Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 110, 9 August 1902, Page 18

Rugby Football.

AT times there was more roughness put into the play than was absolutely necessary in the match between Melrose and Wellington on Saturday last, but, generally speaking, it was a fin© contest, and worthy the name of a Rugby football match. * • * The individual members of both teams played to the utmost extent of their abilities, and the sound of the whistle when it blew for "no-side" was indeed welcome to one and all. There was a splendid muster of both Mebroeei and Wellington "barrackers," and tihe Athletic Park echoed and reechoed witih the cries of encouragement to each team from their supporters outside the touch lines. • » * Witihin a minute and a-half of play commencing, Melrose opened the scoring. From a scrummage in Wellington's twenty-five the ball came neatly to A. Claridge, who passed it out to Wrigley. A. slight hesitation on Wngley's part did not prepare the spectatois for what was coming, for a passing rush among the backs was what was generally expected. No — a quick look at the goal-posts, and an equally quick drop-kick, were the preambles to a potshot at goal, which sent the hopes of the Melrose supporters skywards, for said shot went straight as an arrow between the; uprights and over the crossbar. Nothing disheartened., Wellington invaded their opponent®' territory, and directly a free-kick was awarded them for an off-side infringement, many tlhinking that a mark claimed, but not [held by Meredith had been awarded. Scott Wilson was entrusted with the kiek — from outside the twenty-five line

and near the touch-line — and, with an excellent shot, he brought his team's score to within one point of Melrose's. A fine effort to cross Melrose line was a distinguishing feature of the succeeding play, but directly "Bill" Adams — tlhe hero of many a battle on the Rugby fields of Wellington — got the ball, and the mass of opponents in front of him looked too many far even that warrior to get through. But, nothing daunted, "Bill" fixed his glance on the chalk-hue, and, dashing through the opposing phalanx, v.ith a great bound he cleared his last, remaining opponent out) of title way, and touched down in a good position. G. Spencer was successful Avith the kick, and the score was 9—39 — 3 in Melrose's favour when ends were changed. Both teams attacked strongly in the second half on occasions', but the defence was sound. Generally, though, tihere seemed to be a tired feeling ab&ut, the play in the centre of the field being generally of the sparring for onenings nature, and without much real vim in it. The best team, on the day's nlav, undoubtedly won. Melrose gave their backs a fair show of distinguishing themselves, and methinks if they had adopted similar tactics earlier m the season 1 they would not now be strues; ling to recover lost ground. The forwards are undoubtedly their main source of strength. Yet, bv giving the backs a fair share of the work it enables the forward® to perform better. The Wellington team's showing was disappointing. Though they played up well, and kept the opposition going, not once during the game did they appear like winning. It seemed to me that they started the match a beaten team, with the determination to keep their opponents^ score down as much as possible. * * » George Spencer gave his finest display of the season at full-back. His kicking was excellent, finding the touchline with serviceable ones every time. The opposition rushes were kind to him, though, thei ball generally coming wdtlh a kick so hard that made it easy for him to beat those, charging down on 'him. E. Claridge was clever at times on the right wing three-quarter, though what prompted him on one occasion to mint the ball over the goal-line has been puzzling me ever since. Goodwin was dashy at centre threequarter, but his evident love for the

leather should be curbed a little. His openings were good. The play seldom came OaTswelTs way on the left wing threei-quarter, but he did all there was to do in good style. Wrigley was the same Wrigley — resourceful in attack and stubborn in defence. Claridge passed out well, but his sprained ankle was still fair from well. An enforced rest for a week or tw o will do him a lot of good. Foothead played well on the wing forward, but his acrobatic feats over the scrummage seemed wasted energy from the touch-line®. W. J. Spencer played a game w orthy of him — full of vim and vigour, but, withal, fair, paying great attention to the ball, and playing on-side. He can play a fair game when he likes, and Saturday's was such, that no one can cavil at. Wai Spencer and Mclnnes "hooked" the ball very cleverly in the front of the scrummage, and the latter was in evidence m the open. This embryo Joe Calnan of a year or two back seems to have fallen altogether from the hieh pinnacle the prophets placed him on, but a, few more exhibitions like the one under review will soon bring him back into popular favour. Hardham — a younger brother of the 'V.C." hero. — is a promising player, but a tendency to roughness on his part should be checked. A "cow-kick" is not necessary in football. Dubloas, Osborne, and Adams were as prominent as their club mates in the pack, and all worked hard to ensure the victory of their team. Adams was ever prominent. * * There seemed something altogether inexplicable m Lovatt's play, but the fact that a few minutes, after starting: play ai bone in his shoulder was broken accounts for the whole of his weak play, and all the more credit attaches to him for so pluckily seeing the game out. Mclntyre was m a great running humour, and altogether showed a welcome return to the form that won him a place in last year's representative team. The. play dad not come his way as often as he wished, for he seemed to be looking for y ork all the time. Lan Johnson made one or two nice runs but a tendency to "pot" spoilt a good opening on at least one occasion. S. Wilson made some fine kicks along the touch-line, and did a lot of defensive woik.

