Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 160, 25 July 1903, Page 18

Rugby Football.

HOW the hurrahs rang out, and resounded again and again, when the news came through last Saturday night that the New Zealand team had defeated New South Wales in its first match by 12 points to nil! It was quite refreshing to notice the beaming faces of the football enthusiasts, and, for the matter of that, of the many people who were perambulating the streets that night. Of course, the result of the intercolonial match may not have caused the smiling faces of the general body of the public, but I may be excused if I say that that was the first thought that ran through my head as to the meaning of the pleasure written large on the countenances of the people. r * * However, there were many pleasant things in the cabled report of the match that appeared m Monday's papers — fine passing among the backs, excellent play by the- forwards, and so on. The regrettable incidents of the game were the ©rdenng-off the field of Cooke, and the cautioning of McMinn. The Wairarapa "Leader" has a special reporter at the front, and this is his version of these tw o occurrences — "Cooke was ordered off the field before the game terminated, through no fault of his own. Several of the Welsh forwards had made a dead set at him, to show that they had not forgotten their promise of two years ago, that if Cooke, Cross, and Drake came to Sydney, they could expect a 'warm time,' and' the Canterbury man, never slow in that respect, retaliated. There was really no necessity for Mr. Pauling to caution McMinn, as Judd was the aggressor, to whom nothing was said." There have been, many hard things said during the week in local football circles on both these incidents, but this is not the time to give expression to "them, or even my own thought® on the matter. I have hopes of receiving a letter from Sydney by this week's mail, and the expressions of opinion therein will throw more light on the matter. If the letter comes to hand, it will be published in another portion of the paper. In the meantime, congratulations to the team on their capital performance, and continued success all along the line. * * * There was not as much interest taken in the match between Wellington and Waararapa, played at Oarterton last Saturday, as was anticipated, the attendance being less than 500. The day was an ideal one for football, and the ground was in capital order considering the amount of rain that had fallen during the week. The game was most exciting, and the spectators' feelings were kept at high tension right through both spells. The play varied so much that one could never fee] sure w Inch team was going to score next. The outstanding features of the first half of the game were fine passing rushes (initiated by Roberts) of the Wellington backs, and magnificent footw ork of Wairarapa's wing-forw ard — Warner. This player got all over Hardham, and was a source of great trouble to the Wellington back division On several occasions he dribbled light throuah the three-quarter line, and it was the result of one of these rushes that enabled Diamond to score Wairarapa's first try. A similar comment applies to the piece of play that led up to Wairarapa s score in the second spell. Workman dubbled the ball past Wilson (Lambie backing him up), and down to Spencer. He then kicked it hard infield, and Lambie, with no one m fiont of him, ran in unopposed. Rogers was entrusted w ith all shots at goal, and in two attempts the ball went under the bar. The other kick — the occasion being the try scored by Diamond — -Rogers sent, tihe ball over the cross-bar from near the twenty-five flag The Wellington team commenced the second half of the match with a deficiency of five points to make up, and, with the determination to put a different complexion on the game, Hard-

