Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume V, Issue 256, 27 May 1905, Page 19

Rugby Football.

THK mail that hazard, a prophecy a=> to the result of a football match will soon be unheard of m tins country. There have been masry occasions on which the above remark would have been appropriate. But the Old Bo^b-Athletic match, at the Athletic Pack, la^t Saturday, knocked the football prophet light out of time once and for all. There was not a solitary follower of local 'football — not even excepting the Athletic Club players thentoelve^ — who anticipated that the wearers of the blue and black jerseys would 1 fairly and squarely defeat the ex-Ooilegians. Why, do you ask? Well, many thought — myself amonigst the number — that the Old Boys' would take a hand lii saying whene the senior shield would rest during; the off season. On tine other band, the Athletic lads were quite satisfied to score a win or two in their matches. However, they de&erved thear victory. It was fully earned by their play as they outplayed their opponents. It would seem that the Athletic^ have turned the- corner and that the way 'n wh. eh the club has fosteied and encouiagedi its younger players is bearing good fruit. I did not expect, that result to be apparent ths season, but I am pleased to congratulate the Athletic players on their measure of smcoens, and to extend the wish to tihem for more wins in their forthcoming matches. 10 bay that I was disappointed at the (showing of the. Old Boys but feebly con veys my feelings. Their display m their hrst two matches, gave promise of better thongs ux the future, but what a fall was there ! If they were competing in any other class of sport — say tooD-racing — met inn ks they wouild have had to toe the mark for moonsajstemt luiuiiing, and thear appaient reversal of form \\ ould have taken some explaining. Nuf sed ! I hope they won't be too much disheartened, arndl that they will take the field to-morrow (Saturday) with the determination to> redeem their character^ as exponents of the Rugby code oi football. * * * The Oriental Club still keeps in a winning humour. Their latest victim^ aie the Melrose players, whom, they routed bv 16 points to nil. The Melroj>e were weaker than uisiual on this occasions several of their better players being laid by because of illness. All the -same, if they had put their best team in the field, the Orientals are good enough to have been ahead when the bell lang. The P et on &- Victoria* College match, afc Petone, wa^> not taken seriously bv any of the players, and dad not cause last year's champions the least anxiety as to the ultimate result. It would, therefore., be unfair to criticise individual effort, and I will leseive any notes I feel inicluned to make on the Petone players til'i I see them fully extended which I expect will be on Saturday next, when they meet Poneke. \ * +. Tlie struggle for the "wooden spoon" in the senior championship promises to be keener than the contest for the champiomiship itself. The three teams in the runninig seem to be well matched. Victoria College and Welkn^on played a drawn game andi last Saturday Southern and Wellington likewise. The matoh between Southern and Victoria College should possess some interest to the players, because, unless the game is drawn, one of them wall leave the other in Wellington's compativ at the bottom of the list. • * * The North Island team to play m the match at the Athletic Park on Satuida^ next week made iti=. appearance on Wednesday morning, and I have iust time to make a comment thereon. The first thine that struck me in looking thiouerh the team — and it us the unk nde=t cut of all — -is the disgraceful wav in which the Wellington players as a whole are treated. McGregor is not in the team a footnote stating that the selectors consider him a "certainty" for the Home tour. Roberts. Is the selected half-back. These two players are not included in the comment in the last paragraph. Wallace is asked to pilay full-back. This is positively unfair, considering his present form and the other men on

the bide. Fancy anybody m his light -.enses preieiring eithei "Mona" Thomson 01 'Scobie" Mackenzie to Wallace as a wing three-quai ter. Fudge I And yet the two gent lememi who selected the beam pi of ess to know a footballer when tihe-y see one. By the way, I don't fclunk I am making a mis-stajbean^nt when I sa.y tihafc neither of the selector^ has seen either Mackenzie 01 Thomson playing this season But tJi.it is not all ' Not one Wellington forward — Watkins, Calnan, Cra-.s, Diibcoll, etc., etc — us oonudered by th"s duet of selectors as good enough foi a place in the team. I cannot keep cool whale writing about it, so will suy no more on this occasion than that iti- about tame a change \va>s made— and a radical one, too — in thei con^titubion of the Selection Committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union. • » ♦ It may be that the teams to repieseint the" North and South Islands in the match at Wellington on Saturday next. 6he 3rd June, will be announced before thus comment sees the "> ~ht of da^ . But, if they are wot. I would luke, to urge once again the claims of Gus Carlson, the Hawke's Bay forwaiid, foi inclusion in the North Island team. It will be remembered that, owing to a-piained ankle, Carlson could l not take pait in the North, v. South match two years, ago. A contemporary say^ of a recent match in Daiiinevirke, where Can Ison controls a sawmill when he is mat playing football . — -"No one can deny that Carlson ha,s shown greatH improved form, this season., and! the player of last season is not to be recognised in the 'one of this, so vast is. the ohanp-e for the better. He stands out prominently vn every match. Carlson possesses all the qualities of >a firkt-olass. forward, and, judging by hw play this season, he would be an acquisition to any team in the colony." Noith Island selectors, please note ' rSinoe the above wats written, Carlson has been selected and I venture to predict his form in the match will wan ant his inclusion in the Home tour.] • • • Mr. Alec. HIII, who is one of the oldest sitting members of thie Wellington Rugby Union, ha> decided to leave Wellington and take up hi's residence in New Plymouth. He hac> served football well during the five years he has been a member of the Management Committee, and w ill be a distinct loss to football in the city On all matter-, which have come before the Ruebv Union during his terms of office Mr Hill has shown excellent judgment and his opinions have been valued bv his f ellow-commifcteemen . With Mr. Hill's departure the Oriental Club will lose one cf :t« most valued supporters, for through bad seasons and good,=easons alike, the welfare of his club was always oinie of hi^ greatest consideration*-. M'- Hull should not be allowed to leave Wellington without some tangible pi oof of the esteem in which he is* held 1 bv the football community.

