FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 14245, 25 June 1910, Page 8

FOOTBALL.

{By “Harpastum.”)

THE RUGBY GAME.

NEW ZEALANDERS IN AUSTRALIA. Saturday, June 25: v. Australia, at Sydney. MAORI TEAM’S TOUR. Saturday, Juno 25: American Universities team, at Sydney. Wednesday, Juno 29: v. Central Southern Union, at Goulburn. Saturday, July 2: Match in Melbourne to be arranged. AMERICAN UNIVEKSITIESfTOUR. Saturday, Juno ‘25: v*. The. Maoris. Wednesday, June 29: v. Hunter District, at Maitland. Wednesday, July 6; v. Central Western, at Orange. Saturday, July 16: v. Wellington, at Wellington. Wednesday, July 20; v. Otago, at Dunedin. Saturday, July 23; v. Canterbury, at Christchurch.. Saturday, July 30; v. Auckland, at Auckland. Wellington wish to play Taranaki at New Plymouth about the middle of August,' but the matter has pot yet been dealt with by the Taranaki Union. The English Rugby team that toured Argentina last month included a New Zealander, A. C. Palmer, the London Hospital and English international three-quarter. Stratford met their first reverse this season on Thursday, when they wore beaten by Clifton. The game, though a close one, was, on the whole in favour of the winners. Especially was this so in the second spell,_ when Stratford wore confined to their own quarters, and many times were very close to having scores registered against them. The absence of Cameron appeared to disorganise the Stratford backs, for seldom 'wore they scon in any concerted work. The fine passing bouts which characterises the backs’ play was ■wanting. -Bullet made his first appearance this year behind the Stratford scrum. He grafted well throughout the first spell, but in the second half received an injury which caused him to leave the field. Bonner and Dixon played solid games, but neither Burgess nor Tockor shone on the wings of the three-quarter line. The latter two—particularly Burgess—were too slow, and wore generally smothered before they could got under way. Of ths two sets of forwards who battled against each other it would bo invidious to say which was superior. Both worked hard throughout. Clifton, however, wore the fitter lot. and with the exception of Smith, Harkncss, and one or two others the Stratford vanguard showed signs of weariness. For Clifton, Crowley, Cain and Berndtsen may bo picked out as slightly above their colleagues. The passing of the Clifton backs was good, and there was not a blunderer amongst them. Only on a couple of occasions was Sampson’s reputation of safety in jeopardy. Goodwin, Tate and W. Lash were to the fore, Lash’s work being much neater than in the past. Although it was fast, the match on Thursday between Tukapa and Eltham was by no moans a good exposition of Rugby. Combined movements were few and far between, and many opportunities to score were lost by liecdlcssncss or ignorance of the finer points of the game. The match was not one worthy of much comment. The Eltham team had several good individual players, but there was no cohesion. The forwards had good physique and a fair amount of pace, but, except for one or two, they knew comparatively little of Rugby. 'Although the black and white pack almost invariably hooked the ball in the scrums they could do little with it. Many. free kicks, too, were, given against them for the ball being put into the scrums unfairly, it being put in with a lot of “screw” on it, so that it fell amongst the feet of the Eltham hookers. The Tukapa front-rankers h?d some free kicks given against them for lifting their feet in the scrums too quickly. Osborne was the best of ithe Eltham forwards. The worst was Charters, who, instead of grafting honestly, hung about seemingly to look for chances for illegal tactits. Early in ths game he indulged in a most glaring piece of foul play, which, , unfortunately, the referee did not 'appear to .see. Bursting through the ruck while the ball was still amongst the fornards, Charters seized G. Lovoridgc, the Tukapa half-back, and tried to throw him, and then, it seemed, to punch him. The marked difference in the physique of the two players, and the callous opponness with which the offence was committed, made the affailvery discreditable to Charters. Of the Eltham backs, Dive was the best. The others all worked well, but their combination was very poor. Among the blue-and-whitcs, Ward and M'Allum stood out, while Webster was much the best of the backs. G. Loveridge and Thomson were the next best. The more I see of Ward’s play, the more I would like to sec him in the representative fifteen. Fast, skilful, and heady, Ward is on the ball all the time, grafting like a Trojan, and always playing the ball instead of the man. In the tight ho works his hardest, and in the open is always hard to stop. In deciding that it has no objection to South Taranaki referees officiating at Eltham the Taranaki Referees’ Association has, I think, acted unwisely. The association seems to have looked only at the surface of the matter. It is Only natural and right that football clubs should seek to obtain tbo services of referees with as little expense as possible. But the clubs themselves arc often to blame when referees have to travel long distances to control matches, thus increasing the expenses of tho games. In tho case under review the Eltham Club should certainly shoulder tho responsibility for referees having to be Bent from this end of the division

