FOOTBALL

Southland Times, Issue 19546, 9 May 1925, Page 16

FOOTBALL

(By

“Onlooker.”)

Star (5) v Pirates (3). Marist (9) v Invercargill (3)

A sensational opening. Close interesting games. Star made a desperate finish. McDonald retains all his dash. Play was rather willing in places. Kilb/s first senior game was good. Waikiwi’s decision was a very wise one. All teams were fitter than usual for opening. The Pirate attack was far too slow in developing. There was a good attendance as the first matches at the Park. Johnston, behind the Pirate scrum, got the ball away well many times. The Star scrum was well packed, but the hooking of Pirates was cleaner. Both full backs Mills (Pirates) and G. Oughton (Star) came through the game well. It is time H. Brown realised that hands are better than feet in stopping a Rugby ball. McDonald’s opening try was a sensational one and was worth going a long way to see. For once the Star backs were caught napping. It cannot be said that the refereeing in the Star v Pirates match was up to senior standard. Off-side play was allowed to go unchecked on both sides, while other infringements were ignored. The Taranaki centre, H. W. Brown of the All Blacks, has definitely settled in New Plymouth and will be playing for Old Boys of that city. While general regret will be expressed at the retirement of Waikiwi from the senior competition, the decision was a wise one. The Red and Black jersey was always popular and it will be missed from the areas on the Park. Dr Sinclair, New Zealand full-back in 1923, who is now residing in Taranaki, was nominated for a seat on the Management Committee of the Taranaki Rugby Union, but he did not score enough votes. The Hawke’s Bay members of the 1924 All Black team were in no hurry to get back to the game. Not one of the six took part in the opening games. There was too much illegal play allowed in the StarTirates match on Saturday. Pushing on the line out was rampant; throughout and this lead to serious trouble in other parts of the game. On one occasion two players got to it in real earnest and were sheltered by the others. The referee missed the incident being too busy with inconsequential details over a free kick. Pushing on the line out is dangerous and should .be stopped immediately. Some of the throw-ins on Saturday were cleverly worked and the ball sent on its journey with a little twist which brought it down behind one set of forwards. This gave one side a decided advantage and the move was allowed to go unchecked all through. This is a very old trick and referees should be wise to it by this time. Nepia and Paewai were interested spectators at Hastings when the season was opened. The movements of this pair are ful of speculation. At present it is fairly certain that Nepia will play in Dannevirke, states “Old Timer,” but it is doubtful if Paewai will play at all. In any case it is a safe assertion that wherever Paewai is Nepia will be found with him. Pirates were defeated because they failed to make use of the chances which came their way. The inside backs were faulty in i handling and on several occasions good passes were dropped because the players attempted to take the ball with their hands and not their hands and arms, combined. There is only one sure way to take a football, hands, arms and body being used together, but some of the Pirate backs apparently forgot this fundamental principle of Rugby. Behind the Star pack Kilby played well and before the season is out will have a good chance for further honours. J. Oughton as first five-eighths could always be relied upon, but this could not be said of his mate, R. Bell. R. Bell appeared to be rather anxious and this effected his game, but when he gets into his stride he should be as dangerous as ever. G. Bell gave the best exhiibtion of dribbling seen throughout the game and was always there when wanted. H. Brown played well, with the exception of the first few seconds when he allowed McDonald to get away to score a sensational try. If senior football is to improve as it should during this season competent referees are necessary. A referee, can make or mar a game and the Appointment Board should be careful in its selection of men to control the games on the Park. Present day football is very fast and only referees with a bit of pace can hope to control a game effectively. Let the referees be the best available even if the senior games are divided among a few. / The Pirate fullbaik, Milla, is to be commended upon the way he runs straight to

