FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 July 1919, Page 10

FOOTBALL.

| . SERVICE RUGBY. KEW ZEALAND GAMES. CLEVER DISPLAY AT SALISBURY. London, April 29. When the New Zealand fifteen met the United Service at Salisbury a fast and exciting game resulted. The latter team had been strengthened since their Welsh tour by the introduction of Surgeon M. 0. Thomas, the Welsh international, and Private Powell. The All Blacks were at full strength, the players being: O'Brien, -Ford, llcNaught, Storey, I'eu, Ryan, Brown, Singe, Hasell, Cain Wilson, Moll'att, Kiasick, Fogarty, and West. Playing with the advantage of a strong wind, the New Zealanders were over the Services' lines in eight minutes, the first try resulting from clever woiik by Singe, .who also scored the second point. The combination of the New Zealand side is described as magnificent, while the services, top, showed some fine work. McNaught scored the third try for New Zealand, and then a try was registered by the other side. Soon after, Ford, choosing his own position, scored magnificently, and Ryan converted, so that at half-time New Zealand led by 14 points to 3. Later Ford and Hasell got through, and the final score was 20 for New Zealand to the 7 of the United Services, whose players included four Australians.

The New Zealand Demobilisation Depot, at Tprqutvy sent a good side to Exeter, where a combined team from the city and Exmouth underwent "some much-needed instruction in the art of handling." All through the first half the visitors had a cloud of outside men In motion, to the constant embarrassment of the home side, who had more thrtn they could do to deal with the rapid and accurate transfers. Very early Muir crossed over for the depot from an excellent round of passing; then Sunt went over twice, and Ross scored before the interval. The home side, who at first played without cohesion, at last discovered that New Zealanders are not happy when called upon to deal with determined dribbling, and a fine breakaway of this type by Brock, Havill, and Lavrrence, led to a capital try by Mat: ridge. In the second half the local side relied freely upon loose play, to their own advantage but to the detriment of the game, and they gained one try. The final score was: New Zealand 14, Exeter and Kxmouth 6. The winning side consisted of Sergeant Hanna, O.S.M. Hunt, S|ergt.-Major Muir, Corporal Ross, Rifleman Kirk, Corporal Nelson, Rifleman King, Sergeant Burden, Sergeant Geary, Sergeant Giliing, Lance-Corporal Fanning, Rifleman Tohill, Sergeant Bilkey, Lance-Corporal Harty, Rifleman Slattery.

NEW ZEALAND v. FRANCE. SPECTATORS' IMPRESSIONS. There was an enormous gathering at the match on Saturday before Easter, writes an English correspondent. Tlio weather was like midsummer, and tha crowd was almost like a Derby crowd. I had thought it might be difficult to ffnd the ground at Twickenham, but no sooner had I got into the district railway at Sloane Square than it became obvious that I was already part of one of the small tributaries that were helping to swell the gigantic stream flowing towards the great match. Between Twickenham station and the ground the traffic was as dense as the Poperinghe--sfpres Road in the autumn of 1017. (Shortly before half-past three the New Zealand team made its appearance and got a warm reception. But the Frenchmen were greeted even more enthusiastically; indeed, they looked very smart with their national colors—blue shirts, white shorts, and red stockings. Physically they were a splendid body of men, with deep chests and strong legs; possibly their muscles were a bit too knotty, like weight-lifters or circus aerobats. For speed and endurance I am a great believer in the smooth, silky mn«cles such as you so often see in the rin.':. The New Zealandera by contrast looked very unpicturesque in tlieir dirty black clothes, but they di£ look uncommonly business-like and as hard as nails. The teams were hardly lined up before the King made his appearance, accompanied by his four sons, Sir Douglas Haig, and Sir Henry Wilson. The King presented his cup to the New Zealand captain, and then went round and shook hands with each member of each team._ The princes and distinguished soldiers did the same, and every-' one beamed and smiled. Sir Henry Wilson looked more supremely happy than anv soldier I have ever seen.

The Frenchmen played down wind for the first half, and realising that they must make good now or never, put every ounqe of ginger 'into their game. They judged rightly that they would have great difficulty in holding the New Zea< land forwards, so thjy headfd out as often as possible, so much so that the ball was never given a proper chance of gettine into the scrum, and the referee's whistle was hardly ever Bilent. The French captain, Sthuciano, displayed incredible activity, and his kicking into touch was very fine, but he seemed a bit too anxious to be everywhere and do everything, and possibly he was too much aware of his heavy responsibilities and thus communicated a spirit of jiimpiness to the other members of his side.