ALL BLACKS' CHANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 250, 21 October 1924, Page 7

ALL BLACKS' CHANCE.

FOR A THRILLING FINALE. HOW ABOUT A POTTED GOAX 7 TTIE ORIGINALS' LAST KICK. During the twenty years or so that Rugby football has been the "cognised national game of New Zealand, few points appertaining to the game, have escaped discussion, and a regular text for argument is still contained in tno four points of the "potted" goal, lor the benefit of the unitiated, ,t may be explained that a "potted" goal alias dropped goal, is the term applied to the result of a player, while in the hurly-burly of the game, drop-kickn_ the ball so that it goes over the bar of his opponents' goal-posts w ' ll ,' having touched, or been touched b> an opponent while it was in 111 nt. It may-be the result of a studied and deliberate effort on the part ol a player blessed with the knack ot making a fast and accurate drop-kick, or a. fluke kick in the general direction of the opposing goal, or just a last, Desperate chance to turn the tide 01 defeat; but, if it comes off, it counts four points as a.ainst the three pointallowed for a try. Oflicially this particular type of scon- is known as a dropped goal, but players almost universally speak of it as a potted goal, which "indicates the general idea among them that there is a very large element of luck about it: that, in fact, it :s a "pot-luck" effort. Lost and Unlamented. Once upon a time the goal was the supremo effort of a Rugby game, and out-counted any number of tries, which counted only in the event of no goal being recorded. Later a goal was made equal to three tries; that was ill laßu. Between that time and 100S several changes were made in the willies of the scores, eventnallv bringing _ he present method of scoring. It can be realised that the dropped goal in the old days had extreme value, and that "potting was popular. It was the spectacular part of the game, the unexpected, the thriller. So it was kept up at four points, when other goals were reduced in value. With tlie development 01 the game in New Zealand the spectacular part of the play was worked up in the fast combined efforts that produced the try, and logically the dropped goal lost its fascination, and "potting" goals became a lost and unlamented art. But the dropped goal retains Us scoring value, to occasionally bring a fluke win at the last moment to a side which has been beaten on the general play. And it has become regarded by many people, and by almost tlie majority of New Zealand' players, as an anachronism. As a consequence the "ew Zealand Union will press at the forthcoming conference of Rugby Unions in London for the reduction of the value of the dropped goal. The Last Run. Just when this conference will be held is not yet known, prouauiy somewbere about New Year time. Had tlie question come up for discussion at jnuw Year time in IUOO, when the original All Blacks were in Britain, one imagines that the chances of the poor old dropped goal retaining its value were at an end. Remember what happened then? On December 30 the All Blacks played their last match in the United Kingdom against Swansea, and when Swansea were leading by a try to nil Wallace pulled the game out of the fire at the last minute by potting a goal, and the last game was won by 4 to 3. What a fluke! What a howl! The poor old potted goal had vials of Welsh wrath poured down on its devoted head in Wales. This time the All Blacks play their last match against England at Twickenham on January 5. How about winning by a potted goal?