BRITISH TEAM'S TOUR.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13726, 15 August 1908, Page 7

BRITISH TEAM'S TOUR.

REMAINING FIXTURES,

Aug. 15.— Metropolitan Union, at Sydney. Aug. 19. — Northern JJnion, at Newcastle. * Ang. 22.— New South Wales, at Sydney. Aug. 26. — Queensland, at Brisbane. Sept. 2. — Queensland, at Brisbane. DOMINION "REP." FIXTURES.

August 15. — Southland v. Canterbury, at Christchurch, Auckland v. .Wellington, at Auckland. August 19. — Southland v. Wanganui, at Wanganui. August 20. — Wellington v. Taranaki, at New Plymouth. August 22. — Auckland v. Thames, at Thames, Southland v. Mauawatu, at Palmerston, Wellington v. Wanganui, at Wanganui, Horowhenua v. Wellington B team, at Wellington. August 26. — Southland v. Wellington, at Wellington. j August 29. — Auckland v. Taranaki, at Auckland, Southland v. Otago, at Dunedin, Canterbury v. Wellington, at Wellington. September 5. — Otago v. Canterbury, at Christchurch. September 12. — Wellington v. Wairarapa, at Wellington, Auckland v. -Otago, at. Auckland. September 16. — Otago v. Taranaki, at Hawera. t Sepieraber 19. — Otago v. Wellington, at Wellington.

The senior competition in Christchurch has been dosed, having been won by the Albion Club. llbion again secure possession of the D.C L. Shield, of which, in 1906, the Club was the first winner.

W. J. C&nifffe, the Queensland forward who was included in the Australian team for England, is unable to make the journey. He has been replaced' by R. R. Craig, of the Balmam Club, Sydney. . The first-grade Rugby championship of Sydney foY 1908 has been won by Newton, by two points from University. In the final Newtown beat University by 17 points to nil, in a gale, through rain, and on a ground- covered with slush. O ver seven thousand people watched the came. The Newtown three-uuartej; fine included "General" Booth, the N.Z. "All Black."The Taranaki juniors had hard luck in being beaten by Wanganui by one point. They were greatly handicapped by the fact that at almost the last moment two of the players selected (R. Brown and C. Brown, of Waimate) notified the manager that they would be unable to play, and two more— Ta,u, wing three-quarter, of Patea, and VillersT forward, of Hawera— failed toappear or to give any notice of their absence. Two- junior players were fortunately "picked up"*on.,tJie journey to Wanganui, but naturally they were altogether oat of condition. Even "togs" had to be bough* for them at Wanganui. McCalhtraf, the Tukapa forward, had to be played wing threequartor, in which position he had never played before. The consequence was that there was a 4ecided lack of condition among the forwards. As it was, the Taranaki boys just lost the game by a hairs-breadth. On one occasion Koru made a magnificent run through the whole Watoganui team. He beat the full-back, and then, with a clear run-in befoye him, lost his balance and tell. The Taranaki juniors speak highly of the attentions and entertainment they received from the Wanganui Union. After the match they were entertained at an excellent dinner and then at a theatrical performance of a high order 1 of merit, and numberless little attentions were paid to them. The Taranaki Union might make a note of this. It is rumoured that more than one of the Anglo-Welsh team is likely to return to the Dominion after they complete their engagements in Australia (says the Auckland correspondent of the" Weekly Press). Dr. McEvedy will return to New Zealand, and probably practise his profession in Wellington. Jackelt has informed his Cornijsh friends in Auckland that he will .return to New Zealand, and if he can so arrange matters, will take up his residence in this country, in Auckland for preference. W. Morgan, the half-back, and J. L. .Williams, the Welsh International, have alao stated they would like to live in New Zealand. The latter is very much impressed with New Zealand rural life, and is inclined to settle on tho land her*. Arthur Harding, the skipper of tho team, is also coming back to the Dominion on the conclusion of the tour. He is greatly

