FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 25 October 1907, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

THE PROFESSIONAL MOVEMENT. FEELING IN ENGLAND. London, September 13. "I w.rnl to make it quite plain that, whatever the side from New Zealand to play the Northern Union Clubs, it will in not the slightest degree represent the Rugby Union football of New Zealand or th°. sporting community of the Dominion." Such was the emphatic statement made by Mr C. Wray Palliser, of the J otduu office of the Niw Zealand Government, to a representative of the Mortiii'jj Post, who sought some official pronouncement of the situation creat>il ty thj coming of the professional side from the Dominion. "Thtse Northern Union clubs," Mr Palliser went on, "are quite strong in their particular game, and if the New Zealand team comes it will be beaten to pieces, or will be allowed to win only oi ►utterance. The authorities in NewZealand are every bit as keen in amateurism and in the endeavor to keep tha great game of Rugby pure as are all the Home national unions. Whatever happens to this aide which is on its way, it eorjes with no sort of credit from uc Dominion of New Zealand. J'!ie Northern Union in the courage ot despair—generated by the inroads made on its domains by professional association anu by the revival of the spirit of real ;\ugby—was bound to make seme kind of sensation to save itself.. It has met with a severe rebuff in South Wales, where it laid the flattering unction to its soul Lttat its net would include some big fish, instead of the old minnows of which the Welsh Union has rid itself."

Mr. Palliser is aiding in the arrangement for the visit of a British side to New Zealand next spring. Mr George Jl. Hartnett, acting on behalf of the Ergiieh Rugby Union, is organising the trip, but, beyond the fact that it will go. there will be nothing definite to say about it for the next few weeks.

"Nobody will deny," says the Express, "that the tours over here of amateur Rugly football teams from-New Zealand and South Africa gave amateur Rugby in Fnghnd an immens.- fillip. The apparent decline in popularity of the Northern Professional Union was laid to this cause. With the possibility of fuither visits from New Zealand and Airica, and the likelihood of an Australian team visiting here for the first time next year, amateurism siemed altogether m for a rosy time. But recent happenlngs in New Zealand, Wales and Australia, are disquieting, for they show plainly that there is a wave of professionalism flowing to the desired destruction of amateur Rugby." The Welsh Rugby Union have at last come down with a heavy hand upon the clubs within their jurisdiction which have been coquetting with profeisional»Bin. and the report just issued deals in the most drastic manner with the club officials who have been found guilty of maKng illegal payments, and the players who have received money consideration for playing football.