FOOTBALL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 288, 29 April 1911, Page 7

FOOTBALL

THE RUGBY CHAMPIONS.

(By "Old Stager.")

Next Thursday week, May 11th, the football fixtures in the Northern Division will commence. The matches set down for decision on the opening day are Tukapa v. Eltham, at New Plymouth; and Clifton v. Stratford, at Waitara, Inglewood Club having the bye. Now that the opening date is announced it behoves all players to get solidly to work, so as to get condition and combination. A team composed of lesser lights in the football firmament, if in good nick, and possessing a knowledge of each others' movements, gained by combined practice, can win matches against a team of brilliant individuals out of condition and practice. The team that is prepared can win matches at the start of the season. This puts some "kick" into the team, and they work to maintain the lead. Moreover, a winning team gets far greater support than a losing team. There is a representative match against Wanganui early in the season, on June 3rd, after only three cup matches have been played, and practice will considerably enhance a young player's chance of earning his representative cap. Matters are now well in train for the affiliation of the Saturday clubs withj the Taranaki Rugby Union. This must tend to the advancement of football generally. Saturday players will then] have senior status, and will have ai chance of winning their way to fame on | the football field. The winners of the Saturday and Thursday matches in the Northern Division will play off for the honor of upholding the prestige of the North against the South. Mr. McLeod has tabled a motion with the T.R.U. Management Committee, re the affiliation of the Saturday clubs, and this will be discussed on May 9th. Probably it will be unanimously accepted, as the Rugby Union is favorable to anything that promotes the welfare ol the game: The Saturday fixtures will start on' May 13th, and will be drawn shortly. At present there are four Saturday teams available, viz., Star, Rovers, Okato, and Tariki. An attempt will be made to-night to form another club, and plenty of material should be available, as Civil Service and Pirates combined should form the nucleus of a club which, would be strengthened from outside sourees.

At present it appears as though Star, who have assimilated Warehouses, will be the strongest team. It will be very regrettable if one team completely out-i classes the others, for this would rob the competition of all interest, and dis-i hearten the newly-formed clubs, especially in the country. The Union intends to deal severely with rough play this season, and rightly so, because there is too great a tendency among some players to "get even" with the other fellow by fair means or foul, provided the referee isn't looking; and the 'player "'Whb'i cannot control his temper has ho-' rigtt d*n r the field.of play. At a'recent' meeting of the Rugby Union a referee who controlled a match last year' stated that both sets of forwards should have been ordered off. Then why 'wasn't that done ? As it was, only one player was ordered off, and then not for rough play—but for "slacking" the referee, another unjustifiable offence. When a complaint is placed before the Union careful enquiry should be made, the case dealt with on its merits, and punishment awarded commensurate with the offence. Once the case has been dealt with, the sentence should be upheld. The disqualification should not be lifted a few months later just because time has partly effaced the seriousness of the offence. What moral effect can the fear of disqualification have if the offender knows it will soon be removed? < .. < ■

On Thursday night several cases came the"Union. In two of them' the committee < .took l, no raotion,'but in the 'third, that' of a second junior playei for Waimate flamed Eyan, who was disqualified for'five .years for kicking an opponent, th,3, djaqualfleation was removed. It appeared from the discussion that the manwho was kicked was a big; deaf v Maoris of 'nearly sixteen stone, who continually came at the 8-stone Ryan after the blowing of the whistle, which the Maori's deafness prevented him from, hearing. After repeatedly endca.vourjng to war n the Maori verbally, the..lad (kicked him as a forcible protest. ~ JJis. r , l club at the time thougnt•<the- matter.trivial, and did not approach the, Union, who promptly handed ontr ,ftv« disqualification. It was also,ppihtedjout that the Maori' status,had'been)jailed, jind he was now froced to play, in a> higher grade. The committee, tjfejjppnj agreed to remove the disqualification,;' The (act';' hqweve*/'remains that the boy admitted kicking an opponent, and even under extreme provocation this should not' ba'cond'one'd, as the referee was there a)id could' Save been appealed to. The sentence awarded at the time was perhaps too severe, but the committee seems to have erred in the other direction when it allowed Ryan tn escape scot free. Opunake has apparently fallen on troublous times as regards football. Last year file, cju'u „w,as, unable to fulfil its engagements'* and this year so far has not entered in the cup competition. The Union, when drawing the fixtures, included and in the event of that club not entering teams the clubs drawn against thojn will have a bye.

