Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume VI, Issue 264, 22 July 1905, Page 19

Rugby Football.

AN ex-Canterbury representative footballer, now resident m Sydney, writes as follows re the New South Wales — New Zealand matoh, played on the Bth instant:- — "A few remarks upon the game may interest the readers of the Lance, so I may as well give you a few impressions the game made upon me. As the New Zealand team was the one that had been selected to journey to England to uphold the honour of New Zealand' football, I watched' the play with a critical eye. "I fully expected that the team would be considerably handicapped by only having landed from New Zealand late on Friday afternoon, after a stormy passage. The voyage, however, did ■not seem to have left any ill-effects upon, the players, as from the time the whistle blew until no-sd'de was called the team gave an almost faultless exhibition of scientific football, without any signs of fatigue. "The game was a most creditable display, and. the entire team worked with wonderful combination considering that it was only their second game together. Nothing but praise can be said of the forwards, who played! like finished masters of Rugby should. Their resolute rushes, clever line work, safe tackling, and general superiority over their opponents in the loose left nothing to be desired. They were always in the right place at the right time, and never lost an opportunity to get the backs moving. "The heeling out was hardly clean enough, but more practice in this respect should remedy this fault. The adverse reports I hadl received' from New Zealand in connection, with the forwards were , certainly not borne out by the play on Saturday, and, in my opinion, the forwards of the present team are equal, if not superior, to those of any previous New Zealand team. "It would certainly be a difficult matter to improve the backs, as individually and collectively they played clever and correct football, marred! by very few mistakes. In defence they proved absolutely sound 1 , and their touch-line kicking could not be found fault with. "The passing was what slightly spoilt their play, and certainly leaves room for improvement. On occasions it was inaccurate 1 , and inclined' to be rather wild, the five-eighths (Hunter and Mynott) being the chief offenders. Tins fault should easily be overcome when the team have playedl two or three games together. "Gillett is undoubtedly the placekick of the team. His two goals were excellent, one being from a very difficult angle. He played a faultless game at full-back, and is one of the best men in that position New Zealand has ever turned out. His play reminded me of Orchard at his best. "McGregor had fe/w opportunities, but what he had he made the most of, and we saw flashes of his old daslhingplay. "George Smith and Wallace are apparently in their best form, played well together, and made mo mistakes. "Hunter and Mynott, although they played sound, all-round football, were not quite accurate enough in their passing, but otherwise were fast, clever, and resourceful. "Freddy Roberts is as solid as a rock at half, and put in clever work. He was specially sound in defence and initiating passing rushes. He cleverly extricated the team from 1 tight corners more than once. "The forward^ all played well, a.nd cannot be individualised. They should, however, exercise more care in regard) to off-side play, as, through over-anxiety perhaps, they were often penalised far this breach of the rules. "The team completely out-classed New South Wales in every department of the game, and to compare the two the latter might be classed! as hacks and the former as racehorses. The clean, fast, clever work of the New Zealanders won much admiration, and was a great contrast to the slow and more laboured work of their opponents." * * # The members of the New Zealand football team, who arrived in Wellington back from their New South Wales tour <m Wednesday, are unanimously of

