THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2132, 25 April 1914, Page 12

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

A WEEKLY RECORD OF SPORTS AND OTHER PASTIME'S.

RUGBY.

[Br Lock.l

THIRTY-TWO MATCHES TO-DAY. 'AH tho "Wellington Rugby championship competitions wilt bo in. progress this afternoon. The senior contest began last Saturday, and to-day all the other grades take .tho field. Altogether thirty-two matches will take place. Sixty-five teams havo been entered, and in tho second grade a. bye will be drawn every -week.

A Satisfactory Beginning. AH who have the welfare of the amateur game at lieart, and who follow Rugby for tho love of it, must bB pleased with the promising start the new season received last week! Tho opening matches indicate that the cup contest may ha a very interesting one, and that sonic exceptionally good football may he seen. One thing the Rugby public will be thankful for is that Atiiletio seem to have changed from a "solid forward team" to a rather brilliant all-round combination. As Athletic are sure to figure frequently -on tho Park this change will help to brighten the Saturday, afternoons. ( . • E. Rcborts and Auckland. . Aucklaud almost hit upon a streak of luck of the most golden kind. It was rumoured -in Wellington that tho New . Zealand crack half-back, E. Roberts, was about to leavo Wellington and go north, and the story gave riso to expressoins of general regret; Auckland had already gained at ourV espenso through absorbing J. M'Kenzie, Petone and All Black five-eighth,_ and the. news of this additional piece of good fortune for the northerners was not by any means relished.-. 'However, Roberts is not to be lost .to Wellington. Big changes in the' business establishment at which he is engaged aro taking place, and that is 'why he contemplated .the move rumoured, but the wekomo fact is that ho is not now-going away. It may be mentioned here that tho brilliant half-back is in greater form than ever this season, and it seems fairly certain that this year's New Zealand 'representative- half-back will ' - ho Roberts or the man who beats him for the position. To Wellingtonians, Roberts(fit and well) appears to havo tlio post at his, command. In two matches'this year ho Las scor- ". cd 25; points—s tries and 5 goals from ■. tries. •' / ■;

Boyd-Recovering. - . : D. Boyd, the, Petone wing thfee-(juar-ter, who was'badly injured in the match against Ponsonby, is still in tho Wellington Public Hospital. He is reported to be .improving slowly. Tho football public probably are unaware how serious Boyd's.ca3o has been. Ho lias needed almost' cdristant wiitch'ing day and. night, but is now on the road to recovery. He is. unable to account for the. hurt .lie-received, and was quite.-unaware that he had been injured' until some time after the match.

,Thc Mid-Week Contestants. •Six,senior teams are now assured for the Wednesday competition. Artillery were admitted. by the union on Wedjjesday night, and Post and Telegraph arcVputting a team in the field. The four tennis who competed _ last season ViH bo in the running again—Oriental, Tramway, Butchers, and. Potono. Artillery, played iu 1912, but dropped out last'season.

Soiwyn—Junior or .Senior.? . Selwyn, • who ~ figure in . the junior "grade, hero, went to Wanganui at Easter and';w,cre .defeated by ; tho Pirate 8 Seniors byoiilv l lo points to 9. Such' '.deeds as this will surely bring closer"tlio day. when Solivjn Will bo classified' as seniors.

Rugby in American Colleges. 'A week or. two ago we heard from Now York'that.Rugby was to die in til©'American colleges. The following •is from the "Athletic News" (London): —"Tho Southern California University R.F.C. (U.S.A.) have. written to the Oxford' Rugby authorities suggesting an English tour under the Dark Blues' r-uspices. As they only lost the American championship by a small margin last year, and 'ore "'expected to win it this season, such rt tour;would undoubtcdly prove successful. It is the old story,-however—our "times are not tneir times, nor our seasons their .seasons." 'A "June to October tour would be impossiblo in England. It is most interesting to learn that Rugby football on • English lines is making vast strides. in 'America, especially at tho Universities. Tha California Club have played the English -style for three- years. In tho northern State it has been played for eight years, and it is becoming more popular every season."

