FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 September 1921, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

Taranaki v. otago.

to-morrows match.

Considerable interest is being manifested in the meeting of the Taranaki and Otago representatives at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, to-morrow. It is now about nine years since the teams met in Taranaki. The game took place at Hawera and Otago won by 17 points to 12. The following year Taranaki went south and turned the tables.

The Otago team arrived in New Plymouth by _the mail train last night and were met at the station by officials ot the Taranaki Rugby Union and taken, to the Criterion Hotel, where they will remain during their stay at New Plymouth. The team is accompanied by Messrs. R. Proctor and J, D. Dunn as managers. The colors are dark blue jersey with gold monogram. The team will not be selected until after practice this morning, as two or three met with injuries at Carterton against Wairarapa on Wednesday. The team is confident of giving a good account of itself, and the public can therefore rely on seeing a good exhibition. The match will start at 2 p.m. for the convenience of country people who wish to get home early, and also to enable patrons to catch the afternoon train. As a curtain-raiser the third grade championship final will be played between Stratford and New Plymouth High School. The calibre of the latter is well-known to local residents, and as the Stratford team is quietly confident of lowering their redoubtable opponents’ colors a good game is assured. Arrangements have been made for posting up progress reports of the final test on the ground during the match.

FOURTH GRADE FINAL. WON BY NEW PLYMOUTH HIGH SCHOOL. The final for the fourth grade competition was played at Stratford yesterday between New Plymouth High School and Stratford, resulting in a win for the former by 12 points to 6, 'For New Plymouth Wheeler (2) and Mauri floored tries and Cork ill kicked a goal from a mark. For Stratford Dudding and Robson scored tries. FARMERS’ 00-OP ORGANISATION. NORTH AND SOUTH DRAW. A very interesting house match was played at Hawera yesterday, when the northern and southern divisions of the Taranaki Farmers’ Co-op. Organisation Society met in friendly rivalry on the Hawera football ground. A close and even game resulted in a draw, each side scoring nine points (three tries). For south the try-getters w’ere Morrissey, Chadwick and J. Nicholl, whilst for north the scorers were Thorpe, Anderson and Phillips. At half time the score was 6—3, in favor of south. Mr. A. Loy was referee.

THE SPECIAL TRAIN.

Mr. D. J. Malone wired us last night that all refreshment rooms will be open for to-night’s special train to Wellington. OUR REPRESENTATIVES. (To the Editor.) Sir, —It almost makes a Rugby enthusiast turn to League to watch the awful way in which out representative team is hacked around, especially the backs. 1 contend, and I think rightly, too, that any man who cannot get his back team to his satisfaction after seven attempts ought to hand in his resignation and go fishing. To begin with, he persevered, for about three matches with a man who, whatever may be his merits as a defensive player, will never make an attacking half-back, and unless a half can get the ball away to the backs quickly and well he is better on the line. Next, take the five-eighths. For about four matches they never had a chance. The half was more of a hindrance than anything else to them, yet our first pair (B. Roberts and Coutts) were condemned and executed, certainly without a fair trial. Both these players were young, and, in my opinion, would with a little practice behind a decent half, have made a good combination. As regards the three-quarter line I have little to say. Dick Roberts, despite his age, is fltill the best centre we have, and I believe if openings were made would still be able to dazzle the crowd with his great runs. In Hickey, Sykes. Wilkinson and Hart we have plenty of good wings. These shuffling methods of selection would not be tolerated in any club, and yet they are allowed to go on in rep matches. It they are allowed to continue they will undoubtedly lead to the formation of a branch of the Northern League Union, and if the Rugby Union wish to avoid this let them wake up and appoint a selection committee. In conclusion, I should like to say that in my humble opinion the best back team Taranaki could place in the field is ns follows: Full back, Kingston (in his absence Colman) ; three-quarters, Hickey, R. Roberts, Hart; five-eighths, B. Roberts, Coutts; Berg.—l am, etc., DISGUSTED. New Plymouth, September 15.