At the annual meeting of delegates to the New Zealand Union to be held on Thursday,'lJa'y ,11th, the following

recommendations submitted by the subcoimnittec appointed to consider a scheme to give players outside of the main centres more opportunities for consideration in the selection of New Zealand and North and South Island teams, will be considered:—

(1) That the unions of South Auckland, Poverty Bay, Hawke's Bay, Bush, Manawatu, Horowhenua, and Wairarapa should contribute say each three men, making twenty-one in all, to form a North Island Country team, and play matches against the local unions at Auckland, Taranaki, Wanganui, and Wellington. (2) That the unions of Marlborough, Nelson, Buller, West Coast and South Canterbury contribute say each four men, making twenty in all, to play matches at Dunedin, Invercargill and Christchurch. After the teams complete their respective matches at Wellington nnd Christchurch, they should at once play against each other at Wellington, at a date prior to the selection of player for the North v. South match. This would give the selectors of a New Zealand team an opportunity of making a selection and also doing justice to the players as a whole. They also recommended that after making satisfactory arrangements with the unions con-; cerned for the use of their grounds, the Whole of the proceeds be, pooled towards payment of the travelling expenses of both teams. The financial risk to be on account of the New Zealand Union.

A meeting to form a third Saturday Rugby football team in New Plymouth will be held in the Town Hall to-night at 8 o'clock, as advertised in another column. All Saturday players are requested to attend the meeting, as the fixtures commence on May 13th. A meeting of the Star-juniors was held last night. There was an attendance of about twenty-five, Mr. E. Clarke presiding. Mr. B. Joll was appointed secretary of the junior teams. The selection committee, to act in conjunction with the seniors' management committee, was set up, comprising Messrs. Ivan Bullot, T. Hopkins, and C. Bellringer.

London, March 17. Not since the memorable match between Wales and the New Zealand "All Blacks" has such a crowd beseiged the Cardiff football ground as on Saturday last, when the Welsh fifteen met and defeated Ireland by 16 points to nil. By their victory the Welsh regain the Rugby championship which they lost to England last year. Interest in the match ran very high at Cardiff. Three-quarters of an hour before the kick-off the gateß had to he closed, for the ground was packed full. Even the Irish team was locked out for a time! In vain they clamored for admittance, first at one gate, then at another. "What sort of game will ye have, if ye don't let us in?" pertinently demanded one of the Irish players. But the doorkeeper couldn't say; all he knew was that he was under orders to open the gates to nobody. Finally the team found salvation via the back door of the County Club. Spectators climbed trees and scaled high walls to see the game, and the town was full of disappointed enthusiasts shut out from the combat.

It was not ; an "especially attractive I game, after all. Wales won on their merits, but they did not play a typical Welsh game. Ireland had a strong set of forwards, and the Welsh backs at times favored the kick into touch in preference to their usual passing game. The Irishmen were beaten at half-back, and as attackers their three-quarters were never dangerous. Seldom, indeed, were openings made for them. The Irish forwards, from whom much was hoped, were disappointing. They were good enough when on the move, but they were slow starters. In tackling and in kicking there was little or nothing to choose between the two teams; but in all other respects the Welsh were clearly superior.

So Wales carried off the Rugby honors of the season. Undoubtedly the Welsh have the best side in the four countries —England, Wales. Scotland, and Ireland —and the English team was the only team to give them a close run. Since they beat England on January 21st by 12 points to 11, things have gone consistently well with Wales. By the way, "Dicky" Owen, who played half-back for Wales against the "All Blacks," was representing his county on Saturday for the thirty-third time. He has only to play for Wales once more to break the record established by the elder Bancroft.