FOOTBALL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8051, 16 February 1906, Page 3

FOOTBALL

•• ALL BLACKS' " TOUR SUMMED UP. Tlie 'Frisco mail brought us a copy of the London " Standard's " summing up of the "All Black " tour. Here is a candid extract:—That the New Zeaactually scored the disallowed s try in the Wales' match, and that it was not seen by the referee, is as certain as that this fact in itself constitutes very bard luck indeed for the colouials, for it meant the |loss of their unbeateu certificate. They took their defeat like the genuine good sportsmen they .are. There was no need whatsoever ill any case for the torrent of accusations against Gallabcr of putting the ball in the scrum with twist on, which followed the Welsh win by a try to nil, much less was there any call for it considering that Wales had won. In the subsequent Cardiff match Gallaher completely refuted all these accusations, lock, stock aud barrel, by retiring into the scrum when O'SuDivau had his collarbone fractured, and by taking no further part iu placing the ball ill die serum or in opposing the Cardill hallbacks. While Gallaher was thus idle so far as winning the game by his al- - unfair play is concerned, the New Zealanders, playing one short, beat the unbeaten Welsh club team,

Apart from this refutation of the charges brought against him in the presence of over 52,001) spectators, I!. M. Owen, the Welsh International half-back, who was playing directly opposite Gallaher, has st.ted in the Press that the New Zealand captain does not play unfairly in any respect. It is a great pity such unsportsmanlike statements were allowed to mar the harmony of the whole tour just at the end of it, and it is only out of a strict sense of fairness lo our guests, v. ho have all along been judged on the eviilcnee of the Press of the I uitcd Kingdom only, and who have never given us their version of the case which has, be it remembered, always two sides-that we publish this vindication of the character for sportbig play of the New Zealand captain. which lias, in our opinion, been most unjustly aspersed. The writer has probably seen as many of the colonial 32 games as anybody connected with the Press, and he can cousciciili"Uslj assert that he has never seen HJ la her put the bail unfairly ill the scrum.