Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 192, 5 March 1904, Page 21

Rugby Football.

This is positive At least, "Fullback" says so in the Otago "Witness" • — "J. Duncan, the well-known New Zealand footballer, has decided not to play again, and will this season, view the matches from the touchline." "Cocky" Roberts tells me that he has also definitely given the playing; of the game best, but may be prevailed upon to join the Referees' Association. Roberts is one of the few senior players who have seriously studied the rules of the game and as a referee he should be a success. That was a unique nronosal of the New South Wales Rugby Union in connection with the proposed visit of an English team to the colonies during the incoming season —"Should the English team not be able to visit New Zealand, an endeavour will be made to arrange a match in Sydney between a representative New Zealand team and the Englishmen," or words to that effect was the way the proposal read. No doubt it would be a fine thing for the New South Wales Rugby Union if such a match was arranged, but methinks the proposal could not be entertained for a moment bv the New Zealand Union. I am informed that the English Union have been approached straight-out on the matter, and before the team leaves England a positive announcement is requested as to whether it will visit New Zealand or not The Wellington correspondent of the "Canterbury Times" is complaining that the Canterbury Rugby Union does not know what its representative on the New Zealand Rugby Union is doing in its interests. Surely, this is putting the boot on the wrong foot. It has been public property in football circles that the Managing Committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union have been holding meetings right through the summer season, but, for some reasons best known to themselves, have kept their deliberations out of the newspapers. Therefore, it is not surprising to find one of the affiliated unions asking that steps be taken at an early date to secure a visit to the col-

ony by the English team that is being sent to New South Wales, it being ignorant of the fact that steps had alleady been taken to that end.