FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 195, 7 August 1908, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

SOUTH CAVl'ialßUilY v. TARANAKI.

A WUKTCLIKD EXHIBITION. 1 Weather conditions were excellent for i yisLcrday's intcrprovinciul match, South 1 Canterbury and 'i'aranaki meeting 011 a i tine dry playing lii'iil in t lie ltmcutiun ' (jrounds. "illc strong winds of the pa>t 1 couple of cl;nlo had well dried tin' ' ground. If there was one weather fea- 1 lure that roll It! easily have been dis- 1 pensed with ii was the variable wind, which made high kicking tog six-dila-tive, the ball displaying a tendency to go where least desired. About ten- or twelve hundred people assembled to watch the match; about which there can be but one opinion, that it was a wretched exhibition, a burlesque when compared with the battle fought -oil the same ground between Taranaki and Great Britain. The public who were charged a shilling for the privilege of watching the game have .1 genuine grievance against the Taranaki team. Particularly have they ground for complaint against the Taranaki bafts, many of whom seemed to think they had a ''soft thing" 011, and that it was not worth while to stretch themselves. Again they appwired to think it unnecessary tif play to a "gallery'' of a little over a thousand people. Hunter was one of the biggest oll'enders in this regard The three-quarter line was not looking for work; in fact, one of the wings spent some of his time in conversation with the line umpire. De- ' fensive work was left to Jlyuott and Hardgraves, Mvnott spending a very considerable portion of his time on li's ' back. Colniair (half) missed ball after ball, and played at tinr.-s wry poor football, even before he was hurt. Mynott was 'below form, making mistakes in taking the ball, t bough he was responsible for some good openings. A' great amount of work was shirked by his confreres. The forwards were ofton beaten in the loose, and they didn't seem to care much. Only Tamu and Pukere were taking the game seriously; and they stood out on their own, particularly Tamu, who was the most prominent forward on the field. On the other hand, the South Canter-

bury men played with fine vigor. They were in excellent nick, and had tiny had the luck to put up half a dozen points in the first spell, would have made the home team play all they knew to win. As it was, they 'had exceptionally hard luek in not equalising the score, as they undoubtedly deserved to do. ■ Their scrum work was good. and in the loose the pack was more than equal to the home combination (.'). Mr. Geo. Hopkins, of New Plymouth, controlled the game in a most impartial manner.

