FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13747, 9 September 1908, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

THE NORTHERN UNION GAME.

MATCH IN NEW PLYMOUTH

ARRANGED.

(By "Harpastuni.") As has been stated in the Herald already, a team to play under the rules of the Northern Rugby Union has been formed in Taranaki. Arrangements to piay a match in New Plymouth with a team from the Auckland Kugby League received a little set-back from the refusal of the Recreation Sports Ground committee to allow the match to be played on the Sports Ground, von account of the attitude taken up by the New Zealand Rugby Union, wnich hau lent a large sum ot money for the improvement of the ground. But the promoters of the- match determineu that it should be played, even in a "cow -paddock," in order to show the people of Taranaki- the advantages ot the Northern Union game. This morning Mr Horace J. Jones, manager oi the Auckland team, arrived in New Plymouth, and arrangements have now been made to play the match on Thursday, the 17th inst., on the Western Park, No. 2 ground, used by the Tukapa Club as a practice ground. The Auckland team will be that to play Wellington on Saturday. That the present English Rugby Union game is open to much improvement every intelligent follower, of.*football must admit. A system of Rugby that will suit both 'the player and the spectator is sadly needed in New Zealand. Whether the want will be filled by the Northern Union ganie or by the present English Rugby Union game in a modified f orm( for it will undoubtedly be improved ere long) remains to be seen. ' The players and the spectators of this 'district will have an opportunity of judging the merits of the Northern Union game next Thursday. An opportunity of judging the improved English Rugby Union game will come later. The principal objections to the present English Rugby, game, under the present Tttles are that it entails too much loss of time and money, that it gives too many opportunities for rough play, and that it ip ,not spectacular enough. The Northern Union game la not perfect, but it is free from all these objections. It is extremely spectacular, and opportunities for rough play are wry few and- far between. Some people have held a tentative opinion that it is too spectacular, that it is too fast for the ordinary player, who cannot devote 'very much time for training. But this drawback can be rentedied by playing matches in more than two spells, as has been done' in Sydney recently. Furthermore, this drawback, if it be such, brings another advantage in its train. The man who plays the Northern Union game must "keep fit." j There can be no "training on b^er." In the people of New Zealand the chief objection to the Northern" Union rules is that concerning the .payment of players. New Zealanders will not take kindly to the man who derives his liv-| ing solely from football, npr to the one who is paid for playing football on hisi weekly half -holiday. The game is but j a recreation, and no recreation should become a business. But a man is perfectly justified in securing himself j against losing, money on his recreation, j There can be no valid objection to .v. v a player being paid his actual out-of-pocket expenses and, being reimbursed for time lost while on tour, providing this is not abused. „ . Therefore, if the Northern Union game" is to be popularised in New Zealand its promoters must make provision that will keep it free from such abuses. It must be entirely free from professionalism. AM in this cconnerc r tion it cannot rightly he said that there is yet straight-put professionalism in New Zealand football. ■ Many of the men joining the JTorthern Union ranks are as pure amateurs as any to be found playing the English Rugby game. Another thing the promoters must see to is the exolusion of undesirables from the Northern Union ranks. To a certain" extent Jthe game itself excludes undesirable characters, from it It is, as I have said before, too fast for the drunkard, and it gives very little chance for the brutal player to indulge his brutal propensities. Safeguards of the nature I have indicated will probably be brought into existence before long. When the Northern Union team from Auckland is in Wellington a conference, ,at which delegates from other centres will pjrobably be present, will be' held for the formation of a New Zealand Rugby League, to control the Northern Union game throughout the Dominion. A "platform" will be formulated. It is extremely probable that the League will establish the game on an amateur basis, with payment ot, out-of-pocket expenses. The question of keeping the. ranks of the players free from undesirables will also be considered. Another subject of discussion will be the establishment of a sound accident insurance fund. While accidents are few in the game, *some may happen occasionally, and sound provision will be made to meet such cases. The fact that accidents are so few will, of course, put the fund on a stronger basis. When the New Zealand League is formed, leagues in the centres, corresponding to the present provincial Rugby Unions^, will be established. The profits, if. any, from the Welling* ton and Taranaki matches will be used* as a fund for- this , purpose. Special attention is to be given to propagating the game in the colleges, from which we draw to many of our best players. From the colleges we would draw many more fine players, were it not that they naturally objeefc to a game which exposes them, to the violence of brawny labourers who reck little of injuring others and who are so hard that they are able to bump heavily other and lighter players without being injured themselves.

The football season of 1909 will undoubtedly be a momentous one for the game in New Zealand. We shall see a battle between two different styles of excellent Rugby. Let the better game win! After penning the above remarks I took up last week's number of the Sydney Referee, and, ouriously enough, immediately came across the following remarks regarding the competition between Rugby and Australian football in Melbourne. They are most applicable to the present case : — " Football is a game— or it should be a game — and should therefore be free from jealousies and bickerings," says the Referee. "It is useless for fanatical supporters of one game to blacken the game of the other fellow. ' Live and let live ' is a good motto. It is a case of the survival of the fittest."