THE WEEK’S RUGBY

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, 13 May 1925, Page 7

THE WEEK’S RUGBY

Notes and Comments. (By “ Touchline.”)

The 1925 competitions were inaugurated under pencet conditions so lar as grounds and weather were concerned, jjidicunies in regard lo transit, upset tile calculations or one or two teams, hut no doubt these will be overcome, and in a week or two players will have settled to business in earnest. On opening day some players were palpaoiy litter than owners, and in any case hist week’s lonn is apt to bo misleading. In the circumstances nothing is to be gained by more than a general survey of teams and individual members at present. All the senior clubs appear to have started in good heart except Wailii, whose prospects have been very seriously jeopardised by an unfortunate split in the camp. For the sake of the game generally it is to be hoped that the outlook of the Winchester Club will improve. The attendance at tho Timaru matches was hardly up to expectations, and the small “gate” at tho Caledonian Grounds emphasised that the public will not make the long trip “furthest south” for club games. Old Boys have a host of enthusiastic followers, but apparently their enthusiasm amounts to no more than £5 when it has to be expressed at Patiti Point, and not many of them ■were in evidence at the Athletic Grounds. The splitting up of senior contests threatens to be an expensive business for the Union, and the Management Committee should consider the question of playing two first grade games each Saturday on No. 1 ground. • * •

It is stated that Boroman, when his suspension expires, will join up with Zingari. * * *

Forty-feet goal-posts have been installed at Lancaster Park this season.

The new rule that in the case of a free kick the kicker may place the bail will come into operation immediately.

No. 1 ground was in wonderful order on baturuay. It must be twenty years since it was in suen good sliapo lor lootball.

During the progress of the StarCeitic match tne two skippers agreed to carry replacements to tlie limit—••fifteen men on tne neid alt the time.”

It is rumoured that the hon. treasurer to tile Union has handed in Ins resignation as a protest against tlie rapacious demands of players on tlie •Union’s funds.

Old Boys ■ have had to provide substitutes t.ns season lor several of last year s team, uraven, Tnonison, itae, ivialian, and one or two otuers have ieit tne district, and itoun did not turn out on opening day. The gaps were lined by oeyb, Usmers, Tate (Pareora), btrang (School;, F. Boys, a. .Lawson and Pearson (last year's juniors). Boys was tried out at full back, and emerged from the ordeal with credit. Strang was played at half, but the ascendancy or tho 'Temuka scrummers restricted, his opportunities. G. Lawson, at fiveeignth, showed great eiusiveness, but did not link up well in orthodox movements with his other inside backs. Most of his best work was shown in making impromptu openings. Tato should make a good wing. Mathieson showed a tendency at times to hold on too Jong, but was as mercurial as ever. It was not until the dosing stages that Old Boys got properly going, but it is safe to anticipate some bright football from them if their forwards can stand the gaff. Gerard was the star performer on Saturday, but Stewart promises to bo a tower of strength when he plays himself into condition. Appearances point to this pair having to shoulder a heavy burden.

The fifteen which represented Teniuka at the Caledonian Grounds on Saturday was almost unrecognisable, more than two-thirds of them being new. Of last season’s regular seniors, only McKenna, McDonald and McNulty appeared to be playing. McDonald, evidently a versatile customer, took a turn in the front row, with a considerable amount of success. The new lock, Manning, appears to have the kuaclc ot holding rue pack together well. Several lower grade men have been promoted, and a sprinkling ol newcomers (.including Adams, hall, and Tlelem, five-eighth, from Ashburton) is discernible. The final result of the clash with Old Boys—3o to 6 might bo accepted as evidence that the changes have not improved the team, but time will prove that this view is not correct. The country men had not had a run together until Saturday last, and were at an enormous disadvantage in combination and condition. Their forwards, however, more than hold their own in tho scrums, the fielding of the team generally was quite good, and it was only in the last quarter of an hour that they succumbed to Old Boys’ superior back play. After another game or two Teniuka, on their own ground, will not be beaten by anything approaching 30 points. As it was, they were nothing like points inferior to Old Boys last week, and were unlucky in not notching one or two more tries. Apart from their play the most pleasing feature of the Teniuka team was its quietness and fairness. If it can show equal restraint on its home ground it may shame some of tho noisy onlookers who have contrived in past seasons to damage tho reputation of Victoria Park and tho Temulca Club.

At its annual meeting the South CuuLeruiiry onion ucciucu to revert to mo mm selector this woulu nave ueeu uone at mast a year earlier Han it been possible to ciiust the services oi. an acceptable person. £>o iur as 1 am aware, mr euiiimings, who lias Peon electee, to the omee or selector, has haa no previous experience or the business, and in tiie meantime no one can say with confidence whether lie is or is not tile right man for tiie position, but it is unmnikabio that lie can obtain worse results than were produced under tho committee system during the last two or three seasons. (South Canterbury’s 11)2-1 representative record was a disheartening one—two defeats at the hands of Norm Otago, one at Ashburton, and only a single win for the year. If it is desired that South Canterbury representative llugby shall regain the high standard of twelve or fifteen years ago it is imperative that the new selector bo given the fullest measure of support by officials and players, as. well as by the public. in addition, club interests and club games must be subordinated to representative fixtures, and matches graded to enable tho rep. team to acquire combination before being called upon to fulfil important engagements. Any success attained under the one-man system in pre-war years was very largely duo to the whole-hearted support given to the selector by the Union and by 99 per cent, of the players, and tho enthusiast who has undertaken the much more thankless task in these days,. is entitled to the sympathy and assistance of everybody concerned with the •.■■e ,r arc of football in South Canterbury.

