RUGBY NOTES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13750, 12 September 1908, Page 7

RUGBY NOTES.

(By "Harpastum".)

TARANAKI "REP." FIXTURES.

DOMINION "REP." FIXTURES. September 12.— Wellington v. Taranaki, at Wellington, Auckland v. Otagb> at Auckland. . September 16. — Otago v. Taranaki, at ELawera. September 19.— Otago v. Wellington, at .Wellington.

Taranaki "meet Wellington at Wellington to-day, and Otago at Hawera on Wednesday. . It is stated that th 6 tour of the Australian team £oj. the-X T nited Kingdom will cost £9000. 5 A complete record of the matches played betweea the New Zealand and ."Australian representatives since the first game took place in. 1882 has been drafted by Mr, I. Hyams. Ninetynine matches have been played altogether, and of this total New Zealand has won 80, lost 17, and drawn 2. The points, scored by the New Zealanders to date total 1601, whilst the Australians have scored 507. Of the 99 games played, the compiler of the record has witnessed 45.. Details of the scores in the matches are : New Zealand: Tries scored^ 395; goals from tries, 147; goals from marks, 12; potted goals, 19; penalty goals, 17. Australia: Tries scored, 108; goals from tries, 34; goals from marks, 12; potted goals, 6 ; penalty goals. 18. The members of the Southland Bugby Union are looking askance at the effort to raise a cash testimonial for W.. J. Wallace. They admit that Wallace has done great things for Rugby in New Zealand and would gladly assist towards a testimonial were it otfcer than a cash one, but officially their hands are tied towards assisting in any monetary benefit. Now, if Wallace would only get a wife there would be no diffigufty in dodging round the difficulty m this matter (says the Southland Times). Greatness must be its own- reward uT thfe "amateur .footballer till he has the sense to get wed. Apropos of these remarks, there is a tendency for women. ±o. take up the sports of men, even football. And herein lies a problem for future .football legislators. If a lady amateur player marry a professional footballer will she forfeit her amateur status? If so, will it extend to the third and fourth generation? And should that be the case, by what mark shall ye know them? The Australian amateur Rugby team now on its way to England has adopted j the following war-cry: — "Gau, gau. John, Bull (or club or coun-j try) whir-r-r, - | Win-nang-a-lang-thu'r (pronounced nur). Mui-an-yal-ling, Bu-rang-a-lang-yan"g. Yai! Vail Gun yiblang yang. Yai!"

Definitions: Gau, i.c,, Hullo, or form of salutation, -whir-r-r: A sign of de-: fiance. Second line: You are great men. Third line: We \are glad to meet you. Fourth linear Come on, and may the big or better man win. Ccme I

The financial results of the tour of the British football team will not be available until the peturns with respect to the visit to Australia come to hand. It is understood, however, that the profits in connection with the various matches in the Dominion amounted to a sum sufficient to meet the cost of bringing out the team, and in addition covered their travelling arid hotel expenses in. New Zealand. The tares and expenses to and from England, those incurred in New Zealand, and the fares to Sydney amounted to about £3600. The profits in regard to the matches played in Australia are stated to have Jbeen much smaller than had been anticipated. It is probable that they will be sufficiently large to pay the extra expense of sending the team Home via Canada ■ and leave a small balance. The delegates to the annual meeting of tho New Zealand Rugby Union resolved that in the event of any profit accruing as a result of the tour as a whole it should bft distributed on a pro rat a scale among the various affiliated unions.

Wrirhig on tho subject of alleged veiled professionalism at Home, the Athletic News recently said: — "To put I the matter plainly, the commission which investigated the^ matter stands as a discredited body, ho far as its search into tho allegations of professionalism is concerned ; yet the whole matter has been sent back to it for further consideration. It is a sfcrange proceeding, and none could hold the commission open Ui blam» did it merely justify its original report. [k it to do expected, that it will commit a sort or hari-karf by upsetting its previous findings and showing that it might before have done better things? People will be surprised if it does. However, there is further work in store for the commission if it will only tackle it. Wo have heard of yet another player who it at present in New Zealand, who last year attached his name to a professional form for a

