ARMY RUGBY.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 23 May 1917, Page 7

ARMY RUGBY.

Dr. Newman, M.P., when resigning •his office as president of the New Zealand Rugby Union,, said that when he went to the front in France the New Zealand Transport Rugby fifteen had played a British Transport team, and won by 77 to 3. They had also won a. great victory in Paris against a French team. Though there were at most 4500 New Zealand men at Sling Camp in England the team had won many honours. Pie added that he told the story of the New Zealand victory by 77 to 3 to emphasise the fact that men who could play such quick, fine football were naturally quick, fine fighters with the bayonet. Whenever the New Zealand boys attacked Germans in the trenches in bayonet infighting, this football acquired quickness was of immense value to the New Zealand men, and enabled them always to bayonet many Germans —it enabled them to get in their stab first. A great many noted New Zealand footballers were made into N.C, O.’s; having learnt football taught them quickness of resources, ability, and they speedily learnt the new game of war. When the New Zealand boys —the forwards at the Dardanelles or in France —took new ground from the foe, their scrum was never pushed back. In Great Britain, as in New Zealand, of all the classes of youngmen the footballers were the first to enlist; the footballers set a noble example. The Maoris —fine footballers —were A 1 with the bayonet at closefighting. They wanted to “have a go” all on their own. Some of them would have prefered a tomahawkr to a bayonet—the bayonet had to be withdrawn, and that meant lost time. He agreed with the resolution that New Zealand men who turned professional footballers prior to the war and had been doing their bit at the front, should be welcomed back into the New Zealand Rugby Union fold. He added that if a picked team of all the New Zealand forces sent to the front could be picked it would hold its own against other teams, as did the famous All Blacks. Among the boys now playing in New Zealand there was all the material for another All Black team—when happier times come again. He thanked thorn for suggesting his name again as president, but in the interests of the game he thought the office should be filled by a fresh man every year.