FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 152, 21 March 1908, Page 9

FOOTBALL.

[BY Aristobulcs.] ,- > The annual .moting of tho Now Zealand Rugby Union will bo held on Thursday, May 14. ■ - ■ ''It -is .reported ' that Dwyer, of ; -Vincont County, . la3t season's- Otago three-quarter back, may possibly bo quartered in .Welling-. • ton this year. . , . , ■ Con Sullivan, ex-Melroso, and M. Sullivan, ex-Athletic, will bo found ion Petono's three- ' quarter lifio this season.-. : The- Oriental F:C.-- play the Palinerston ' . North 'E'.'C. on' ; tiie latter club's; ground 7on Easter .Monday. - For-, fighting ' in >■ tho . Cardiff-Pontypcol ■!' match on Nov/ Year's Day, J.: Polity Joiies, of Pontypool and Ralph Thomas, of Cardiff . wero siispendecl-for 14 'days./. ';■ 'C. Gilray; of Otago, Now Zealand, was^ ono 'of'; the.y ihrefrqiiarters for Scot-' 1 land agaiust Wales. Roidy, cx-Pctone and ex-Wellington,.■ mil ■ ■ wear'.! the.- colours : of the* Poneko. Club;" this season, as also will Gardiner sex-Old Boys, and;ex-Wellington. : Williams, ono of tho best forwards in the ; British team,' turns the scale, at over 14st. • -Commenting on tho England-Wales match,, , & /leading Home paper; states that Harding, the captain (who is a.member of. tho Biitish team) "played a-fino game, taking a great deal of stopping 'in . tlie, open, aiid >working very hard in tho scrummages." • 'Ono account of the recent Wales-Scotland match states that J. L. Williams (a Cardiff three-quarter;'who; is a. member of tho, British team) lost his head onco or twice when ; magmficont openings presented themselves. After a lengthy Absence, Peter, Ward, who : was a clover five-cjghth ■ a few years ago, has again settled an/ilnvcrcargill, where' lie is, inter alia, teaching: boxing. In addition to representing SouthTand';on>a number of :■occa- ■' sibns, ~Pet'e played; for;"'; Ne w: Soiith i Wales against tho Rev. Molyneux's -English team. Additional reforees required!. Members of tho local Referees! Association would be glad to receive tho names of ex-players orcotners who are willing to lend- their assistance as referees 'during'.-the,.ensiling season... .The membership.,,6f- tho. Association last-year totalled 85,..but'somo;of tho members were not on 'tho active list. '. - ;'. "Mona" / Thompson . will,: 1 it is ■ stated, ' ..throw ■ in his lot; with.. the ' Orientals, who may also securo tho services: of: Scobio Mac-' kenzie, .tho ex-Otago ox-Auckland and exN.Z. player. t ■ . ' • Mr. M: Hogan,; who will coach Southern , : this season;.;has been' prissented .with a band-- •: Borne: framed;:photo '.of i-the ■, Athletic' seniors,by tho Athletic .Club, as a ,token of their apVpreciatibn 'of the splendid results which attended; his - efforts as •' coach for -' them - last . ' : ■ •G. H. i; ' Lawreiice,':. orio ,;of.; the, founder's . of . the High School Old 1 Boys' Football Club, ' a member of tho: committco' since its. forma-tion-,,.and/oile of : the" most useful. members of : tho ./first.)'fifteen, jhas. left •; ChristchurcK for .Wellington.' V : : ' v ' : -i,' ;v- -After v'ascertaining ' from th'o v various unions the terms'on''.which grounds can -bo ' securedwfor'-, matches "against". the- British: ;;' : 't^m,'•/.■.ihe; : Zealand Union'will fix; ; all' : admission charges; . 'An'Otago representativ-e team will'-mako an' ;extended; tour- of the-'Dominion this season, playing-'; uiiat-ches "'against Canterbury, : at ■ Christchiirch;' Wellington,- at Wellington; Taranaki sat New. Plymouth; and ' : Aucklaild at Aucklahd. Owing to the fact-that Hawke's . Bay ,:owes Otago; a - visit, ' that province I will be omitted;.from', r the.:appr6achiiig tour.' * . Questioned as to ' why he- played" against; _tho! professional". "All. Blacksi"- bno i Sydney ! player said that he-was the be-st player in ; ||}s .'iposjtibn..