THE RUGBY GAME.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1920, Page 8

THE RUGBY GAME.

NEW ZEALANDERS IN SuUTH AFRICA. , ' Mr. R, W. Baumgart, of Wellington, who, as a lieutenant in the N.Z.E.E., was manager of the New Zealand military football team on its South African tour last year, has received from Messrs R. M. Macdonald and W. Pattrick, of Cape Town, an interesting souvenir of the team's visit in the form of a nicelybound volume containing descriptions ot the various matches played by the New Zealanders. The matches are all described in detail, and glowing tributes are paid by various newspapers to the prowess of the redoubtable All Black combination.

In bidding the. New Zealanders farewell at the conclusion of the tour, Mr. J. Heynomann, president of the South African Rugby Board, said that the New Zealanders would never realise the great service they had rendered io Rugby football in South Africa by their visit, and by their conduct otraml oil' the field. Their play had come as a revelation, particularly in respect to their handling and tackling. In administering the hiding aa they had done, they had done the game a world of good. It had taught the players a good, sound, honest lesson South Africa was thankful to them for all' they had done. He hoped that the time would come when South Africa would send a team to New Zealand, but he realised that the South African game must improve vastly for the team to have a chance against a representative All Black side.

When responding on behalf of the team, Sergeant-Major Jamea Ryan, the. vice-captain, touched on a topic which is of burning interest in New Zealand Rugby football circles at the present time, i.e., the constitution of an international board of control. SergeantMajor Ryan said that in Australia and Wales the game was well managed, and in New Zealand and South Africa it was in very strong hands. It was not managed to the same extent in England, yet England was entrusted with the sole control of the game, framed the rules, and would not allow anyone else to have a say in the development of the game. It would be a sorry day for Rugby football if the colonies broke away. Yet, if the game were worth playing, it was worth sending men to England to legislate for it—men who understood football and could definitely fix up the rules. They should decide once and for all what a "scrum" was, what constituted a '■knockon," and other important matters. Why should strong centres such as South Africa and New Zealand ngt have a voice in the game which they played? This was an intolerable state of things. SergeantMajor Ryan concluded by expressing the opinion that the people in New Zealand would never be satisfied until, they had received a visit from South Africa.

Further reference to the suggested visit of a South African team to New Zealand was made by Lieutenant Baumgart, in the course of a letter to the secretary of the South African Rugi>y Board, in which he expressed appreciu'tiou of the treatment the New Zealandersjiad received in South Africa. "In conclusion," said Lieutenant Baumgart, "I want to say that it is the earnest hope of all the team, and I am sure of all New Zealumlcrs, that circumstances may enable a team of South African players to visit our country, and when these happy circumstances arrive, I am sure your representative's will experience much of the kind treatment which has been so lavishly bestowed upon us, and the people of our country, who are quick to recognise good sportsmen, will certainly not fail to rhake pleasant a visit of South Africans, who are 'par excellence' such very excellent sportsmen." That an invitation should be extended to South Africa to send a team to New Zealand at an early date is the opinion of footballers generally throughout the Dominion. At Tuesday night's meeting of the Canterbury Rugby Union, for iu° stance, it was decided to urge the New Zealand Union to invite South Africa to send a team to tour the Dominion. That such a visit would give an undoubted stimulus to the game in some quarters of New Zealand goes without staying.