ham urged his front-rankeis to gam possession of the ball at all costs' — which they did in nearly every instance. Roberts threw the ball about m characteristic style, but. the efforts of the Wellington backs weie nullified bv the magnificent tackliiig of their opponents, chiefly Maish, Rogeis, Diamond, and Raisen. Mclntyre and Slattery did not, by any means, make good use of the openings made bv Robeits and Gray. The former was especially weak appealing to be always pleased when he ~ot nd of the ball. Time and again fine passing rushes were set <-oing-. but instead of running straight, and keeping the play infield, all the backs had a tendency to make for the touchhne, and it was invariably theie that the passing bouts ended. Although the Waararana team were within an ace of scoring several times, it cannot be said that they lost as many chances as the Wellington players did. The Wellington score was the result of a try by King, at the end of a forward rush, in which he and Cross weie associated, and which followed a fine run bv Mclntyre. The allowance of the try caused a lot of adverse comments from the Wairarapa team and spectators in the immediate vicinity but the referee was in a veiy fair position to judge, and gave his decision accordingly. Towards the close of the game the play became fast and fuiious, and several of the country players had a word of warning given them by the referee. Both teams, however, transgressed the limits of fair play in this direction at this stage. The game resolved itself at the finish into a struggle between the Wellington backs and the Wairarapa forwards, and some desperate onslaughts by the opposing divisions characterised the closing scenes of the match. It ended in a win for the Wairarapa team by 8 points to 3. The win was an immensely popular one with the spectators at the mateh — in fact, throughout the w hole of the Wairarapa valley. * * * A second team of Wellington representative players iourneyed to Levin on Saturday, but they fared no better than the first team — Horowhenua defeated them by 13 points to 9, after an interesting game. Members of the team speak in praise of the play of Smith, at half-back, for the country team, and an enthusiast tells me that Nelson, one of Horowhenua's forwards, would not be out of his place in any mterprovincial representative team. This is the first occasion on whioh Horowheuna have defeated Wellington's "B" representative team. I congratulate them on their victory. * * * The two matches clayed on the Athletic Park last Saturday were very interesting. The junior championship match on No. 1 giound, between Poneke and Wellington, did not prove as keen a struggle as anticipated, the wearers of the red and black iersev having much the better of the play, finally winning by 14 points — all scored in the first spell — to nil. Two new players to Wellington football took part in this mateh — for the Poneke team. Redgrave, a Sydney player, was centre three-quarter, and Foote, who played in the City Club, Auckland, in the eailv part of the present season, was right wing-threei-quar-ter Both gave a good impression. Redgrave is a fine stamp of a back takes the ball well and luns straight. He is however, on the selfish side for a centre three-quarter, and his attemnts to pot goals were very weak. Foote is endowed with a lot of paco, and if opportunity comes his way is veiy dangerous. He has a tendency to run across the field — it came off on Satuiday, but would get him into tiouble in a senior match. The vacancy in the Poneke team caused by Wallace benn ( g; away with the New Zealand team is to be filled by either Redgrave or Foote. My vote goes for Redgrave, and I cannot help remarking, at the same time, that Foote would be more successful on the left wing-three-quarter than Slattery has been in his later matches. * * *■ The third-class match, between the Oriental and St James's teams, was a splendid contest — keen, and full of vigour. The football was, peihaps, a bit ragged, but what the players lackod in science they made up in earnestness. The play veeied from one end of the field to the other in quick sueContinued on page 19.

cession, and the bairackers of both teams, who weie greatly in evidence, had a right royal time. Theie weie a couple of things tha,t struck me in connection with this match. The first was the fine play of the respective full-backs— Frank Alpe for St. James, and Guise foi Oriental. Both took the ball m fine style, kicked well and were as solid as rocks when the 'forward rushes- came along. They should be heard, of later on in bigger football. The "scrapping" by the w ing-forwards was among the main incidents of the game. Now and again you would notice two players dragging each other about some distance from the play— you would wonder what it was, and suddenly it would dawn on you that you were looking at a third-class player's conception of wing-forwa,rd play. I cast no imputations, but if this is a fair simple of third-class football— and it ought to be, for the two teams in Saturday's match had not suffered defeat previous to playing this match— the wing-forward will soon be a thine ot the past as far as Wellington football is concerned. Football— as the word implies— is playing the ball and the sooner our younger players realise this the better it w ill be for the game. The opposing player should not be clayed unless he has the ball in his possession and referees should penalise to the full any interference with a player who has not the ball in his possession. It both players offend, amd the obstruction cannob be sheeted home to either, the referee should order them both off the field for unfair play. Referees should stiffen their backs on this point, or in a few years' time the wingforward will be a positive nuisance in local football. * *• * The meeting of the Otago Rugby Union last week would seem to indicate that some of the evidence in the Porteous case was "cooked." It appears that the player whom Porteous charged down made one statement before he was asked to give evidence and when he appeared before the committee the statement he made there was an altogether different one. The Otago Union did the right thing in disqualifying the members of the Kaikorai team who walked off the field when Porteous was ordered off. A referee's task is not a light one under the most favourable conditions, and if a team is to be allowed to leave the field when his decisions do not please them it is appalling to think to What extent the game would deteriorate. 1 congratulate the Otago Union on their decision, and when it is remembered that their action in this matter will weaken their representative team, it is all the more commendable. * * * "Rod" McGregor is showing good form in Auckland this season. Last Saturday's was the first win registered by Wairarapa against Wellington since 1897. Wellington amd Canterbury junior representatives play next Saturday, at the Athletic Park. The Taranaki-Wellington match will be played on the Athletic Park on Wednesday, the 19th August. The Hawke's Bay Union make a tour South this season, but do not include Wellington in their programme. Allen, the ex-New Zealand representative, scored a try and kicked a goal from it, in a cup match in Taranaki, the other day. A recent visitor to Auckland tells me that "Hen" Kelly is playing a long way below the form he exhibited in Wellington last season. "Off-side Mac" —"Of what use is one wing-forw ard p It is about time selectors got off the fence, and adopted one system or the other." Hear' hear ! Mr. W. G. Garrard, hon. secretary of the Canterbury Rugby Union was in town last week, principally on business connected with Trotting Associa^ tion matters. Peter Gerrard has fully recovered from an accident he sustained early m the season, and is again the mainstay of the back division of the North Shore Club (Auckland). Mr. W. J. Lewis', one time a refeiee and member of the Junior Selection Committee in Wellington, is acting as manager of the South Canterbury representative team now on tour. McClusky, the ex-Athletic Club player, gets a good word in an exchange for his display for the North Shore team against Ponsonby, in the Auckland Union's senior championship matches. George, the ex-Taranaki player, is keeping the good opinion formed of his play earlier in the season, and stands a good chance of being selected as one of Auckland's three-quarters in its touring team.

