FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 July 1921, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

THE AUSTRALIAN CROWDS. “A Ferocious game.” Mr. Bennett had little to say of the Australian tour, but what he did say gave the impression that he was not in love with the samples of sportsmanship shown by the Australians. "Do they play a hard game?’’ he was asked, and his reply, "Not so much hard as ferocious," together Vrith tho fact ttat several of the Springboks are laid up for repairs, leads to the opinion that the Austra- 1 Hans arc spoiling the game by playing the man and not the ball. Spectators, too, are apparently a great deal too partisan to be sportsmanlike. The referees, evidently in fear of the wrath of the populace, kept looking towards the crowd to see if their decisions found favom "People have been *ed to expect rather too much from us,” Mr. Bennett said. He pointed out that the men were not fully trained nor sufficiently used to the conditions to be able to give the best of which they wero capable. The team were improving every day, and learned something from every match they played. "We don't believe in taking the game too seriously,” said Mr. Bennett, "for after all, it's only a game.” A REMARKABLE REFEREE'S PRAISE OF VISITORB. During the course of the meeting of the Wellington Referee's Association, Mr. A. E. Neilson, who refereed in the match Springboks v. Wanganui, paid a very high tribute to the visiting sportsmen. He stated that he had no trouble at any stagd*of the game, and not once did the visitors make an appeal for eff-side or any breach of the rules. Their sportsmanship was of a very high quality. feature of their play was that 'they never called mark for a fair catch off a forward pass, or passed any remark about decisions. Their play was very clean and their whole idea seemed to centre upon playing a good, clean game of football, “DARK DAYS” IN N.S.W,

The reception of the Springboks in Sydney was described by Mr. G. W. Slade, chairman of the N.Z.R.U., as regparkable, and the Sydney Sun supports this description by the following: It is a J®ng time—in fact, if ever — that such a representative gathering of citizens has attended a similar function in Sydney; They were full of enthusiasm, and when during the proceedings somebody exclaimed, "Is the Rugby Union dead I" there was an answering chorus of "No I” The nature of the assembly might be turther gauged from the fact that Mr. Slade, chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union, during a speech, remarked that the New South Wales Union was having its dark days, but nobody would realise it at such a gathering. Mr. Slade's port, in the proceedings will be of interest, in view of his recent report that Rugby in N.B.W. is improving. Sir Henry Braddon, who, by the way, was a member of the first New Zealand team to go to Australia, presided, and gave the toast of the N.Z.R.U. In renly, Mr. Slade asked, "What is the matter with the Rugby Union in N.S.W.? You have a great gathering here, yet you seem to be in trouble. What is tho matter? New South Wales is having its dark days, but as long as the New Zealand Union can it will help you. We only want you to fight on. I think you will come through.” (Uhedts.) Mr. Payne, of the Canterbury (N.Z.) Union, also spoke. When proposing the toast of the "Chairman,” Mr. R. A. An nold touched upon the vexed question of the Cricket Ground. "The union,” he said, "may be in dark days, but I think also that it will come through. The superiority of the game must assert Itself. My one regret is that we are not to have our matches on tho premier ground of Australia. It is a reflection on New South Wales and the trustees that that ground has been tied up to one particular body. The tdflbtees have had to go cap in hand to ask to allow us to have a game there on Wednesday. That state of affairs was never Intended when the ground was dedicated to sport.” A GAME STOPPED. In the senior football match between Warerley and Opaku on Saturday the game was stopped by the referee, Mr. McDonald, and awarded to Waverley for alleged rough play on tee Opaku players’ part and for assaulting- the referee. —Pate a Press.