put -his men onside. It was unfortunate that his efforts in thia direction were overlooked on Saturday and his supporting forward 3 in-field ruled off-side when Mills was yards past them Mown, the side line. However, Mills’ style is good and although he has not the length of kick of some of his opponents he seldom lets his side down. In the opening spell ijthe Pirate forwards were too easy going and had they put the same vim into their work as in the second half they might have been able to get through for a score. For a start they were too slow in moving to the attack but brightened up in the second spell. Hazlett and Archer were always prominent, while Roberts played a hard game in the front row. W. Johnston at wingforward put in some useful work. When the pack gets together properly it should make a better showing. An object lesson in the ground kick was given by the Star backs and they used thi? kick to advantage on many ocasions. Under the present rules this kick is a winner every Jime as even if it does not go out the defenders have to gather the ball off the ground and this gives the attack time to get up to the ball. Wylie and Swain are an ex-Wellington pair hooking in Hawke’s Bay. They are the front-row men for Pirates, and in the first match of the season they raked in the ball regularly. J. Blake, playing for Celtic, looks like being a “star” back in Hawke’s Bay this season. He started off the season with an admirable display. One of the opening games in Hawke’s Bay was marred by rough play. A Bay writer comments: “Rough stuff, like there was on Saturday, will not do the game much good.” The same can be said of one of Saturday’s games. It is rumoured that other teams besides Waikiwi contemplate withdrawing from the Saturday competition as they cannot get players off upder the divided half-holi-day. If this happens it might be well for the Union to consider reviving the old Saturday clubs again. The popular Red and Black jersey- will be missed this season, as Waikiwi lead by White was always a popular team. Waikiwi has given some giants to the game in Southland and those who knew the club at its best can recall the McNeeses, the Frasers, the Fordes, the Darraghs and several other great football families who played in (he suburban club. By concentrating on the juniors the Waikiwi Club ho;>es to be able to work back to its old position and this is the best method of getting back the lost laurels of the Club. Hawkins, the ex-Southlander, is playing great football in Wellington this season and is, already being tipped as one of Wellington’s wing three-quarters. He is a strong runner and has a fend which many who have tried to tackle him, remember with respect. He is described as equal to the West Coaster Steele when that player was at his best. Seldom does a game run its full course without an attempt at goal from a penalty, but this happened in the Star-Pirate match on Saturday. The attacking side was never awarded a penalty within kicking distance with the result that there was only two place kicks at goal throughout. It is time Pirates developed a place gicker as this cost them two points—a serious deficiency when lhe final.score was hoisted. Agnew made no mistake with his attempt and this gave Star, the victory. “A further effort should be made to keep for our sole use the all-black jersey and fern leaf emblem,” remarked Mr H. Frost (President), at the New Zealand Rugby Union’s annual meeting, “and I feel that if all other means fail the assistance of Parliament; should be sought to safeguard our undoubted rights in this connection. This uniform was first worn by our All Blacks in 1884, forty-one years ago.” “From information recently received I think you may take it the proposed visit of a British team is off for some years,” said the President of the New Zealand Rugby Union at the annual meeting. Dreamy English Unions! It is now revealed by St. Helens Rugby Football Club that Gore, the Balaina international, who has joined Salford, and who played for Wales against Frahce, Ireland, England and New Zealand, was actually a registered professional player with St. Helens all the time he was gaining international amateur honours. Are the All Blacks who played Wales now professionals? The rules on this point are interesting. NOTES BY "WINGER." High standard of football. Referee T. Baird gave a good exhibition with the whistle. Lopdell is still as safe as ever. Walsh and Cosgrove were the mainstay of the Green backs. Fraser and Burt were the two star Blue forwards.

Roche and Mahoney shone out in the Green pack. Dyer of Blues is coming back to form. He did good work on Saturday. Considering it was the first match on Saturday the standard of football in the Greens-Blues match was good. Greens endeavoured to open up the game, and the backs got going in one or two nice passing rushes, while the forwards backed them up well. Blues on the other hand tried to keep the game tight, and relied on the weight of their pack to overwhelm the Greens - They were hardly successful in this.

The match Pirates versus Marist should be a good fast 'game to-day, with plenty of passing rushes by the backs, as both teams favour the open style of play. Pirates if anything have an advantage in the forwards. It has now been decided that no All Blacks team shall tour South Africa before 1928. There was a proposal once that it should be next year. Ninety-thousand people watched the English Cup Soccer final at Wembley last Saturday. The All Blacks’ record crovMd was 50,000 for the Twickenham international.

Another compliment from the French. The teanjis which contested the important match between the Racing Club de France and the Stade Francaise played under the two New Zealand rules regarding kicking into touch outside the twenty-five, and lining out .ten yards from the touchline. And now the French Rugby Union has decided to adopt these rules. The English Rugby Union made £21,000 out of the All Blacks tour, and all New Zealand gets is a bill for £740 —the cost of assembling and outfitting the team before it left. These facts came out at the Council meeting of the Dominion Rugby Union last evening. Football clubs at Home have a far bigger programme of matches than any New Zealand club. The Newport Club alone played forty-two matches in one season, whereas clubs in New Zealand rarely have played more than fourteen or fifteen.

