RUGBY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2144, 9 May 1914, Page 12

RUGBY.

■ « —; ... . . [Br Lock.*] '. .' " ■ ' ' iTHE TEAMS OF THE-' EMPIRE.' 'A ' very ' interesting article which : touches on prospective battles between' : 'the Rugby representatives of the British Umpire, and mentions the meeting ,'of some'of.theso with American sides, is contributed to the Sydney- ''Referee" yby "The Stroller." ' 'i'bo writer commences with references to tljo outlook for amateur Rugby in Australia this season. Ho writes: — J "Viewed from the standpoint. of a . : game and a pastime, the prospects \qf, j Rugby Union football in Australia'never' I seemed brigbteiy In .New South Wales (the country unions, city clubs, juniors, and schools nro well organised, and have , jjio anxiety about the future of the ; Ha mo, which has continued without ■ interruption, in-this. State for. fifty years, jln the international sense there has pitover been so much . activity before, j'oven though Rugby has brought. about, (.contests .between tho nations for many" i -It is gratifying, : therefore'; for 'followers-of -the ■ sport here to know [that the Now South "Wales. Rugby . jiUniori is filling- its part in the big. ['schemes arranged,. eitner definitely or . (tentatively-, among the various coun- . tries. The programmes of 1912 and 1913 constituted tho opening of a series 'of competitions by which the players of 'Australia test their strength and abil- • ity-with-the- world's--greatest- tenms.'During 1912 America was visited; <7,and last season a tour of New Zealand was \ successfully undertaken, ivhile a,.Maori combination toured Australia. These - V'ere -negotiated with excellent ■•success . " ou'limlted.resourc(!'s'''at the"iommai3d of, tho union, so that there is no fear as to New South Wales being able to take nnd hold its. proper place among the Rugby union nations." . How the Alj-Blacks ara Regarded. • : season,"' he continues, "is'to bp" l' featured by eontiilfl'eit.'activitlds"'' "FoE ; tho first timo since 1910 thef,.Sydn'ey .public will have an opportunity' view-, ing a thorouglily representative Zealand team, drawn from all centres in tho Dominion. Tho 'combination;will • almost certainly include a number'of K the team which created records in Califomia and British Columbia last season/ when 610 points werti scored agaipst' a. solitary' try 1 and a penalty-goal: '■ '"The '; namo /All Blacks' originally applied to. « the famous team which-carved out wholfe - ' pages of history, whilo playing so b'rilliantly throughout, Great .: Britain in ; 1005, but it has-since been applied gen-i - orally to all- teams from the 1 Dominion, • with tho effect'tlia-i tho words in ; AusZ tralia not convey the same meaning. T, as when' English, writers'styled'Galla-. ». her's fine side in that way. .But no" 1 -■ team has, by its play, its achievements, " and'its'gener'al'reputation, more desefv- ' edly earned, the title than Ales. Mac- , tlonald's charges in America during 1913, who will form-the main part of the 1914 authenticated 'AH -Blacks;' Thus tho .com ing visit;is • looked forward' i.to opportunity of nessing i'footba'll played by itvorld-re-" riowned exponents, and as" offering a 1 chance for our own players, "produced • and developed under tho Rugby Union code, of trying their skill against, per-, haps, tho best Rugby combination in." ■ tho "world to-day. . Effective Forwards and Brilliant, Backs. "During. 1912 and 1913 1 was fortunate enough to see the English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Frpnch, South African,, and New Zealand representative, teams 'in action, and J consider that; goner-' ally, the State and Australia hats the' material from which a fifteen can bq selected to quite satisfactorily, face any of the teams mentioned. Young,-un-known have," by tho chances given them, developed into exponents of the.highest class, and or) groundswhich assist and do not hinder fast play,! the 1914 representative team should be able to face", tho redoubtable New Zealanders as ably as the 1907' State • ,tcam did. The 'All Blacks' _ forwards are remarkably effective in both close and open play. They, .possess those .well-known New Zealand characteristics, of height, weight, ahd freedom of mover' ment. They combine and play , the gamo like tho masters they are, and their sturdiness ' ; in 'both attack and 'defence gives a set of brilliant backs I every chanco - of ' performing with', j, sparkle. 'With our own backs showing Itheir best, tho football should be open, , jattractivo, and eyen sensational. . '' for our Onslaught. x ' ''Two matches against tho State - .and fjwo against Australia will bo played in 'Sydney by tho New Zealanders, "and the usual -matches betweeh. Queensland and Now South Wales will take place 5n both Brisbane arid Sydney.' .-In. addi-. , 'tion to the interest attaching to 'these contests in ordinary seasons, there willhe increased value, inasmuch as the ■lAnstralian team to face New Zealand .will bo chosen on the form shown, as : iWoll as tho showing ii) club games -iiji «ach centre. Thus arrangements have been made to play big games early, and. ,tho series will comlnence in Brisbane on May 30, Juno 3 arid 6. Tho matches will bo continued in Sydney on 'June 13, 17; and 20, and th'o Now Zca- 1 pandora will comraenco on July 11. fithz International Scheme. V'Tho union is looking further ahead ithan tho present year, however, and it as probablo that tho English Union will nrrango for a British team to visit ,tralia and Now Zealand in 1915. With tho standard of the game at the high point it is in Great Britain at present, , this visit should'be'full of possibilities. • (During tho same year it, is hoped to arrange a tour to America during the period of the Panama Exposition at San ■Francisco. '. Tho season 1910 should witC noss a return visit to Now Zealand, .while tho .invitation to South Africa will probably b<) renowed to visit Australia and Now Zealand, in 1917. Thus;'the 1 scheme of international contests: ■ will ! continue to provide a means towards binding. together': the "'great portions of tho Empire, and towards retaining the friendly relations with, tbei.Vithor.: Anglo-Saxon-speaking 'United. States —while tho eritepte'eordiale may be strengthened by-a future interchange of visits with Prance." The New SouthWales Rugby Union.' hopefully expects to bring :off ' this -programme. The spread and extension' of the game internationally is -giving much satisfaction nnd, gratification to the older officials,' .who, with commendable foresight, were--tho means of arranging much pioneering .nnd missionary work by'tlie Neiv South Wales . body. That' something of value to.'Australia, as .x nation, and to the individuals who participate in tours and contests of the nature indicated is being is. also' most gratifying. . While this continues, and while the ;;players keep as their main objective always, fchcir a'init in .life, with'tho 'sport--■regarded merely as a pastime, the "'Jlii.tfliv Union will-uphold those high traditions and ideals which havo been •associated with tho nlaving of tho game • throughout the world.". Strength, and Dash, and C.o, .. ..The Ireland v. Wales match was playC'i at Belfast on Saturday, March 14,