the opinion that a look for tihe scrummage is an. urgent necessity. In conversation with Hunter, the captain of the team, he told me that Glasgow, O'SuJlivan, Gbrbett, Newton,, and Johnston had all been tried in the position, as much, as an hcrar and a-half being -spent of a morning ta-ying tio get the scrummage into shape. But it was of no avail. None of the team seem to know who was originally chosen for this position by the Selection Committee, but tihe need seems a positive one just now. Enquiries were made- as to Wrights capabilities for the position, and I gave a confident opinion that if the Petone Oluib's pivot man was given the opportunity the want would be 1 filled. I would suggest to the New Zealand Union that if the scrummage, d/oes not work satisfactorily in Dunedki, Wright be asked to play against Canterbury, andl if he fills. ih& bill on that occasion I have no doubt he could make saitisfactory arrangements, if invited, to make the trip to thei Old Country. Another want, and an urgeinit one too, is an under-study for Robeirts at half-back. My commendations of this player — other writers to the contrary notwithstanding — have been born© out by his displays on the recent tour, so good an authority as Alf. Bayly, who accompanied the team to Sydney and went South as manager, going into raptures when talking about his play. But Roberts cannot be expected tot play in every match of the forthcoming tour, and someone to relieve him is badlly wanted. Complaints loud and 1 deep are made by the players as to the refiereeing in last Saturdays match. On every occasion when the New Zealanders would break away m the loose the whistle would blow, and a sicrummiage would be ordered because the play was. becoming dangerous. The same referee officiated in the three matches, and many of his decisions in the last, game ware inexplicable to the New Zealanders. [Since the above was written the New Zealand Union have decided to send a lock and a half-back with the- team.] Newton tells me that he only played in the lock of the scrummage three times before being picked for the New Zealand team. The Canterbury player, therefore, could not have been the selected lock. Seeling and Hunter did not go South witih the New Zealand team. The former got leave to go and 1 say good-bye to his people in Wanganui, and Hunter injured his hand in the first match in Sydney. He travelled up to Taranaki on Thursday. McGregor was in the wars m Sydney. "Two such lovely black eyes" he came home with, one of which was a souvenir from. " Swannell, here with t\ie Britisih team. All in the game, too. T * * The Old Boys-Oriental senior match last Saturday left one with an unsatisfactory feeling. There was much good work done during the game by players in both teams, but the most, of the play had niot the finish on it that could justify it being labelled first-olass. The Oriental team were unfortunate in losing one of their best players during the earlier stages of the game, and this seemed to dislheartenx them considerably, and there seemed little vim thereafter m their play. True, there were occasions whem a smile from the fickle goddess would have rewarded them with a -score, but something happened to prevent it just when the partisans of the team were getting ready to cheer. First, Mclntyre made a splendid effort, only to be dragged down a couple of feet from the desired (haven. Thee, Highet made a great dave on thei other side of the field, to fall short by inches only. A great scramble over the line by the. Oriental forwards resulted' in a force-down, one impetuous member knocking the ball on in his effort to score the try. Dawson made a fine run for the Old Boys' team the time he scored the only try of the game, fairly nonplussing the opposing backs and grounding the ball across the chalk-line in great style. J. P. Blacklock kicked a penalty goal from the play that followed the ordermg-off of the Oriental player referred to above, and these two scores were the sum total of the game' — sax points to nil in Old Boys' favour. * » • The hubbub is all over, and James Duncan accompanies the New Zealand team to the Old Country as coach, assistant manager, and' probable player. The result of the special meeting must be gratifying to the New Zealand Rugby Union, the voting of 34 to 15 in favour of the action it took in appointing Duncan being evidence that the appointment was agreeable to the majority of the unions 1 in the colony. "Lynx," m the Auckland "Herald," writes- — "But could Duncan play if wantedi? I doubt it. as the committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union points out in its circular that it would 1 be subject to a liability were the appointment oa/noelled. What is this liabilty? Is