*.irivSydiiey.jVfip4'vh'j^';ri^epn'co''' ■ with .tlje uilio'n i.was,' that Jft^wa^VnWt'sfcli'trted' ; in representative.; turns'.Another .stated ' that ho .the best .player in 'one position, . and at- least.as good as- any in another posi-' could" not get into the team.- '• ■•. . , G.'.V■ : Pp.rtu^, ; ' the"; Sydney' five-eightli, - dis-'' tinguishcd' .hi'iriself. '.for ,- Englarid , Ireland- on February' B.' ":'ln ; 'th"e first' fialf"he scored near the. cornpr flag after. a l; splendid dodging run. second,'spell ho brilliantly roso to the occasion, quite a number of times,. - ' '""V ■ . - Tho Southern seniors will include Reed (captain) ox-Petone • and' ex-Wellington; ; Hunt (hajf) ex-Wednesday ; ' Reprefentatives; v J Instone -(five-eighth)'' ex-Poneko; ; ; Summerhayes .. (three-quarter) . ex-Oriental; v Guy, (three-quarter) ox-St. Vincent Club, Otago.lt iis'.stated.- that: several representa-' 1 :-tives: will alsp; bo. fouhd,;in their,forward' '.ranks.. .It ;is"; not'.expected that; the - team will bo seen at its best until tho secondround. .. V,;v ; . ■ ,' If as-strong as they - were. . fey/ .years; ago, ..say,; in .'the. days- of Wat-smi.. Gray, D'Arcy, M'Kenzie, Baumber and tha : Perrys,, tho jrecord ;of."tho:,British, team's t-our be <i Jnrgc-siz/3<[ obituary notice for the. visitors. Of recent years, how■ever, v ''lean!' 'fo6tbair seasons have been experienced in tho Wairarapa, and it"will' re- . .quiro •; a certain amount of-J good; luck and - goo.d i.play in order' to prevent the Englishmen from winning. - ', ■ ; ■; Tho New Zealand Rugby Union/will shortly, publish-its rules as recently revised. Among • the new provisions^is■''■ono'-.rdatjng to;the -'Appeal Council, which was inaugurated last year. ; It reads as follows"From the deci? sipri; of. the. managemeiritVcommifctee on . all matters . coming, within. its : powers, or re- • ■ fened..to■ it, thoro shall-bo tho right j of apr P ■ Council (to bo. appointed by tho' delegates at 'the annual' meeting),whoso decision' shalj . bo .final. Members: of s ' lo f? Appeal Council shall not bo members ;of tho Management Committee." - •'. Tl ! ere j? , a . Probability of, two' leading Kugby administrators in Vancouver touring .New Zealand wheh tho.Dominion is trying conclusions with tho British Rugby team; tor tho purpose of observing tho methods of New; Zealand players, and. -also, if possible, Arranging for a visit to their -country m 190!) of a New. Zealand team.' " • ' It is understood that R. Wynyar'd, now on his way home, with • the professional "All Blacks," was offered a -position in a -Northorn Union team, the terms being £150 cash," 10s. for. a -win and 55.: f or ! a draw, with a guarantee of a position at a salary of ' £2 per; week.' Wynyard, l it is stated,, declined on account; of'.tho climated, • ; . ■ Thero. wore 60 Saturday team's last year and 31 grounds available. This season tho number of grounds under iho control of the W.R..F.U. will .total 3G.- Thero will, however, be; at; least a dozen extra team's, including the following belonging to new clubs:—St. John's Bible Class (2), Railways (2), Gas Company (2), ,Hutt Rifles (1), and Boys' Institute'(l). - . Tho Otago representative : team' this year is not; expected, to: bo as in \ past seasons. ~ Among. .the,,! .players,; whoso services.are not availabio aro; i Gi'li','n;,'-'Arlani.s, Macphprson (Otago's Lomas, Scannel,, aiid; (the latter last season's OtagdUrcprdsentativ.o captain).' It is reported that;"-thero".are, however, several very, prouiisiug -.youiig.. players in tlie southern provinco'this sea son :. Several experts" point "(mi" that the Management. Comuiittee;of' tlio N.Z.R.U. is inflicting a hardship on. the. Britishers by- asfc ing them._ to -play a' match" within, six-'days after a six _and a half weeks'-sea, journoy,, ihd'theri fairly stiff-'ganies -in'; the' succeeding 10, days.',. The visitors will,; 'np. doubt) bo a little; soft for tho, first four or fivo!,contests, tut it must Kb borne in the current soaso.n at Borne lias afforded them ample jpportunity .again to bccomo practised in tho line points