Amateur Came Booming in Australia. "Everything for years to come points to a boom in.Union Rugby in New Soutli Wales, and, it may be added, in other portions of the world," remarks a Sydney writer. , "This fact is bound to raise""a standard of .play and also increase the interest in the game. The visits of the Now Zealand team this rear'and of England next year must in tho end exercise a tremendous influence for tho better. Conservative England has at last admitted that tho renaissance of English Union Rugby play dates from the visit of the Now Zealand team in 1905-1906, when the hide-bound traditions of British Rugby were shivored aiid blasted for all time. It lias taken English writers just about eight •vears to discover the fact that the visit of tho "All Blacks." and necessarily also of tlio "Wallabies." bad a rejuveiiating influence'on their game. It has heen prdved, however, that th© results nf interchange visits of Rugby teams, so long as tho staudard of merit of tlio Visitors is of -a liiccli order, always makes for good. For instance, the visits of New South Wales to New Zealand in 1882. and later in 1886,. taught tlio Muorilaudors something in the way of passing, while tlio doings of Stoddart s men in New Zealand sent, the game ahead there moro in one year than it had previously progressed in a generation. And on its Toturn from its Homeric excursion to' England in 1888-8!), tho Is'ew Zealand Native team lifted tho came to. such an .altitude that in tlie Dominion, and rtl?o in Australia, the effects ere noticeablo to this day. It will be found also that the interchange of visits between Australasian Rugby teams., and tlioso oF the American and Canadian Western States will sow such n fruitful crop in tho way of Riiaby that tlif> harvest may be reaped time mid anain in America, and the lield established on v/hat nmv finnl.v be believed a lasting basis."

Passing Flashes. . Next Saturday tho annual siwn .a pulo tournament will be held on Atliletic l'.nu. "■••• J,lines Evan, tlio Petone skipper, loaves for falcapnu this weoic-cnd. It is jii3t possible that lio will plav for Ins dub tills afternoon, and IciV'o for tho tamp to-night. 'J'lio Exchange Club is to bo allowed to join the third-grade. ranks again thia jcar. - Mcmfcero who waited on the

Wellington Union on Wednesday night stated that tho club membership is eighteen, and that they can carry oil throughout the season. ' V. Allen, one of the old Exchange band, is playing wing-forward for Melrose seniors. Last Week tho Petone Club fare: welled C. Nankeville, a well-known member of tho suburban club, and mado him a presentation. Nankoville has left for Gisborne, and Ill's last match for Petone was that against St.'James last Saturday. Tho Ponsonby match was to have been his final appearance, but ho took the field last Saturday after Parrant was hurt. The senior Rugby championship of Cbristchufch opens to-day. Eckhold, the well-known Otsgo representative, has decided to stand down this season.'. ' . ■ Atkinson, the West Coast forward Who went to America with New Zealand team, is"playing for the Southern Club. Dunedin, this season, oil the side of tho scrum. Petone hope that E. Ryan will be fit to play again in a fortnight's time. He will not play to r day, and will stand out of tho seven-a-side tournament next Saturday.' Petone's ill-fortune was increased last Saturday, when A. Parrant (forward) had a rib broken. Ho is not cxpeeted to, play again until May 9. Ifc is hoped that the Wellington Union will not delay further in appointing a selector or selectors/; R, jPyle, ek-Canterbury and ex-Soutli-'laiid representative three-quarter, has joined the Pirates Club, Dunedin. Many a famous match has been played at 'Alexandra Park, Auckland (formerly known as Potter's Paddock), but the theatre of Auckland Rugby for this season is Eden Park, a ground much closer to tho centre of tho city. Leslie Hill, who played full-back for Tnranald last season, is now in Auckland, and -has thrown in his lot with College Riflfs. Against Wellington at Athletic Park,. Hill shaped very well, and ho was one of the Taranaki fifteen which wrested the Ranfurly Shield from Auckland. , R, G. Hickmott, the New Zealand representative cricketer, will not be able to turn ,oiit with the Old Boys (ChristI church) .backs this season, owing to knee trouble. ! The grant of city reserves to the Wellington Union is on the condition that no gate charge is made for matclies. If S. CJascv does not play this year, E. .Booth and A. M'Donald will be the only 1905 All Blacks left, in the field. Booth is in Sydney. The Wellington Union hopes to stage a representative match at Athletic Park on June 3.