON. September 11. That veteran of the Rugby field, Hamish Stuart, is the next to come forward and criticise the English Rugby Union's management of colonial tours. He believes the union made • a serious mistake in declining to finance the tour of the Australian team which is now on its way to England. It should have undertaken to run all the risk of loss and promised the Australians no more than bare expenses. Instead, it has promised

J a ,minimum of 50 per cent, of the gross gate receipts. Some of the clubs have actually agreed to give 75 per cent, of the gross receipts — terms more liberal . than the Northern Union is giving to the • professional Australians. This action, , I\£— Stxisrt considers, is particularly unfortunate in view of the fact that both ] the Scottish and Irish Unions would have i joined in the fixtures if the Australians • had been making no money out of the ; tour. He continues :—": — " As the Aus- ; tralian idea of amateurism is entirely j different from our idea, and is, indeed, a j direct contradiction of the Rugby Union j rule 3on professionalism, the action of that body is a sort of obstinate challenge ' to the Scottish and Irish Unions, and must harden both bodies in their opposition' to colonial tours as making for '• professionalism rather than as aiding the cause of amateurism as the phrase is understood in the Rugby world, and as it must be interpreted in terms ol the Rugby Union laws on the subject." ENGLISH DECADENCE? j Mr Stuart will not admit that colonial ! and English Rugby can be fairly cpmpared on the results of these tours for the reason that, as he says, the best football talent in England does not belong to Rugby, but to the other code. For the same reason, if British Rugby were adI mitted to be slightly inferior to colonial, . that would not involve an admission of 1 athletic decadence in England. VALUE OF COLONIAL TOURS. As for' the value of colonial tours, Mr Stuart says :—": — " There is, I think, a decided tendency (due to sentimental consideration) to over-estimate the value of colonial tours both from .the playing and the political points of view. From, this rather sweeping generalisation I except the South African four. That tour, if on« may judge from what some of the South Africans said in private conversations, really had political con- ; sequences, in so far -us the Afrikander j section of the side soon acquired a very different and far more favourable opinion of British folk than they had when they left Home. From the playing point of view the tour ought to have been productive of much good to the game, for j the South Africans afforded the "most coni vincing proof that the modern ' four- '< three' game could be played most effectively and attractively without recourse being had to what may be termed technical tricks. The South. Africans ! demonstrated that straight running by J centres, accuracy in giving and taking • passes (however plain the movement), j and speed and resolution in the wings ■ would win matches behind half backs and J forwards playing an honest game. They had ho new system to exploit, explain, and defend. The Australians will probably teach us little in the matter of methods. ' One may expect the colonials to win ; most of their matches, though one is not } justiffed in anticipating the same susj tamed success as the New Zealanders t and South Africans achieved." I ANOTHER ANGLO-WELSH SUS- ! PENSION. • The Rugby Union the other night susi pended T. * Smith, of the Midland j Counties, for breaches of the professional j rules. Smith is a Leicestershire -player j and a member of the Anglo-Welsh team . now returning from New Zealand. i ANGLO-WELSH TOUR. I Mr J. L. Wiltiams 'continues, in the '• South Wales Daily News, his account of : the doings of the Anglo-Welsh football I team in New Zealand. With reference to fthe Wanganui match he is rather out- \ spoken in his criticisms. He cays : ! " Many of the tactic* of the local team were certainly not conducive to good feeling, and what we resented most behind the scrummage was the offside positions taken up by the opposing backs, and the impunity with which ih« wing forward was permitted to come lound on Laxon and prevent him getting the ball away after the forwards had got possession, as tbev continued to do in good style." Ac to ths Taranaki match he is less severe. Of this he says: " With the exception, of one incident the game was exceedingly weil carried -out, and was played in. the be3t pcesrble spirit, and was thoroughly enjoyed by both, I sides, in striking contrast to. the one at ! Wanganui just four days before. The experience of playing with spectators cazing down from, a height of about 120 ft is certainly novel, and will long be remembered." ' NEW ZEALANDERS CRITICISED. i The Daily Express has been putting two and two together from the letters of members of the Anglo-Welsh team, and today brings out a rather eevere indictment of New Zealand methods. It says: — '" When judging the recent performances I of the Anglo- Welsh team of Rugby footballers in New Zealand it is as well to remember the fact that in very few of the matches the visiting team was at anything like full strength. The unprece- ' ■dented number of accident. 1 , to players was ', the <.-auc.e, and it i.= certain thit the last ! lias not been hoard of the rou^lx play of the New Zealand er.s. " FulJy 25 members of tire team were from time to time laid out. and the ' crackings' were generally bad ones. Nobody would have grumbled if the injuries had been the re--ult of accidents in the real sense of the word, but tnere was more than a doubt in teveral case*--. " Even the leading journals of New Zealand felt compelled to appeal to the better instincts of their countrymen, and to point out the dernoialising effect of "scientific" brutality. P. F. M'Evedy. j himself a Maorilander by birth. lias also referred to the subject in letters home. "At the conclusion of the tour in New Zealand a banquet was given at Auckland, and Mr George Harnett, the manager of the Anglo-Welsh side, felt it' his duty not to ignore the subject. He praised the skill, the Bj>eed, and the brilliant combination of the New Zealanders, but he emphasised his men's opinion "of certain tactics which he was charitable i enough to ascribe to over-keenne^ 1

