SOCCER’S CHALLENGE TO AUCKLAND RUGBY UNION

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 55, 27 May 1927, Page 6

SOCCER’S CHALLENGE TO AUCKLAND RUGBY UNION

"OUR RUGBY COUSINS”

Soccer Administrator Gets “Off-Side” In Reference to Rival Rugby Codes MR. VARNEY’S WASTED EULOGY (By ‘‘Perseus.) THE experience of the Association Football authorities in Auckland for many years has been that while the Rugby League was invariably willing to work in with the Association for mutual aid, the Rugby Union has always been hostile. Bearing this fact in mind, the fulsome eulogy of the Rugby authorities by no less a person than the chairman of the New Zealand Football Association this week is scarcely likely to appeal to the players or the public in Auckland.

The kindred sports were well represented at the public reception to the Canadian representatives, both in person and by messages of welcome. But Mr. A. Varney, as chairman of the New Zealand Football Association, failed to appeal to the local Soccer enthusiasts when he praised the assistance rendered to the code by the Rugby Union authorities, and made no mention of the friendly attitude and valuable help given by the Rugby League authorities in Auckland. It is not generally known to what extent the X.Z. Rugby Union has assisted the New Zealand Football Association, and the activities of the Rugby Union authorities must have been kept unusually quiet, for nothing was heard of them previous to Mr. Varney’s eulogistic remarks.

The experience of the Association Football authorities in Auckland does not bear out Mr. Varney’s jovial eulogy. On the occasion of the visit of the Chinese Association team, the Union Rugby authorities sent an urgent “5.0.5.” wire to Wellington to send up a Wellington team and “provide a counter thrill” at Eden Park to prevent the crowd flocking to tile Domain.

In contrast to this the League Rugby authorities offered the use of Carlaw Park, if it was suitable for the Chinese games, and staged no senior attractions while the Chinese were here, as they realised that the Auckland Football Association had taken on a big risk in guaranteeing a large sum for the Chinese matches. OPPOSITION IN SCHOOLS Mr. Varney also refered to the growth of the round ball games in the public schools but did not mention that the greatest stumbling olock in this direction was the attitude of the Union Rugby masters v/ho had made every effort to suppress any other code getting a footing. In our State primary and secondary schools to-day the extraordinary idea is being enforced that the pupils cannot play any code they choose, nor have the parents who pay for the upkeep of the

schools and the teachers’ salaries, any voice in the matter. The head teacher is a dictator, and from his decision there is no appeal.

An undergraduate can secure his “blue” for Soccer at Oxford or Cambridge, but some headmaster, with an alleged superiority complex, lays down the law that a boy cannot play Soccer for his school in New Zealand. The Mount Albert Grammar School allows its pupils to play Soccer as school, teams in the school colours; the Tecnical College and St. Stephens also approve of Soccer. But the Mount Eden and Takapuna Grammar Schools put the bars up against any code but Union Rugby. The new Takapuna Grammar School is centred in a district where there is only one Union Rugby Club at Devonport of any size or standing. There are senior Soccer clubs at Devonport and Northcote, with strong junior and school teams at Devonport, Belmont, Birkenhead and Northcote. At a reasonable estimate there are ten boys anxious to play Soccer for one who wants Union Rugby at the Takapuna Grammar School—yet they are not allowed to form a school team! Why? GETTING ALARMED It is obvious that the Union Rugby authorities from their former cabbagetree swamp at Eden Park, view with alarm the inroads that Soccer (and League) are making with their handy city grounds. That “gates” are being affected is shown by the loss the local Rugby Union made on its last season’s working, when the rival codes made great progress—and profit. It is true that Union Rugby is still our “national” game in theory, but so far Soccer has been able to hold its own against visiting teams, and in trips across the Tasman. No good, clean amateur sport can claim a monopoly of the public, or the rising generation, and the sooner that is recognised the better for all codes. Soccer is quite satisfied to rest on its merits, without seeking any State subsidy for its tours or State aid in barring other codes from entry to our State schools. * Those are points which might be contemplated by the New Zealand Football Association when its officials have a public occasion to refer to kindred codes.

TATE AND BOWLEY BAT BRILLIANTLY

SUSSEX PROS. IN FORM

AUCKLAND COACH GETS WICKETS

Ted Bowley evidently did not take long to strike his best form in England. His brilliant century against Hampshire this week and a fine 62 in his next knock shows that the Sussex and Auckland professional has fully recovered from the injury to his hand which he sustained when playing for Auckland against the Melbourne team at Eden Park last February. Tate and Bowley were the two outstanding; figures in the match, each scoring exactly the same total, 101. In an earlier match, Bowley went through a county side, with his break bowling.

and evidently his New Zealand experience with the ball has been turned to good account since his return to England. Prior to coming to New Zealand, Bowley did not get many chances with the ball in county cricket. With two bowlers of the calibre of Tate and Gilligan in the side, it was seldom that he was given the ball for any extended period in a match. TATE AS BATSMAN

Tate is a remarkable example of a batsman turned bowler. Before he became England’s most famous trundler, he was better known as an opening batsman, and he registered some fine scores for Sussex in previous years. But the experts saw in him a bowler with test match possibilities, and Tate was persuaded to concentrate on his bowling, and leave the batting part of it to Hobbs, Sutcliffe and Co. By this, England probably lost a fine batsman, but it gained a greater bowler. The English idea —and there is much to be said for it —is that a bowler should be fresh when he is called on to start the attack. Hence Tate’s batting in big cricket in the last two or three years has been largely of the “get runs or get out” order. But he is still a high-class run-getter in county cricket.