FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 143586, 26 August 1911, Page 8

FOOTBALL.

THE RUGBY GAME.

(By “Harpastum.”)

THE SEASON’S REP. FIXTURES.' August 26.—Taranaki v. Wellington, at "Wellington; Wanganui v. Canterbury, at Christchurch. August 30. —Taranaki v. Southland, at Invercargill. September 2.—Taranaki v. Otago, at Dunedin ; Auckland v. Canterbury, at Christchurch. . September 6.—Taranaki v. West Coast, at Greymouth; Auckland v. Otago, at Dunedin, , September 9.—Auckland v. Wellington, at Wellington; Taranaki v. Canterbury, at Christchurch. September 14.—Auckland v. Taranaki, at New Plymouth; Canterbury v. South Canterbury, at Tiraaru. September IC.-—Canterbury v. Otago, at Dunedin; Auckland v. Poverty Bay, at Auckland. September 20.—Canterbury v. Southland, at Invercargill. September ,23.—'Wellington v. Canterbury,, at Christchurch; Southland v. Otago, at Dunedin. September 27.—Wellington v. Southland, at *lnvcrcargill. September 30—Wellington v. Otago, at Dunedin. October , 7.—North v. South Island match, at Wellington.

The Maori team is playing Otago this afternoon. The Mnnawatu Rugby Unjon has decided to adopt the district system next year.

Tamu, the big Native forward, was unable ,to join the touring rep. team, owing to family matters.

Of the members of the . South Auckland team which unsuccssfully tried to wrest the Rc.nfurly Shield from Auckland on 'Wednesday, thirteen were from the Goldfields’ Sub-Union, and the other two from the King Country. A coincidence is that this year’s match between the 'Wellington and Taranaki. representative teams is being played on almost the same date as last year’s. Last year’s match was played on August 20, this year's on August 26. 1 ' The list of members of tlie Auckland touring team, telegraphed from Auckland contained nineteen names. The northern papers show, that, there are twenty men in the party. Stewart’s name was missed from the telegraphed list of three-quarters. Reading between the lines of the comments on the North and. South Island country teams’ performances in Wellington, I judge that the countrymen gave such poor displays of football because they fej,t that the eyes of the selectors of the Now Zealand rep. teams were upon them. They i appear to have sacrificed combination to individuality, and in their efforts to show their individual calibre to have spoilt their play altogether. They certainly did not show anything liko the form shown in their matches before they got to Wellington. Tho principal Rugby unions in the South Island arc being called upon to meet'll largo number of invaders this season. Tho ball was opened by the South Island Country Team, which was followed by tho Wanganui representatives. The. Maoris are now in the South Island. Tlie Taranaki men are on their way to the South, and they will be followed in a. few days by the Auckland representatives. After the Canterbury team has visited South Canterbury, Otago, and Southland, the Wellington men will tour as far as In vercargill. The Canterbury “reps.” heat the Maori touring team by 26 points to nil, at Christchurch Inst Saturday, hut the Press Association failed to acquaint New Plymouth with tlie fact. The weather was perfect, ■ and the ground in splendid order for fast football. The Maoris had the reputation of playing bright, op-'n football, and as this wa; the game that would suit Canterbury, it was confident ly expected that a match well worth seeing would result. Expectations were not. however, real ised, for the Maoris failed to show anything like decent form, and Canterbury won easily (says the Lyttelton Times). The first, spell saw the best play, the Canterbury team playing very well both back and forward. In the second spell, however, the work of tlie Canterbury backs became very nigged and combination was conspicuous by its absence. The three-quarter line’s chances were not many, mid file two trier, gained by Canterbury in the second sped were not resultant upon passing rushes amour the hacks. Canterbury scored six trios, of which four were converted. Four of the triers were scored by forwards, another came from tricky work by two forwards, ami the other was scored In a hack from a forward rush.

