FOOTBALL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9036, 29 February 1908, Page 7

FOOTBALL.

THE BRITISH TEAM FOR NEW

It is officially announced that E. §'. Jacket*, the famous Leicester and Cornwall fullback, is .to be one of the JJuby,Union team to participate in she New Zealand tour ut the close of the present "English peason. Among the Welch players who have accepted invitations are K. Gibbs, R. Thomaf, atid J. L. Williams, of Cardiff; while C.j'ritchard and J. P. Jones, of Pontypool, R. Green (Neath) and T. H. Vile and W. J. Martin (Newport) are considering the position. With reference to the proposed British team for New Zealand the London "Morning Post" observes: "The Welsh Union is giving the English Union whole-hearted support m the carrying out of the arrangerfentsfor the tour primarily in New Zealand at the end of this season; but Scotland stands aloof, insisting that the trip is not conducive to the preservation of rigorous in the dominion. After the proofs of sincerity from the New Zealand Union on the amateur question the English Rugby Union could not honourably have backed out of its virtual promise to send out a team merely because there is a possibility in the distant future that the colonial authorities might have to modify the present rigorous regime of its amateurism. Scotland was always convinced that any incentive to the accumulation of huge profits from Rugby football 'gates' were indirectly increasing the difficulties in the way of preserving the amateur principles of the game; and it has been so far conthat it refused to take any shftfe of the profits from its matches with either the New Zealanders or ( the South Africans, though the funds would have helped to rid th? union of its outstanding liabilities incurred by the puchase of the splendid ground at Inverleith. Now the English Union not only owed New Zeaiand a visit, but the trip may strength an the hands of the New Zealand Union, which has made such a splendid fight in the preseivation of the amateuiism of Rugby. After the financial success of the Northern Union's guests from the daminiou the New Zealand Union will be in some need to heln to restrain the professional pioneers from renewing the attempt to capture the Rugby game in much the same way a3 the professional syndicates have captured the public Interest in the games of the Football best help that can be given to New Zealand will be by practically showins- the splendour of the Mother Country's Rugby. This is the view of England and Wales, so that though Scotland will not countenance the tour—and Scotland is backed by Ireland—the English and Welsh Unions will be able to muster a representative side for the visit Much could be said for both the English and Scottish views of the situation; but everyone is regretting that the four home unions could not mutually agree on some general attitude in regard to these tours. Scotland feels that the colonials are much nearer professionalism than is generally known, and this is its main reason for refusing to help England in the ■organisation of the team."