THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1866, 27 September 1913, Page 21

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

A WEEKLY RECORD OF SPORTS AND OTHER PASTIMES.

RUGBY FOOTBALL j LEAGUE & LEAGUERS.

. [Br .ABisTODULtja.]

JTBI."FLBETFOOr."J

New Zealand's Waterloo. 'Of the third test between Australia and Npw .Zealivncl, "Drop-kick," in the Christcliurch ; "Press," says:—"Al-.thmigh'itfio-regMt - of tho game was quite unpalatable to a large number of tlnS spectators present to-witness the third test'- match betweou Australia and New Zealand at Park onSaturday last;'there are few who will complain of tho^.exhibition of football. Certainly the majority would, have been pleased to see .the margin of points in favour of tho :'All Blacks,' but no. one will begriidgo the Australians their win, which was gained as a result of some very line spectacular movements and a 'superior all-round display. • • • . . "After witnessing the game, one can easily imagino why the teafn does not perform well whon the ground is on the heavy side.--i Only on very rare occasions do the forwards dribble the ball. They prefer to handle it all the time, aiid their'"passihg is"their most formidable mode of attack. Such running and passing are seldom witnessed. A forward, perhaps, breaks away from the line-out, and .is' at once full steam ahead. Ho is . followed by backs and forwards ever on the alert, and when one expects to see tlio man with the ball brought down, out goes the leather at a terrific pace, and then one is delighted with this strong running, quick passing, and accurate handling. _ "The taking of the passes is perhaps the most remarkable feature ot the visitors' play. Only on very rare occasions did a Blue man fail to tako the pass with the ease that an average footballer accepts a 'lob transfer; and what is more, the players were always running at full speed whon they got the ball, 'their judgment was truly remarkable,- and hardly ever was a back given tho ball b'ut that lie had a chance to do something useful with it. "Tlio same team would most likely liave been well beaten had tlio ground and ball been heavy, for such passing and running aro only possible when the weather conditions arc of the very best. The paco displayed, by both forwards and backs,at times was phenomenal.

Dwyer, ths Human Sack. • 1 A gootl deal was hoard of Dwyer, Australia's full-hack, before the team \ played hero. We did not see him in Wellington. This is what'"Drop-kick says after the third test: "Considering tho. great amount or work he had to do, and the very few , mistakes lie mado, Dwyer must, be re-, garded as a. very fine exponent 'of the name, and' in the position of custodian ( we havo seen anything-better j lhan his latest display. His handling , af the ball'was. well-nigh perfcct. .-He j only made 0110 mistake during the after- . nooii, and then ho made such u remark- 1 ablo recovery tliat lie gained half.the. j length of tho ground with a good sprint ■ and a lusty kick.: His handling brought ( forth the remark from ono wit in , the j ■crowd that ho was a human sack. His , kicking, except on very rare occasions, 1 was powerful and very .well directed, . , aiid his sterling play topk .a-. ; lot'pf steam . ' dut of tho Blacks." \' i - - •; ■ ] America To-morrow. I . A writer in the Sydney "Referee*' re- « niarks on tho All Blacks' visit to Cali- 1 fornia as follows : —, ! "They are paying .this visit to ' California at tho right moment to help tho Rugby game in that part . nf America. The visit of the American Universities'team to Australia, and tlie return visit by tho < Australians to California, last sea- ' son, liavo paved tho way to tho. • campaign to Bo shortly entered ■ ' upon. The New Zealanders will bo found more; strenuous and more 1 ,formidable opponents than tho Aus- ; 1 tralians were, . and the experionco 1 ."-against such a team is needed by the Americans ;to put tlio finish to - i -their football. '' It is not difficult to x picture in the near future America 1 holding hor own inllugby with a majority of tho ! National teams which havo- become eminent in the game." •• Little, But Good, ' The New Zealand correspondent of the Sydney '.'Referee" writes interestingly of Taranaki's part in Rugby■ "Away back in'lßß7," lie says, "when ' Auckland met-Wellington, the subsequent incidents have been tho most remarkabta in tho? history of Rugby in New Zealand. AYben the AYellingtou' representatives l returned from their northern* tour' the Auckland umpire was burnt in' elligy, and' an estrangement between tho<playisrs-and officials of the two. cities followed. . "It is, therefore, hardly necessary to say that the rejoicings in AVellingtou over Auckland's defeat by Taranaki . in 1887 were, rcrf pronounced.' 'Fancy tho great, Aucklandors being defeated by; a teaiH;frbm such' a little 1 place as Taranaki!' ;is the way it was. put'..by. several enthusiasts. " But the dairy province and its ''representatives have loomed large in our football world since, aad havo' nevor again been regarded as an easy tiling for aiiy of the-intcrpro-vineial teams. A Creat Record. "As a matter of fact, Taranaki's is a great record. They and Auckland were the only teams which defeated the 18S8 English, team. in. their.tour of New Zealand—a tour that practically revolutionised tho playiug of- tho game in these parts. •It was not until 1000 —the seventh game between Taranaki and Wellington—that Wellington scored the first "win against the dairy province players on their own ground. Again, in 1904, when Wellington won the Ranfurly Shield for the first and only time, the'team that did that performance were beaten at; New Plymouth, on their wav back to Wellington, by Taranaki, 11 to 3: Truly, the record put up by Taranaki since their entry into the bigger class of intorprovineial matches has been good, and will compare favourably with those of tho four big centres. J "History has a strange habit of re-peating-itself. Though Taranaki hayo been beaten twice by Wellington this season, they still remain the holders of the Ranfurly Shield, but, as I haveshown in the preceding paragraph, the | position was exactly the same in 190-1, with the positions reversed. The Roll of Honour. "Taranaki have supplied t-lje following New Zealand representatives":—lß93: J. Lambie, A. Good, and A. Ilayly; 1894: A. Gayly. A. Good, Lainb'ie, and Hughes ;'1897: A. Humphries, A. Bayly, W. Wells, H. Mills; 1901: Allen' and O'Dowda; 1903: A- Humphreys'; 1904: W Glenn ; 1905: S. J. Mynott, J. O'Sullivan, and W. S. Glenn; 1907: J. Hunter,'S. .1- Jlvnott, J. Column, and J. O'Kullivan; 1903: Colman, D. Cameron, Hunter; 1910: J. Stohr and S. .J. Jlyliott. These names in themselves are sufficient to indicate the part Taranaki has played in the development of Itugby in New Zealand."