FOOTBALL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13685, 29 August 1908, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

TOUCELINE TOPICS. (By C.E.H.I , - The British team play their second match against Queensland to-day* at Brisbane. The final game of the toiir takes place on Wednesday, also against. Queensland. Representative matches to be played today are Canterbury v. Wellington; Utago v. * Southland, at JDunedin. The annual match between the Maris* Schools of Christchurch and Timaru will be plared here next Saturday. The holders of 'the Kanfurly Shield are called' upon to defend the trophy to-day, Taranaki' being the . latest aspirants to the championship. The Aucklamders all along have looked upon the men. from the butter province as more dangerous than Wellington, and a. hard fight ehoulc? result, but form points to the shield remaining in Auckland. The final game of the president's trophy competition will be played on Thursday, at the Caledonian Ground', between Celtic and Zingari. The junior match Zingari v. Temuka will take place at Victoriai Park, and thould Zingari escape defeat they will place the result of the competition beyond doubt. A win for Temuka, will mate a deciding game necessary-

At the Ashburton Eeven-a.-side tournament on Thursday Temuka ,and Celtic were each represented in the junior and third! grades, but .none of the teams got further than the semi-finals. . The senior competition was won by Old Boys (Christchurch) from Merivale. Merivale defeated Ashburton Old Boys in the third-grade ; and Lyttelton Piraite beat Springburn in the deciding game in the junior grade. When smarting under the sense of defeat after the third test match in Auckland!, one of the responsible members of the British team unburdened himself of some remarks on the pointing proclivities of colonial players. There is something approaching irony in th 6 comments of a leading Sydney journal on the first game j played by Harding's team in New Wales, in which, some hard things are said of the "pointing" of the Britishers. The result of the Wanganui-Wairarapa, game on Thursday is ' rather surprising. On form this season the former are 20 points a better side than the Wairarapa. team, and some explanation is necessary for a defeat of Wanganui by 16 to 3. It will probably be found that the trouble which .has been brewing at Wanganui for a. couple of months has culminated in a virtual strike of players, and that the team which was send to- MaHterton was a- -poor one. The Wanganui Union . has .had a deal! of• trouble'.this year with players who say they cannot get • leave—and l ' don'l, want;it. .....'. A Sydney paper which never loses ; a chance' to ascribe ' the -success 'of New Zealand teams to roughness did its, beist after each defeat .herd, of the. British team to create the impression that the visitors had been butchered! to make a New Zealand holiday. The earlier matches in Sydney probably opened' : the eyes of some people there .as to the 'alleged inab : lisy of the visitors to fake care of themselves, and after the : unedifying spectacle of last Saturday, it, will be realised that they are quite as forcible' as' the average New Zealand—or for that matter New Sou.h Welsh—ueam. An idea,, seems to be prevalent that a man who takes up the Northern Union game on an " amateur"" basis cannot be ruled, out by a Rugby Union, and that lie will be free to. return to., the old-game at, any time. Those holding this view should not, overlook the ■ fact that '. a player is liable to disqualification who takes part in a match with a disquilified' or suspended man, or who .plays' iii ainy game in which it is agreed that fewer than fifteen players take part. It should also be noted that the present amateur definition does not allow payment for lost time, which is • regarded a» one of . the s rong points of the new amateurism. ■' High School teams are generally, well versed in the rulu-s, but ignorance of one point lest one ol their sevens an ea«y tliot at goal in :, the tournament. "No charge',' had been ordered, and the kicker made-the mistake of handling the-ball -and placing it in -the hole -for: his kick. .. I saw the same -thing done, and allowed to pass, in an important game, this season, but the law provides that in event of the kicker touching ..the ball when it is on the ground, after a charge has been disallowed, a .scrummage must be ordered at the spot. from which the free kick is being taken. A similar offence when the kick is: from a try enta'ls the forfeiture of the attempt at goal, and a drop-out should follow. The Otago Union has set about convening a special meeting, of the 'New Zealand Union 'to consider alterations ' in the rules which are likely to popularise the "Rugby gaine. This activity is a direct result of the Northern Union movement, and it is almost certain that a serious attempt will be made to wean players and spectators from the new brand of football. At the' beginning, of the season I made several suggestions which I thought might be.useful rn making play faster,, but 1 believe a great deal more good would result if delegates turned their attention to the . administration of the present rules, than is likely to ensue ■from any tinkering with them. <: If the playing On the ground and lreld i ball rules were to .be carried out to the letter, the present-game would-be quite-as fast as any amateur player could desire," and a'few afternoons would convince some of those who'are clamouring for - a "faster game that ..more, attention . to training' would be necessary' than the average man is willing to bestow. - ■ The scven-a-side-tourney of the Schools' provided a good- day's- sport, and it was unfortunate that more adult footballers were not able to a'-U-nd. The; play was hardly so good as last year, the -Main School boys in - particular' fmnishing none of the'clever passing exhibited twelve months ago, but keeunws was never lacking, and very few of the games were uninteresting. High B were too strong for ;olher teams in the secondary grade, though a m ; xed- team from Marist gave' them a good run in the .final. Point nrade a- decent showing,' and possessed a better idea of the playing on the ground rule than any other competitor. - The primary' schools were classified into three sections, and three town schools each took one set of medals.- WaimataitaJ' created'- a surprise by their consistent display, and fully deserved their victory in the A grade. Their tussle with Marist in the final ran into eight spells, though half -' that - number should have sufficed, had either team- token ad-vantage-of a diagonal breeze when 3, force ■was sufficient to win. Each side battled, gamely, < and it should be. mentioned . tliatthree of the. losing team had • played" in twr> grades to enable their school to be represented in the secondary division. One. of the numerous Main teams was successful in the B grade, but a win for St. Patrick's (Waimale) would have been popular, on account of the pluck and self.leliance of the latter. For a side which appatently 'e ,self-coached they >-honed good football, and in McCarthy.and Lun--don have two boys with great, pace.: Marist- annexed the C grade medals, the strongest opposition ' coining from Main: The executive of the 'Schools' Association are to be congratulated on .the success of the gathering, and their work in es- : tablishing a nursery for football- deserves ! eveiy encouragement from the XJnion and from older clubs. , , Hamish Stuart; a prolific -writer ou> football, contributes .an article to the London "Daily Chronicle" on the differences between the English and colonial interpretations -of certain rules, his re-'> marks being based upon letters sent Homjs by members of the British team. The