in pelting, ceaseless rain, and on a ground that was quickly churned into a heap of clinging mud. "Tho conditions wero awful, says "B.B." in ''Sporting. Life," "such a day was it that football seemed absurd, and yet wo saw a game that will live long in tho memory of tho thousands of people who suffered to be drenched and to be sot shivering; tho l ; ke of it, all things ■ considered, I shall probably never see again. It was a mighty tussle between men who were amazing men because they never cracked; at no period of tho game had they/ completely spent their energythey wero, endowed, so it seemed; with unlimited strength and -dash and go. It was not a day for backs; it was made for forwards, and two greater packs could not be; they refused to bo pulled back by the frightful ground; apparently the ball, though, ' like somo leaden thing, was no serious' 1 handicap to ,them; they sent it swishing through pools of water, and, then .they out their way through thick; black, sticky nrad. If ever a match suggested a fight to the last ditch this did; thero was -,no lialf-hearfcedncss about anything; if thero liad beon a woaklmg ho would havo. taken fright in . the game's infancy; only strong men - such as the players of the two countries wero could have lived through it all." Wales won, scoring a goal and two tries (11 points) to'a try (3 points). Rugby Thriving in Cermany. , Rugbv has been taken up enthusiasY- ca ''l 7 ! h ? Germans, and it is pre-dicted-that before long Germany will enter the Rugby lists with England, France, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. . Dealing with sport in the land of the ' .Jlniser, a> writer in "Fry's Magazine" points out that, the German Imperial government- ,is encouraging sport in ;tho _army and navy. It has even gone , so Jar- as to issue regulations on tho subject. .-Thus, through tho medium of conscription, Germany will be enabled to turn into civilian life thousands of yoifng athletes and game players who have had a training thrust upon them, bp tai'j tho naval and military authorities havo concentrated on Rugby football, with tho result that tho game has .made- tremendous progress. Thirteen years; ago, whon tho Imperial Football Association was formed, therij wero only GO clubs in tho whole German Empire ' At present there are over 2000 clubs, with 170,000 members, and for this the . State is mainly responsible. Lately the commander of a Saxon army corps is- . sued a regulation in which' he stated that "football is tho best physical training for reoruits, because it admirably .supplements their military drill." Even • a greater zeal 'for football exists in the navy. The movement was started by the Kaiser's brother, Prince Henry of Prussia, who gave a football challenge cup., To-day football- is compulsory for ships' boys; in the battleship fleet,',hoys whoso agos rango between 15 and 18, pre divided itno five divisions,, ■ each ■■ numbering .170, who are sent ashore regularly to'., play football. An Admiralty. report_ praises fotoball for "its good offect in increasing .dexterity, intelligenie, and energy, and in teaohing sub- - to the need for obeying the referee's decision." The strong. • est naval advocate of football is Admiral ■ Pritwitz Gastron, who. when chief of - the Baltic Station, made nearly all ;his , men go in for -what he termed "football drill." Passing Flashes., , , To-day the Rugby attractions are the seven-a-side tournament at Athletic Park, and the Boyd benefit match at I'etone. ' , Everyone is anxious to see tho bgnefit to Boyd-a great success. Credit is due to the Petone Club for the manner in which they have come to the aid of • their clublnate, and the fact that they ■ are putting on such an attractive fixture as a meeting between Athletic and Petone should ensure a big attendance. . The Athletic Club have come handsomely to the rescue by withdrawing ! their best men from the _soven-a-side teams so as to make certain that followers of the game will have a first-class, vcoiitest to look forward to at .Petone. ■ The'withdrawals from the seven-a-side teams will entail the substitution of other members of the club. ■ "Rugby, looks as if it will bo up to the averago of last winter," is a Taranaki . writer's opinioii of the prospects in the '* western province. , • A fine figure will be missing from the Rugby fields, of the 'country this season. This Is Tamu, the Taranaki re- , presentative. forward, who died some ■ months ago; / Tamu was a splendid forward, ,arid on his last appearance for the Amber and Black on Athletic Park • played a- magnificent game. • R. Roberts, who, it was rumoured, • mightiplay for the Marist Brothers team in Auokland this season, will tako his Rt)gby in Taranaki after all. Ho will play for the Okaiawa Club. •, " The 6enior cup matches in Wellington will be ; resumed next Saturday. , Messrs.,. H. J. Mynott, W. M'Kay, - and D. J. Malone will select the Tarandlii representative team this year. -Young; who figured prominently iii ;; tho; pack of the Taranaki team of 1912 < during its southern tour, will be playing again this- season. ' It that,. W. M'Kay, the old. Waimate and Taranaki representative forward,'will ttike the field for Wai- . mate again 'this year.