NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALLERS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1646, 12 January 1906, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALLERS.

THE MATCH AGAINST ENGLAND A DESCRIPTION. By, telegraph, Press Ass’n, Copyright Received 5 29 p.m., Jan. 11. Sydney, Jan. 11.The Daily Mail, commenting on the match against England, said t Everyone had come in the sanguine hope of witness' ing, not a game of Rugby as played on the stereotyped, depressing lines with which EngPsh crowds have so long been afflicted—nearly all line oats, scrimmages and whistle, but for a display of football pyrotechnics; but the game had not been gone a minute before it was olear that the state of the ground was all against fires works, The players slipped throughout on their hands with exasperating regular* ity. Passes went forward or away that were never meant to, while floundering footwork was merely a matter of ohanoe. The game consequently lost much of its expected openness end brightness. What the public wanted to see was that mar-*^ JBr vellous All Black formation sweeping down ihe field in its inimitable, irresist* able fashion, to its own accompaniment of deft of touches and dqzzling trioks. The result of the matoh was a secondary con* sidoration. Scarcely anyone expected tq see England succeed where Sootlaud and Ireland had signally failed, Instead, for the most part they saw mulled passes, ineffective sprints,absurd mistakes,iudierfous kicking, weary scrum after sorum, and lirerome lines out were innumerable. Only on rare oooasions did the All Blaok mao* binary get in proper motion, Then moro often than not the whistle blew for somo infringement. At the same time, to those initialed in Rugby mysteries, were noticeable many delightful points, particularly the way in whioh tho visitors circumvented the tactios by whioh England hoped to throttle the dangerous outting in whioh has yielded so many tries. Their half, instead,of passing out to his. five-eighths or three-quarters from tho scrum, would merely feint that way, butjlireotlyjhe had got the English on the move he would pass like lightning in other direction, with the result that one or other of his backs rushing up would find an opening. It was this apparently simple triok that led to the first three New Zealand trieß, Roberts initiating the movement twioe, end Gaffaher onoe. McGregor was tho waiting, unmarked tbred-quar ors on eaoh ocoasion. He had litilo else lo do but turn on a top speed gallop over, before the discomfited English defence, veering away from him, had realised the quick change and could alter their feet. McGregor was § the hero of the match. The place kicking w was ineffectual. Wallaco, after failing ?J thrice, gave way to Deans and Gillett,who, however, did no better, which is not.to be wondered at considering tho nature of the ground. When the whistle bjsw thd players were alike—all black.