In view of the Otago-Tarannki match noxt Saturday, the following remarks by a Dunedin writer, on the WanganiiiOtago match, are of particular interest; —"Otago opened out the play with tho backs, who wore a vastly improved lot on the division which mo,t the South Island country team a fortnight ago. Wanganui wore showing poor defence, and it looked to ho easily Otago's game. Tlie local hacks appeared to score when they pleased in tlie first spell, hut on changing ever for tlie second half tlie Wanganui forwards played with rare dash, and broke down tho Otago pack, which, when it mot with sterner opposition. crumbled badly. The Otago hacks had much of tho defence work tn do in this spell, and Eekhold was in his element, repeatedly saving Otago by line-kicking. As a guide to form for the stiff matches ahead against Canterbury, Wellington, Auckland and Taranaki, the latest match again shows up tho.

weakness of Otago's forwards in all its nakedness. Half-way through thp second spell the local forwards were almost completely disorganised and thrown off their game by the dash of the opposition. More changes arc required to strengthen the pack, which included too many third-class passengers. ” The meeting of the St. .Tames and Oriental teams in Wellington last Saturday attracted a groat deal of attention outside the city as well as in it, as the teams were together at the. head of the championship list. In describingl the match The Dominion says:— “After the first onslaught hy St. James the Oriental forwards set ,1 cracking puce, and for a time it looked as though they were going to run their opponents off their legs. ,St James asserted themselves gradually, and when they settled down to solid business, it didnot look as though Oriental had a winning chance, despite their excellent defence and the solid vanguard. When

the first spell ended the tally was: St. James 6, Oriental 0, and it looked as though the second term could only add ■to the discomfort of the Oriental men. who seemed to have lost the dash which characterised their opening efforts. As soon as the second spell began, however, Oriental showed that they were far from done with. They came with a rattle which shook the St James defence, repeated the dose time and again, and some of their forward rusher literally overwhelmed the opposition. One try came, then another equalised the scores, and finally Oriental secured a third try, and with it a three-point lead, which they held to the end. It was fast, vigorous football the, whole way, and St. James fought like Trojan.' to maintain their place at the head of the championship list, but it was not to bo, and in the end they wore honestly beaten by a better all-round .team. t . .’ , The final fop the championship will now have to he fought out between Oriental and Athletic. If the latter win against Oriental they will gain the champioiishipby one point ” Thus writes “Full-Back” in the Otago Daily Times; —“The suspension of A, Al’Donald, captain of the Otago representative team, and the well-known All Black, to the end of the season 191" has raised a storm of indignation yu the injustice of the Otago Rugby Union’s sentence. Just how the local union reasoned the matter out, and after reasoning arrived at euch an astounding decision, passes comprehension. As a court of inquiry the union has hut furnished another proof of its inability to realise a just proportion of things and of- its failure to realise a true sense of values. In its efforts to purify the game the union has frequently allowed its judgment to run riot, but surely no wilder riot than this. Leaving all the curious circumstance;/ of the M’Donald case out of the question, and its irregularity of procedure, the nunishment is out of all proportion to the offence.”

The press reports of the meeting at which M’Donald’s suspension was decided upon show enneh'-i-' 1 ” + )-- J force, who happened to le “Jimmy” Duncan, failed'in his duty. The charge against M’Donald was tnat Curing Vj.. match between the South Island Country team and Otago, M'Donald made use. of a certain expression to tho referee. ■ But Dnucan neither ordered M’Donald off the Hold nor reported the matter to the Otago Rugby Union in the proper way. instead, he casually mentioned tho matter one evening to the chairman of the union’s management committee. Tlie cause of the trouble is shown by the following extract from a report of the O.R.A. meeting':—Mr. Duncan said that a scrum was formed, and he penalised M’Donald for obstructing an opponent. He told him that he must not obstruct, that he must get behind the hall. M’Donald said, ‘I suppose 1 have to get out of the way and lot him pass.’ He then used a certain expression to him. He (the weaker) told him that if he talked to him liko that he would send him off. M’Donald: If Mr. Duncan thought it was used why didn’t he caution me? Tlio Chairman: Tho point is that he says you used the expression to him, and the committee want to know if you used it. M’Donald: Don’t you think if I used an oxpresion .like that lie would have cautioned me? Tlie Chairman; The point is that ho reported that you used such an expression, and wo, as a committee, felt it our duty to have you here to see whether you used sucli an expression. M'Donald; Does lie really think 1 used the expres-, ion? The Chairman: Ho soys you did. .Vi'Donald: I may have used an expression. 1 said something to him.” Further questioned, M’Donald neither admitted nor denied that he used the expression imputed to him. It was elicited that there was a grudge between Duncan and M‘Donald outside of football, but tlio latter said he did not think it should be mentioned in football mutters. Two members of the D.R.U. committee are senior referees olio both condemned the way in which Duncan had dealt with the matter, further light <m the comparatively trivial nature of the offence is shown ay another extract from the report ;i the nceting. “Tiic Chairman: I don’t think Mr. Duncan had any idea alien he spoke to me that it was coming before the committee. Mr. Cavanagh; Supposing Mr. Duncan had not mentioned the matter to the president, a-u,s Mr, Duncan going to report it to the committee? Mr. Duncan: No, that •lid not strike me. 1 told M’Donald if he spoke to me again I would put him off, Mr. Harris: You don’t say vou were justified in cautioning him or >iderin.{ him off? Mr. Duncan: It is ne of those things you have to do on the spur of the moment. By speaking to him I thought I hud done a lot of good to him. Mr. Wilson: If M'Donald had used the expres.,ion in a chib game, vonld you liavc ordered him off? Mr. Duncan; I don't think I would. ’’ The motion that M’Donald ho suspended until tlie end of 1912 was carried by 7 votes to C.