Ah Invercargill item — "J. J. Taylor and E. Puidue played their first games ot the season on Wednesday last." Strange, isn't it, to read the above, and know that Taylor was nominated for the_ New Zealand team ? The Auckland representative team tiavels South via the West Coast, playing its first match against Tarana>ki on " September Ist, the Wellington match taking place on the sth September. The preliminaries for selecting the Auckland representative team — Auckland plays Thames, at the Thames 1 , on August 15th, and Northern Wairoa, at Auckland, with a "B" team, on the same date. The folio-wing team will represent Wairarapa against the Bush next Saturday — Williams, Craw ley, Rogers. Diamond, Marsh, Maguire, Warner. J. McKenzie, Lambie, H. Cadwallader, Raisen, A. Cadwallader, Morris., Workman, and Jur— . "Noady" Honour wing-forward in the Poneke senior team last season, represented Horowhenua in that position last Saturday. During the course of the game, he received a nasty crack on the eye, which caused his retirement. Wood, captain of the MerivaJe team in Chnstchurch, is spending a holiday in Wellington. If the bye-laws of the Rugby Union would have permitted it, he intended playing for the Oriental Club this week, but as he was not a bona fide resident of the district, permission could not be obtained for him to play. It is interesting to read that Mr. Hyams is making the tour with the New Zealand team as the 1 guest of the Queensland Union. As a matter of fact, the whole of the team are the guests of the Queensland Union from Sydney to Brisbane and back, and Mr. Hyams has been included in the invitation bv Mr. Lea, the president of the Queensland Rugby Union. The annual football match between the employees of Messrs. Levin and Co. and Messrs. Turnbull and Co., takes place on Wednesday, August 12th. Last season the match was won by the former team, but a hard struggle is looked forward to at the next match. Several members of Messrs. Turnbull and Co.'s staff are going in strongly for ''Sandow" just at present, and great things are expected. "Bill" I"~ulden, who was a veteran when I played football in the Fortymile Bush in 1891, played for Wairarapa against Wellington last Saturday. I thought he was a back number many years ago, but there seems to be plenty of dash m the old 'un yet. If memory serves me rightly, I believe he was nominated as a forward for a NewZealand team — the 1893 one, if I mistake not. In his best day, Igguiden was a slashing forward, and was a hard man to stop when he had steam up in the loose. A Wairarapa "Leader" paragraph. — ''On Saturday evening the Wairarapa selection committee could not agree as to which was the better full-back — E. McKenzie or Williams. Ultimately, the matter wag decided bv a toss of the coin, and Williams was 'selected' ! This idea of throwing discrimination to the winds, and adopting in its stead the ethics of an individual who could never make his mind up, is characteristic of the persons who are controlling the destinies of the Wairarapa representative team."