C. A. Kershaw, with W. J. A. Davies, is accounted one of the greatest half-backs produced by England in modern years. Kershaw and Davies played together for the Navy, for the United Services, and from 1920 to 1924 for England. Last season both of them dropped out of first-class football. Kershaw being thei> thirty years of age, but he came back for a game against the All Blacks when the New Zealanders played the United Services and showed the Englishmen some of his best. The Natal Rugby Union would have South Africa undertake another Rugby tour —either invite New Zealand to South Africa or take a trip to England. For the time being South Africa wants neither (writes the South Afr/can correspondent of the London Sportsman). We want a long rest from international fray, not only in Rugby, but in other sports. Sincp the war South Africa seems to have gone mad on touring, and this may be one reason why instead of making progress in breeding better and more athletes and footballers, South Africa has taken a backward step in producing the talent. More time needs to be spent on home affairs. At present our Rugby, in spite of the claims of many optimists, is not all that it ought to be, and the last tour revealed many weaknesses and drawbacks which must be remedied. South Africa mufct not think of Rugby tours

for three on four years, by which time we shall have had the opportunity to rebuild our Rugby on the lines of old. We have a reputation to uphold, and it would be folly to undertake trips or receive team* from other countries when it is acknowledged that our Rugby at the present period is not of the high standard attained before the war. I think it can be taken for granted that South Africa will not indulge in a Rugby tour for at least four or five yean. ‘ THE RANFURLY SHIELD. North Island Rugby writers have been devoting a good deal of space recently to Canterbury’s Rugby strength. Here is what “Five-eighth” says in the Wellington Dominion. : “The only province which appears to have a sporting chance of taking the Ranfurly Shield away from Hawke’s Bay this season is Canterbury. The southern union has for the past few seasons been building up a very fine side, in which youth has predominated. “In W. C. Dailey (half), N. P. McGregor (five-eighths), A. C. Robiiliard (wing threequarter), and R. R. Masters (forward), they possess a quintet of as brilliant exponents of the game as New Zealand possesses at the present time. The advantage the majority of these able players possess is youth. Robiiliard is 21, McGregor and Dailey 23, and Masters 24. The tour with the All Blacks should have ripened their experience wonderfully, and as all their Rugby is in front of them, they should each and all serve New Zealand well for many years to come. In J. H. Parker, who is 28 years of age, New Zealand possesses a rover who has no compeer in any country. Probably the fastest man on the football field in the world to-day, he has Rugby brains, and is quick to get into position either for attack or defence. “But Canterbury’s strength is by no means confined to her All Black sextet. < We have omitted to mention B. V. McCleary, who also made the trip with the All Blacks, and played in seven matches on the tour. Like Parker, he is 28 years of age, and may be good for a few more years, even if he did not altogether satisfy the se,lectors on the grand tour. Canterbury )>ossesses a number of speedy backs, and fast, dashing forwards, and should bo able to field a side which should put Hawke’a Bay hard to it to retain the Rugby supremacy of the Dominion.” “Five-eighth” has omitted to say anything of Southland, who although not prolific in All Blacks, has quite a number of players equal to that standard. JUNIOR NOTES. SECOND GRADE MATCHES (By “Lock”) —Saturday— Better handling of the ball earned High School a victory over Southern. The school obtained the leather from the scrum as often as did their opponents despite the superior weight of the South players. Southern missed two scores against High School last Saturday because of selfish play; failure to pass the ball at the critical time. Players must strive for the team, and not for their individual glory. Cavannah as full back for Southern, was conspicuous for his steady and reliable game, while Page for High School was prominent and semed to turn up at just the right time. Southern must feel the loss of the omnipresent Kilby from their ranks. This player has left his old team to take up the more arduous duties of Senior Grade football. At all matches, very poor exhibitions of kicking have been given during the week. No one seems to have the “knack” but let it be that this will “look up” in the future. —Wednesday— Spectators at Rugby Park on Wednesday were given a very poor exhibition of football. The play was “patchy” and weak. The match between Pirates and Invercargill was if anything the better one. In the match Southern v. Greens the former did not follow up and both sides showed a marked hesitancy to go down to tackles. The Greens kept Southern in their own half most of the time and Southern were extremely lucky to land even a goal from a penalty in front of the posts. Play between Pirates and Invercargill on No. 2 ground wajrmore animated and some good solo scores were secured. The play was pretty even and ranged from one end of the field to the other, and Blues had all their work cut out to win. In Faulkner the Blues have a neat fullback. He is a game little player and does not seem to be susceptible to the malady of ‘fuddling.” Taken as a whole, the football was just what could be expected on the opening of the season, but it is to be hoped that the clubs and players will ‘buck-up” and give the spectators something worth watching. A RUGBY CAL'SERIE. ANNUAL MEETING N.Z.R.U. (By “On-side Mac.”) The record-breaking tour of the All Blacks has rather tended to overshadow anything else that has occurred in New Zealand Rugby football during the past year, and the annual meeting of the governing body in Wellington passed off quietly without any really important issues developing. After the brilliant successes of ihe All Blacks in Britain and France, there was a spirit of mutual congratulation in the air, and no one could afford to be overcritical. Mr Geddes’s report to the S.R.F.U. shows, however, that some important business was put through at the annual meeting, and one or two matters may be referred to briefly here. An interesting amendment to the annual report is that which provides that members of the 1924-25 All Blacks shall be eligible for the Australian tour. It seems a pity that the previous intention was altered. When the All Blacks left for England it was freely recognised that another team could be got together from the stay-at-homes which would be little, if any, inferior to the tourists, and it is safe to assert that a side capable of extending the Aussie could be secured without drawing . on the members of the recently disbanded contingent. It is a bad thing to encourage men to be continually thinking about tours to other countries, and hardly consistent with the principles of amateur sport to cater for the few at the expense of the many. This, in effect, is what the amendment tends toward bringing about, but fortunately, the members of the 1924-25 AH Blacks have given sufficient proof of their good sense and adherence to the best principles of sport, that one feels sure that few of them will take advantage of the tempting bait that is being held out to them. It is not a fair thing to be piling up international tours one upon another; fair neither to the men themselves nor to their employers, to whom New Zealand Rugby football is under a debt of gratitude for the consideration and sacrifice that is so cheerfully and unostentatiously given in the interests of the national pastime. It is up to the controllers of the great winter game to show that they recognise their generosity; not to take advantage of it.

