FOOTBALL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11730, 4 December 1905, Page 5

FOOTBALL.

ENGLAND v. NEW ZEALAND.

A HUGE ATTENDANCE.

MAORILANDERS VICTORIOUS BY \5

POINTS TO NIL.

McGregor plays, brilliantly. Received December 3, 4.18 p.m. LONDON, December 2. Favoured with fine weather, the test match, Eagland v. New Zealand, established a record attendance for- Rugby football in England. The enormous crowd was estimated at quite 80.000. The ground from previous rain was terribly heavy, and its condition told ..palpably on the players, inasmuch as towards the end of the gamo many of the-.- contestants -were lagging-. The greatest care liad been taken in the selection of the team to do battle for the Old Country, with tho result that a fine team was got together, which included seven old international players. V. H. Cartwright . captained the Home team, and associated ' with him were Godfrey and A. C. Hind (Leicester) and Shewring (Somerset). The Home team played fivo threequarters. J. E. Raphael, of Oxford, was a rover. Gallagher (Auckland) and McGregor (Wellington) replaced Mynott (Taranaki) and Smith (Auckland), the latter having injured his shoulder in the Munster match. Newton (Canterbury) took the place of Cunningham (Auckland) otherwise the team was the same as on last Saturday. "Reversing the tactics of the match against Ireland, the colonials took the initiative, and, opening with a hot attack, invaded the Homo country's 25, and the latter were hard at work defending their line. From scrums inside the Quarter, nag McGregor got possession and Tvhipped over the Hue, thus registering first blood , for the Maorilanders' within six minutes ' of tire start of the game. Wallace (Wellington) had the shot at*' goal, but ' the ball went wide. On resuming, the New Zealanders followed' up their advantage with renewed vigour, and continued to press tho nome team, keeping them penned down. Various' efforts to cross the line were fruitless until about ten minutes, later than /the fir^t SfiQre,, wh,e.n McGregor again got" tliroiigh, but Wallace failed to add the major points. New Zeala,n.<l 6, Eng-laii<l O. When in play agaia., JiJngiand showed a stubborn -defence-, - and successfully checked "further scoring until just before the end of the spell," when McGregor was once more in evidence, and placed a third try to his credit. The ball was placed for Wallace, but the score was nob increased, and the spell ended: — New Zealand , 9 England 0 • McGregor was playing m rare style, and his brilliant dashes for the line"" elicited cheers from' the immense crowd. The opening of the second half was a repetition of the first, tho visitors still being on the offensive, and for a quarter of an hour England was sorely pressed, though the colonials were unable to break through the defence. Eventually the Home forwards took a hand in the game, and by a fine rush the scene of play was removed into New Zealand's territory, where it remained for some time. Then ensued give and take play, followed by a determined rush of the New Zealanders down to the English quarters, and at tho end of half an hour's play McDonald (Otago) registered a fourth try for hie colony. Wallace's star was again not in the ascendant, and no further points were added as the result of 'his shot j at goal. Score — New Zealand 12, Efagland 0. In quick succession. McGregor added still another try to his credit, and this time the ball was placed for GiH-ett (Canterbury), but his effort was' attended "by '-no better success than those af- Wallace. In . the last few minutes tho Britishers rallied somewhat, and made a desperate effort to score, Pressing hard, they rushed the ball over the New Zealanders' line, where the colonials kicked it into the dead area. The game ended:— • New Zealand 15 Bngland ;, o