RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1836, 23 August 1913, Page 12

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

; ' .[Bi' AMBTOBTOU'S.] To-day's Match, The Wo teams which 1 are (probably) • most , capable of. providing < attractive Eugby are to meet on Athletic Park this afternoon. There is every prospect of tho play rising to brilliancy. Both have good backs, and there is every inducement to use them. Contrary to an Auckland ■ contest, neither will go .on to 'the field with an undue respect for the other's forwards; and. there is no Ranfurly Shield at stake to make victory the first consideration, and' Eugby an afterthought, ' ' , Two Years.-Ago. > When Taranaki were here two years ago, they provided us with the most delightful afternoon's Eugby that we had had for many a day. Their galloping backs were an entertainment in themselves, and the goal-kicking of Stohr was a revelation. From the time' that Don Cameron side-stepped the forwards and left the backs standing like interested spectators, the Amber and Blacks maintained a thrill which was quite a. luxury. They won by a tig margin—a popular victory. A Popular Tfam. Since then Taranaki has lifted the Eanfurly. Shield from "the sunny slopes of ; the green hills by the side of tho sparkling Waitemata"—to quote an Auckland patriot M.P. Taking Rugby enthusiasts throughout the country,' there could hardly have been a more popular win. The Amber and Black are popular colours everywhere. Even in Auckland, where thejr lowered the pride of the Blue and White, they were greeted with a reception almost, unjiaTalleled in its warmth, and . were carried shoulder high from the field. They deserved this generous treatment as they deserved their victory. Somß of the Players. Inclu'ded in the present Amber and Black Tegiment are quite a, good proportiori!'6f.'tho'l9irieam. Mynott, of oourse, has retired, and fills the role of selector for the province. Stohr, tho great kick, is with the team; likewise .Eoberts, one of the best backs Taranaki has had. S. .Cameron is a first-class fiveeights, and a good judge states that if Cameron was played constantly. with Eoberts, they would become as fine a combination as New Zealand has had. ~ ,The Man With the Scoring Boot. One hopes to see Stohr on the field, and in good kicking form. What an, exhibi- ' tion he gave here two seasons back! Wellington were penalised. ' Mynott placed the oval a 'few yards on his own side of half-way. : The crowds in the stand and on the bank barracked derisively/ "Don't, rna&e it too hot!" they laughed. It seemed waste of time attempting to goal from that distance—such an up-country trick. Stohr walked back half a dozen strides,. approached tho ball' at little more than walking pace, and—a beautiful goal, fair over the middle of the bar and yards . and- yards of length to spare. ■ Strange silencethen clivers. Stohr kicked a number' of 'good', goals' during the day, one'from about 70 yards out. A Disappointment. The - ' Wellington-Marlborough, match, which was played,here last Saturday, was a disappointment, in as much as it showed the. visitors to.be particularly weak. Marlborough is one of the;'country teams from which improvement has been expected for several seasons, but the expected has not' happened.' Saturday was a wretched day, but, taken on their form then, they are exceptionally weak, both back and for- . ward. Club Rugby. Taken all through, club football in ■.- .Wellington -has not been as interesting as in the two - preceding seasons. This , year there was no cup final; Athletic won outright. With a great forward team, safe , backs, and good luck, they, went through tho season with only two defeats, and won the championship by one point, the value of a drawn same. Petone, runnersup, had . the strange draw ifith' Victoria ' College in the ~ opening match of the season. Athletic owe a great share of their success to E. Eoberts, their splendid half-back. Their vanguard has been'great for several seasons, and the most notable member of it has been A. Wilson. During the present season, however, none' has excelled Bell, who, however,' is much overlooked by the selector. ' -

