Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 204, 28 May 1904, Page 20

Rugby Football.

THE hrvt spell at the Paiwke--Wel-lington match was a& interesting as it could possibly be — the score of 3 points each being fairly obtained. The Wellington team opened the sowing the ball coming to Brebnei from a bit of ragged play. After making mwh ground, Brebner passed to bcott Wilson amd fi-om him it went to "Paisooe." Carey got into a good posatiiotn fo the final pass, a nidi "Pascoe" handed J un the bd.ll with a olear Reid in front of him, and but a few ya>ids>to go. The t,ry was thus reduced to a certainty, amd Ca,rey recisteied it. Poneke attacked after this reverse, and twice in succession Slater got across fie liae, a try being aw aided him on the second occasion. When ends weie leversed, a change cime o'er the scene, and the final result of the match was. not long m doubt. The Poneke forwards were m great heart, and wore their opponents down, the lattei beintr kept busy defending their goal. McKay, Mcßay. Taylor, Mann, and Griffiths a.ll secured' times one of them bennqr converted by McKav. the nuitcih ending 20 to 3 in Poneke's favour. » * • The Athletics made their best shoiwm& of the season against the Old Boys, and the rally they received when Coady i egristereidi their fii-st and only try so far was a genuine outburst of enthusiasm. u Toim" Hales made one of his old-time kicks later on from a free-kick and six points was his team's tally whe/n he «eint the ball over the cross-bar. In the meantime, the ex-Colie'dans had helped themselves to sixteen points — tries by Dawson, Cleland, Nilsson, and Gardiner two of which were converted] into goals by Cleland. • • • The surprise of the afternoon was the defeat of the Mel rose team at the hanids and feet of Oriental. Melrose were four short of the team that made <-ueh a good fierht with the Petone fifteen i c "i^eivious Satuiday. J. Spencer, having fulfilled his promise of playing in two matches, was amone the absentees. De Blois, Goodwin, and Wrigley formed the balance. A. Clandge, having hu,it his shoulder al work, was not available. The game was w ell-contested, although the Orientals all through appeai ed to have it well in hand. Charley Lush potted a goal from the field, aaid a pasMni^ rush in which Roberts, Bush, ant! Anderson participated, ended in the latter scoring a try. which was not mmrovedi. • • • The following table shows the position of the teams m the senaior championship . — Matches Points Played Won Lost Diwn Foi Agst Pts Petone .. 4 4 0 0 87 0 8 Poneke 4 4 0 0 72 6 8 Old Boys .. 5 3 2 0 30 39 6 Oriental .. 5 2 3 0 46 29 4 Melrose .. 4 2 2 0 14 26 4 Wellington 4 0 4 0 13 51 0 Athletic ..4040 6 117 0 Mr. Knox Gilmer writes from Edinburgh — "On the 19th of Mm eh I went to see the international game between England and Scotland. There were about 25,000 people present. The game was mostly foiward play. and was not up to New Zealand interprovinoiiil matches. The Scotch, having superior forwards, kept the ball away from the English baoks, who were a splendid lot Dillon and Vivian being as good as our best. These two players dodged in great style, but never ran towards the touch-line. "The forwards here are a heavy lot, but play a very sluggish, sen ambling game compared with ours — not the. vim or headwork our New Zealand forwards are noted for. If they take care to pick a heavy, heady, and fast lot of forwards for this country they must win every time. It is important they should be heavy, as both men and ground are heaw here. "Three men play in the front rank, which, in mv opinion, is not an advantage. The ruling is not so strict here as in New Zealand, for I noticed, amongst other things, that a man may j>lav the ball on the ground. The forwards here never get any good passins rushes going, nor do they use their

