Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-17
RUGBY GAME
is POPULAR
STANFORD COACHES STUDY 1T IN
ANTIPoDEs
GOOD MATERIAL IN LINEUP OF
UNIVERSITIES
Palo AItans and University of Nevada
to Play October ts-Prelimlnary
Games Are Already Being
Arranged For

Graduate Manager Guy 1nupp OF stan
ford university has opened negotiations
1v,th tha University of Nevada 1or
auebv 4a1ne between the two universities
To be played at Reno OCTOBER IL. MS
WAS the date of the last years game pc
tween stanford and Pomona, ana tn'
date was left open this year because o.
the failure of Pomona to take up Rugby
Coach flanagan has selected class teaiii'
and a number of preliminary prao'iO'
games are being arranged for
Ruphv practice is now under way a.
Stanford. Every evening the men gather
on the field back of STANFORD nelo ant
20 through the training exercises pre-
scribed by Field Coach Presley ana al
visory Coach flanagan. Playing tnls yeai
Mt Palo Alto will be on grass nelo
Stanford field has been sown and as SCOT
as the grass is high enough training VIII
be carried on there.
T1niversity of California players had
the advantage of three weeks star
over Stanford this year The California
men are determined to exert themselves
IN the utmost this season to break stan
ford's chain of victories extending over
five years. Splendid progress is reported
among the candidates for the blue ana
gold team. 80 :.
At the recent Rugby rally held at
Stanford September one hundred ana
sixty men signed up to try out tor tne
+ean sixtv-five of these were fresh
men. who will be candidates for both
the freshman and varsity teams. Ad-
visorv Coach j. F. flanagan. 90. VINO
has lust returned with Field Coach u. ).
Presley. '07, from trop to Australia ana
New Zealand, where they went 10 stuoy
Rugby. addressed the gathering Of uni
versity men. He said:
Season Important
.eThis is one of the most important
football seasons Stanford has ever had.
1t is not often team remains undefeat-
ed for five consecutive years. Some OF
you, I'm afraid. have come to look upon
a football victory as a matter of course.
No player has ever taken this view
however and, furthermore, every man
who has ever played on the team VIII
tell you he has had to work mighty
hard for a viceory. 1 believe the trip to
Australia gave us the necessary knowl-
edge to meet California on equal terms.
Last year Taylor knew much more
than he could impart to his men In
single season, while we knew so little we
could easily teach it to the squad Thls
year we would have been badly hand1-
capped had we not gone to Australia.
Three things go to make up team
spirit, condition and last and least OF i'm
portance knowledge of the game
1--WE have a fine field and as good
captain as was ever elected. l know him
well and can say we have had no better
man in twelve years. 1t is now up TO
YOU California has three weeks the
start of US. But of you don't you can't
win. You have big advantage in play
ing on your own field. We defended 1t
once to the tune of y to 5. Do 1t again"
Never Played Game
flanagan is one of the most remarkable
coaches developed in America during the
last five years. He takes second place
only to Walter Camp, and some think
he is even as great. He started his repu-
tation in the same place. He is more re-
markable as coach when we consider
he has never played game of football
in his life.
flanagan and Presley spent the summer
travelling through Australia and New Zea-
land studying the English game Of ball.
They went with the leading teams.
EVERYWHERE they were royalty received
by the players, who expressed desire
that games might be exchanged between
their teams and Pacific coast teams of
the United States
The coaches were greatly impressed by
the games as played by teams of the
Rugby as an American and international
game. They were particularly pleased
with the work of the All Blacks of New
Zealand, peer of Rugby teams. flanagan
and Presley travelled with this team four
weeks and saw six out of a series of
seven games played in Australia. The
work of this team was marvellous.
From the standpoint of the spectators
the Rugby game as played in the anti
i, IaT- md IN
teresting than football Professionalism
is not tolerated among the Rugby teams.
Serum Is Feature
In the game as played on this coast
last season the serum was the most novel
and unsatisfactory part of the play. AS
TO the serum New Zealand uses the seven
pack and the wing forward while New
South Wales and Queensland play the
eight pack and no wing forward. In the
latter case the half puts the ball in play
and then runs around to his position be-
hind the serum. Each pack has its adj
vantages and flanagan intends to test
each form Of play thoroughly.
flanagan expressed the hope that games
might be arranged between some of the
Australian teams during the season of
1908. The New South Wales team passes
through Vancouver on it's way to Eng
land in September of that year and might
be induced to come down the coast for
a game with Stanford and California.
The University of Sydney team wants to
make trip to this coast in about a
year from now. flanagan thinks the
coast teams would not stand much chance
against the team from New South Wales
but might cope successfully with the col
legians.
DR.. Jordan, president of Stanford, has
also recently returned from tour OF
Australia and speaks in high terms OF
the Rugby game as played there. He
thinks Rugby is the coming game and
that few years hence international
games will be played between the teams
of the United States, Canada and Aus.