] "It 1b to the credit of Australian players that they are equally indignant at the methods of some New Zealanders, and their comments as to _' incidents ' are not disguised. It is an open secret in English Rugby circles that in future tho governors of the game may think twice before sending another team to New Zealand or issuing an invitation for them to visit us. " It was not without great difficulty that tlie team was sent out earlier in the year, and faith was thus kept with^the New Zealanders, who stated that a visit from the Home Country would do a lot to assist 1 them in their fight against professionalism. That the Maorilanders have returned the Tight sort of thanks is open to criticism. ■ " When one recollects the grand sporti ing qualities of the South African footballers one must necessarily make a comparison. For nothing else the " Bokken " are worth cultivating. It .will be interesting to note how tbe New South Wales I men deport themselves during their tour. i They come over her© with a good reputation. " Nobody wkhe3 for * kid-glove ' football, but there is an unwritten law in every game." NEW ZEALAND PLAYERS. Duncan M'Gregor, wbx> has signed on j with the Merthyr Tydvil Club for the ! Eeason^^js recognised as the crack of the j club. Last Saturday, playing against Batley, he tackled rather too lustily early in the game, and sprained his ankle. Both Todd and Johnson scored in Wigan's winning game against Hunelet, Yorkshire. Toad played a very good game. George Smith was the initiator tof one of Oldham's winning scores. Wrigley has signed on" with Bradford, > and should have played against Huddersfield on Saturday, but was not quite in J condition. J. Hammond, of New Zealand, is on. the i three-quarter line of the resuscitated | Blackheath Club (amateur) this 'season.

DEALING IN FOOTBALLERS. The Northern Union Clubs are quietly

| preparing to barter for the services of any stars who may arrive with the "All Blues'' (the Australian professional team). Before Baskerville's team arrived last year j"the unioa decided not to " approach "any ' members until the conclusion of the tour. , The union has, decided in regard to the Australians that they must not be signed t o.i with English clubs until March 6, ! 190S, and then, only if the consent of their clubs in Australia has been, secured. This i move gives to Australian clubs all the pro- ■ tection which tne Northern Union clubs ■ possess. The Athletic News contributor explains the reason for this 6tep : " The Northern Union is determined to do all it ! can to discourage any of the Australians | who contemplate followiag "All Black" methods. I do not 6ay the New Zealanders now with English dabs are not welcome, but the " All Blues" are coming under different conditions. Northern Unionism is firmly established .in Australia. The British section do not desire to stifle the movement id the colony, and they have decided to give the Australian League tlie advantages which they now possess in the way of capable players. If I the league and the clubs desire to dispense ! with their 'stars,' well and good, but the [ transfer will have to be on orthodox lines. | Such a course was not possible with the New Zealanders, who had no organ isatimi at 'home.' "

AMATEUR PROSPECTS.

; In the opinion of experts the amateur clubs are not likely to show much improvement this season in respect to personnel. Amateur clubs do not exactly skirmish round for talent, and there is j nothing startling in the way of acquisiI tions. Still tbe lessons of the past three year^ cannot fail to have improved the standard of the amateur games. Gilray will probably be in tbe field for Scotland during the season, and undoubtedly will again, represent Oxford. J. Mehaffy, of Invercargill, will captain the London Hospitals again, and he will have -with him -the following N«w Zealand phalanx: — A. C. Palmer, Neale, B. Lindsay, P. C. JFoofce, A. A. Adams, and D. G. Macpherson, almost, all Otago University represents tives. THE "SOCCER" GAME. Here are some of the attendances at Saturday's Afisocia-tion games : — Chelsea v. Bury*. 40,000; Bradford City v. Manchester City, 25,000: Blackburn Rovers v. Liverpool, 25,000 : Sanchester United v. Middlesbrough, 25,000; Sunderland v. Sheffield United. 25.000'; Everton v. Preston Noith End. 25,000; Sheffield Wednesday v. Notts County. 20,000 ; Woolwich Arsenal v. Newcastle United, 20.000; Leicester Fo-tee v. Bristol City, 16,000 ; Nottingham Forest v. Aston Villa. 15.000. Thi.s gives an aggregate for First Division League matches of 236,000. or an average of neaily 24,000. In the Second Division, Tottenham v. Barrsley, attracted 25,000, and West Bromwich and Fulliam 20.000. while Blackpool had a record in their match with Oldham Athletic of 11.000.