THE RANFURLY SHIELD. Aparently quite a decent dust-up was nipped in the bud when the notice of motion bv Hawkes Bay Union that the Union holding the Ranfurly Shield should have the right to refuse challenges for the Shield while on tour was ruled out of order. If carried, this would have simply meant a reversion to the old rule governing the competition, so presumably the notice of motion was thrown out on technical grounds. Hawkes Bay placed itself in a difficult position, in that it was the mover of the motion and the holder of the Shield. If the motion is examined on its merita, however, it will be seen that there is a good deal in favour of reverting to the original rule. Wellington very sportingly accepted

challenge* for the Shield on tour, 4 and Southland felt after winning the trophy from Wellington at Invercargill, that it was only fair to do likewise. But possession of the Ranfuriy Shield to a metropolitan Union like Wellington is scarcely comparable to the winning of the muchcoveted trophy outside the four big centres. It has been a tremendous aid to Hawkes Bay—the League game has been practically stamped out in that area after previously defying all efforts to counteract its spread including the awarding of an inter-island match to the North Island province shortly before the war. Naturally, Hawkes Bav does not want to lose the. Shield without a at niggle, and most other Unions in the same position would feel the same. Still, the Bay has had a good innings now, and it is somebody rise’s turn. THE INTER ISLAND MATCH. Probably quite the most important item in Mr Geddes’s report from Southland’s viewpoint was the announcement that he had been able to secure t hp. North v. South Island match for Southland. This is the result of a vigorous campaign for some time past on the part of the S.R.F.U. to convince the parent body of the desirability of giving the home province a "big game.’’ It had a powerful argument in its receipts for matches against outside teams under the jurisdiction of the N.Z.R.F.U., in addition to its magnificently equipped playing facilities. As a past President of the N.Z. R. and a delegate with an impressive record in the councils of the national body, it is fitting that to Mr Geddes fell the honour of securing the match for Southland, the second time it has ever gone outside a metropolitan centre. As the previous occasion was simply to counteract the incursions of the rival code, it may be taken as a compliment to the southernmost province that it has secured the match on its merits. It is a big step towards the S. ideal—a Test Match at Rugby Park. SUDDEN THINKING. When trouble comes in football, there is time for only one thinking, and it has to be sudden.—Leo Fanning. In adding a further instalment to what was written in this column recently anent the proposed grading of referees, it is difficult to think of anything more suitable than the following admirably written extract from a little book on football by the versatile writer who is quoted at the head of the paragraph. It arose out of a conversation with Mr W. G. Garrard, well known up and down New Zealand as a referee. Very many footballers do not know W. G. Garrard*but very few have not heard of “Gun” Garrard (same man . Hie nickname came to him when he was in business as a gunsmith years ago. The gun-shop has passed, but the “Gun” is still doing some very valuable firing for football. Mr Garrard has been in hearty grips with football since 1883: he knows something. “I knew a man,” he said, “who had the rule-book by rote from comer to comer, advertisements and all. You could say to him: ‘Quote rule 4.' and the phonograph would reply: ‘Rule 4. choice of goals.—The captains of the respective sides shall toss for the choice of in-goal or the kick-off. Each side shall play an equal time from each in-goal, and a match shall be won by 3 majority of points; if no point be scored, or the number be equal, the match shall be drawn.’ Well, that man couldn’t referee worth two pound of whitebait. He was afraid of the players. He hesitated and was lost. He allowed the men to argue the point, and they beat him. I knew another man who knew just the ordinary rudiments of the game, but had very rough-and-tumble notions of the rules. He was a highly successful referee, because he was iron-heeled, decisive. The players were compelled to have confidence in him. They knew that he was a bush-lawyer, but they also knew that he would act fairly and .