PROFESSIONAL RUGBY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13672, 10 April 1908, Page 5

PROFESSIONAL RUGBY.

NEW ZEALANDERS AT SYDNjpy. By Electric Telegraph— Copyright. SYDNEY, April 9., The members of the .New fpot^all tdam arrived in good health. The New South Wales League? welcomed the teaih.. The players were not inclined to talk of the financial aspect* or :of certain, incidents whidb kad hap-: pelted during *he <*our. They had a fine trip i and weee most h|spitably treated. Generally, things w^nt well in England. ' > . y . ' Johnston thought he had never seen or played football till he pliyed the Northern Union gome. It 'wa| largely built upon giving spectacular;^dißpJay« at ajl times,, and th<s game wite neoeesarily so open, and' fast that; it, wa« attractive, at all stages. The greatest difficulty the; New Zealanders experienced was not in learning the newjbjxt forgetting the old rules. It was Bard at . the outset to grasp the opposing tactics. The, games were all exceedingly fast. .:The back divisions- at Home! occasionally gave glimpses, of phenomenal form. - Some of the most impbrtani^ajm.e% 4 w,«se played ojx sloppy and dirty grounds.' On the whole tne 1 playing'iiareas were rather rough. .-* Johnston understands that the idea of the New South Wales? League? is to play ten matches against New Zealand, including three at Sydney, three at Newcastle, and three at Brisbane. The team maintained exercise during the>, voyage and are- now in their beat form ana able to do themselves justice.