NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALLERS

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1661, 30 January 1906, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND FOOTBALLERS

DAILY MAIL REPORT. By telegraph, Press A,Bs’n, Copyrigh Received 5.9 p.m., Jan. 29.

Sydney, Jau. 29 The Doily Mail says: Either the A Blaoke are meeting foernen in South Waleß of far moro worthy eteol than they met eleewhero, or oleo the strain of (heir tromondous tour is beginning to .tell the inevitable tale. They were bard put to it at Newport. The visitors left by far the hardest and most difficult part of their task to the end of the tour. It is asking too muob of even so wonderful a football phalanx, as they undoubtedly are, that after a protracted and 'exhausting experience of hard-fought encounters they should retain all thoir pristine freshness. There was little to ehoose between the teams. Newport, so far as actual balance of play went, might have won just as well as the New Zealanders. For the first twenty minutes of the opening Half, the visitors had pretty muoh their own way. After two fine efforts to sooro, Roberts set the other wing in motion. The ball came from Stead, to Deans, to Harper, the latter swerved most artistically round Griffiths and soored the first and only try of the game. Harper fai'ed to convert, but a few minutes later Wallace dropped a magnificent penalty kick from nearly half way. It seemed as if the oolonials were oontented with this advantage. They were seldom dangerous afterwards. In proportion as they fell off Newport improved, and in the second half the Usksiders were in thoir opponents’ territory most of the time, and the oolonials were fortunate in possessing a lead of eix points. Wallace’s ooolness and splendid kicking saved bis side from disaster more than once, and Roberts, Seeling, ‘Tyler, and Mynott played a great defensive game.