AFTER MANY LONG YEARS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2162, 30 May 1914, Page 12

AFTER MANY LONG YEARS.

Wellington Recovers Lost Laurels. Two outstanding features of last Saturday's Rugby fixtures were the victory. of tho Wellington team over I'otone and th» promising form shown l)y the Poneke players in their match ngainst University. It must havo been iust about twolvo years sinoo the Wellington Football Club's 'senior fifteen liad been able to defeat tho Petone re : .preservatives, either in town or on the suburban ground. In tho interval, : Petone players havo scored hundreds of points against tho old city club —a 'victory of 30 points or so to nil being a common occurrence. In 1012 and 1913 Wellington managed to improve sufficiently to oxtend the suburbanites, and this year tho -wearers of tho Yellow and Black jerseys havo dono something towards avonging tho long run of defeats. 'In view of the improved form of tho /Wellington team great interest centres in tho Oriental-Wellington match, to bo decided at Athletic Park this afternoon. Wellington men should hold their own, and later on when they meet tho Athlotic team they should also bo able' to. ( render a good account of themselves. Possibilities In Poneke. : There are possibilities in the Poneke senior team, and when' tho very best fifteen that tho club can muster is Bent into the field no other team in tho competition will be able to. count on victory beforehand. Tho club is training the younger members iu tho_ right way. and ono apparent result of this wits •that Lamberg, who was called on to fate Spillanos place at half-back last Saturday, did very. well. Bone, who was absent from tho vanguard last Saturday, was suffering from pneumonia, and Spillnne had not sufficiently recovered from concussion of the spine, sustained at Takapau. He is well enough "this week, but, acting on advice, will not play until Saturday nest. : Dennehy, who has been laid up as tlio result of injury sustained in the match against Petone, will be in his place in the, Poneke team to-day, but otherwise there will bo no changes from last Saturday's team. ' Latest advice about Mitchinson is that the- brilliant three-quarter is anxious to get-back to Wellington, but is 'nnable to do so. Up till the present iveek the weather had boon too 1 bad to enable him to do certain necessary work on.his farm,'and-He nuiy-bo dttamed in the north for som'o' little time yet.

Paradoxical Position. I am afraid that unwittingly , the-lead-ing critics of Rugby Union football are, bo far as artisan, players are .concerned, acting tho'' parts of agents for the Northern .Union organisations (says a writer in the "Athletic News"). Quito recently I was told by the secretary of "a prominent club of the latter body: You'll bo interested 1 -to know that ■w.o've signedL on 'So-and-so' of 'Such-and-such F.C.'' We have not seen him, hut' wo liave gono on what you have written rcgaming and we trust lie will - prove Personally I felt placed in rather, a paradoxical positron. On tlio one hand the action of the N.U. Club might be construed into a sort of compliment to olio's perspicacity; on the other, one's remarks could bo regarded as having cost a, player of promise to Rugby Unionism. At the Same time it seems impossible to obviato tlio anomalous situation. Stray Items, E. Roberts will not bo playing behind the Athletic scrum to-day, as 110 is absent from the city-. He has quito recovered from his recent Injury and will don tho blue and black jersey: as soon as ho returns to Wellington. The team to represent Wellington ngainst Mr. Parata's Maori team, in a match to be played on tho Athletic Park on tho afternoon of .Tun© 3, will be selected after to-day's play. At Brisbane to-day the inter-State Rugby match, New South Wales v. Queensland, is to bo played. There will bo a return match next Saturday, •T. Ityan, who has been doing a considerable amount of Tprriterial training, has now settled down to play for Petone for the remainder of the season.

A .few weeks back a prominent Welsty 'Rugby Union official complained' of an effort that was being matlo fo secure Rugby Union players for tho Northern Union codo (says tin exchange). .The matter has some intorest for Australians in another way. Of the first 20 'players selected to tour Australia under tbe Northern Union banner, 1.1 learned their game under the aegis of ibo Rugby Union. It seems remarkable that such a. big percentage of Northern Unkn rem-esontatives should have bc?n developed by another body. Of the. 13-four had gained international caps. 'The question that is being ask od by .Northern Union supporters is: Whcre.-is the encouragement for young (iters'if tha plums are going to bo-he stn'-ved 011. strangers? ' Tbe spectators; at Kc'"i. Park on Sat. Urday . werc_-exceptinnallv enthusiastic, and the majority, wcro.plainlv,University siipnortcrs (savs .the "llerald"V When the Blues scored, those in tho si and rose almost as nna nian. a scene of great, enthusiasm followed. The faces of many prowled a study in tbe last few minutes when only three ooints sei>nrated 'the "teams, and Citv looked like Rcorino;-evci-'- minute. "Why doesn't that bell go?" was the universal ones tion, and when at. last Lambert, kicked out of touch and "no-side" sounded, the spectators £ave vent to their relief and enthusiasm in ro uncertain manner,

