FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144086, 3 May 1913, Page 8

FOOTBALL.

(By “Goal Post.”) Thursday will see the commencement of ■ the cup competitions in Taraiiaki. 1 There will be no seiner, match in New I Plymouth, 'lukapa .journeying to AVai- | tai-a to play Olirtoh. Twix first; junior I games- will be played here, ’Clifton j meeting Tuka-pa and Inglewood play-' I ing Star. j tn the Saturday division Star (are ) down to meet Fitzroy, but-as it is still j doubtful if the latter team will; he i playing this season it is questionable yet iv aho match will eventuate. ■ The Taranaki , representatives have plenty of games to look forward to this season. Besides the certainty of blips to Wellington, Auckland and Wanganui; there will bo return games against all. those unions, as well as the game against New Smith Wales. Reports. from Wellington state that “Freddy” Roberts hafc definitely ,de--1 tided to retire. Ho has, however, been j 'appointed club captain to the Oriental i'Club, .with Al'Ueod as captain of the 1 seniors. i At a meeting of the management | committee of the * Wellington Rugby ■ Union on .Wednesday night it was de- ( tided; in response to an invitation from ■ the Taranaki Union, to send a team to j Hawcra on Juno 25 next, the date of .the Hawera Winter Shew. A practice of the Technical College Senior Cadet Foothal ICJnb will he held on the Sports Ground bn Monday night at 7 o’clock. All players are requested to attend. The New South AVales Union has taken on a very extensive, programme, and .according to tho Referee will he the guests and hosts of . all Rugby nations this year. ' Tho New -South AVales and Metropolitan Rugby Unions officials arc looking forward-to the coming season .optimistically (says the Referee). Not so long ago these bodies held undisputed sway in the Rugby of this State,' and despite the fact that opposition Rugby is more spectacular, the older game held its own. against the newcomer until the latter acquired, by the aid of tho money-bags, the services of ■ tho ablest of the union players at the, close of 1809. The public followed tho stars, and - the more tlie aforesaid-' stars trrinklcd in the now game the more the crowds admired them, while the union played, to diminishing attendances. The shock was severe, but the old body, if shorn o-f the glamour that comes from immense crowds, emerged with what it deems success from the test. The continuity of the inter-States games with Queensland has been preserved unbroken. American, New Zealand, and Maori combinations have visited Australia. And an Australian team has toured America during the three years since tho famous “AA’allaby” debacle. It will be seen that those who, preferred to -remain loyal to the union have not been denied opportunities of testing their skill at the universal game with that, of sides representing other parts of tho English-speaking world. .“What are tho prospects for 1913?” Air. AV. AV. Hill, secretary of tbe New South AVales and Metropolitan Rugby* Unions, was asked. “The outlook is extremely bright,” ho replied. “AA'e have arranged for a visit from a Maori side chosen by Air. AV. T. Parata, who ivas hero in 191.0, and made himself Very popular, and headed a very popular team. They will come across in j June, and two months later an Austra- i lian combination will tour the Dominion. Onr own tourists will be under

the control of the Now South Wales flughy.Uiuoji, and wilTbe chosen by a selector from that body, one from the Queensland llugby Union, and a third to be mutually agreed upon by the two unions. The team will play nine matches, including three test matches. We are now considering the international programme of the : next few yoars,” added Mr. Hill. “Amongst the teams is a possible visit of a team to America for the opening of the Panama Canal in 1915. A New Zealand team will be with us next year, and during the -following season a British team will probably visit Australia and New Zealand, at the joint invitations of the controlling bodies in the Commonwealth and the Dominion. The South Africans will also receive a similar invitation to be our guests in 1916. The International Board will probably invite Now Zealand to visit Great Britain and Prance in 1911-15, ! and Australia should be similarly honoured soon afterwards.” The public and players'will thus be well catered for during the. next few years by the llugby Union authorities. “We are also endeavouring to secure better representation in the governing body of the game by urging the establishment of an Imperial llugby Council on winch England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Prance, New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, South Africa, British Columbia, and California would have equal'representation. This body would deal .with international tours, avid its existence would make for uniformity in all matters.” Bon Quilliam, captain of the Victoria College team at Wellington, this season, is playing brilliantly, and his pday in tho first match of the season called forth 1 from tho Dominion enthusiastic encomiums. What has happened to College? asks their- , football -scribe. Some of tho surprised jjeople will want to know. They have simply acquired four or five young players who have been taught the game thoroughly,, and who understand condition. In tho team as it was in the match, one man stood head and shoulders above all the rest in merit. His name was Quilliam, a wing-forward, and captain of the side. His own play was good, but it was his driving of his forward pack that was redlly good. Ho is a tireless worker himself, and somehow he keeps the-others working. The Green forwards had tho Petone pack in troublepractically all the time.