Northern Union club in the Manchester district. Has his case been inquired into? If so, why does ho continue to play in the colonies?" It is to be hoped that the delegates to the special meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union to consider the question, of improving the laws of the game will be bolder than the Management Committee of the Union and will give* their attention to at least one matter with Which the "rules of ilie game" are not directly concerned, via.. the question of payment for lost time. The Northern Union game, to judge from the reports that we get frequently now, is establishing itself both in the North and in the South. There it> in that evidence enough of the desire of players for the improvement of the game, but equally significant at least is the repeated statement that players are to receive payment for time lost ! on tour. If the New Zealand Union had tackled the whole question a year ago it is more than likely that the only '' professional " players in the Dominion to-day would have been those who were in the New Zealand team that recent returned from England. — Canterbury Times. In connection with the proposals of New Zealand and Australia for improving Rugby Union football, "The Cynio," 4>f the Sydney .Referee, turns over an interesting leaf in the book of football history.. In 1877 — 31 years ago — a general resolution was submitted to the Southern (now New South Wales) Rugby Union by Mr J. H. (now Sir Hector) Carruthers, of the Sydney University C|ub. His proposal was: 4 '(1) That" the whole of/the rules of the game as adopted by this Union, be repealed, with a view to the adoption of such other rules as will provide against the frequency of scrimmages and otherwise allow of more display of football proper; (2) That it be referred to 4t committee of the whole to draw up a' code of rules in pursuance of the object of the first resolution. 3*3 * The gauntlet was taken up by, Messrs It. A. Arnold, W. M, M. Arnold, and A. H, Savage, a "trio or!; Wallaroo Stalwarts, who deprecated any change fn fKe rules that wquld destroy the- nationality and spirit of the Rugby Union game. Mr Ca^ruihers^ (in reply 4 : stated that it was* not his intention to move in the formation of an Association to adopt Association rules in opposition to the Rugby Union, game; and that if his motion were defeated and members of the Union, decided to play the Union game fn it's integrity, he and the University Club intended to stick to the Union as they had always done. The motion was defeated by 16 votes to 9. The Australian Rugby League team which is now on its way Home will play matches as follows : —October 3rd, Mid. RhondtUt, Wales; October 7tb, Bradford; October 16th, Rochdale Branch; October 14th, York; October 17th, Salford; October 21st, Runcorn; October 24t11, Cumberland League; October 29th, Teigle; October 31st, Kingston Rovers; November 4th, Yorkshire County; November 7th, Dewsbury ; November;- 11th, Wales ; November 14th, Warrington ; November 18, Northern League; November 21st, Hunslet ; November 25th T Lancashire County; November 28th, Barron; December 2nd, Swinton; December sth, Halifax; December 12th, Test Match; December 16th, Tooherbert; December 19th, Hull; December 25th, Leeds; December 26th, Qldham: January 2nd, England; January 6th, Cumberland; January 7th, Wakefield Trinity; January 16th, Test Match; January 20th, Widnes; January 23rd, Welsh League; January 27th, Batley; January 30th, Wigan; February 3rd, Keighley; Fel> mSry^tfth, 'Brighton Rangers; February 13th, Test Match; February 17th St. Helens; February 20th, Huddersfield. Four other matches to be arranged. Tmis "the Sydney - Referee : — Apropos of the conferences of Mr G. H. Hamett "with representatives of the ISfew Zealand and Nt*w South Wales Rugby Unions on the^ subject of improving Rugb^ JEJnibn football, it is to be sincerely hoped that it will lead to something being done by the International Board. Rugby Union football as now played in this part of the world isf tolerably attractive, at times brilliantly attractive. But as there are enemies at the doors it behoves all in power who' desire to s<ee the game retain its universality, and increase its popularity with those who play as well as those *vbo Took on, to Rive heed tc the voices of the newer Rugby countries. We icolonials have now for thir-ty-seven yfars taken our Rugby law and its interpretations from Oid England, jusfc*as we take our cricket law (with very slight modification to suit our conditions climatic) from the M.C.C But if the International Board does not move a little in the directions desired by New Zealand and Australia, in the past, as in the present, the day may not be so far distant when colonial Rugby bodies will find it imperative to strike out "on their own" and make what may be deemed improvements in order to preserve the prestige and tho purity of the Rugby Unjon game in Australasia. Really but few changes are necessary to improve the game. In this country we are not hemmed in by traditions and by the feeling that seems to pervade English Rugby circles that any good feature in the Northern Union game must never bo copied. Th<> New Zealand Union recently threw out most of the best proposals for improving Rugger — which suggests that that body has lost some of its old-time democratic tendencies, and become conservative. Now, tho professional mov-emeni in Sydney would, ono feels sure, have qtiickly died out but for one. factor, which hardly anyone here counted on — not even the League itself. That factor is that a goodly-sized section of the public was rather "surprised by tho life and attractiveness of the new Hugby game. "If," said scores who aro keen supporters of Rugby Union control, "the Union would only take up this new game, or have tho luws altered in order to incorporate, some of the features of this game, the professional movement would bo hopelessly smother- j cd. That the old game, ran be improv-| ed everyone admits; but that most of tho improvements should be on the lines of the N.U. Kamo is not our i'iev.\"

v. Wanganui v. Britain v. Manartatu v. S. Canterbury, v. Wellington ... t. Auckland Points W. D. L. For. Agst. 1 0 0 10 3 10 0 5 0 1 0 0 20 0 10 0 3 0 1 0 0 15 0 oal 0 9 Total 5 0 X 53 • 12

RESULTS TO DATE.