to control matches at Eltham. What has tho Eltham Club or the Stratford Club done to increase tho membership of the Taranaki Referees’ Association? It should bo remembered that referees officiate for love of the game only, and get no remuneration of any kind. They devote a groat deal of _ time to the welfare of the game, and in return receive more abuse than thanks, instead of having to look for recruits to their ranks themselves the clubs should sco that sufficient referees are available, by prevailing upon old players of the right .stamp to take up refereeing. At present there arc no referees belonging to the Taranaki Association living further away from New Plymouth than Inglewood. If the Eltham and Stratford Clubs did their duty they would obtain men living in their districts to act as referees and so not only help the Referees’ Association and the game, but save expense to themselves. Clubs appear to forget that football cannot bo played without referees. And that is why I think that the Taranaki Referees’ Association would have been wiser to decline to allow referees belonging to another association to have officiated in their district, and so have forced the chibs at the other end of the district to do their duty. The arrangement that the Eltham Club has brought about is not likely to be satisfactory for long, for the South Taranaki Referees’ Association has not a large membership, .and so may not be able to spare men to control matches in the northern division. Three weeks ago I dwelt, in these columns, upon the deterioration of Rugby in New Zealand. Since my remarks appeared other references to the low standard of Rugby have appeared in some of the city papers. With one exception those papers deplore the decadence of tho game in the Dominion. Tho exception was the Wellington Rost, in which a remark was made that the strength of the Now Zetland team now in Australia showed tf-j t no fears for the quality of our gt-Ve may be entertained. This is a fnlV.cy. As I remarked in my comments on tho Wa-nganui-Taraiiaki match, it often happens that a good fifteen may bo selected in a centre where .the game is really very poor. The strength of a chain cannot be judged by the strongest link in it, nor can fifteen or twenty men ho taken as really representing the quality of thousands of players. However, I give tho following paragraph, taken from “Full-Back’s” columns in the Otago Daily Times, as typical of what ■is being discovered of the present state of tho game; “If tho standard of local football is to bo gauged by the exhibition given by tho Alhambra and Southern teams at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday last, wo are in a bad way indeed. In any case it is time to set our bouse in order. The big match revealed nearly all the weakness of Rugby with scarce a glimpse of tho distinguished points of a game which wo are pleased to call ‘ National.’ It revealed, too—and this is a phase which calls for special attention innumerable pettinesses which marred tho spirit of the play. It invariably happens when two leading teams meet that instead of a brigjit, open game, pervaded by a fine sporting spirit, wo are treated to an exhibition of dull, stolid football, remarkable more for its ‘keenness’ than for any other characteristic save that of a general stodgincss over tho whole. That tho game was hard fought one cannot deny. As a fact, it would probably have been a hotter game from a football point of view had it not been so bitterly fought. It was this bitterness which introduced the unwelcome touches of questionable tactics—not glaring instances of rough play so much as tho petty, spitolul tricks that were indulged in. As football it was of the first primer standard, sans tlie little touches of originality one sometimes has tho pleasure of noting in school matches'. The back play generally was hopeless, while the forward tactics were more rcuforkable for vigour than for organised method. As a battle of bad style the recent match may servo a purpose, but I am at a loss to know what it is.” Tho various Rugby Unions could do much to improve tlte game by grasping tho nettle of foul play firmly, and cleaning tho game of objectionable tactics. Unfortunately, some of the Rugby Unions have queer ideas of their duties. On Thursday evening tho New .Zealand Rugby Union altered a disqualification imposed by the Wellington Rugby Union from “four playing days” to two years, and added that it Considered the V/.lliU.’s decision in the case an extraordinary ono. 'So long as tho provincial Rugby unions are as weak-kneed as the AV.R.U. proved itself to be in this matter so long will Rugby in this country be of a poor standard. In commenting on the Wellington Rugby Unions’ methods of dealing 1 with the case the New Zealand Tiihos of last Saturday said;— * '-The management committee of tho Wellington llugby Union excelled itself at its meeting on Wednesday evening. As ono of tho premier unions of the Dominion it hold itself up to ridicule and censure by imposing a sentence of ‘four playing days’ suspension on a player who stunned another after a recent senior match. The inquiry held by the union was a most inadean ate ono. It took no steps to call evidence on its own account, leaving that to tho interested players, with most unsatisfactory results. Another had feature of the case was that some members of the committee seemed to take up tbo attitude they did from information received privately, and which they did not divulge. Tho whole thing was farcical from beginning to end, and never more so than when tho period of suspension was being fixed. Ono member wanted a caution administered, another wanted tho player suspended for a week, while others wanted him suspended for periods ranging up to six weeks. The committee was so divided that fully half a dozen motions and amendments wore moved without the slightest sign of finality being reached. 'The situation became so absurd that tho chairman (Mr. S. Brown) had eventually to adopt a strong attitude to bring tho discordant elements together. He did ,<o by moving that ‘the player bo suspended until tho end of the first round.’ This sounded very nice, and was passed without protest, though it only meant tho suspension of the playor for four Saturdays. When the management committee has to throw dust in tho eyes of itself and the public in order to administer ‘justice,’ then it is time they gave way to someone else. Tho sentence will stand as a monument of mistaken generosity and a startling misconception of the fitness of things. Mr. P. Peters, in resigning as tho outcome of tho decision, took a lino of action which must receive tho .recommendation of those who have tho welfare of the game at heart.”