first point is touched! upon « foUo*f_«n!w Zealand refereee award a ftto--ally aga.nsb the side guilty of a- forward ££ on the principle that &****£. take, the ball is off-side. In this «> totl £; bl cbti«6, tue whistle goes and a .crum , ia fbrnied. The New Zealand practice " unquestionably contrary ththe wfclten. law, unless a, side be deAerate. ly and habitually guilty of off-side passing in Ihe hope that a profitable • proporUon of such passes will escape the no tree of th referee. To inflict a. penalty, however, for a pass forward is contrary to ine law, and is assuredly opposed to our customary interpretation of the same Either Mr Stuart has misunderstood the position, or his informants have not madfl themselves acquainted with the custom' followed in New Zealand. New Zealand referees do nob award a penally on the principle that the man who takes the ball is off-side; they only do so "if the taker is in front of the ball when it is thrown forward," which is qui e a different thing, and is strictly in accordance with the written law that the Scottish journalist relies upon. Rule 7 provides ihat a player is placed off-side when the ball is being run with by one of his own .side behind him, and it is in such case only that a free-kick is legal. Other grievances of our late visitors do not meet with so much favour from Mr Stuart, who writes:—"Another New Zealand innovation is the practice of permitting suba'.Luies for players incapacitated during a match. Our men object, to this, yet wHhin a definite time limit (say ni.een minutes after the start) there is much to be said in favour of the New Zealand .practice. The case of Walter, injured in the flrst few minutes of .Scotland v. Ireland last year, is an instance in point." Another argument: which might ba advanced in favour of replacing injured men within the first few minutes is that the public are entitled to as even a. contest as possible for their money, and in the last game played in Auckland by the Britishers they did not get it. Harding .was injured in the .first few minutes, and spent the rest of the time propped up by rugs on the touch-line, and steadfastly refused to lighten the burden of his. mates by sending out another man. It is argued that ib- is more sportsmanlike to take the risk of having men disabled, but it might also be urged that it is not chivalrous lo detract from the merit of a win by playing only fourteen men. The ar-icle winds up as-follows ■: —"Complaints have often been made as to oilier New Zealand practices. Some of the alleged' offences —particularly the quick taking of penaltykicks—are virtues not faults, and they confirm the view that the -New Zealanders play to win." In his concluding sentence Mr Stuart has- placed his. finger upon ,one of- the weak spots of British Rugby. What he describes as. virtues were dubbed " points" by -the AngloWelshmen, . and it. is this. ultrarconservatism which is responsible for a great part of the agitation for reform of the game. It is. ridiculous to assert—-as .the.departed team die!—that it is "pointing" 'lo set the ball in-motion from, a penalty or to ■throw in .from, touch without waiting for the" sides •to • line out in orthodox' forma- ' tion' ;..' tlie result of such, restrictions would be to level all players 'in the .matter of. speed, and - to. foster other styles of football which are- claimed to be faster and more attractive... '.-....-

_ Tfya'-, match Geraldine .v. Pleasant! Point was played : , at Geraldine on Tlnirsdav', and after a rather. bition of the 'game, tihe. .home .team •suffered defeat- by 6 points to 3.