of tlio game, aiid that tho com,filiation which tho team will acquire on tho rbyage to the Dominion will, bo an especial '-<«sistance.)n tho. initial matches. Tho ques--sion is: Will: theso advantages be sufficient ;o countVrbalanci tho moro strenuous !'play >f the Now Zoalahders? By the. way,"it is K'orthy of. note .in this connection' that on Vho eighth day after their arrival in the "All Blacks'" played tlie initial match, of their t-our,-dofeating Devon by-'s;j points to 4. Referring to. their condition in that match, the '.London "Sportsman 1 " declared "that on, quite .a. summer aftbrnoon they ■ stayed splendidly ' .through the two 'for-' ties.'" - ': - ; * 'f : i

W. Woods, tho well-known Canterbury footballer, who has just returned to Christchurch from the. Old. Country states that there aro not the same organised ■ competitions ill tho Old Country as in NeiV Zealand,- aind in quito largo towns, thero would bo' only one senior team, which would havo to arrango a programnio of out and homo matches with teams in other parts of tho country. As far'as tho average club standard was. Concerned, ho . thought there was vory little.' differenco between English and Now Zealand. teams. Tho English forward play, especially in scrum work, was .not so specialist, as .was the caso hero, and it was an exception to find a back who "cut-in," the bulk of tho ; passing going straight across tho .fiold. ' , . . -

_ The inquiries into' rough commissions.: of tho Football Association appear; to bo more concerned with tho conduct of tho referees than of tho players. Of, lato' it has boon tho'fashion to'abuse the referee. '.Tho public-havo over objected to their favourites, the-homo players, being too severely, criticised. Tho crowd will witness, with sightless oyes, injustice dono to tho opposing team, but their vision is abnormally keen for their own men) and their sympathies aro always "at',high pressure. .If the players do get at loggerheads, then who so ( worthy of blamo as tlio referee? And; who so gdt-atable?— "Evening■ ■ A. Rugby team, j representing*tho four universities .of. New 'Zealand will, visit Sydney during, tho coming season, leaving tho Dominion on July 29. ' Three matches ' will-bo I played—two against the. Sydney University. G. V.. Portus (Sydney), and R. H. WilliamI;son\; (South are tho • first Rhodes' scholars- at; Oxford-..University,; to. win' an, pnglish International cap. '.-... v - Undoubtedly difßculbic-s .facod- the New Zealand Rugby Union when drawing up the itinerary';of matches which'.are to be played, by the British Rugby team in the Dominion in . the course the 1 next ' 'few {.months. • Rightlyor wrongly, however, tho Executive has decided to play , only: ono ".test''-11181011. '■It- would not. matter so much if thero- wcro .any guarantee that first-class', playing conditions will- prevail on-the day of. the''test;'''" or that no-difficulty will bo; experienced in selecting the strongest ■: combination/ which can'..bo got together.'in' tho Dominion.- For moro than 6he reason,. tho opinion, is geiie-. ral that -tho New Zealand XV will not .bo so strong this season as' in former years: In the ; fir'st place, a number of the most liotwl New Zealand-players are believed; to havo outlived their usefulness,,. 'and ; youngor players have not had; sufficient opportunities of proving their »wo'rtli and gaining the ne.cessa'iy confidence. Then; again, gaps .in tho ranks;. ofiNew; Zealand's 'first-class amatour. players have been made through'. men .' who would,'it is believed, have been quite compel• tent this season to fill tho 'principal positions | having become members, of - tho -professional "All. Blacks.,"! ■ If' -tho Dominion"^-team -'is beaton, especially in conscquenco.of sudden ajlvorso weathor'in the second spell, or' acci- i donts- to one; or.'mo'ro player's, 'the' outcry for I additional - "tests", sSvill- possibly'- be so : great that,-'the-' programme will "have: to be amended. ; ■ ' '