FOOTBALL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 203, 17 August 1908, Page 3

FOOTBALL

the jwu-uausam m Australia.

- "iwiKKrura UAMB AT SYDNEY, VIEWED BY SPECTATORS. fßy Cable.-l.reßs Association-Copy- . right.) Received JU, 8.35 pan : fc «-*«*Ku^faXL^iet s tile Metiopolitan representatives to-d-iv ; Sie a*, aUd °" * g«od go^ •fart and wresting game was' witTho teams were as follows :- •tngland—FuH-back: Dyke- throe avcaj and Chapman; Halves: Morsran Omvns T v° Ueßi forWllldS: K ' I h, l ' Mor « an ' ArcJlc r. T. Smith Williams, and Green ' Metropolitan. _ Full,back; \en.-e----three-quarters: Luscombe, Fan worth Luddy, Burton; halves- Cotlttf i Matthew; forwards Fitzhardinge, Hour, e kfl',. b V' Hughes, iSteue, an d ° J °" a file home team won Hie toss, and the opewiig stages were marked bv some fine rushes, which kept the visit": ors well on the defensive, liughes IZy J et u% °J Cr ' anil Vn & convcrtlßtt'f.'le Br,tlshers «'«" got going, and J. \\ illiams secured a try, whieli Gibbs converted. Almost immediatclv afterwards Gibbs added a difficult goal from a mark. Open play lollowed and just before half-.time Tuan Jones after some clever feinting, got a try, to which Gibbs added the extra points the spell eliding: Britain 13, Metropolitan 5 in the second half, the locals, showing much better combination, made the pace hot. After some Hue passing I Clarken got over, and Mien Corbett' ' with a brilliant dash, secured a second I try, Burge converting one, and making ' tho scores even.

The Britishers then warmed up fine, and even play followed. Just before tho whistle sounded, the visitors added an extra three points and the game ended: Britain .. .. .. lfl Metropolitan .. ..13 Received lu', 4.25 p.m. Sydney, August 10. The final score of the Britishers was an unconverted try by Gibbs.

"Old Stager" writes: Your correspondent, "Young Stager," who in Saturday's News endeavors to reply to my criticism of the composition of the Taranaki team, has something yet lo learn about football. To get to business. He says that some of nry criticism is belated, "for it has already been announced that Frewin would be played half-back and t'olman on the wing." This is untrue; it was stated in your columns that this change would "probably" be made. There was no public affirmation that the change "was" to be made, though everyone, with ap- | parently the exception of the selector, has all along felt the need for the alteration. "Y.S." goes on to say that Pini, who I urged should be put on the three-quarter line, is a centre and not a wing man. IPini has, it is true, been playing centre this season, but it seems very strange the selector is ignorant of Pini's abilities as a wing threequarter. In any case, if "YJS." knew a little more of the subject upon which lie writes he would know that a player who is successful at centre is almost invariably successful on the wing, and that it requires a smarter man to play centre than wing. Pini, as a matter of i fact, could play anywhere on the thrccv quarter line with equal success, and,is incomparably a better man than She«han. About the forwards. "Y.S," describes tCSuUivan and Whittington as tho "brains" of the pack. O'Sullivan has been one of the best footballers turned out by Taranaki; but it is well known that o*Sullivan is running a grave risk in playing football just now. I allude to the effects of his accidents sustained during the All Blacks' tour. He may perform valiantly (as he did against the Britishers) and he may "go out." A knock or a hit, and he is a lame duck for the rest of the match. The selector, knowing this, should not take any chances by including an otherwise brilliant man. Whittington owes his place in the team to his capacity as a "hooker." What has the Taranaki team done so far this season in getting possession in the scrum! Taranaki might as well have been without front-ranker*. I admit Whittington is passingly good m the ruck, but where is he on the lineout and in the loose? "Y.S." wants to know how I would replace these for-

wards. I mentioned 1 would brinu' '" Rothery (putting Column on the wing), and the other man could be found in Moffitt, of the southern division, whose work this year ought to have gained him one of the first places in the Taranaki pack. In the selection of the team, a want of knowledge of the capabilities of the players in a few instances has been exhibited, the selector going too much on reputation and not enough on merit. If we are to win the big

tussles against Wellington and Auckland we don't want '•reputation'' men or lame ducks; we want the best Taranaki can put in the field. We can afford to take no risks, and we should take no risks.

A passenger by the Rarawa from Onehuhga last night who witnessed the Auckland-Wellington match on Saturday describes it as the l»est match li" has seen in Auckland for years. Both teams plaved vigorously, but Auckland had all the luck. The Blues played a "waiting game" during the first spell, and near the end of the second spell the Wellington team had run themselves out. Asked what chance he considered Taranaki had with either team, he said Taranaki would be beaten by both. Managers of football teams are seldom guilty of sending the players alone on a train journey to a match. On Saturday, however, Messrs. H. H. Ward and E. Sardine, High School masters, m ehar«e of the teams which visited Stratford" left the train at Lepperton Junction'to work the frost out of their pedal ex**emities. The train got away without them, and the boys arrived in Stratford about live hours earlier than their "[For continuation of football see fourth page.]