FOOTBALL

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 699, 30 July 1903, Page 10

FOOTBALL

(By

“Scrutator.”)

TOUR OF THE NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALLERS.

THE MATCH AGAINST THE WESTERN DISTRICTS.

The match played between the Western Districts of New South Wales and the New Zealand Football Team took place last week in beautifully fine weather. The game, however, proved altogether too onesided to be interesting, the visitors steadily piling up try after try, until when the whistle sounded the mammoth total of 47 points had been put together to 7 points by the Bathurst men. The New Zealanders were constantly on the attack all through, and it appears as if their opponents' back division must have been extremely weak, for the visitors seemed to secure tries when and where they liked. Wood was in fine form, and scored three tries, McGregor, Humphries, Stalker, Asher, Given and Long being responsible for one each. The feature of the match was the brilliant goal kicking by Wallace. From the nine tries he was successful on seven occasions in putting 'the leather over the bar, and also kicked two penalty goals. For the losers, Sproule scored a try, and Hives kicked a goal from a mark.

The Bathurst and Orange people have a good name for hospitality, and they seem to have given the New Zealanders what is generally known as a- “ real good time.”

RETURN MATCH AGAINST NEW SOUTH WALES.

The return football match between the New South Wales and New Zealand Rugby representatives was played on Saturday. The heavy rain which began overnight continued to pour down until the match started, rendering the ground very heavy, and it ia estimated that not more than nine thousand were present, among the number being the Governor of New South Wales. The condition of the ground was all against a good display of Rugby, the centre of the field being a sheet of water. O’Donnell was chosen captain of the local team, asd Wood acted in a similar capacity for the visitors. The teams lined out as follows :■ — New Zealand. —Fallback, Wallace ; threequarters, Asher, Stalker, and McGregor : five-eighths, Stead and Wood (captain) ; half, Kiernan ; forwards, Porteous (wing), Tyler. Gallaher, Fanning, Cooke, Long, McMinn, and Given. New South Wales.—Fullback, Maund ; three-quarters, White, Riley, Macnamara, and Oxenham; halves, Manning and Johnston; forwards, O’Donnell (captain), Larkin, Burden, Davis, Moir, R. Harris, Judd and Hirschberg. The New Zealanders kicked off against a light breeze, and a forward rush by their opponents brought play into New Zealand ground, but it was quickly centered. Wood headed a good rush right across the ground, but the local team from a free kick' sent the ‘leather well into the visitors’ quarters, and smartly following up, Kicked it over New Zealand’s line, compelling them to force. A succession of. aggressive attacks were made in the local men’s country, where a scrum took place, and the tension was relieved by Ddvie®, who removed the scene of play to the New Zealand 25. Asher and Porteous were prominent in a fine rush across*the ground, and then the local men headed by Burden, started a dangerous rush down towards New Zealand’s line, but the position was cleverly saved by a good kick by Wallace. Kiernan got an injury to the knee, which necessitated his being" carried off the field. ■■ ’'Humj)hries took His 01ace r ; . ■■ Wood, New Zealand 3 captsiri,. wag . maihiv instruhiSfif al 5 in placing the// Welshmen’s line in danger, "and they'gbt "

out of the difficulty by forcing. The game was once more stopped for a moment or two, Gallagher, of the visiting team, receiving a nasty gash in the forehead, but he continued to play. Johnston secured possession of the ball in? New Zealand’s territory, and had a shot at goal. The kick was a splendid one, but the ball just fell short, and half-time was then sounded.

On resuming, the visitors at once attacked, a free kick being awarded the New Zealanders in a dangerous position, but Wallace failed to score. Wood, following up a long kick, nearly crossed the Welshman’s line. A scrum succeeded, and a free kick being awarded the New Zealanders, Wallace was again intrusted with the k ck, and this time he sent the ball between the post, thus winning the match for his side(. (New Zealand, 3 ; New South Wales, nil.) This advantage woke up the Light Blues 1 , Johnston making another good shot at goal, but the only result was that the New Zealanders were forced. When the ball was in play again Wood and Asher

made a rush down on the New South Wales line, and the home team forced. After the kick-out the local men gradually worked the ball into New Zealand’s territory, and pressed them hard for a time, eventually compelling them to force. The New Zealanders next had a turn, and play was removed to within the local men’s linfe, when a race between a visiting threequarter and a local man looked like a try for New Zealand, but the ball travelled to the asphalt track, and was consequently out of play. Shortly after resuming Long secured a beautiful mark in front of the goal, but the effort tp kick was feeble. Maund next tried to dribble the leather up the field, but the New Zealanders rushed it back, and their opponents were once more compelled to force. From then till no-side sounded play was never dangerous on either side, and the game ended in a victory for New Zealand by three pdints (a penalty goal) to nil. . .... Mr Pauling Waa/again Yefefee. ""' /NEWTON V. PONSONBY. ’ //