THE SPRINGBOKS. i AFRICAN INTEREST IN TOUR. SOME CANDID COMMENT. The great interest taken in South Africa in the tour of the Springboks is shown by the reports and comments on the matches published in the South African papers. For the matches against teams like Taranaki the metropolitan dailies publish at least a column of cable news regarding the play. STANDARD OF The Press records the delight of the people at the standard of sportsmanship the Springboks are setting. “This is far happier to us,” says the Cape Times, “than their actual victories, for it will probably do a great deal to keep ths flame of the true ‘Rugger’ spirit burning brightly in a land that has been giving itself over far too readily to the worship of false gods in sport. The team may yet raise itself to the level of the famous fifteen of 1906. This, perhaps, is a hope doomed to frustration, for critics hint at a certain lack of balance about the Springboks’ combination. But whether it is fulfilled or dies unconsummated matters very little, so long as the play-

sportsmanship which has always distinguished South Africans on every field — battlefield or playing field—arid which has frequently seemed to suggest that, in the happy blend of Dutch and English temperaments of which South Africanism is composed, the Union is destined under Providence to act as a solvent of difficulties in the relationship between the various units of the British Commonwealth of Nations.” NEW ZEALAND GROUNDS. Difleuosing the factors that would, en-' ter into the games with New Zealand, one critic referred to the playing-ground in the Dominion. “It is grass-covered, but the heavy pumice formation in wet weather is so holding in its capacity that only a team well fitted for its conditions is able to reproduce its true form. This is the ground that was probably in the eye of one of the All Blacks, who, after a match on the Transvaal ground, said: ‘Call it a ground! Wait till we get you in New Zealand. Why, if it rains, we will have you right up to your necks in it.’ At otner times, too, various members of that team were delighted to refer to the ‘games in the mud’ that would be played when the Springboks visited New Zealand.” PRAISE FOR THE TEAM. Praise for t’he selection of the Springbok forwards is general among the South African Press critics, one of whom says: “It is the pack that nine out of ten followers of the game would have chosen as the ideal.” The form shown by the forwards, to the date of the last mail, represented “the turning of the corner, and the gradual settling down into their proper places of the ■ whole team.” “Strengthen the defence at all costs,” was the motto of the selectors, said one critic, who forecasted weakness among the centres, as some possible cause .of unreliability in defence. But general hopee were expressed that van Heerden, the Olympian athlete, and Strauss, the Griqualand West 100 yards champion, would “answer all the questions put to them accurately.” Of Do Koch it is said: “He has won his place by sheer merit, and against a good deal of opposition, though it is but right to point out that South Afrca lias a lot to learn in half-back play.” “New Zealand knows to an inch,” says another, “where all the weight of the South African attack will be thrown, and that is why two such hard-running wings as Henry Morkel and van Heerden have found the door slammed in their faces on the many ocrcasions that they have gone all out for the line.”

REPLACEMENT OF PLAYERS. Criticism of the players, and of the rules of the game, are frequent and candid. When Gerhard. Morkel, the brilliant full-back, broke hie arm, and, it was thought, was laid aside for the tour, “Springbok” wrote to one of the papers: “De Villiers’ selection was always a puzzle to me, and I make bold to say, to many others—far ‘too slow to catch worms,’ as the saying goes. Don’t let them leave our boys to the mercy of De Villiers.” WHAT WOULD HE SAY NOW? Commenting on the cabled statement, that the rule regarding- non-replacement of injured players was causing much dia-cus-sion among New Zealand Rugby circles, one sporting writer said: “That means to say that the replacement of injured players by substitutes has been permitted on ordinary games, contrary ;to the rules. South Africa merely adheres to the rules and the traditions of the game of Rugby, which is played by fifteen players each side, not fifteen phis those waiting to replace casualties.” PROBLEM FOR THE RUGBY UNION. Rugby and the modh-debated rule of kicking into touch is the subject of a long article in the Yorkshire Post from i the Wellington special correspondent. The Auckland rule (which is quoted in full) is regarded by the president of the N.Z.R.U. (says the writer) ”as the only vital point on which’ the New Zealand. Union is at variance with the E.R.U. Notwithstanding what has been done, he feels that it would be unwiee to include it in New Zealand's playing laws this season without another effort being made to induce the E.R.U. to judge the proposal from New Zealand’s viewpoint. This opinion was endorsed by delegates to the annual meeting. ‘After all,’ said Mr. McLeod, ‘the E.R.U. has only on one occasion had the opportunity of fully considering I lie suggested change in the game, and when one considers that it took the supporters of the proposal at least foui- years to win unanimity in New Zealand itself, it should occasion no surprse that the E.R.U., supported by Africa, did not at once agree with us.’ ”

The correspondent concludes by affirming that the result of playing the rule in Auckland has been that, without any principles of Rugby being altered, and without, any .advantages being taken from the possession of skill by a player, the game has been made much more attractive, both to players and supporters. The backs are encouraged to develop -iiitiative, and are encouraged to find that their efforts cannot be stifled by content to do nothing but play safely. Legitimate forward playing is in no way affected. The forward rush is inst as valuable an asset to its side as it ever was, but much of the uninteresting, close, tight work, with its tepdhncy to undue roughness, is lessened.