The San Francisco call., 1909-12-05
WINGED O'S RUGBY
TITLE IS DISPUTED
Olympic Club i'm Duty Bound to
Meet Reliance for the
Wolff Trophy
By WILLIAM UNMACK

| that the winged o club has not full
| filled its obligations in regard to the
possession of this trophy. The team
/ the donor of the trophy, nor has it
carried out the resolutions passed at a
recent meeting of the Rugby union
that the winner of the Barbarian and
| Olympic game play the Reliance club
| for the possession of the trophy. This
! is a very serious state of affairs and
does not speak well for the mana ge-
ment of the Rugby union. Surely if
! a body supposed to control such games
in this state passes resolutions there
| must be some one to see that these
| resolutions are carried out properly.
| The Reliance men are naturally much
! perturbed al the seeming neglect of
the Post street club in not carrying
out their end of the contest, and if the
Olympic club will not meet them they
are going to claim the trophy on a
| forfeit.
In this the Oakland club would be
perfectly justified and the Rugby union
could take no other course than to
award this club both the champion
ship and the trophy. The Reliance
club has not made really first class
showing this season, but nevertheless
this does not debar the club from try
ing for the trophy, which means so
much to the clubs of this locality, and
more particularly so as when the
trophy was donated the only stipula-
tion made was that the competition for
it be open to all clubs in and around
San Francisco.
Personally 1 do not think that the
Olympic club is trying to get out of
playing this game, and on the other
hand the Reliance men are hot on the
trail of the Post street club for the
game, but for some reason or other
the game has been let slip by.
1t is rumored that the game be-
tween these clubs is to be postponed
till the end of February, when a spring
season of Rugby is to be instituted.
On this matter, however. / am informed
the Reliance team has not been ap-
preached. 1t would be absurd to let
such a thing run along till the spring.
The present time is the football sea-
son, and the men are now in far bet
ter condition than they would be at
that time. The Reliance team has pc
titioned the California Rugby union
on the subject and ii is certainty
backing of every right minded dele
gate on this matter when it comes be-
fore the governing body.
The California Rugby fifteen which
won the university championship of the
state last month will start to prepare
for their trip to Vancouver at once
The team goes into active training
next week and games will be arranged
SO as to give the men proper practice
before they leave for the north. 1t is
possible that a picked Rugby union
team will be pitted against the blue
and gold team. The selected team will
he iclx cd 70 rio
and Reliance clubs and the Stanford
university teams.
The California team is to play three
games in Vancouver, the first on Christ
mas day, the second possibly on Mon
day after Christmas and the last on
New Years day. The best two out of
the series decides the holder of the
Keith cup.
The showing made by Vancouver
down here this season must not be con-
sidered as criterion of the ability of
the northern teams. On their own
grounds the Vancouver union can put a
very strong team in the field, and. in
fact, fully so per cent better than
the team that played here this season
Under these conditions. then, the Cali
fornia team will have to play up to the
same standard that won them the game
against the Stanford boys last month
Rugby seems to be destined to take
fun sway in the high schools next
season. Among the local high schools
Lick is said to be considering the ad-
visibility of changing TO the Rugby
code. The principal at Lick has long
been in favor of the boys playing
Rugby. In fact, the first year the game
was played by the universities Prin- !
cipal Merrill wrote me on several oc-
oasions asking for Information about
-
cate for the Rugby code and should his
boys take the game up they will have
a staunch supporter in their principal.
Some few weeks ago the pupils at
Berkeley high petitioned that they be
allowed to continue to play the inter-
collegiate game. Now there are meet
ings at the school of those advocating
the cause of Rugby. 1t is very likely
that Berkeley will be a contender next
year for the Rugby championship. 1t is
going to be case of follow the leader
and the first to make the break will
carry the others with it.
There has been considerable interest
shown here during the last season on
the changing from the seven pack and
wing forward to the eight pack. To
many of the players here the change
has been considered an experiment but
to old and experienced footballers the
eight man serum is no experiment In
Great Britain the football season is at
present at its height and the teams
there have, like ourselves, been trying
experiments.
The latest addition to the back
formation in England is a fifth three |
quarter back or rowing three quarter |
W. L. s., one of the most noted Rugby /
critics in the English press, writing in
the Athletic News. does not like the /
additional back and is of the opinion |
that the fifth man was mot wholly |
successful"
The return to the three three quarter /
system has been suggested in Eng |
land, as has the return to the old style /
of serum formation with the nine men /
in the pack and six men in the backs. /
/ wonder how local Rugby would be
played under these conditions. 1 ven
ture to say that the change would be I
a very beneficial one.