FOOTBALL.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 25 March 1926, Page 8

FOOTBALL.

ALL BLACKS V. MAORIS. PROPOSED match: in MELBOURNE. By Gable —Press Association—Copyright. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received March 24, 5.5 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 24. A newspaper sporting writer, referring to the proposal front New Zealand that the All Blacks and Maoris should play an exhibition game in Melbourne, says : “Such a match would be the greatest football fixture of any code staged for some years, but would lie wasted on the public of Victoria, where the Australian rules of the game, is invincible, ■ and the Rugby codes little understood or _ A match between two New South Wales teams of decent standard would give all tile demonstration necessary in Melbourne, when, if as a result of Lho exhibition, public interest in the game is evinced, the New Zealand teams could bo sent over in subsequent years. There is no doubt that if the All Blacks-r-Maca match were played in Sydney'the lollower.s of both Rugby codes would take the opportunity of seeing the •vine as played by two New. Zetland teams of first-class standard.” Another argument in support of a Sydney match is that New South ; Wales is seriously considering rcturn- ! ing to the two-three-two scrum formation, and the wing forward, especially in view of the report that Mr Baker, I tho manager of last year’s New South | Wales team, which visited New Zeaj land, said the principle of wing forward play -had been considerably • changed, and in place of the okl ! stumbling block of tho past, is now a roving back or extra, five-eighth, who more often than not is a distinct advantage to the backs, rather than a hindrance to tile forwards. Hitherto critics have been able to base their arguments only on exlabitions of one side playing a seven pack, and the other an eight pack, with the referee probably all at sea. A great deal more would be demonstrated and learnt from an exhibition of two teams playing with a seven pack and a wing forward in a game such as the All Blacks against the Maoris, when the wing-forwards would be opposed to e-ifh other, and the use 1 each would r.fcike of the opportunities 1 of liis position would be amply shown.

THE LONDON NEW ZEALAND CLUB. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Reuter’s Telegrams. LONDON, March 23. The London-Zealanders’ Club has been admitted to membership of tho Rugby Union.