South Canterbury sot the ball in mo tion, Taranaki defending the souther. goal. Early in the game the Anibc backs set up an indecisive passing run the ball eventually going out in the i\Itors' corner. The Green forwards '.• came aggressive, and on several occ:i sions the home backs were compelled t kick out for safety. Once or twice tin backs attempted to get moving, im their passing was of the can't-be-botlu r ed order, and they found that they conlci not take liberties with the visiting for wards. Roddick set- up a line rush O'Brien, Budd, and Carlton joining :n the movement ending in a fine run b; Fraser to Taranaki's 25. Mynott ojici ed up the game, and passed to Camerjii who kicked to the full-back. Hunto took the return, and dodged aimless); about before transferring to Column By" that time Cameron and Hliealmi were jamued on the line, Imt Shenliiu pressed on, about a fool • inside touch and narrowly missed a score. From th line-out McKay gave the bull a uscles boot, and it struck the corner Hap touA-in-goal resulting. .Shortly afU' resuming Roddick, O'Brien, and ,iV Scott dribbled up to llardgraves, gettin; a!l over the home team. Xltc visitor pressed hard, and it seemed certain : score would result, but. Smith spoil :>( by '•marking" elf his own man. Oil side .play gave Spillane a shot at go.'.] but it was a poor attempt. Camera: missed a score by knocking-on an ea s; pass, and the Green forwards came again. Mynott picked up and cu through, Tamil and O'Sullivan following but too vigorous kicking enabled Sco*. ■to force. About the best piece of pass ing in the game was a run in which My nott, Hunter, Cameron, Dive, Camerra again, and Sheahan participated, O'Briei beating Sheahan for the ball. Tami grabbed it and came near scoring undo the posts, but he lost the ball, am Roddick saved by kicking out. Sheahai and Dive tried some font-passing ii front of the goal, but Spillane s|>oilei; and from the resultant forward rus Taranaki forced. Bradley was promiii ent now with well-judged line-kicking and Scott, too, was using touch to gna advantage, rarely failing. Fraser an Colman suffered injury just before lull time, and Fraser was unable to contimn • Mayo coming on in his place. Taranak again played up to the goal-line, but th< opportunity was lost by brainless kick ing, and South Canterbury forced Bradley and Spillane now galloped rigot through the Taranaki team, and will. only ''Shaver" to puss -seemed to have a certain try, but. llardgraves hugg.ul Spillane and the chance was lost. Rothcry was the next to approach the lin.% but he went out on his way, and • his touch-down couuted no points. Halftime was called with the visitors attacking hotly. Resuming, play was taken straightway to the South Canterbury line, owing to fumbling by Mayo. The home baeks did a bit of passing and raised the hopes of the spectators, but the thing was muddled up, and Horgan nullified the effort, kicking to the line. Another bit -of passing was attempted, but Cameron failed to gather in the winning pass, and booted over the line, Sc.oct forcing again. A scries of mistakes amongst the home vanguard let Budd, Roddick, and O'Brien down amongst the home backs, and-Hardgraves had just time to get in his kick, which lined. -McKay now showed up a bit in close play, in which the visitors were forced to retire to their own end of the field until Mayo, by some cleVer footwork, reversal the order. South Canterbury was now getting the better of both line play and scrums, and things got a bit interesting. A rapid transition was effected as the result of a short dodgy'run and kick by Mynott, Hunter running to the 25 and kicking high. He landed on top of Bradley just as the latter forced. The visitors now played hard on the defensive. An opportunity came, and Mynott cut in and passed to Sheahan, who scor ?d a good try. Hardgraves failed to add liie major points. Taranaki 3 South Cuntcrlmrv' .. .. 0 The khk-oll' went out at Taranaki's ii Hag, Sheahan failing to get it. Tic home forwards, however, curried play back again, and Dive, with a good dunce to run. kicked behind the goalline, a force resulting, .lust here came the most astonisliiiiL' item in the game. Hunter received the ball from Column I and danced a liitle haka before he deI cided to run, the .other backs looking | on. Again the visitors forced. A mark by Hardgraves was taken with the Given forwards rigid on him, and his kick was called back for ''lll.lll in front," a scriim ensuing near Taranaki's line. Roddick, Budd, and Priest shone nut in a game attempt to score, and Taranaki forced. Then Taranaki forwards, headed by Tamu, got over, bur touched down 'on the line. Roddbk slipped through with the ball. Column missed him, and Shei.'iiin made no 1;tcnipt to collar him, but Dive got hip. from behind in the nick of time. Thiv; more forces went to the credit of i'ie AnibVrs. Then the Greens got in amongst the home backs again, and as the result of Carlton and Roddick's dash, play settled down near Taranaki's corner flag. Hard play was the rule for the next five .minutes, O'Brien having sheer hard luck in failing to ground the ball after forcing his way over. , Sourli Canterbury was still attacking in ilie last few yards when the whistle sounded "no-side,'' with the score

Taranaki .1 Soutli Canterbury .. .. 0 For tlie winners only four [ilnvers can ln> mentioned as Imviiij: ,ipjn-iirr- [ to lie cloinir tlieir best. In (lie 'baeks thele were' Jfordgraves anil il\ milt. Hardfiraves. as usual, pave a line exhibition at full-baek. ilynnlt. whilst nut eateliill.L' too eleanly. played one of his best ilefen-ive frames, and al«i oreat.'d several iinnd opening. The ]■-! -f (!;,. lm-k-, appeared t„ li.ive a dUa-oe for work. The two Maoris. Ta:mi and IV here, were l.y far the most prnminent forwards. Tauni was often si en playing

a good back game, taking liis passas coolly and giving them neaily, whilst hj« and i'ukere lioadod nearly every rusii, avoiding their colleagues' mistake of kicking'too hard. For the visitor* 'he backs played fair football, hut were not •Vlassv."' Scott, at full, did his work rcallv' well. Bradley displayed good kicking abilities, and Spillam-, U'Avtv, and I'rii-st tackled well, besides kicking with good judgment, iiocliliek lilayed right up to his best, form, anil had always to lie reckoned with. In the pack, I O'Brien, Jhulil, and Carlton were tii'S most prominent.