RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 473, 16 August 1915, Page 2

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

AN. ERROR OF JUDGMENT. j The competition for the first-grade ■premiership of the Canterbury Rugby 1 Union still drags on its weary way. Only one series of matches has to be played, unless a tie occurs, but the C.R.U. Committeo has allowed two fine Saturdays -to slip by, and there is a; ' chance that the competition may not "be finished until August 28. One of the Saturdays which have been allowed to go by, so far as the game is concerned, was that set. apart 'for "drill day," and so there was excellent reason for holding up the competition that week. But "drill day" was practically a fiasco, and so to all intents and purposes y the day was wasted. But no sound reason has yet been advanced for not playing senior matches last Saturday. The reason given for the postponement of the games is that although tho C.R.U. Committee has held matches on race days in previous years the circumstances' this year are exceptional, and the clubs have no reserves of senior plavers to draw upon to fill the places of those men who prefer going to races to playing football. That much is admitted. But the principle, established years ago by the C.R.U., that football .matches should not be postponed because . some players wish to go. a-racing is reversed by the C.R.U.'s decision to postpone the games set down for last Saturday. That decision does not mean merely a suspension .of the union's, policy, for it admits that matches should be suspended because some of "the players intended to go to the races. Another argument put forward in fa'your of postponing the matches was that .' "a certain number of players have to be kept in training until September 25, •when -the return representative match with Wellington will be played. But that argument does not carry much weight when consideration is given to ' .the" programme for the remainder of the season. . - No Margin for Waste. From noAV until and including September 25 there will be six Saturdays. Next Saturday, has-been offered to the Temuka Club for a match with; the leading team in Christchurch. No reply has yet been received from the Te- ■*" muka Club, but if it accepts tliat date . tho final series of matches in the first grade competition will have to be played on August 28. September 11 and 25'' are already marked off for ■ matches between Canterbury and Wellington. , That will leave two vacant dates, September 4 and 18. It is prob : - able that Otago will send a team to> • Cjrristchurch to play a match in aid of Lancaster-Park Preservation Fund. If that match is set down for-September 18, September 4 should be devoted to a representative trial match. All the remaining Saturdays will thus be, oci eupied, and there will be no margin for postponements caused by bad weather or for a tic, in the competi- • tion. Even if the Temuka Club does not come to Christchurch the margin will not be much. Further, there is a gap of at least three weeks between the penultimate and final series of • first-grade competition matches, and . that is more prejudicial to the training ,of players than a gap of a fortnight. The argument based on the. necessity ©f keeping players fit is therefore an argument against the delay in finishing the competition matches. Another argument against the delay is that the competition, which has not keenly interested the general public at any time this season, has lost in interest because it is being drawn out too long. What slight grip there has been on the public interest has been relaxed too much. There is another point which the C.R.U. \ -Committee apparently did not think of. Tlie Bth Reinforcements will go into camp this week. So in studying the interests of clubs who were likely to be shorthanded last Saturday because of members being absent at the races the C.R.TJ. Committee has penalised the clubs which are furnishing men to the reinforcements. The committee thought of the races at Rieearton, but ' forgot about the country's defenders! Of course, the committee's mistaken ■action cannot be altered now. But so much space has been devoted to the -subject in the hope that this criticism will cause the C.R.U. Committee to give more consideration to such matters in .future. A Visit from Otago. In the "Otago Daily Times" of last Thursday, "Full Back" wrote as follows: —«'« There is a prospect that- an Otago team will be sent to Christchurch this season to play Canterbury, in aid of the funds to save Lancaster Park from the auctioneer's hammer. The , Canterbury Union has asked Otago for '. assistance,' suggesting that the University or the premier team bo sent to j 'Christchurch to play-in aid of the Lancaster Park funds. When the matter was discussed at the O.R.F.U. meeting on Monday night, membe.rs expressed sympathy with the sister province, but stated that Canterbury could not, be aware of the financial state of.the local union, o%ing to the Avar. Opinions were voicM that if Otago sent a team to Canterbury that province might in turn send a team to Dunedin to assist Otago. Eventually a subcommittee was appointed to go into the matter." A Brilliant Youngster! There are people in Otago who reckon that the southern province lias , a brilliant new star rising into the i Rugby firmament. '' An Otago Supporter," writing to +he president of tho' Otago Rugby Union, says:—-"If you are holding a trial match I beg to draw your attention to the play of Robertson, playing in the second grade for Taieri Rovers, and the most brilliant of the brilliant backs High School had last year. Most of us of the old school would have laughed to scorn the idea that the school could produce a higherclass three-quarter than Colin Gilray; but last year we had to admit that this boy was playing even better than Gilray did at the school, scoring 'either 57 or 59 tries for the school last season. At the match against Christ College last year in Christchurch, oue of the college supporters considered him then quite the equal of Fryer when that player was taken from his college team to play for Canterbury, and admitted that in fielding, kicking, and general defensive work he was superior to Fryer. He has about the same pace now _- as Fryer, and a. brilliant double swerve •on either foot, and has quite the foot-

ball pace of Black or Harris, and cor : tainly more defence than either. Most of us expected him to make the same dramatic enljry into football that Black and Gilray made, but from a-mistaken sense of patriotism he elected to stand by his district at Mosgiel. He was approached this season by practically every senior team in town. Last year the junior selectors gave him a place in their trials, but owing to the match for the New Zealand premiership of secondary schools on the Monday, against Christchurch High School,. he did not play. This year he has been playing centre and second five-eighths, and I'm sure if he were given a chance he would prove the most brilliants back between now and Barney Armit's time, and certainly, owing to the poor display of all our local backs, this year he would be well worth a chance."