Brodie was "so-so," and Meredith played his usual honest game. Manson was not so prominent as usual on the wing forward, although a loping rim along the inside touch-line promised dancer, but was averted happity for the Melrose team. ' MoLiachlan's following-up is an ob-ject-lesson to the majority of local forwards and on Saturday "Mac" showed up well in this direction. His general work was also good. Leversedge is still as honest as ever m the heavy work^ but I did not notice Walsh, Rice, or Wilson too often. McMinn was asked to do too much with his mate a cripple for the best part oi the game, but he is very willing and did more than his share of the work. Burnett ricked his knee very early in the match, and was practically a passenger the greater part of the afternoon. * * * Mr. Norris had charge of the whistle, and was fully employed. His decisions were prompt, and well received with players, although occasionally from the touch-lines one wondered what some of them meant. The throw-in from touch was narrowed down to a very fine point on the occasion when touch-judge Weir was overruled. Granted, even that the ball was thrown in at the right place— and that is giving away a loi^-in the instance in qu«s/tnon, from where I was standing within a few yards of where the occurrence happened, the ball appeared to me not to leave the possession of the player who was 1 throwing it in. It is generally understood that to throw anything it must be pronelled 'WM' therefore, I take it that to throw the ball in from touch the bail must leave the possession of the player throwing it. I may be splitting straws, but the instance m question brought the throwing-in from touch down to a very fine 1 point indeed. And then, as to the. over-ruling of the line umpire, Mr. Weir states— and he was in a good position to judge— that the ball did not leave the possession of the player until he had got into the field of play, and, therefore, was not thrown in, and further says that it was to this effect that he replied to Mr. JN orris si question. This being so the referee made a mistake in over-rul-ing the touch judge. • • • That was a cowardly paragraph that appeared m "Touch's" notes last Satur-

