FOOTBALL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 185, 10 August 1904, Page 2

FOOTBALL

<• ENGLISHMEN v. OTAQO. (Per Press Association.) DUNKDIN, August 9. Porteous has not suiliciently recovered from the &Jck ho received on the ankle in the Southland v. Otago match to take part in the match against the British team to-raorrow. Has place will be taken by Jenkins, of Invercargill, Porteous has notified the Union that he will he unable to play for New Zealand at Wellington on Saturday, The Uritish team were taken for a drive this morning, and practised on the Caledonian grounds in the afternoon. The weather was warm to-day, and so far there are no signs of a change, so that the ground should bo in good order to-morrow. Indications point to the Caledonian ground being quite inadequate for the number of persons desiring to see tho British team in to-mor-morrow's match. Advices received by the Railway Department indicate that about eight thousand will be IfronjJit to town by rail. The Caiisbrooke ground is larger, but it is not so accessuble, and it is doubtful if a change could be made now. A WARNING. CHRISTCHURCH, August 9. The Canterbury Rugby Union committee this evening dealt further with the case of alleged frautl by members of the Richmond Club, disqualifying A. Snooks, the late secretary of tho club, for life and warning him off all grounds under the control nf the union. «ii TEAMS FOR TO-DAY. WELLINGTON. (Block, with gold fern-leaf,) Spencer Melntyio Gruy Wilson Roberts Harbor • # Blucklock Hardham (oaptaln) Calnan Wright Best Sweeney Driiecoll Dodd Watkins 1 O Wilson Glasgow • • » I O'Sullivan Douglas McKay Burke Thomas Hainblyn Guy Frewin * Mynott Abbott Hunter Fookcs, Blyth TARANAKI. (Amber and Black).

The Wellington team wna selected yesterday morning after practice, ami with the exception of the three New Zealand representatives, McGregor, Wallace, and Cross, is the same as the combination which met Auckland. :clntyre replaces McGregor in the .:iree-quartcr lino. Roberts, the scrum half, is played at five-eighths n place of Wallace, and the place of .lie former is flll«« b y Ulacklock. •Sweeney fills- the gap in tho forward rank, Dodd and Watkins, the front rankers, are club motes, and have played together in these positions all throughout the season. "United they stand, but divided" nelthor i player shows much brilliancy. THE BRITISH TEAM'S TOUR. Football, football. Tho sole topic of conversation at preßent ls foot . . iwll. Ihe weather, the racecourse reserve exchange, the lovely Recreation Grounds, tho roads in 6hc backblocks, tho big match at Wellington , train service, everything Is made mibordinato to tho national game, and particularly to the mooting between the British team and our own local representatives. To-day's Wellington match is looked upon as being specially arranged as a practlco game for the Taranaki men, and tho Mestion of victory or defeat in the interprovincial ganio has not tho same interest as In other years. At the samo time hundreds of the public are bound for Hawera to-day to see the tussle, and hundreds, mora will eagerly await tho result this evening for two reasons. Tho first is to secure an answer to the question : " Can wo heat tho winners of tho Kainfurly Shield r" And the second; "What sort of a game will Taranaki play against a team with tlio combination a nd form gained in a victorious tour?" Besides this, victory or defeat will have a decided effect on public opinion as to our chances agalnst tho Britishers.

The narrow margin between the Canterbury and British scores makes it appear the BriUshers are not all* poworful. The result, however, does not show anything at all, saye the Now Zealand Times' special reporter. It docs not show the brilliant game Canterbury forwards played ; it does not show that the British forwards wore a boatem pack, and it does not show that all the Old Country backs who romped at will pn tfi'o grounds irom Sydney to Brisbane and back have many faults that would raise clamourings against too New Zealand representative backs. True, tho ground was bad—could hardly huvo been worse—tout what then ? A top-notch Rugby team must be propared for heavy grounds and hard grounds. It must bo prepared to suit itself to. conditions—to sends its forwards to bring borne the victory, or to leave it to Its backs. This is the first and principal weakness of the Britishers. Put tho backs out of action, and there is no team left. The forwards from Homo arojnlot tforwards of the top rank as we understand forwards. There is no devil in their pack when It conies down tho field, no reckless dash that sends the Jrart of tho g'amest back Into his mouth when he is tho forlorn hope, as there is in a charging black jersey vanguard. We need carry no dread of their forwards, excepting in tho scrum, continues tho reporter, where throe front men have an advantage over two hookers, especially w!hen the ball Is put into tho scrum in such a way as to ff ve two men no chance to get at it. That happened almost every time on Saturday. "Jimmy" Duncan says they won't be able to do that against New Zealand. New Zealand has seen that game before in Australia, and sat up for two nights thinking hard about it; and tho problem of the three front men was solved, and tho solution, according to tho Now Zealand coach, will bo made a present to Captain Bedell-Sivright next Saturday. In the game against Canterbury, tho point of mosl Interest in the British play was that which had boon so successful in Australia—that of centreing tho boll from one side or other of the ground. There is no doubt whatever that it is the right bower, left and ace on their attack. But it failed on Saturday for two reasons—one, Aifccause Harvy had given instructions for spl<eo/dinjg his men, and two, because the ball and the field were heavy handicaps to tho fast-moving, light Welsh backs by reason of tho greasiness. On a hard, dry field, though, their game of centring will spell trouble for New Zealand. THE NEW ZEALAND "COACH." MB DUNCAN'S OPINION, Mr J. Duncan, the Now Zealand team coach, interviewed, expressed himsolf very confident of th« colony's fifteen boating the British team at Wellington- "Of course," ha aaXA, 'T. am only Judging the visitors on yesterday's game, and the conditions wort such that it is almost Impos-