Not Training. The Wellington representatives have not been training seriously for to-day's match.: One cannot say what work they lave being doing outside the "gym.," but the fact that they have not been attending "gym." is sufficient to justify anyone in. concluding that .they find it inconvenient to keep in condition and work up combination. They, might be fit enough to win;'but they deserve to. be . ignominiously beaten. How the Shield Was Won. . The New Plymouth "Herald's" 'correspondent says of last Saturday's Shield . .match:—'"Taranaki won the' Shield in the 'most spirited and most' exciting game 6een at Alexandra Park for several sea- ■ eons, » game which was wop- almost on the call of fimo by a> magnificent try, which fittingly capped a memorable match ' and gave victory to the better side. Although Taranaki had tho better of the game, they were two points behind three minutes from the call of time. Then the indomitable men from Taranaki turned • defence into attack in a. manner worthy of the higliest traditions of New . Zealand football, and an irresistible rush' swept over the Aucklanders and Dewrtr nnd Roberts snatched the cup of victory. It was Roberts -who scored tie try, but it was first Hill, and then Dewar who' brought the victory within reach. When Hawkins kicked a fine goal and then u when Taranaki repulsed Auckland's last desperate effort the big crowd of some ten or twelve thousand people went al- ; most wild with excitement. Aucklanders ' have a very warm corner in their hearts '! for Tarfiuaki teams, and a Taranaki success is always certain to be heartily welcorned by them, but it was not only this sentiment wlflch caused the Taranaki players to receive such a splendid ova- *' lion when the teams came off the field. 1 A very great deal of the enthusiasm un- ". doubtedly. was duo to recognition of the - fine struggle which Taranaki had made, and the sensntinnul way in which they " had won the Shield." Auckland Forwards Beaten. The correspondent says, also: "The tall, ' heavy, fast Auckland forwards seemed particularly formidable, arid as heavy '■frain /during the preceding_ thirty hours had made tho ground soft, it was thought that the Blue pack would have the direct tion of affairs throughout the game, but it had not been expected that Taranaki would, sendfup such lion-hearted forwards and such serviceable backs. The Amber nnd Black forwards played with such vim that they absolutely nonplussed their op-, plnents. Tfie Aucklanders were bustled; .: off their game." y--]- 'v !•*•'

"Lacking That Resolute Combined Effort.*' Referring to tho Teoent defeat of New South Wales by Queensland, a writer in the "Sydney Daily Telegraph" says:— ' The (fame from the point of view of the coming visit to New Zealand, was disappointing. Especially on the Blue side ' did the plav appear lacking that resolute • combined effort that is an essential of success The Blues showed form in-their first match against Queensland, which, as their players formed a big majority of ■ the side to tour New Zealand, augured • wall for the success of their visit. Wo con but hope that Saturdays falling 11 way in form was but temporary. Nevertheless, one cannot but note the carelessness that is never apparent in any firstclp=s All Black side., , The team to tour New Zealand has un- ' dprgone several changes, especially in the forwards. Eoynolds, Lloyd, Massie, and Huffy have been replaced by Walters, Cody, Hughes,, and Heath whilst Will--1 cock's placa has been filled by M Manon,

The strength of the side has not been (rreatly effected by the changes, but one is Tather surprised at the non-inclusion of Thompson, of Eastern Suburbs, when Massie wis -unavailable. ■

"Are Forwards Becoming Automatons?"

. There is one phase of the Eugby Union game that should be looked to at once. That is the neglect of the art of dribbling (says the "Sydney Daily Telegraph"). Good dribbling has won many a game. So has good passing, but the team whoso forwards combine good dribbling with the passing movements of the backs is the team that comes off best in the end. The question that presents itself is:. Are our forwards becoming mere automatons, or is the tendency towards pace, and spectacnlarity,'the cause of our vanguards forgetting the best features of the game? It is u mistaken idea to think that forward rushos are not spectacular. What a good thing it would be for some of the present-day men if thoy could be taken back some .veal's to the time when the Belbridges came down the field pass?ng from toe to toe for the 'Varsity team. There was any amount of dribbling in thoso days, but, strange to say, the art seems to have taken the downward path, notwithstanding that it is a, brilliant method of attack.

. There are two cardinal points that the forward ,should remember. They are when to dribble and when not to dribble. Football of the present day, as far as forward play is concerned, recognises one of the points, and that lis when not to dribble. A brilliant dribbling movement has not been seen this season. The New Zealand University footballers were not offenders to the same extent as our own men. The' forwards from over the Tasman certainly broke away many times, btot they attempted to handle the ball almost immediately they were clear. Previous New Zealand forwards would have taken the ball right down the field.