Football it, supposedly a pa&time in which an oval ball engager the attention for the, time beang of the thirty players in the m^toh, and the spectator^ follow the movements of the playeaw urn tiheur 'connection with the said ball, applauding where they oonsadei such a ecrars© necessary. Viewed from this standpoint the match (?) played on the Petone Recreation Ground between the Wellington and Petome junior teams last Saturday may pass muster, but it was a *>orry exhibition as a football match, and could' have easily been classed as a new Kind of water polo. The oround was inches deep in water m many places, but the players were composed of the material that make*, hero 1 ©- — they had put their jerseys, on to play, and a slight discomfort such as water lying on the ground diid not trouble them much. The spectators — of whom there were a goodly num,ber--e,nioyed the scramble heartily. There were several occasions on whicih two, or perhaps four, players would come diown m one of the lakas referred to, and be temporarily lost to sight. It was laughable •ertamly but it wasn't football. If the Petone Recreation Ground is to be worthy its name in the fuitune, it seems to me that it will need draining thoroughly. When the portion of the reserve to which I am now referring wasi first formed, it promised to be one of the finest groundte in and 1 around Wellington. But look at it now' It was the only ground om whn<ob Rugby matches were played' last Saturday where water was lying dtuiring t(he progress of the game. No further comment is needed. • * • I hear good reports of Mackrell. the youms; Auckland forward who has. been given a place in the North Island team. Arthur OBrien, here as manager oP the British team, luas passed l his final examination, and 1 is now a dtalv qualified medical practitioner. Two prominent Auckland! playera taking their football from outside, the touich-lin.e this season — "Dick" McGregor and [% Opaei" Aaher. The Mel rose 01 ub appears to be in a bad way as far as membership is concerned. They could only put one team in the field last Saturday. It is quite possible' that O'Sullivan, one of Taranaki'is forwards in the North Island team, will not be pilaying in next week's match became of an injury to one of his knees. From Perth comes the news that the fir^t Rugby season for five years was opened there on Saturday, May 13th. The Union competition was to start on the 20th inst. Svdfeniham and Albion are leading for the ■senior championship in Ghristchuroh. These teams meet each other to-m arrow (Saturday), when an interesting game is expected to result. An Auckland enthusiast wired to a friend, in Wellinoi:on on. Monday — 'Snv+h unapproachable centre threequarter , responsible for three trie--.

Saturday. Gallagher retains lasi year's, form." Judging by their present feftanding J would not be surprised ait the endl oi the season to see the Petone Qub's beam® having a say 1111 the whole of the five championships under the Welluoigton. Rugby Union. Exemplary sentenices were the order of the day at the last meeting of the Management Committee of the Rugby Union — Misconduct, three years ; fighting (the first striker), two years ; fighting (the retahator) one year. Some people cried out very loudly when McCarthy was selected as fiveeighth in the "B" team agaans* Horowhenua last season. His present farm wouldl seem to indicate that the confidence of the selectors was justified. A youmg player who shows much promise is O'Sulhvan, the Athletic wingforward. "Mick" learnt the most of the football he knows in a Ponetoe dub jersey, but like many other young players I could mention, has been allowed to drift away. A Taranakr paper gays that Mr. Alf . Bailey, co-selector of ike New Zealand team, has not been mi evidence at any of the important matches in the Southern Division this seiasan. All the same, Taranaki is well represented in the North Island team. "George Smith is improving every game, and approaching his old form. He pliayed a sterling game at centre threequarter. Besides scoring a try by a run half the length of the field, he wias chiefly lustrum entail in wearing two of the other tries ~amed b^ City." — An extract. At a recent meeting; of the Metropolitan Referees' Association, Sydlney, a proposal was made that Mr. D. R. Bedall-Sivwraght be appointed 1 to act as referee in one of the .senior competition matches. Objection was taken to this course by a member of the Association because the captain, of the last British team had not passed the necessary examination ' The proposal was defeated ! The other day a boy about 3ft. high walked into the Lance Office and handed to the editor a dirty scrap of paper con/taming a brief account of a juvenile football match. Glancing at the report the editorial eye caught the words "Tanner scored a magnificent tiv easily beating the full-back." "Who Ls Tannei ?" demanded the editor. The human atom, turned the thumb of the right hand to his breast, and answered proudly "I am Tanner'"