day, lefernng to Meredith, Walsh, and Manson not playing against Canterbury. Gi anted that it was from a correspondent, and denied by "Touch" himself in a foot-note, yet the proper place for such a communication should have been the w aste>-paiper basket — or, as my confrere is an occasional smoker, pipelights would have been good use to have put the paper it was written on to. Wliat are the facts? Meredith was suffering from a sore throat, and, only for giving himself proper attention, would have had an attack of diphtheria. Manson had a bad turn of diarrhoea on Monday, but got the best of it on Wednesday, when he fully intended playing on the Saturday. A return of the malady on the Thursday night practical lv prostrated him, and he had to give up all hopes of playing keenly as he desired to. Walsh's reasons for not playing aire private, and are of such a serious character to him that they have presented Win travelling to Auckland with the team this week. I believe it is the intention of the three players in question to ask the Rugby Union to hold an inquiry into the matter. They court it, and are satisfied thear actions will bear the fullest inquiry into. Personally, I think the majority of the footballing public will agree witlh me that the three players, are fair sports, and a mean action such as has been charged against them is beyond their ken. Meredith and Manson have both been prommeint players in Wellington for some time now, and from an intimate acquaintance I have had with them, I consider tfhe gentleman, ( ?) who got behind a 'nom-de-plume" to have a "dig" at them dare not come out into the open and declare himself, for m the field of sport he would be found sadly lacking in those part® w hioh go to make sports of the calibre of Meredith and Manson . # r- * From "Lynx's" report of the Auck-land-Canterbury match, it would appear that the wide margin of points — 19 to 3 — was not a fair criterion of the merits of the respective teams. He goes on to say that it is pretty safe to sum up the average football match on the tries scored on either side — tries are generally the outcome of collective effort — but this could not be made to apply to the Canterbury-Auckland match, which was more evenly contested for the greater part of the game than the points would seem to indicate. Still, the better team undoubtedly won on tihe day, and would come out in front if the match was played again to-morrow ; the visitors ungrudgingly admit that they met their masters, and, like the good sportsmen that they are, do not attempt to offer any excuse for their defeat. "Auckland is a great football centre, the greatest in New Zealand. Its tearcw have won it the highest position in the land bv thedr strength and skill, and the populace of the city look on a well-contested match with more enthusiasm than on any other game." — Justifiable opening paragraph in "Lynx's" report of the match. The Auckland forwards, man for man, were superior to Canterbury's, but did not show the same combination when rushes were initiated. They made am ends though, by the life and dash they put into their work in the open and on the line-out, determined tackling, and real downright hard work in the scrum, where they hooked the ball five times out of six. They did everything their most sanguine supporters expected of them — perhaps a little more than was generally looked for — and are to be complimented accordingly. We are all aware that the material was there if the men were prepared to rise to the occasion. This they did, once more demonstrating that Auckland's forwards are a hard lot to put under. They rose to the occasion grandly, and played their part nobly in bringing about the defeat of the visitors. Tlirusting the Canterbury men well dov. n into their own territory, they gave the backs a chance to show what they were capable of in attack, and theie was a splendid response on the part of the latter division. Of the individual players, ' Lynx" says — " Harrison proved an immense success at full-back for the Auckland team, and appeared to be as thoroughly at home as defender of the sticks as he i<« at three-quarter-back. The remaining backs, did everything they were asked to. Thompson, with his turn of speed and dodging proclivities was responsible for two of Auckland's tries and went near placing a third try to his credit On both occasions his scores were highly meritorious, as he had men to beat, and did it very cleverly. He fairly ran himself to a standstill, and by his display must have silenced the croakers who held that he was not worthy of a place. "MoKenzie, at centre, was sound both in defence and attack, and kicked witih good judgment. Asfoer played with OTeat dash, and was in practically everything that oame along, both of-

fensive and defensive. He did the work of two men, and nothing could have been finer than has fast following up, which tune and again enabled him to smother the opposing backs. At five-eaghtlis, R. McGregor was back in something like his old form, and no one could be other than satisfied with his display. All his old defence was there, and hie was always associated with the other backs in attacking work. "Xi email had no easy task behind the pack, as the opposing five-eighth who did a lot of wmg work, were inclined to get) off-side, and paid close attention to the Auckland captain. He did everything tluat was asked of him, although he has played better games in represeaitative matches. "Laing played a slashing game on the wing, and was always a source of trouble to the opposing backs when the ball went tiheir way, as he always "ot among them and bowled them over in great style. Dorain also upheld his reputation,, his footwork being particularly good. "The forwards worked well to a man, making it difficult to select any one particular member out for special mention, though MoDuff deserves a word for has splendid play on t!he line-out. It was a tireat. "The Canterbury full-back, Turtill, failed to stop Thompson on two occasions, being once beaten by speed and again by the Aucklander's dodgy tactics, but oittherwisje played an excellent game all round, his handling of the ball and kicking being distinctly good. "Of the three-quarters, McGregor, who scored Canterbury's only try, appeared to be about the most dangerous man in attack, and mustered up a fair turn of speed, but hi® defence leaves room for improvement. Revell and Phillips were more reliable perhans in this particular department, but were not noticeable for anything claiming mention as attacking players. "Wood did a lot of useful work at five-eighth, and the same may be said of Ormandy. I have, however, seen tihie former in better form on previous occasions here. Weston, at half-back got tihe ball away smartly when it was heeled out to him, but is not too strong in defence. "As already stated the forwards are a good lot, and all deserving of their f laces. If asked to single out the man liked most, I should mention Cross, who played a slashing game."