Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume V, Issue 214, 6 August 1904, Page 16

Rugby Football.

BY the time these notes are readable the Bntish team of Rugby footballeis will be amongst us. We have been looking forward anxiously to their visit for some time — firstly, because the matches with the Britishers will prove whether oui muchvaunted prowess at the game will stand the test , and, secondly, whether our visitors will teach us anything. That our visitors have done vpII in New South Wales and Queensland i« evident fiom the way in • hich they have won all their matches. 'J hey oome to us elated with their votones. and confident of their ability to dt fc fit; all the teams they meet in this count i v. Whichever way it goes, I hope their visit to our island colony may be thoioughly enjoyed by the Britishers, and that the display of football given by themselves and their opponents may be exhilarating to the spectators and educational to all our players. And may the better team win every time. For good or ill, the New Zealand team have to take the field next week against the Britishers without a preliminary practice match. The New Zealand Union's Management Committee consider they have taken the right course — they have done their best. Many of the Committee are of the opinion that a practice match will do more harm than good to the players — hence their action. Personally, I believe them to be wrong, and think that the more playing together against opposing teams a teaim like the New Zealand combination can have the more it must tend! to improve their play, and make them a really formidable lot to defeat. My playing experience perhaps may be different from those who control the destinies of the New Zealand Union, but I certainly found the playing of matches the best practice I could have. Further, in 1894, the New Zealand team was defeated by New South Wales after the latter had been routed by the interprovincial Unions, principally because they did not have a practice match together. If New Zealand win — and I hope they will — with a bit more combination than they are likely to have now they would win more easily. * * * Dick McGregor is playing for Auckland against Wellington on Saturday "Blazer" Wilson — the ex- Auckland, representative forward — is captaining the Taranaki team this season. T. Bond, who won his representative cap for Canterbury last week, is an exDunedin player, who put in one season with the Poneke Club in Wellington, and assisted them to win the Junior Championship. "Lachie" McLachlan, the champion professional sprinter, is coaching the Hawke's Bay representative teams. "Dorry" Leslie, the great exponent of the heel and toe game, is filling a similar office satisfactorily for the Wellington team. A criticism of Porteous: — "A wingforward, who understands every movement in the business ; plays the game right up to the handle ; a fiery free lancte, whose dart is> quick and whose grip is certain." It is pleasing to read in the cable news that Bedell-Sivwright (captain) and Hulme, the British players, will be sufficiently recovered from the accidents they received in New South Wales to play in New Zealand. The treasurer of the Richmond Club, Christchurch, has been disqualified for life for "doctoring" his receipt book so that a player who was injured could obtain the benefits of the accident msuianoe scheme of the Canterbury Rugby Union. To the appointment of James Duncan to coach the New Zealand team for the four days they will be together in Wellington no one can reasonably object. Duncan is to view the BritishCanterbury match, and, full of what he there sees, he will come on to Wellington to impress his ideas on the New Zealand team. My only hope is that he will not treat the result of the big match in too optimistic a spirit, but bhat he will impress on the players he is coaching that they will have to play Jieir hardest game to win.

Buller-Wellmgton is to be played as .i cuitam-iaiser to the New Zealand v. British match on the 13th instant Play is to &t«ii t at 1 p.m. W. Giant and D. Iloigan (South C.inteibuiy) and J. Corbett and T Tearmont (West Coast) have been given places m the Cauterbuiy team to play against the Bntisheis. "Ru" Cooke's name is not amongst the fifteen, which causes one to w onder. In the thud-class match between the Onental and Wellington Clubs the foinier team converted eight out of the twelve tnes scored into goals, six diffeietit players kicking the said goals The first thirty points weie scored in as many minutes. A wag, on leading an advertisement in a Chnstchurch paper that there were a few leseived chairs set aside foi the match against the British team, at 3s (3d, wrote asking the editor if the amount entitled the occupier to take away the chair w ith him at the finish of the match ' "Wanderer," in the "Sydney Mail," anent the proposal to send the New Zealand team to play the Britishers in Sydney • — "We live in hope that a full fifteen will make the tup, so that we may see the flower of the Northern Rugby hemisphere opposed by the flower of the Southern." Death is sadly thinnmg the ranks of the New Zealand Native Team that toured the British Isles in 1888 Those who have crossed the Divide aie — W. Warbnck, F. Warbnok, J. Warbnck, A. W'arbnck, C. Madigan, H. Lee, Taare, W. Anderson, A. Webster, R. Maynard, F. Rene, and Wj Karaauria. Mick McGurk (an old Wellington representative), and "Wally" Pringle (a New Zealand and Wellington representative in his day) assisted the Kia Ora team against the Petone juniors on Saturday. McGurk was the fiveeighth, and Pringle played among the forwards. Both were in evidence right through the game. In the Canterbury team to piay against the Britishers not a solitary member of the Albion Club, the wnners of the Canterbury Rugby Union's senior championship, secuied i place. A team good enough collectively to defeat all other teams in the championship, yet not a representative playsr in the lot. A bit of a record, I think. The irony of fate ! During the present season the Otago Ruo-by Union disqualified the captains of two senior fifteens for one Saturday because they allowed an injured player to be replaced. Against Southland last Saturday, Porteous, the captain of the Otatro team, injured his ankle, and Stewart, one of the captains above referred to, replaced him. The Taranaki Union does not give Wellington much of a chance of defeating Auckland on Saturday. They have asked the New Zealand Union to declare their match with Auckland on the 27th instant a "Ramfurly Shield" game. It would have been more courteous, perhaps, to have deferred the application till after next Saturday, and also it might save complications. Thus "Harrier," discussing thei play in the Auckland-Goldfields match — "Wood had no right to be in the team. His knee was worrying him from the start, and interfered with his pace Good player as Wood is, it will be a mistake to put him in our representative team under the present circumstances." Which may account foi Wood not playing against Wellington bo-morrow, and may find his place vacant in the New Zealand team No risks can be taken by the colonial combination, but I hope all the same that Morris may be fit and well when the time comes. I have, and always have had, a big opinion of his playing abilities, and feel certain that if he can get fairly going he will be a severe thorn in the side of the visiting Britishers. (Continued on page 20 )