-quarely, and promptly. “The first duty is to control the players; the rest is easy.” The writer has been in a few battles in which the "Gun” was trained on the combatants (observes Fanning, a brother of the illustrious Bernardi. He well remembers that heel sternly set in the turf, and •he explosive ‘scrum here” or "free kick. Greens.” A man mumbles. Beetled brows are trained on him, the gun is fired—“An other word from you, and you go up.” The word is not said. All come submissively to that imperial heel. “If the game is to be kept straight, strong referees must keep the players in their place, and strong unions must support the referees,” said the dictator. A MAORI EPIC. The Maori is very like the Irishman in originality of thought and humour of expression. The late C. E. Marter of the New Zealand Times used to tell a good one about a famous native footballer of the eighties. Those were the days when, on the ball going into touch, it was brought into play again by bouncing it in-field and catching the re-bound. The famous old-time Rugby commentator tells the story thusly "Talking of Jack Taiaroa—how those great loins of his used to hurl back the foe as does the huge bow of the powerful .-teamer throw back the sea!—reminds me that the aptitude of the Maori successfully to imitate the Pakeha in football was never more promptly and effectively shown than by this sime native in a match between Stoddart’s Englishmen (they were Stoddart's then; their captain, Seddon, had been drowned in the Nepean) and Hawke’s Bay. As to these Englishmen, let me say that I consider them by far the most brilliant band of players whether League or Union, Australasia has yet seen from the ‘Owd Countree.’ “Jack Taiaroa was captain of the Hawke’s Bay team, and he had many natives on his side—one of them Taku Panopa, declared by Stoddart to be one of the best threequarters he had seen in New Zealand, notwithstanding that Taku when he got warm insisted on playing with his boots off. Stoddart—what a beautiful clean-cut graceful /layer he was!—broke through with one of his dazzling runs which had earned for him among the Cockneys the nickname of ‘the bloomin’ dancin’ master,’ but was thrown into touch about a yard from the corner flag. The Englishmen knew all about Rugby—the New Zealanders didnt. And in this case, as in many of the other fine points of the game, we learned our first lesson from these clever players from Yorkshire and Lancashire. Stoddart bounced the ball in play, jumped in the field after it, and fell over the line—a try. ‘Taiaroa came rumbling up the field like Hamlet in the duel, he was scant of breath then. His big eyes glared his disgust, and he snorted out his indignation: ‘What game this, England?’ he puffed out. The Englishmen were cheerfully taking the ball out for a kick at goal. Taiaroa was never an orator; but he made a few remarks and he looked like appealing to his war god to wither the English there and then. It was ?. new one on Tarawa, but the playful representatives of the House of the Red and White Roses explained that there were many things in the game that native philosophy had never dreamed of. All the tricks Taiaroa’s ancestors had played on the British in the wars had never equalled this, but he learned that it was all in the game. Taiaroa was a changed man after that; he played very desperately, with glim pees of his old and terrible form. CIRCUMSTANCES ALTER CASES. “In the second spell the play was carried to the spot where Stoddart had shown the natives how things should be done. Taiaroa was bumped into touch. He knew what to do. He had seen England’s best at it. He performed the bouncing act and took the ball over the line —a try. Jack’s smile as his team went out for the kick at goal illumined the whole ground. It was not only the beam of the victor, hut of the man with new knowledge. It was a smart and wonderful trick he -had learned; he would take it up country and try it on his pals in the bush, and refer them to the Imperial administration for authority. “My word,’ he exclaimed, amid the roars of delight of his team and the amusement of the Englishmen, as he went out for the kick at goal, "this the best game I ever played 1*