it will thus be seen that “FullBack's” remarks are quite justified. The question,, however, will ho reopened, as notice of motion to rescind the O.R.l'.’s resolution has been Riven. The matter will he considoied by the uiiion on Monday night. Jf this move fails, Jf'Dcmnkl’s club (Kaikorni) will appeal to the New Zealand Rugby Union. The light in which the Otago Referees’ Association views the incident is shown by the following paragraph from last Tuesday’s Otago Dady Times:—“lt is said that at a mcMing of the executive of the Referees’ Association, hold on Monday night, very strong expressions of disapproval were passed on the procedure of the referee In the Otago Minor Unions’ mutch, which ultimately led to the disqualification by the Otago Rugby Union of A. M‘Donald, the well-known All-Black player. As a result of tho manner in which such disqualification was brought about we, understand that the referee in question lias been asked to resign from the Referees’ Association.” The following comments, by “Quidnunc,” of the Canterbury Times, on the Canterbnry-Jlaoris match may give some indication of Taranaki’s chances against tho Canterbury men:—“The Canterbury forwards are deserving of a prize paragraph all to themselves for their dash and combination. They lived up to the reputation earned by some of onr best interprovinei.il teams, and tho writer will be surprised if they cannot hold their own with any opposition they are likely to meet in their numerous matches of this season. In the scrums they packed splendidly and had no difficulty in holding up a team that, from appearances in weight, should have annihilated them. Tho hookers got the hall whenever they liked, and it came out so fast at times

that the half was taken often unawares. Tlie loose work was good, though not so convincing as that shown by some of the club trams during the season. The tackling was clean and decisive, while- their following up, in the case of the majority, was distinctly above the average. They started with headlong precipitancy, as if eager to make their position unassailable before half tlie first spell was completed, and the score showed the measure of success that attended their vigorous efforts. In the second spoil they took matters more quietly, and can, perhaps, he forgiven in view of the commanding lead they held. The play of the backs is open to more criticism. There were numerous patches of first-class individual play, hut the fundamental weakness is to he found in the fact that there were six individual scoring backs ■nd not a side of six hacks who were likely to score from mutual assistance and concerted action. The selectors took a big risk when they moved Burns from his place behind tlie scrum to play him in the five-eighths group. He and Gray have made the Albion team this year, and the rearrangement of the nlaecs they have become accustomed to did not work satisfactorily. The selectors have recognised this weakness, for in next Saturday’s match Burns is hack in his old place behind the scrum. It must not he inferred that there was .my really had play by the Canterbury rearguard, but tlie fault lay in tlie fact idiat their play was too much on the lines of ideal charity, inasmuch a.s one back never lot any other back know what he was doing.” To-day’s match is the nineteenth between the Wellington and Taranaki renresentotive fifteens. Wellington and Taranaki have each won eight of the eighteen played to date,, one has been drawn, and ono abandoned at half-time through bad weather.