FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1921, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

THE OTAGO MATCH. THE TARANAKI TEAM, Taranaki’s next engagement will be at New Plymouth on Saturday next against Otago. The Taranaki team is?' Full-back: Lusk. Thre6-quarters: Hickey, Hooker, Wilkinson. Five-eighths: R. Oliver, Robertson. Half: Berg. Wing-forward?’ Malone. a Forwards: Campbell, Whittington, Allen, Masters, Kivel), Fryday, Birchall. Emergencies: Back, Coutts; forward. McCullough. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. MR. J. McLEOD’S POSITION, By Telegraph—Press Association, Wanganui, Last Night. At a meeting of the management committee of the Wanganui Rugby- Union to-night, a motion was unanimously passed affirming that the union consider that Mr. J. McLeod (president of the New Zealand Union) should be a mem* ber of the New’ Zealand delegation to the conference at Sydney with New South Wales and South Africa.

N.S.W. TEAM RETURNS. ROUGH PLAY ALLEGATIONS. STATEMENT BY MANAGER. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—copyright. Received Sept. 12, 9.20 p.m. Sydney, Sept. 12. The New South Wales football team arrived by the Ulimaroa to-day from Wellington. Mr. Bosward (manager), referring to the allegations of rough play by New South Wales in the Wellington match, said the Wellington papers made a mountain out of’ a molehill. There was only the slightest friction during the game; it was confined to the front row forwards of both teams, and was likely to occur in any hard fought match. During a stoppage in the game he asked the players in a fatherly manner to maintain their sporting reputation, as he wanted to prevent serious ill-feeling. Roberts, the half-back, was never ihe victim of foul play. The truth was that all Wellington was worrying lest he should be hurt and prevented from playing against the Springboks in the ensuing test.

Mr. Bosward added that there had not been a decline in the standard of Rugby Union football in New Zealand. The fact that New South Wales won all their matches except one he attributed to wonderful team work. The loss of the Wellington match was due to some players becoming stale owing to lameness.

TARANAKI AT AUCKLAND. "’SPEEDY, UNTIRING PACK.” BACKS FAIL TO SUPPORT. The majority of the members o> the TaranaJci team which played Auckland returned by the mail train last night, and the remainder will return either by steamer this morning or mail train tonight. They speak in high terms of the treatment accorded them by the officials of the Auckland Rugby Union, and also by the Auckland public, who were most impartial in their applause, Taranaki 'being given a great hear’ng. * The Auckland Star, commenting on Saturday's match between Taranaki and Auckland says:—

The Taranaki forwards proved to be a speedy, untiring pack in the open, but their backs failed to support them in a satisfactory fashion, and Auckland had much the tetter of the first spell, though their at tick was not up to rep. class, and the first spell was rather uninteresting. Auckland had a lead of six points to nil at half-time. In the second spell both teams sharpened up their game, and the football was exciting and frequently of good standard. Pressed by the continued harrying of the Taranaki forwards and an improvement in the visitors’ back play, the Auckland backs and forwards played up to form and put on thirteen more points from tries, while Taranaki scored nine points by a try and two penalty goals, leaving Auckland the winners by nineteen to nine.

One of the features of the play was the successful and clean hooking of the Auckland scrum, which was unexpected, for, owing to the indhposition of Tresize, it was found necessary to put Nicholas in the front row vacancy, while Tielander filled Nicholas’ place in the back row. The last minute change was certainly a success, for the Auckland scrum has never hooked the ball cleaner than it did, while Helancler’s fast, bustling follow-up singled him out from ihe rest of the pack in the first spell.

Generally, the Taranaki pack was just a little the better lot on the line and in the loose, Malone, Whittington, Allen and Birchall doing a lot- of breakaway dribbling and spoiling work, while they fed their backs well from the line. In this last respect Milliken did a lot of useful work for Auckland, and his consistent support of his back? and ability to handle the ball cleanly, put the finishing touches on the two breakaway tries' scored in the second spell, Helander, McGinley, Arnold, .and" Nicholas were always prominent in loose dribbling dashes and breakaway wo'k. The visiting backs proved the weakness of the side, Lusk, up to tie time of his retirement, played a souid and reliable full-back game, though not brilliant. Berg also played a coniistent game at half, but Cameron, while doing much good work, spoilt nice chantes by hanging too long to the ball, and looker, at neither passed well nor used judgment in timing his triuafers.

Hickey played solidly at wing threequarter, but Wilkinson displayed a decided lack of dash. SPRINGBOKS TRAINING. Wellington. Sept. 12. The Springboks are training at a seaside resort for the third test. The number of players actively engaged is 20. From these the final selection will be made. The players not available are: Sendin. Henry Morkel, Siedle, Townsend, De Villiers, Weepener, Ollivier, Tindall, J. M. Michau.