Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 120, 18 October 1902, Page 19

Rugby Football.

Football is now as dead as a door-nail as far as this year's Dlr.y is concerned — at least, it ought to be. The volunteers have a tournament in hand, but, outside of themselves, little interest is taken in it. Shop matches are generally in evidence directly the ■principal fixtures are over, but they all seem to be payed now, and this week should see the curtain rung down finally. "Quidnunc" is again advocating tihe scoring of a goal kicked from a punt. Are tihe officials of the Rugby Unions in New Zealand listening? New bouih Wales cleared over £1000 during the season just closing. "Johnny from the Coast" —in other words, J. OBrien, the ex-Athletic player, has been moved on again. He has been transferred from Lyttelton to Cln-mam this time.

A leading article in. the last "Weekly Press," on tine proposal to send a New Zealand, team to Great Britain next season, agrees with the opinions expressed by myself — that to send a thorough represeintatioii of the colony s football Home, the professional rules will hare to be broken, or relaxed. "Sammy" Cookroft, the well-known intercolonial football player, and a Wellington representative of the late eighties and earlier nineties, returned to Wellington from Queensland dunn,g last week. He still looks the same old cheerful "Sammy" he did when he was resident in Wellington, and the passing years appear to have dealt lightly with him. He says the drought chased him out of Queensland, and the probabilities are that he will remain m New Zealand * * * Y. R. Meredith leaves for Auckland any time now. The extempore smoke concert to make a presentation to him last Saturday night, by the members of the Wellington Club, was a very enjoyable aiffair, and if Meredith has the fortune to enjoy half the good things wished him he will not have anything to complain about in the future. Meredith first represented Wellington iru 1899 and has since then taken part in twenty-six interprovincial for the Empire City. In many of them he has acted as oaotam and has emoved the confidence of his fellow players and the spectators alike I wish to add mv wishes that his future career may be ft satisfactory one to himself, and that when he leaves the ranks of the Bo-

hamiains for those of the Benedicts every happiness may be his.