heads enough. Then- ioot-woik is good. They have no system heie of beiumiiung, and our fain aids will ■simply paialyse them. •'Our three-quarters will need to be speedy and very tucky. I have never seen any decent line-kicking .sance I have been here." » * * It was quite refreshing to attemd the meeting oi the Referees' Association on Monday night. First and fouemost, Alex. Campbell made Ins first -appeal - ance aft©!' hus recent severe illness, a,nd wat. veiry cordially welcomed by the members, Mr. No'rus voicing then welcome in a few aopropuate woidb. Them, there were close on foity persons, members and visitois, piesent, and the liveliest in ten es>t was shown m the chscuhsiotis that took place on the laws of thei game. The Association is m a vctv healthy condition, and that it may go on and Drospei is the a.i dent w ish of all suppoiteis of the game in the city. * * * ''What is a scrummage?" Thus is a que&tion that has exercised the mindk of referees in Wellington moie perhaps than arnv otheir. At the meeting of the Association on Monday night it was decided that a scrummage could only take olace during thte progress of the game when ordered by the lefer'ee. The rude on the point reads that "a scirammiage can only take place when the ball has been put down between players who have closed lound on their respective sides." By decoding as they have done, as ' voted above, the Referees' Association have made the position positive as to how the scrummage must be> farmed. Theie are many who believe that the act of a player taking the ball on the lime-out and putting it down between him amid 'has opponents, the playeus on eathei side quickly ta.king uip their positions as in a pii opei Iy-constituted scrumimaige. — such constitutes a scrumnuacre according to the rules af the game, amd the penalties and law(s governing a scrummage sliould apr>ly to this phase of the play. I dso not tigiee with the latter coaiteintwn, hut those who aigue that way have many things m their favour. In a spirit of equity and fairness and with t/hie object of reducing packed scrummia^eis to ilhe lowest possible minimum, the latest decision of the Referees' Association must do good. * • * Mr. C. E. Major, M.H.R., is indignant according to a Southern waiter, because the New Zealand Union has decided against sending the British team to Taranaki. Mr. Major is of course, quite right in praising Taranaki and its footballers As a matter of fact, I atn sure the membeis of the New Zealand Union will agree with Mm that Taranaki's leputation deserved a match with the visiting footballers. But — and 1 it is just this but that makes all the difference — the New Zealand Union have entered into a seiious financial undertaking;, and the five matches that are to he placed will have to be decided where the bigerast gatemoney can be received. And, judging by the poor returns the Tairanaki Union receive from their matches, there is no doubt whatever but that the plaiying of a match either in New Plymouth or JLiwera would not assist the. New Zealand Union towards its guarantee. Mr. Mai or ought to have known this better than most people * » • Ginge.r" Waj'd commenced playing in Auckland last Saturday. A forward that promises to be heard of in the future is Moore, of the Athletac team. Charlie Manning, ex-Poneke pJayei, scored two tries, for Lmwood in that club's match against Christohurch on Saturday week. "Tom" Seddon played his first senior game on Saturday, but did not impress me a gieat deal. Experience may improve him, however. Calnan is playing just now in the form that won him a place in the 1897 New Zealand team. More in his praise cannot be said at this juncture. "Gray was the best of hois side behind the scrummage , he made one or two clever openings, while he tackled and kicked with accuracy." — A compliment to old fiiend "Dolly" Gray. Prominent New South Wales playeis still chasing the leather include — Ogaard, McMahon, Judd, Carew, White. Riley. O'Doajnell, Maund, Wiokham Lutge, Finley, Conlon, and D'Alpuget. I am not sure if Dodd and Watkins were trying their hardest m the front of the Old Boys' pack, but what I am sure of is that Leshke and Bray (the Athletic "hookers") beat them repeated! v for the ball. J. P. Blacklock is improving in his passing, but a hint to him is that a quick short pass by a half-back is much preferable to a long run with a pass at the end of it ; the trend of the play is easily discerned by the opposition.