it a monetary one? Has the oommibmittee agreed to pay the 'assistantf a certain) sum for his sendees? If so, the committee would be committing a breach) of the laws of the game with regard 1 to professionalism., provided it permitted Duncan to don the jersey." lam assured that Duncan is to be placed on exactly the same as the players as regards nqvment, viz., three shillings a day from the time they leave New Zealand till they return. The Management Committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union have put an elastic reading on the "professional" rule whn-ch reads "hotel or travelling expenses actually and reasonlably disbursed." My own opinion is that the whole of the members of the team will be professionals when 1 they come back. • » • A friend, writing from Blenheim, asks for rulings in the following cases : — (1.) The ball from a "throw-in" is taken by a player, who places the ball at his feet with the intention of playing same. Can the ball be handled by any other player before it has been played with, the feet?— Yes. (2.) From a "throw-in" the ball is immediately packed' around by players of both teams — (a) Does this constitute a scrummage? — No; (b) if not, does it infringe: a rule if the ball is handled or taken up by a player? — No. The ruling of the Wellington Referees' Association is that a scrummage cam only be formed when order edl by the referee. # • * The Southern tour of the Wellington representative team will be made during the first week of September. It is anticipated that the New Zealand 1 Union will make a profit of £1000 over the New South Wales tour. , Congratulations to the Victoria College team on winning their first senior championship match. May it be the forerunner of many more. I have to acknowledge receipt of a copy of the New South Wales Rugby Union Anniuial, from Mr. Alfredl Fordl, football maker, of Sydney. Nicholson, who played' full-back for Auckland! in the Auckland-New Zealand match, broke a finger in thait match, and is not likely to play again this season. Dodd, the Old Boys' captain, is just now at the top of his form, and tfhe way he hooks the ball is disheartening to his opponents and encouraging to his own team. Cleary, the half-back, who has been promoted to take Roberts'^ place in the Oriental team, is full of resource, and makes much headway for such a light-ly-built player as he is. Sharpe, the Petone player, gave a fine exhibition at five-eighth against Athletic last Saturday, and appears to have made hi® position in the representative team a certainty. A referee, in sending in his report of a recent match to tihe secretary of the Rugby Union, made the following neat comments : — "No man drunk, no man ordered off, no brutal play." The proposed district scheme is assuming definite shape. In a week or two the scheme will be submitted to affiliated clubs for their approval. Personally, I think its chances of being carried into effect are very remote. Petone and 01 d! Boys meet in the second round of championship matches at the Athletic Park next. Saturday. As the first match, played a couple of weeks back, end<pd in a draw, and as both teams have been hard at work since, a fine game may be anticipated. The decline of the Poneke and Melrose teams has been' very steady this year. They reached the lowest rung of the ladder last Saturday, when they were both defeated by the two youngest teams in the senior championship — Victoria College and Southern. I was told that the Athletic team had gone out to Petonie last Saturday to inflict a defeat on the leading team in the championship. They madie a good fi^ht. too, but had to submit to the lot of the majority of the other competing teams — a double-figure debit balance. Jack Grant, the well-known enthusiast in Wellington's football world, played for the Melrose senior team against Southern last- Saturday. It is many years mow since Jack last dlonined) a jersey, his efforts mainly being directed towards the management of the club. When the next Wellington representative team is selected, I would not be surprised' to see Buddie, the Old Boys' player, placed in the full-back position. Both he and MJowatt, who played fullback for the Oriental team in the second half of the game last Saturday, gave fine exhibitions. Mr. C. E. MacCormiok, the secretary of the Auckland Rugby Union 1 , was in town this 1 week, to attend the meeting; of the New Zealand Union anent the opposition shown bV his union' to the appointment of Duncan a^ coach of the New Zealand team on the tour to England. A few of the things voiu hear from interested spectators with strong biaa

towards certain, teams. . "He's a pig of a referee — he ordered so-andl-so off the field' for doing nothing!" "He's a beauty. The next time I see him I will hit him on the nose. He promised to make the charge as light as he could: when he got before the Riugby Union, yet he did just the opposite!" And yet some people want to 'know why old 1 and retired players don't join the Referees' Association. It is more than probable that the 12th August will be offered to the Wairarapa Union as the date of the suggested challenge match for the Ranfurly Shield. Should Petone defeat Old Boys on Saturday, all interest will be gone out of the senior championship, and further matches! would be in the nature of waste time. Another reason, is that on the 19th August a combined team of Wellington, Waiirarapa, and Horowhe Inua are to play against the Australian tieam (New South Wales^ueensland), and the Wairarana-Wellington match, would thus be a fine practice match for the succeeding Saturday.

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