This was played on No. 1 Ground, and was’ pf rine'xei'ting;

acter, play being to a large extent confined to the forwards. At the outset Ponsonby made the game very willing, Carlaw and Cowan being conspicuous. Then) Eaton and Heath retaliated for Newton, but Carlaw again got possession, and had a shot at goal, Ponsonby forcing. Soon after there was a change in the game, for Rowe got possession, and with a good feinting run scored behind the post for Newton, but no goal resulted from Eaton's attempt. In the second half Ponsonby should have equalised matters, but failed to take advantage of one or two openings. Lendrum should have got in on one el ation, but failed to take Cowan's pass. Close on time a dribbling rush took the hall ever the Ponsonby line, and Eaton scored a try, but the attempt at goal failed. Newton were then left winners by six points to nil.- Mr Campbell was referee. GRAFTON V. SUBURBS. This was expected to be a very onesided game, and so it proved, Grafton

simply running over Suburbs, which team was defeated by twenty points to three. From the very outset the Black and Whites kept up a steady attack, the first score coming from Irons, whose try, McKenzie duly converted. McGregor then got across, but lost the ball. Then a passing rush by the Grafton backs ended in Bond scoring, but the subsequent kick was a failure.

In the second spell Suburbs livened up, and for a time looked dangerous, but then McKenzie got the ball at the 25 flag and dashed across the line, and also added the extra points for a goal. Later McCormick got the ball from Irons, and carried it across the back line, but Huddlestone failed to kick a goal from the try. Next a run by Kelly and McKenzie gave the latter .an opening which he was prompt to take advantage of, but his kick/ again failed. Suburbs, then achieved their one score, the result of a penalty kick from well' outside the 25 flag. The last Grafton score caine from Laing, who ran down the line and safely ’grounded the. leather, but Neville’s kick was a failure. Mr Pitts acted as referee. :

NORTH SHORE V. PARNELL. These teams met on the former’s ground and the match, as was expected, resulted in a win for thei Shore. The first spell proved very even, give and take work prevailing right through. No score had resulted at half-time.

Directly operations were resumed the Green and Whites woke up, and Parnell were forced. Continuing the) attack al great run was started by the backs, Miller drawing first blood for his side with a fine run, but the try was not converted. Then Warbrick got possession from a line out, and scored, but Yeoland’e kick again failed. Wynyard’s turn came next, a s the result of a smart bit of following up, but for the third time Yeoland failed with his kick, Shore thus winning by nine points to nil. Mr Blakey was referee. SECOND FIFTEENS. L North Shore won by default from Parnell. PUBLIC SCHOOL MATCHES. Remuera beat Newmarket by 14 points to nil. Onehunga beat Napier-street by 9 points to nil. Nelson-street beat Mount Eden by 15 points to nil. Bayfield beat Ellerslie by 11 points to nil. Parnell won from Ponsonby by default. Wellesley-street B won from Mount Rosrkill by default. DeVonport beat Wellesley-street by 3 points to nil.

In Saturday’s matches at Wellington, Poneke (9) heat Old Boys (nil) ; Oriental (6) beat Melrose (5) ; Petone (8) beat Athletics (3).

None of the local matches were of much interest,* as they were one and all considered foregone conclusions. Despite the beautifully fine afternoon, it was, therefore, not surprising to find the attendance at Alexandra Park a very moderate one.

A match was played at the Thames, on Saturday, between Thames and Paeroa, there being a big attendance. The game proved wonderfully even throughout, Thames winning by three points to nil, a penalty kick by Dufty. The winners play Waihi on Saturday.

In his notes on the first match between New South Wales and New Zealand, “The Cynic” in the “Referee” writes that “The New Zealanders showed a . good deal of superiority to the home team in the first half, but there was no appreciable difference in the second half, though the visitors still played the more concerted game. While the New Zealanders were the better team, they showed us nothing new in the fine points—nothing that we do not see in our best club football every Saturday, with the one exception of Asher’s jump, which we occasionally see in, Junior football. Mr Duncan, the N.Z. captain, in an interview, considers our men showed a crude knowledge of the finer points. As far as the first half of this match ic concerned, one is inclined to agree to some extent with him ; that is, so far as the remark applies to the men as a team, for some few of them played very finely. But having seen most of the big club matches this year, I hold strongly to the vidw that in the finer points of football our leading club teams have shown just as good form as the New Zealanders, and infinitely better form than the New South Welshmen. With the teams that have been choeen to represent the State I do not agree, inasmuch as combination both in the pack and in the backs have been sacrificed, and the result has been most serious.” , “I watched the whole of the tactics of the New Zealand backs very closely after they got the ball from the scrum, and if - what they showed us is their absolutebest (and one feels sure it is not), they would never on that form have penetrated the defence of Mulliiieux’s British . team. Nor do I. think they would have, got . through the 1901 and 1902 New South Wales.backs in. any one, of -the three instances in which' they, scored.” ..