Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 165, 29 August 1903, Page 18

Rugby Football.

THE Poneke team have won the senior championship' It is many a long clay—as a matter of fact, 1894 was the last time—since a statement to that effect appeared m the newspapers of' Wellington. And by winning their match against the Wellington team last Saturday this honour is theirs. * ■* * Their performances this season have been consistently good, their lecord being Matches played 11, won, 10, lost, 1, points for, 138, points aggainst, 32, championship points, 22. In seven out of the eleven matches their opponents failed to score, and of the 32 points scored against them Petone wer© responsible for 24 —21 in the last match, and three in the first. One foreign match was played^ during the season —against the Oity Club, at Napier—and it resulted in a win for this season's champions by 28 points to three. * * * Slatt&ry heads the list of try-getters, Ins tally bemg 8, Gray has scored 7 , Mann and Tuohill 6, Abnm, Cross, Roberts and Thompson 2, S. Galbraith, Griffiths, McAnally, Mitchell, Redgrave, Spencer, Stevens, Wallace, and Wells, 1. Wallace- converted seven tries, and kicked one penalty goal, Stevens converted five tries and kicked a penalty (?oal and a goal from a mark. * •* * A deal of interest was taken in the Poneke - Wellington senior championship match, at Petone, last Saturday, the hope being uppermost that the leaders for the championship contest would meet with a reverse, and thus bring Petone and Poneke level, and necessitate a play-off match. The red and blacks however, made no error, and won the match by 14 points to nil, and, with it the senior championship for the present season. Petone just managed to defeat the Oriental team by 5 points to 3 (a converted try to a try), and the Athletic team, after a trying season, defeated Old Boys by 9 points to B —its first win. * ■» • Wellington resumes its old-time fixture with the Manawatu Union, at the Athletic Park, on Saturday next. A good game should result as the meeting. The team selected to represent Wellington in this match contains two fiveeaghths, the selector persisting in this method of selection, despite the nonsuccess of the move in previous teams. It seems hardly worth while reiterating, previous arguments, but I am convinced if any wins are to be recorded in the Wellington Union's matches tins year the wing-forward game will have to be played.

Barber lias ousted Spencer fiom the full-back position, and, on his recent games Spencer could hardly expect but to receive the go-bye Barbeir has been the solid back in the Petoneteam, and it would surprise me gieatly if he does not iustify his inclusion. Johnson has been placed wmgthiroequartei, and Bush centie. Both these players should do better work in these positions than they did at fiveeighths against Taiana.ki. Both Gray and Braid are playing in-and-out games at piesent — one week tip-top, and the next anyhow. They are both endowed with plenty of pace and, if they work together, should prove thorns in the side of their opponents. A new forward in the team — as a matter of fact it is his first appearance in a representative team — is. Wright, of the Petone Club. An untiring grafter, w ith weight and da&h in his composition, he is well worth his place in the team. In mv opinion, the selection is a stronger one than the team that played against Taranaki, but the absence of the wing-forwards I do not like. There is no question about the abilities of the Manawatu front-rankers in hooking: the ball and if they get the better of the Wellington players in that position on Saturday, what use will the extra back be p I take it he is in the team for attack, but how can a team attack if its front-rankers don't get the hall ? * * * The match between the Wellington and St. Patrick's Colleges, at the Athletic Park, last Saturday, was, considering the heavy nature of the ground on account of recent rains, a fine exposition of the Rugby game. Both teams put plenty of vigour into their play, but the St. Pat's boys weie the heavier m the forward division, and, mainly on this account, they won the match b- six points (tw o tries) to nil. When one noticed the way the Collegians passed the ball about, the' feeling was predominant that it va as a pity a fine day with a dry ground could not have been vouchsafed for the match. The distinctly prominent feature of the play on both sides was the excellent tackling — every player that came within reach of an opponent was brought down with great effect. The game was played in a, splendid spirit, with a marked absence of the talking and appealing so often heiard when two senior teams aie contesting a game. A good lesson can be learnt by all players in this connection from the College boys. * * * A propos of two Auckland players well-known in Wellington — "McKenzie played a brilliant same. He shone both in attack and defence being ever ready to save from the loose rushes of the Thames forwards, when he generaly fielded and found touch with kicks of excellent length." "Auckland had the advantage at fiveeighths with Gerrard, who fielded with remarkable certainty considering the state of the ground and also did his share of the passing in ci editable style -" * A Sydney writer says that for big men the New Zealand team is the fastest combination ever seen in Australia. During the last three seasons the Poneke senior team have taken part in 34 matches, their record being — Wins 27, losses 4, drawn games 3.

The Auckland lepiesentative team commences its Southern tour next Sunday. The fast match is against Taranaki, on Tuesday next, the team arriving in Wellington on Wednesday night. During their stay here they will be accommodated at the "Trocadero." After leaving Wellington, the team goes straight to. Inveroargill, playing Southland on the succeeding Wednesday. Otago, South Canterbury, Canterbury and Hawke's Bay will be played against in. that ordei. The following is clipped from a Thames paper —"There was a great raid on one of the local small goods shops on Saturday night, and soon the supply of pork pies and polonies ran out. An interesting sight was that' of three Auckland football enthusiasts w ith string of polonies round their necks, and a black pudding suspended from each of their watch-chains. Another had slices of German sausage suspended oil strings fastened to his button ' These humorists should be heard of again." "Cocky" Daw son, the ex-Thorndon school boy, showed fine form m the College match last Saturday. He played five-eighth for the Wellington College team, and showed fine sprinting abilities. He is young yet, though, and it is only to be expected that a sameness in his play should be evident. If he mixed it a bit. — say, a pass on one occasion, and a punt and follow on another, he would do much mo-re effective work. At any rate, he is a lad who will be worth watching as he grows older, and the Old Boys Club should remember this. There is a probability that the Poneke and Petone senior teams w ill play a match ere the season closes, as a benefit for McAnally, the Poneke Club and Wellington representative player. It will be remembered that many weeks ago McAnally sustained an accident at the Petone Railway Workshops, whereby a splinter of steel got into his eye. At the time of writing there anpears but little probability of McAnally retaining the sight of the injured eye, and, considering the great services, he has rendered Wellington football, a benefit match in his interest is a well-earned recognition. A eulogy m an Invercargill paper of "Ginger" Ward, who many people considered should have been given a place m the New Zealand team — "Ward played a brilliant game throughout. He was übiquitous, and started nearly every passing rush. He not only did this, but, after getting possession of the) ball, he always beat one or two men before transferring it to a three-quarter and several times opened the way to a certain score. No more brilliant play has been seen in Invercargill, and Ward conclusively showed that the great form that a few years ago placed him in the front row of backs in the colony is still possessed by him." This is a comment on his play in the Southland - Wairarapa match.