A record lor South Canterbury was estabhsnca last ween, when two 01 tuo ciergy piayed lor one team til a competition match. * * *

Senior skippers this year are: Celtic, M. Augiand; Star, It. Logan; lemuka, nl. iVicKeiina; Old Boys, C. .Lawson j zungari, ±l. jt< airurother.

A Christchurch paper states that P. Ward, the erstwhile Zingari skipper, who has worn the Liuvvood jersey for a couple of soasons, has gone to Taranaki to play for the Cliiton Cluo. Tiie same writer says that \Vard is a certainty for the New Zealand team. Strange that lus merits were not recognised until he went to Christchurch.

It. Stewart had done no training since his return home and was eousiderabJy overweight when ho stripped against Temuka last week. As a result he did not go all the way, but enough was seen or his play to show that lie had picked up many points as a result of Ins trip, and it Old Boys’ players are willing to learn, their All Black should be able to teach them quite a lot this season. It is up to Old Boys.

* * • Hislop, who was the star performer in the Star junior rearguard last Saturday (later on he was called upon to replace an injured player in the senior team) was a fourth-grader lasu year in Temuka. L. Connolly, who played in the Temuka threequarter line against Old Boys, and incidentally is one of the most promising youngsters in the district, was a team-mate of Hislop’s last winter. • * •

Temuka appear to have turned the comer. The misguided enthusiasts who considered mammoth scores in the fourth-grade competition a greatei achievement than making a creditable display in the higher divisions, appear to have been overruled, and the “yesno” seniors of recent years seem to have been jettisoned. The club’s conch believes that a fifteen has now been collected which can be depended upon to turn up regularly, and if this is correct the Magpies will not be long in improving their position.

The Southland “Times” says: “If senior football is to improve, competent referees are necessary. A referee can make or mar a game, and the Appointment Board should be careful in its selection of men to control the games on the Park. Present day football is very fast and only referees with a bit of pace can hops to control a game effectively. Let the referees be the best available even if the senior games are divided among a few.”

. • • • . Celtic had been emulaung Brer lluooio prior to the opening of tno season, and possibly me met that tittle nad been Heard trout tneir Jirowne Street camp made their opponents a bit over-conuaent. Star gn.’o tne impression in tlie early stages that iney were waiting for the game to come tneir way, and obviously were knocked out of their stride bj the Greens' unexpected scoring burst. Without any desire to depreciate the win of Celtic, which on tiie day’s plm was thorouglily well earned, it is difficult to erase the impression that if the match was contested again the | result might be reversed. To tne Celticpack must be awarded the honours, ol the encounter. They fairly worried their opponents’ inside backs, and drove nearly all Star’s attempted movements to the touchlines, Thomson being pretty effectually bottled up. The Green pack was a pretty even one, and the same might be said of the Star vanguard j it one Blue forward displayed any special prominence it was Hogg or Toneydiffe. Neither of the McVeys was available for Star, and it will be necessary also to draw on the juniors for one or two backs. In the first half Logan played at full, and the experiment was not altogether successful. He was palpably uneasy there, and can be of greater service to his side when holding his usual roving commission closer in. One of the features of the game was the excellent handling of the Celtic goalkeeper, young Mason. The game did not produce any striking instances of combined work, but play all through was fast and lively. Celtic’s auspicious beginning will infuse interest into the competition, and will give their players strong incentive to pull together and train seriously right through the season.

At a general meeting of the S.C.R.U. last week the majority of delegates—some against their convictions but under instructions from their clubs—decided that the best gate ol the premiership competition should be given to the senior clubs in Timaru. it was also decided that inquiries should be made with a view of appointing a medical officer to the Union to give free treatment to injured players. It would bo interesting to know how the club committees who instructed delegates to vote in the direction named think these squandermaniacal schemes can be financed. In support of their demands, the clubs state that many players cannot afford to buy boots and jerseys—or pay their subs.—and that tho proceeds from the “gate” would be spent in obtaining these requisites. Another argument is that Temuka and Waihi are able to collect gate money, it being apparently overlooked that the country clubs provide grounds for town teams to play on. In no other sport is it suggested that players, who are supposed to take part in games for the pleasure derived therefrom, should bo provided with freo clothing, and in practically every other game participants have to pay substantial subscription fees and furnish themselves with fairly expensive playing material. If the decisions of the delegates are carried out, tho Union will take the first step on the broad to bankruptcy, and players can give up tho idea of “foreign” tours. The recent purchase of the Athletic Grounds was made possible only by the generosity of those shareholders in tho dports Uround Co. who i rosenteu their scrip to tho Union, and it is fairly certain that few of them wouiu have made such gifts had they any idea that clubs planned an immediate raid on the gate receipts. Since tho Union took over tho ground several hundreds of pounds have been spent 0.-i improvements there; there is a debt ol £ISOO on the property, and an instalment towards repayment of principal as well as interest, must soon fall due. Last season the Union contributed over £SO towards travelling expenses of fifth-grade players; it granted something like £OO to the KeiereesAssociation, and made a grant lor the encouragement of school football. Its incidental expenses are heavy- -rates and taxes amount to a considerable sum—and without taking into account the projected northern tour, it is under an obligation to send teams to Christchurch, Oamaru, Ashburton, Fairlie, and 'NYniinatc. The unvarnished truth is that if a wet wilder is experienced the Union will not be able to finaueo its undertakings. Until tho AthleticGrounds is freed from debt and an adecpiatc stand and dressing accommodation is provided there, tho Union must adopt a policy of strict economy, and instead of squandering more money on players, should cut out some of the extravagances of recent years.