FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 165, 16 July 1904, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

Tuknpa juniors raoet Walmate a* Manaia to-day in tho first of the deckling matches for tho second-grado championship. They will need all their science, for the southern twain li a s an average weifht of about ihirteen stone.

In connection with the proposal emanating from the New South ) Wales Union that the New Zealand Union should semi a representative team over to Sydney to meet the Britishers there, "Cynic," in the Sydney Referee, has the following : —The public here is still quite hopeful of seeing the New Zealanders meeting the Ilritisliers at the Sydney Cricket Ground, though those in the inner circlo may be animated by no such hope. New Zealand Rugby Unionists may bo disinclined t» look upon u match of the character as possible, but the football public here, wanting it very much, Is not so sceptical a a to the possibility. It is felt that tho New iValaud Union will require, all tlie money that can be possibly collected to defray tihe expenses of tho visit to England next year, and that a match against the Britishers there would materially help in that direction. Whether New Zealand sonds a team to Sydney or not, it is now felt here that the British team have a tolerably tough programme in Now ( 2iealaMi in front of them. It will appear peculiar that persons who have seen New South Wales beaten by 27 to nil and 29 to 6 should feol that the Briti&h team will go down before New Zealand. Nevertheless it is a fact, and the view has since been strengthened by the Australia match. The backs of last year's New Zealand team were not quite so 'brilliant, nor so versatile in their methods of attack as the British backs, but in defence they were sounder, and the forwards were a bit better all round thun the llritishera are. The latter may yet improve, though even in that case, if New Zealand get together a vanguard etqual to that of last year, they will give our visitors a gruelling time. I honestly believe that If the New Zealand backs of 1903 had been behind the Australian forwards on Saturday the British team would havoibcen just oiUout beaten. But the 17 to nil is a big beating, and it 1b as likely as not that one Is not allowing sufficient for the posibilitiea of the British backs in attack.