FOOTBALL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 179, 2 August 1904, Page 2

FOOTBALL

BRITISH TEAM'S FIXTURES. August o—v. Canterbury at Christchurch. August 10—v. Otago, at Dunedin. August 13—v. New Zealand, at Wellington. August 17—v. Turanaki, at New Plymouth. August 20—v. Auckland, at Auckland. August 29—Combined Country, .at Sydney* August 31—v. Metropolitan Union, at Sydney. September 31—v. Now South Wales, att Sydney.

"Drop-kick" in the Wellington- Post] scathes the New Zealand Union for not giving the New Zealand team some practice before itsi meeting with' the British team. The proposal oi the committee's critics, the writer Says, was that the members of the twini should lx' brought together for about a fortnight prior to the lig mutch lo practice nrheines lo play together ami to play one or two practiico matches. The committee's reply is directed to lw» points ; (1) Wkether the thing proposed is) advisable, (2) whether it is practicable, in view of the leave difllcully. l.'nder the first head, the committee says in effect that experts differ as to whether this means in the best to ensure combination, and it absolutely declines to pit the team in mid-week ugainst another strong team If the

fortnight proposal were adopted, it would not be necessary to hold the practice match in mid-week ; in the second place, Southland, Wellington, and Taranaki uie already playing represcntat'ivie matches in mid-week, (Wednesday, August 10), and it seems that the Otago and Southland stars, if not the selected players in the other two teams, are to be allowed to play in this disastrous - mid-week match. To Iks consistent with itself, the committee—which to use its own words, ' absolutely declines" to take such a risk—must cither compel the non.participation of Otago and Southland's elect men in the match on the Wednesday against Britain, or it must leave those men out of the team—or it must eat its own woids. It probably needs no prophet to say which of these three the dummittec will do. By the way, if a mid-week match is such a fatal concern, how is it that the British team and every other team that ever Jsnired have escaped annihilation?

The- answer to the committee on this point is, firstly, that the mid-week ) match has been exaggerated by the committee into a bogey behind wMch it would like to hide; secondly, that the fortnight proposal does not in any case necessitate a mid-week mutch. The wider question is raised whether preliminary practice matches are best means to insure combination—to which query the committee's at'ltion supplies a negative. The committee's argument must necessarily go so far as to say that a touring team is constantly running a grave risk; and that the cliance of a team training' together for four days without being pitted against u strong team in superior to that of the team that pluys matches. That is to say, all the old talk about a team improving its combination as it went along lias been so much nonsense; the advantages of a touring team are a mere nothing compared with the risk it runs of getting its neck broken, i the leave difficulty the commit... h u s contributed nothing new, ami it has carefully evaded the main Issue—via.,i that it was the duty of the union us the central and reponsSMe authority to urge the affiliated unions to postpone, curtail, or cancel interprovincial fixtures in order that the available leave might be utilised forgiving the New Zealand team effective preparation for the all-important fixture. It is now clear that the committee did nothing to assort itself .in this way, or the manifesto would have stated the fact. All the allegations of inaction and apathy must therefore be taken to be true' the controlling body has not sufficient strength of purpose to either control or counsel the affiliated ones. H has been suggested that the affiliated, unions might have called local meetings and have given theiniative by instructing their delegates to galvanise the central body into life. Jut the lead should really have come from the latter; and excellent as the result would be if the local unions! individually took action, they can' scarcely be expected to severally and jointly step i„ to do the New A-alaml Union's work. Their opportunity will come at the next annual meeting. The apathy and incapacity Of tho present committee will then be made «„ argument for the removal olhercenZ. n '' headqUart<!ratoson,e THE TOUCH-LINE NUISANCE. (To the Etlitor.) Sir.-On behalf of those spectators behind the rails, would vou kindly grant me a little space to suggest to tho Rugby Union that far too many pcoplo are permitted to grace the west touch-line with their presence when a representative game is being played. Tho roll of honoured guests increases at each match, and judging from present indications a hundred or so may bo expected to block the view when the British game is playeti'. It is quite evident that the crowd will occupy the space right round the proper limits and it is not fair to those on the flat ground to have touch-line captains, instructors, etc., to shut out the play. It is recognised that besides the line umpire and the press representatives, our selector and British non-playing members are privileged, but there the li,st should end. How would it do to have some chairs spread about for those allowed within the ground ? This would do away with some twenty standing together, but failing chairs they should bo asked to move about along the line. In conclusion, just a reminder to tho union that a number of common spectators will resent any excess of honoured guests at the next match.—l am, etc., "One of the Common Herd."