FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7997, 7 December 1905, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

"LEs JOI'EHS DK nr<;i!V,* A striking proof of the spreading fame of the New Zealand football team is to J*j found in a superbly illustrated article upon La tactique des joueis de rugby Xeo-Zelandais,"-in the celebrated French, eporting weekly La Eio au Grand Air. Th journal prints excellent photographs of the team (which the paper designates as "les homines superbes"), snapshots of the match against Middlesex, and diagrams showing a "theorio <le l'atta«]Ue" and "uno invlie," which is the French for a scrum. The article Begins with tilt declaration that "le nionde "du,rug7)y a fremi," and immediately drops on the old question, "Is it the definite (hcaihnee of European civilisaticn '?" (N'ote the? Kurcpean : it is no longer a question [of mere British decadence) The are stated to be "ca|iable of executing ■without besit.ition (the most subtle combinations." Supple as eels ami strong as (ioliuths .'the journal calls our men : but even these qualities do not satisfactorily explain to the French mii.d "l'«rasante superiorite" oVthc team. It lies in "la tactique speciale" which they have adopted. |A iull and detailed ]account 'ot tho composition of the New Zealand team, with the names and places of all the players, is given in order to maku clear this "tactique speciale." Our arrangement of the team "est line combinaison anornial," and npnears to the French journal as a "little supernatural." "Our young athletlclsßJ.'* the article continues, "accustomed to follow the F.nglisli, ib-ir masters, with shut eyes, refuse to Ijelieve in such an audacity." Tile forwards are politely spoken of as

"les xlinbles d'avanU zelaoduis," and in the criticism of the team we come upon such familiar words as "un di'lbhling" ami "l'cf side." The "adorable malice" () f our, "demis" in plnyii.g deliberately on "I'otT side'' is spoken of with a sort of admirinq horror. As the French teams, belli Vugliy and |Association, that have shown true sportsmanship in visiting F.nglatd jand Scotland in recent years had no chance against British players, it is not to be ■wondei'ed a,, that the exploits or the Neo-Zelan-dais (mm fill them with amazement. We might sea noma even more sensational scores if our team could only journey to Paris.

The temperate living of the Now Zealand footballers has attractivl considerable attention ill Britain. A paper chronicles that "As the' strict training of the New Zealand football team slobars them from the pleasures of the table, they have declined the Mayor of Gloucester's invitation to a banquet after the match against the * county. They have accepted instead a revised invitation to high tea ami the theatre," and our boys were praised from the pulpit. "Tho New yjealamlers are upon us, hard as nails, eschewing over-feeding, overdrinking, gambling, bridge, ami other indulgx'nees." Thus the *ltev. W. Carlile in pointing the moral of tho victyries of the New: Thailand footballers to hid congregation at St. Mary-al-Hill.