Bible \o say exactly what their i strength is. There 49, however, no doubt that their backs are the men they depend upon to win Vmt\ mat'chcs. Hut, although those backs are very smart, they arc not so effective ps the New Zealand representative I backs, as far as handling thu l>all is The British bocks are better than we are, but they do not make the use of the ball when they g«t it that our own men would. AnI other weakness lus in the fact t.iat i they are not over anxious to go down to the forwaid rushes. Yet another noticeable feature of Saturday's play was an over-indulgence in 'speculating' at a rolling ball!" Further questioned, Mr Duncan said he did not like their lino work. He considered it weak. Asked which of the visitors impressed him most, lie replied Ua.be, Morgan aaU Vale. On Cuutei-bury aide he picked Harvey, Brunsdcn, Deans and 1 Fanning as the best. He (Mr Duncan) thought the referee, Mr Evan9, was a little too leniint with the visitors in regard to 011-i.i !i' play, and prophesied that the Dunod.:: referee will pull some of them up v. ah a round tum. The selection committee have adopted "the style of play followed in the Souft Island (one wlqg-forward and two five-eighths) as against the stylo followed in the North Island. So far as I can reir.eiift|;r the championship has never for a year been out of the North Island. Comment on the choice is therefore unnecessary, exIcept perhaps to jokingly sujiij «t that the Englishmen il<avo "squared" the selectors.

Tlw Englishmen meet the combined OUtgo-Southland team a* Dunedln today. It is hardly likely that Hunter will be available for the match to-day at Hawera. The management committee of the Taranaki Rugby I'nion met at Hawera lost night. The Wanganul senior cup has been won by the Old Boys- team, who defeated Kaierau on Saturday by 17 to 13, Southland did not win a match on their recent tour. They were benton by Canterbury by 8 points to 5, by Wellington by 14 to 3, and bv Otago by 11 to 8. It is probnblo that Mr Tillv, of Wanganui, will referee at Hawe'ra today. Up to yesterday afternoon the mat/tea- was unsettled, and Mr Morris, of Wellington, had been asked to make the appointment. Following is the butcher's team to play against the bakers :- Harvey, VVooller, Julian, Lorn, Nash, Murphy, Stanley, Oilcarist, T. JfcKoy. P. McKoy, Fox, Gray, C. Dixon, 0. Pearce, N. Combe. There is a prrJbability of Duthie playing a t three-qtiarter against! Wellington to-day, should Hunter bo unavailable. He should play a fine game at centre. The Stratford Post says that Mr Mvell has been asked to referee m ((he match Taranaki v. Wellington. It s almost certain ho will agree to hold the whistlo" for this event. Owing to the illness of Humphries and the albsence of Hunter, at Wtl-i bjigton, D. Moir, of the Eltham tub, and Oreville, of Ha Hawera Club, have been asked to stand by. Iho probabilities are that the final choice will resolve itself into Blythe being, placed thrce-fffiarter and Moir mil-back.—Post. "Dropkick" In the Wellington Post says there are no powerful dashing forwards in New Zealand. The Wellington reps, will wonder what tliey have struck when they run into Glasgow, Thomas, Guy and O'Sullivan today. Hedell-Sivri L «it told the Times* specinl that ho was ■disappointed with tho Canterbury team. Ho had heard so much about the New Zealand players that he expected more than he saw. Tho Waimato second team, which has annexed tho Taranaki championship in that grade, played thirteen matches this seohon, winning ten, drawing two, and losing one. A very good record, and ono to 'be proud of.

The Witness says that "strong efforts are being; made t 0 keep J. Hunter In the Taranakl team to play Wellington on Wednesday. The Now Zealand Union want to go down to Ihe city and hold himself In readiness for Saturday's Mg tussle. Without his and Edwin Burke's services the team will toe somewhat weak in the back division,. If Hunter is unable to take part, C. Burke of Patea, wilt in all probability fa given a place." Who is Burke, of PajTa ? Surely there were some men in the previous rep. selections who are as good as an untried player wno must have gone out of training long ago. DutMo or Smith of Now Plymouth, Potior, of Inglewood, or Molr, of Eltham—what of these ? In the Tukapa-Waimate first Junior contest at Manafta last week the iWalißatc forwards played erratically in the first spell. The Witness says that Tukapa, on the other hand, shaped exceedingly well, and gavo one the impression that after tho turnround camo they would just waltii in, but the unexpected happened, as it so often happens In football, and the position of things was rovorsed, Waimate being galvanised into activity and tho visitors lorang all Uic vim tilat characterised their efforts in tho first spell. O'Sullivaji, the dashing Taranakl forward, had a run of ill-luck tMs' season, suffering from a severe knock on the head, then tho measles, later on an attack of Influenza, and now an affliction of balls.