iCnc Haipei is playing again, in Cluistchiuch. ''Drop-kick" writes in tins connection — -"In view of the visit of the Englishmen , 'class' players are badly wanted, and so far they have been looked foi almost in vain." ' Wandeiei," in the "Sydney Mail," states there are between 110 and. 120 schools, public and private, who will put football teams into the field this season, playing either the Rugby or the Australian game, the majority playing the foimei . The Wanganui Rugby Union are sending then- representative team to Oanteibuiy. Southland, Otaigo, and South Canterbury, towards the end of the season. Wellington owes Wangaliui two visits so that we aie not included in the programme. ' Billy" Hardcastle is -still a playea on Sydney side, but, as the result of a knock in a recent match, he had to l^e las lip stitched. By the way, his 'pater" does not seem to be suah an enthusiastic banackei foi the Melrose Club as in the olden days. Off-side Mac" seems' to- liave retired. Is it because he has joined the Benedicts nothing from his pen has seen the light of day this season? The lewis- fellow's writings were very popular in our city, and many of us would like to hear fiom him again. Geoige Williams, a member of the New Zealand Native Team, that tonired Gieat Britain in 1888-89, and an exWellington repi esemtative still retains }iis interest in the "ame. He was on a flying visit to Dunedm the other day fiom'lnvercaigill, and is said to be looking well. The Te Aute College team have deohned the invitation of the Rugby Union to play th& Old Boys' team befoie commencing their tour of New South Wales. The Maoii boys leave by the "Victoria" to-morrow (Satuidiay) night. May they have the best of luck, the best of weather, and all the success they deserve. One of the wing-forwards on the Athletic Paik on Saturday was very pairticullar to know what I thought of his pday. I can assure him that I could not find anything to cavil at m the play of any of the "wingers" last week. They all kept reasonably within the limits of fair play, as fan as I could judge from the touch-line. The forwards that showed good form on Saturday were. — Sweeney, Mcßae, layloi, and Galbraith (Poneke), Oarey, Bayfield, and Bendall (Wellington), Co'adv Mooae and Bray (Athletic), Watkins, Gardiner, and Smythe (Old Boys), Gilchirist. Mclnnes, and A. King (Melrose), and Best, Bunckenburg, and K. Wyhe (Oriental). A lost art seems to be returning to us n Wellington, viz., that of potting goals. In the Athletic-Petone match, McGregor found the posts with a quick kick, Stevens sent a "dandy" aioross m the Poneke-Old Boys game, and Bush followed the examples set him as above bv doing likewise in the Mcli ose-0 rieiital mat eh . Robinson, the latest addition to the Poneke team, did not cause me to feel elated at his- play against the Wellington team. About the first ball he had to take at centre thi ee-quiarter he allowed to bounce m frorat of hum, amd a happening of this description always prejudices me against a back. It is a failing, and a bad one, too. A few old faces still playing in the championship matches of the Auckland Rugby Union — A&her, George (the exTaranalvi player), Young, Tyleu, and Nicholson — City , Robeu ts, Long, and Eaton— New-ton Mackenzie, King, and Kiernaai — Grafton Absolum — Suburbs ; Riley, Gallaihei , Doran, Francis — Ponsonby . Geiraid Joyce (the ex- Athletic players), Wynyard, and Wai brick (two good names) — North Shore. The most noticeable featuie on the Park last week was, the fine kicking by McKay, of the Poneke team. Time and time again would he kick the ball right into the teeth of the wind, and it would drop in touch amywhere fi om thirty to fifty yards from where he propeilled it with a left-foot punt. With a bit of piactice, MoKay would make an ideal full-back. He has a tendency at present to get into a bad position when defending. The match between the Poneke and Petone teams, at the Athletic Park, next Saturday, is being eagerly _ looked forward to by the general public and the partisans of both teams. A keen struggle is anticipated, and, as both teamsi are now mi the pink of condition, a great "go" will be the result of thear meeting. That the better team may win,, and that the game may be played in the true spirit of Rugby football is my ardent wish. The Ota^o Rugby Union made a slight mistake, as reported in Tuesday's papers, when they "pointed out that all New Zealand matches had so far been played in the North Island." The three matches in which New Zealand teams have played in New Zealand are as follows :_ — v. New South Wales, 1894, at Christchuroh, New South Wales won by 8 points to 6 ; v. Queens-

land, 1896, art Wellington, New Zear lan|d! won by 9 poamts to 0 ; v. New South Wales, 1901, at Wellington, New Zealand won by 20 points to 3.

The annual meeting of the Wellington. College Old Boys' Association was iemaikable for one or two things. The first was the election of Mr. S. S. Brown as hon. secretary for the ensuing season. During his amr>renticeslup as secretary of the Old Boys' Football Club, Stamley proved himself a capable and zealous officer, and, althoueh in this instance he has. to follow a gentleman — Mi. W. H. Denton — under whose guidance the Association 'has made much progress, I venture to predict that the "Old Boys" will be only too "leased to re-appoint Mr. Brown at the end of his first wear's service should he be willing. Another lemarkabile thins; was the statement, by Mi. M. F. Luckie. when ht "ur^-red 'old boys' of the College to join all the functions of, and to support, the Assciation." At first stance I wondered if I had read the sentence ai ight and then it struck me that Mr. Luckie was one of those people Who dlo not practise what they pi each. Whr do you ask ? Because. Mi . Luokie is a cricketeir of some ability. Yet. he does not play for the Old Boys' Cricket Club, to whom his assistance would be of value. If Mr. Luckie's ideas can be carried to piactical effect, the standing ofbotih the Old Boys' Football Club and Old Boys' Cricket Club would be considerably improved. Amongst prominent' cricketers who are "old boys" of Wellington College, but who do not play for the cricket teams of that name, are C. Goie, E. 0. Hales and M. F. Luckie. Leading and nromising footballers under the same heading include the same old "Tom" Hales. A. T. Bendall C. P. Blacklook, and A. B. Wilson. There are many iunior players in both grades of sport who are "old boys," Lut they are not found in accord with Mr. Luckie's idea.