At Eden Park. Auckland, tho goal posts are not padded. , During tho progress of the Citv-Tfnivorsity match on Siturday -several players narrowly missed strik'iiig'the .nosts .with"theirthea'(TsT and had .thev*/-dono' Bp;-",tlio results would ro doubt have been serious the "Now Zealand Herald"); Thero aro many instances, 011 record where players have receive severn injuries through colliding: with the bare posts. A few sacks round the bottom part of the posts would mean littlo labour and expense, but on the other hand would mean a great deal to tbe players.

Now Zeatenilers in England. The other day ■ (srivs -"Full-Back" in the "Otngo Witness") I had the pleasure of nn interesting chat with a returned Rugger man. Dr. Brown, late'of Otagn University. who has been hi.England for the past four years. Dnriiig his stay in London he played'with LOll- - ion Trrospit.il, the sido which used to " contain so many ex-Otago University " players of note —among otliers, Adams; /.'Alan, of centre three-quarter fame; ■; M'Pherson. the dashing wine;: Palmer, - another wiii'T three-quarter (who, I 110ticed the other day, had been plaving '. for Harlequin); lleale, a clever halfback; Lindsay, three-quarter; Perry - T'ooto and Uartgill. forwards. In ono . Hospital'C'np tie there were 110 fower " 'han eizht. old 'Varsity boys playing 7 Tor London. It, savs much for the Otago University that practically sll " (be ex-Blues were recognised in the first flight, of Busby in England, and several ; of them" aaincd mterii.itinn.il honours.

Asked if he had eeen much of the old Blues at' Homo, Dr. Brown replied that he had played with them many times, but that many of them had sinco dropped out of-tho game. Alan Adams had gono into partnership in motor business ; M'Phorson, after dropping out of football, he had not Been for some time and did not know his whereabouts; Healo, who was highly thought of as a half-back in England, had entered the army, and was at latest information stationed at Malta; Palmer was Still playing football; Porcy Footo had returned to Now Zealand, and was at present in the North Island; while Hartgill, alono of the old boys ; was at Loudon Hospital, still figuring in tho Rugby - team. English Football ImprovingDr. Brown stated that the standard of football in England had improved wonderfully, -especially the thtee-quar-ter back play, which was as high now at it had ever been. Tho forward play was good. but. comparing id with NewZealand; it fell short of the high standard set in this country. One thing he particularly noticed in English forward nlay was that the forwards never followed up like they do in New Zealand.' Ho attributed this to the lack of training as much as anything else. With few exceptions, the English footballer does not train as we understand it. Even after tho All Blacks' visit, while n groat improvement was noticeable in tho fitness of English sides, there was not the zest of the New Zealand teams. Hie difference appeared to tho doctor to be that wliereas tho New Zealandejmake.s it a business to keen fit, the Englishman takes his football as it recreation. At the same time, such has been the advance of English football the last two seasons, particularly in tho back'_ plnv, that a thoroughly representative' English' team to-day would give any New Zealand side a fright. J that a cable message had been received some few months ago suggesting' that tho English Union was sympathetic towards another visit of a. New Zealand team. Dr. Brown said that, the matter was-often discussed amongst players." particularly' tho New Zealanders at Home; but he heard of no official statement in that direction. The general ooinion appeared to bo that the All Black methods did not appeal to the . Englishmen. Nor has time effected much change in the attitude, particularly of Scotland. This statement is not -"new, but as it has been voiced so often by those in authority there miist be something 111 it. The New Zealand Union, as mentioned recently, is not likely to entertain an invitation for another New Zealand team to visit Great Britain unless it comes with the hearty co-operation of the unions of the four kingdoms, v