PROFESSIONAL RUGBY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 245, 9 July 1908, Page 7

PROFESSIONAL RUGBY.

AN "EXHIBITION" MATCH. " BLOWS STRUCKMAORIS LEAVE THE . . field. '' ! ' (by telegeafh—pbess association^copteiget.) j Brisbane; July 8. An exhibition' match, Queensland versus the Maori team, was-played- at Toowoomba. Play, was very fast, and at times rough._ Just, before the finish—when .the scores were Queensland 11, Maoris 9 —it is alleged that one of tho visitors" struck a; Queenslander, and tho latter retaliated. ; Tho Maori was ordered off by the referee, whereupon the ' wholo" 'Maori' team left the field/, amid hootings.' ,- .. . ■ -There is much'.-adverse comment over tho action of the Maori footballers .itiV leaving .th'o'lield.as they did, with Queensland leading by two points; • . THE- MAORIS BEATEN'. ■ (llec. .July 8, 11.52 p:m.) - 1 Brisbane, July 8. .-.At; Warwick, .Queensland beat the' Maori toam'by. 26 points to XI. \

ROUGH FOOTBALL- IN-AUSTRALIA. ' . There -are complaints,'; unfortunately, not without reason,; of.', increasing roughiiess' infootball, writes •'our" Sydney '..correspondent : under-date July;!'- The' referees ?'are coming I.in. for a-.rough time from the barracker, who makes 'Objectionable presence. felt.Jar too often. 'During the progress'of the match-be-tween , the second teams of -the Sydney University. and Newtown UnivcrMty..-Ovai. : on Saturday, -Mr.-Shortland, who had charge of the game,, was.' compelled to - ask a.."New-, town player to retire because of his -rough play. In the second spell, he asked two :more to go off tlje field,'and the result of this was that the whole side,- to show disapproval-of his decisions; retired;• and -could;not..be'-.induced, even by tile club' officials, to 'resume.,; Tin/ game was awarded to the University students. At Balmain, £ where': the League game, the Glebe v. Balmain, was-played; Mr.' Hooper came in foV -such abuse from the crowd .t)i _ ho hail •to be'' : escorted from the ground by the police. ' In/the inatoh between the sedond teams of South Sydney and Glebe, at Botany, Mr. Poulton, tho referee,' awarded'the mate to South Sydney 'because a Glebe player had indulged in offensive language. In Victoria things appear to be worse. At Pitzroy a few weeks ago an'attack was made upon the 335-, 6endon players: by a. gang of hoodlums,'who were angry because, Essendon had .-won the game in'tho last few r minutes. ~on' Saturday, at St. Kilda,-. police protection alone saved tho umpire from severe 'treatment—at the, hands, not of the router ground; spectators, but of the occupants of the grand stand enclosure, 'usually -regarded/-as the .more sen eiblo of the crowd. According to ,the -Me'., bourno correspondent' of" 'the- 1 " Daily Telegraph," the umpire was at half-time advised' i to leave the ground "by the gate between ti press-bos'-and tho ladies' stand, where tin . risk-of molestation 'was slight. At the con-' olusion of the'game—which, by the way, was practically' finished in the dark—the ' umpire found himself near the grand stand: gate, and as-liis dressing-room was -beneath the stand,ho naturally madtffor the nearest exit;' iThree constables, who were 'on' ther qui vive, hastened to his side, and .'as . they reached the ..''surging throng inside the gate they were greeted with piercing yells,'sly blows ifrom, clenched fists and tho waving umbrellas of indignant feminino barrackers: -One. constable - temporarily lost - his helmet, Yand another was jammed iigainst the fence, slightly injuring his hand; but after a short, .sharp scuffle they fore"-' their way through the., howling mob into tho dressing-room.*- Tho umpire escaped unscathed, but his experience'-Was -an intensely .exciting one. "Why lio .should liavo been submitted to such treatment," Writes tho correspondent, "it was difficult to understand.. .Certainly hi umpiring Was hardly up to tho usual standard, but it could'." not \be charged against liiin that he had shown favouritism to either sido. Carlton had ;wpn,;fairly and squarely on their merits.";-,v