FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 936, 1 October 1910, Page 12

FOOTBALL.

.-/v- ' RUGBY. - , . '■■- ; t ' . IB? Ahistobdlus.) ..-../ ' V / .The Inter-Island Match. ; Those who witnessed .the 4nter-island. match, played at Christchurch last Sat'urday,'are mostly agreed that good clean football was played and. that - the idea of ..., picking. men. from: each . ofthe >provinces ■: was proved to ha .a. good one', by the . success of the South Island team.' That . . the country unions were hot properly re- .: -\presented in the Worth. Island team" ap,,pears)to have been due to misunderstand-, ing. In the first- instance the selectors, choso what appeared to bo the stroug- /' est team .'available..'. This' included six - men from Wellington, '■ five ; from' Auckland, threo from Taranaki, and one.from - South' . Auckland.'/'; When, ./'the ■ selectors, found that several of .these men..were !-?v unable to play; there was very/little time ■. to fill the vacancies and at the; end the only course open appeared to be to . send V: /;what/Wellington/ men' were/ available. In •' future years, the Island team's/.will prbb- - ably, bo selected much earlier and in- the" North Island teain the country unions ./;/■ai'e /likely'. to ; be' given jiifiofe tion. 1 • i;;-':./y.: '• './§;/ f/ s-A very /superior.pactljwas; that; which - ■i; represented, the.. southerners /' and' about:; the. only department in which they, did ■ : , : ;not completely - outclass'' the /men .from V;'/; this island was in; actual scrum;.; In .the' // /loose they .were mostly ltd by I'aton'and I'aterson, but the-otlier) -five: ecrumihers, ' ;•/ : . generally /followed', very . close J../ behind.They collared in great- style and left very'. ' • little' of this;/for. the.':backs "to do, while, theirdribbling. rushes and their' fast;f 01-: lowing-up were ,of a high-class order. It ■ -ihight have, been:; expected; that/: suck/experienced hands as l'aton, I'aterson, and ltidland would bo in a class by them- . Belves, but on the day Graham . was /',/ equally r good and/.Fitzgerald, .Bain, and . ..iForbes. quite- justified' their, inclusion.y ■ / Li"' : / Of/the South Island backs C.'/ Green waa undoubtedly-the best .and ho played as brilliantly as ever he' had been seen t/."to play,-before.:i.T.hroughout.the/game he ' stood - out as. the best back on . the ground' // '/and his scoring efforts overe .exceptionally; . clever. ' Scott, at .'full-back, ; //was.< notice--able after Green, and .proved very rej- //:, liable. The other backs ;on the side all V. played-sound, Colvin and ; Gray, being /per-. 'ghaps;/the. .'former, deserving.spe- %.. c«u mention for, hisi: fine ; : tackling..... Taken. S all- rounti:,;'fhe'/Southern-: backs,'/ tho/ugh? ; lacking .polish in. one 'or two cases, were'i.i. quite ,up /' totie '/New .'Zealan'd./' rep'resefij./: tative standard. ''•' . • •/. '; Francis was undoubtedly the . best for- . v vrard in-'.the North , team /;/ / tion as captain he;tried' different 'methods.' in an endeavour/ to win .the.match, but • tho men with him wero not equal to U the. task., - More. than once'-Francis broke. through/'frbm/ : /the//line-out ( :'and'/got as far as the full-back, but-was'unsupported. / ... Leahy / and Whittington did / excellent ' /work : in tho front of. tho scrum/and.the - former, ©specially was in. great form. Avery, on the wing, had a day off and his opponent Murray .was slightly th<S . better on Saturdayrf ••• • • The rearguard ofithe ;North'- Island; team/ . did. not cover itself with glory.. There • was badlywantinga connecting-link be- - tween the half and -• the three-quarters to /;.-.; braoe the team up. E. Roberts, at half was: . a^beateh'team/and .the/South -/: forwards /came ' through/; very !'fast : 1 ! and gave him verelittlejchanee. Jl'Leod and. fv;' ; Kaipara at- /five-eighths did not succeed in getting tho ball/,away to the. tliree//■quarterline at all.V/Kaipara was to.blamo . several occasions for■ not passing when' ' 'ho ./ was: ; supported by: both .. Mitchinson : .;/'- and - Dawson. ./ Probably .' the, five-eighths was' not feeling properly fit as he had ■ /;::: just finished three days'" travelling to get , : to Christchurcli for the match. Dawson ■ and; Mitchinson satisfactorily performed - . the tasks that came their .way, but Grac« -was very / nervous / and failed badly at different stages; of, the . match; ' O'Leary was a / good full-back >' and his, only real / fault was that he' let Green evade him // / twice. His/goal-kicking was vorj* useful to • tho. team. AH things considered ! it

.looks as if ;..a - player of -the stamp -of 1 ' Kinvig would have greatly■ improved-the , ./ ' Worth; Island. backs;; as his .clean passing, would havo helped to. bring the threequarter line .into action and his line-; . would havo ■ been - extremely ■ Selection of/Representative Teams, v . . . 'Many? different-'opinions have beenex- ; pressed from time to time.as to what is necessary for: a player to :.catch r the-eye : of a repr^ntative': : .sel«ctor-. ; in .Welling-, ton ; and* from time to time ' has .come-- the' J;) cry that a;player in. one• of the. older ; city: teams .has double the. chance ;of se- ' lection, as... compaifcd with' a. player in, /. - one of ~ tho . younger < clubs, while a player in a 1 weak-.team: has but a very ; remote chance'of selection no'matter; how ' '.•.i-'^fii^'.'he'may^WV.^Th'e.appiiMiit.reason for;' this latter statel'.ofXMaira'r-is-'.that tho' ;'■■■. leading teams get more limelight during the season in the shape of matches on Athletic Park., A .local Rngby. enthusiast' states tho following i caseas an; indica- ■ -'tion of the existing*.pbsition:. Tannahill, when he. played, for. I'oncke in 1909 was 'prominent..forward in ..the. Wellington .representative team; and .. even secured ■ .mention' for tho inter-island matoh. • But ; V r this year, because. heiwas>playing-for the Hutt Club, he failed 'to get in. the B representative team;- In contrast to this ie mentions tho case of Leahy, who play- . . cd for the Southern '.Club'last -year and. was not a representative player. ' This year. Leahy played for-Poneke/.and after representing - Wellington ' on 'several occasions. was. chosen for .tho North Island V.-v: ' Those, who-received medalsat'the Southern' Football Club's smoke reoiicert on.. •V. . Wednesday . night were C. M'Guire (best , : senior, forward) ;B. Gallagher-(best senior ' batk); 8., -Wetherall (best third-class ' i .back); - Stevens, (best - third--class> forward) ; Capper' (best all-round'' playerin fourth . fifteen); and Tavendalo ; (best all-round -player • ia - fifth-fifteen). •• - ; v.