FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 141, 5 June 1908, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

ROTORI'AS PROTEST. Per Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. Tin. Auckland Rugby Lnion received tu-d.iy a protest fur eulivevance to tin--New Zealand Rugby Union irom the Roturua Union against the match he- | twecu the Dominion .Mauri team and tlic lirilish footliallers. which is lo he played at Uutorua, being arranged liv a oody (the .Mauri Assuciatiuii) nut aliiliati'd to tli? New Zealand Rugby L'nion. The Rotonia l'nion considers the light ot arrangement belongs lo them, and objects to being ignored by the parent body ami the powers delegated to an outside body. The protest was forwarded on by telegraph today to the New* Zealand Union.

THE BRITISH TOUR. REFEREES APPOINTED. Per Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The .Management Committee of the' New Zealand Rugby Union to-night appointed .Mr. ,1. Duncan referee in Natur day's test match. Mr. W. .1. Wilson was appointed referee for the South Canterbury match, and .Mr. P. Marine for the Canterbury match. The manager of the Briti-h team is to be a-Mto give tlir> British teams for the various matches to the Press at ins earliest convenience.

- WEDNESDAY'S lilt! .MATCH. Wiring on Wednesday night, the Dominion's special reporter stated:— The match against Southland to-day was one of those swift and brilliant expositions of spectacular Rugby wbieh the public find so delightfully refreshing. Those thrilling runs ami swift, short passes which make for the best and most attractive side of the game were in evidence throughout fo-dav's fine struggle. Nothing better than the passing, running, swift and accurate handling of the I'.ritish backs has been „ecn in Southland for a decade. I Southland swept on to the altack from the outset, and there were those staunch supporters of the .Southern province round the ring side iu thousands who were not without hope that the British colors trailed in the mud on the historic fields of Athletic Park, Wellington, and Carisbrook, Dunedin, would be lowered on the East End turf a t Inverts rgill to-day. The British rear division gave such an exhibition of passing, kicking, and running as is good to sec. Southland were the first to catch the eye, and were much in evidence throudi»ut the first spell, for which they ]md the better. Their line free-foot' workin loose and dashing following up ;or a time quite demoralised the British defence. There were times when, in the desperate attacks on the British line, the chosen of Southland all but penetrated the British defence.

.Southland did not let Britain get very far with their attacking movements. The tackling was certain and deadly, and every man was brought down without apologies. The game indeed did not call tor any "Bog pardons." Truth to tell, there was no quarter given, nor was any asked fur. Britishers' profiting l>y lessons already taught them on tour' had got into something like that condition which will prove the prime factor in winning other matches on the New Zealand tour.

I The pace Southland set was a "cracker," every man going at top speed and doing his liest for his side. Britain, too. I exhibited better form in the vanguard than they had previously shown, and it was at once apparent that mistakes made at Wellington ami Dunedin were not to he 'repeated against Southland. .Southlands display in the first hail was indeed creditable to the. southern province, but it was generally believed by the experts round the ring'side that, although trained to the hour, they could not sustain such pace throughout a desperate game. This proved a sound forecast of what was to happen, for in the second half, when the Britishers were going "great guns/' and sweeping aside the chosen of the southern province, Southland was "letting down" badly, and the Britishers pierced the defence right through its final line. What are the chances now of the Britishers defeating combined New Zealand in the first test match V On to-day's game the Britishers' prospects have gone up very decidedly, and it is probable they will go reasonably close to defeating the flower of New Zealand on Saturdny.

On the aulhoritv of the British team I have it that to-day's side was the lightest and weakest Set placed on tne field, and if this is so it is going to be a very strong side which will do battle lor Britain in the first test match. On to-day's showing, given a dry ball and n ground fast as n cinder track. I like Britain's chance*.

The "Snnllilanil Times." sharing in tin? general opposition to tli<> secret service •souvenir'' programme arrangement, by which the public is kept in ignorance of flavors' names till the precious programme is issued (at sixpence n time), made a point on the morning of the Bri-tish-Southland match of publishing the distinctive numbers of all the players at the foot of a caustic paragraph. Writing editorially, the Wellington Dominion says that a growing proficiency in our athcltics is not necessarily a wholesome sign. On the contrary, it is an unwholesome sign when it means a narrowing of athletics to a stage for highly-trained experts. That, we are afraid, is what we are tending towards in New Zealand so far as football is concerned. In an earlier article we expressed the opinion that the New Zealand Rugby Union should endeavor to keep football a "game" by aiming at simplicity, and by thinking less of finance and more of the sport. The Union is receiving a good deal of timely advice upon the unwisdom of making the balance-sheet its chief concern. No doubt the Union may with some reason urge that a high charge for admission to the matches of the Anglo-Welsh team is necessary to secure the tour from financial failure, lint surely the big balance to the Union's credit should 1A <-olisidcrcd, not a fund to be increased, but a fund to be disbursed in encouraging the sport. A satisfactory feature of the past few days' discussion has been the evidence, that it has afi'orded of a general fear amongst the friends of the game that riches mean ruin to amateur football. Already the situation has reached a point at which many genuine lovers of true allleltieisni arc; beginning to wish that football was a game which the many played indifferently instead of a game which a few play with amazing expertneSs for a nation of lookerson.