interested in shearing, and ftis promised some friends down WJh^anui way to stay with them until w\ll into the summer months. Says the Sydney Referee . — Tie British" team closed their interesting and instructive tour in New Zealand. »vith an overwhelming defeat in the final test match; Tis team has unfortunately had a big share of The misfortunes inseparable from a touring campaign, but were it not so, the evid^ice of the test matches vividly shows JAll New Zealand to have been too powerful for them. That the British team would fail to eonqtier New Zealand was peierally expected, but that they \ro~u7d fail against each of the leading provincial teams we were not quite prepared for. Tiiey were beaten by Wellington, Otago, Canterbury, Taranaki, 'and Auckland, as well as twice by New Zealand, These are disappointing results, though they must be regarded more as a tribute to the skill of the New JZealanders than as a sign that the British team, is as weak as the English detractors have averred. In the test matches New Zealand scored 16 tries t0. 2, and w;ould doubtless have Ead an even bigger margin on their side if the second match had been played .under more congenial conditions. " v « ; The ' Rugby rough" has made his reappearance in the football arena, and cries for his obliteration have been raised far and near. Every referee and every spectator has a different idea of where the dividing line between hard play and rough j>lay begins, and no satisfactory guiding tule can be laid down. No man who plays Rugby expects to find it a parlour game or a sport in which the kid glove element abounds. He dons the jersey with the full knowledge that a hard knock must be taken when it comes along, and he will not sqiieal-jii-xough play »o long as the play is genuinely rough. j'lid not dirty or underhand. "What those in control of the sport, and referees in particular, should set their face against is tho dirty player whose tactics, although effective* in a hard game, are such as will, if given sufficient rope, strangle a stronger game than Rugby. What is urgently needed is an active campaign against the dirty player-,- and when a man who comes under this head is put off and the charge proved against mm, let the sentence be such that he will not have another opportunity of damaging, the name of a popular spprt.— "Aristobulus" in The Dominion. Commenting on the Australian team chosen to tour at Home, the Sydney Referee remarks: — "It is a strong combination, and will wortliily represent Australian Rugby Union football in the Qld Country. The measure of success to be gained depends largely on the team at once getting into and keeping in good condition. This team will play Rugby in its true spirit, and on that score the pin-pricks should be very few. The N.S.W. Union has vetoed a proposal to send a trainer Home with the team, the main argument against it being financial. The tour will cost about £8600, that is, nearly £3000 more than the New Zealand, and £2500 more than! the South African tour. One reason of the o^tra expense compared with the New Zealand team is that the team will travel first-class. Besides, the New Zealand Government paid the expenses of the team through America, and the IVb. Wales Rugby Union is paying those expenses itself. And agam, the party numbers thirty, whereas the New Zealanders numbered only . twenty-eight. In any case, a trainer may be easily secured in England. When the team arrives in England we Australians desire it. to give the best posbiblo expositions of Rugby in the best possible spirit against the weaker and the stronger teams alike. We want \he dons of the *ide to have just sufficient football as is good for them, and no more; therefore, we want the reserve players $o be of a type that, at present little below the very best in the party, may in the course of the tour develop in such a degree ttfat all will oe firstclass in ability, all thoroughly at home in the combination movements, all imbued with the one desire to lift Australian Rugby into a high place m fame, both with the football public and the critics on the one side, and those numerically smaller idealists who set sportsmanship higher than victory on the other side. . . An Examining Board sat enquiring into the bona fides of all chosen for the New South Wales and Queensland team to England. There has been so much professionalism in the air that the N.S.W. Rugby Union set itself to place beyond the region of doubt the reputation Of those, who were members of tho team for England, For that purpose a committee was appointed, and a close examination made In every case. It appears that one member of the twenty-nine did sign a League form, but did not play; nor did he, so the committee are satisfied , accept payment or do anything other than write his name, of a P;°^nal character. The Council of tho * .b. W . Rugby Union approved of his selection, in wnich case 1 they were naturally governed by a decision of the English Rugby Union. Not long ago the South African Rugby Football Board made fcpre^entatifus to the English . Rugby Union with regard to the* reinstatement of Northern Union players in South Africa. .The English Rugby Union, having regard to the i act that there were no professional cluns in South Africa, passed the following resolution:—" That the South African Rugby Football Board should have the ! right, without power of delegation, to ! reinstate Northern Union players who have fully satisfied the South African Rugby Board that they have not received any remuneration, direct or indirect, for services rendered to any professional union's clubs or ti-ams ; aiWys provided that the South African Board shall reserve* the right to cancel | such reinstatement at their poasure, : and that such reinstatement shall apply solely to football players while in South Africa and under the jurisdiction ot the South African Board." It hwius strange (says the Sydney Mail) that such reinstatement should apply solely to football players while in South African and under the jurisdiction oi the South African Board. Will tho question be raised when the Australian team get to England? Surely, it the English Union were prepared to allow tho reinstatement of those who had played without accepting remuneration those who had not played but had merely signed the form, aro all right. On Thursday a team of Inglowood boys journeyed to New Plymouth and played the Kin Oras. After a very evenly contested game Inglewood won by six points to nil. Hopkinson ami G. Nicholls scored tries.

Our Waitara correspondent writes that the voting on the proposal of the Borough Council to borrow £14,000 for water-supply and £1000 for drainage works took place ycHtrrday. Tho proposal \vi\H rarricd, the voting bf-ing as followR:- -For, 114; against, 81; informal, 6.