The San Francisco call., 1910-01-02
VANCOUVER TEAM
WAS UNDERRATED
Winning of First Two Games of
Series Entities NOrthernerS
TO American Trophy
Bv WILLIAM UNMAcK

The stay of the Keith challenge cup
in California was not destined TO be one
of very long duration. The brilliant vic
tories Of stanford. which won the cup
for this country. and more particularly
for this state. last year, were not re-
peated by the California university
team last week After their brilliant
game against Stanford in November it
was naturally expected that the blue
and gold team would be successful in at
least two of the three games and retain
both the cup and Rugby championship
honors for this state and country.
= such. however, was not destined TO
be the case. Vancouver once again
ho.ds the pride Of place as the cham
pion Rugby locality Of the entire Pacific
coast. Canadian or American. OF course
there might be such an excuse offered
as that our men were not acclimated 10
The colder temperature which is at pres
ent the rule in British Columbia II
The first defeat Of the blue and gold
team was a fuke. then I hardly think
the second reverse decision could be
,.oustrueS as such yet at the same time
/ consider win by a field goal more
81 a duke than a win by well scored
try Surely a win by a try IS Tar more
convincing Of the superiority OF a team
than a win by a lucky goal kicked from
The deld But no matter what the rea-
son for the California defeat, the fact
remains that Vancouver won and We
snust give the victOrs the fun meed Of
credit
Prior 10 the series The Cal sounded
a note of warning about the caliber
of the Vancouver team on their own
grounds and even went so far as 70
urge the California men not TO hold the
northerners too cheaply- There is no
possible doubt that the blue and gold
team played for all they We're worth.
IT is hardly fair to the California team
rs say that they were outclassed, be-
cause The closeness Of the two first
games q to 0 and 4 to % does not point
10 that conclusion. Neither were they
outplayed, but more than likely they
were outgeneraled just at two critical
points Of the game.
The game played yesterday can have
no bearing on the possession Of the cup.
NancOuVer's Rugby has improved won
derfully this year and the team that
visited here last october and November
was only a very secondary one to the
team that opposed the California team
last week.
Beyond a lot Of argument and discus
sion the intercollegiate athletic asso-
citation which met IN New York last
week has done nothing definite TO
smelioriste football conditions as they
now exist IN the east. At the end of
all the arguing. which at one time be-
came very bitter toward the rules com
fnfttee. a resolution was passed putting
the whole matter up TO the rules COM
mittee Football communities all over
the country are eagerly waiting for the
meeting Of this committee, which IS
scheduled TO take place early this
month The results Of their delibera-
tions viii not be made public for prob
ably two or three weeks after they
meet
That the changes in the intercollegi-
ate game viii be very drastic goes
without saying. The whole country is
taking an interest in the meeting and
the public at large demands that the
rules be altered along lines which VIII
tend to make the game less liable to
accidents and eliminate in ali respects
those accidents that are liable to prove
fatal
Eastern authorities are divided on
the interference rule being responsible
for numerous accidents. Some author
ities are Of the opinion that this form
OF the game is not the cause. while
others are loud in their condemnation
Of the interference rule. As TO mass
playing. practically all authorities are
agreed that this rule must either be
eliminated or altered to lessen the La
bility of injury.
While 81 IS not likely that the Rugby
game itself as played here will be sub
stituted in any way for the old game,
YET it is certain that the rules commit
tee will 10 a certain extent look into
the Rugby rules to alter and amend
the rules OF the intercollegiate game.
At last weeks meeting a vote was
taken as TO what was the best pro-
cedure to follow-to revise the old
game or TO consider what games would
be advisable for substitution. Nine col
leges voted that the American game
should either be radically changed or
give way to English Rugby. Seventeen
delegates voted outright for the Rugby
game as played in England and seven
others desired a game devised from the
English and American Rugby codes.
With so many colleges expressing
themselves IN one way or the other as
being in favor Of the rules or some of
Them. Of Rugby. il seems reasonable TO
suppose that. the rules committee viii
laI 1,r- ions