A GREAT LOCK.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 141, 16 June 1928, Page 16

A GREAT LOCK.

MOFFITT, OF WELLINGTON. BEST PIVOT SINCE CUNNINGHAM'S DAY. PLAYED AGAINST 3—2—3 IN FIYK COUNTRIES. The three finest locks to go down in New Zealand Rugby scrums throughout the ages have been Bernie Fanning (Canterbury), the late Bill Cunningham (Auckland), and Jim Moffitt (Wellington).

The Canterburian retired with his honours thick upon him after his herculean efforts at Wellington on August 13, 1904, when he described the scrum in the Test, in which Bedell-Sivright's Britishers were beaten 9 —3. as the best in which he ever had shoulders and back. Although Cunningham had represented New Zealand against New South Wales at Wellington in 1901, he did not go to Australia with the unbeaten 1903

giants. But in 1905, after the epochmaking All Blacks came back from Sydney with cloiilits past upon their scrummaging propensities, Cunningham was called up, and his perfromances at Home entitle him to rank with the greatest of all New Zealand's Rugby heroes, though by virtue of his position on the field his work may not have ranked in the eyes of the critics —with those spectacular successes of players like Billy Wallace and .linimv Hunter. (Another in the same category as Cunningham was Freddy Roberts.) Not since the days of the Aucklander has so worthy a successor fielded in an All Black jersey as J. E. Moffitt, tlie South Canterbury (he was reserve for South Island in one pre-war inter-island game), Wellington, Oriental, New Zealand Army, North Island and New Zealand Rugby Union lock. It was not until the King's Cup tournament- at Home, however, that Moffitt came into iiis own. Apaxt.from m&eni-

ficent efforts in the Rugby field during those never-to-be-forgotten inter-ser-vices' engagements, Jim became the best-known soldier in Great Britain. W T hile the Mother Country fifteen was comprised of 14 "brass hats" and a solitary sergeant-major, the Xew Zealand personnel consisted of 14 N.ClO.'s and Lieutenant James Moffitt! So, hilariously dubbed "Gentleman Jim," Moflitt was ever a popular figure at Twickenham, Inverleith and Bradford, besides on many other grounds where subsidiary games were played. Both on and off the field, Jim's popularity followed him to the Rugby kingdoms of France, South Africa, Xew Zealand and Xew South Wales.

Figuring in all three Tests in the Australian tour of 1920, and in the classic contests against the Springboks the following year at Dunedin, Auckland and Wellington, perhaps no Dominion Rugbyite is better qualified to speak of his country's 2 —3 —2 scrum formation, and the much-discussed 3 —2—3 and its variations, againSt which Moffitt pivoted the two-hooker scrum in the five great Rugger countries of the world (Britain. France, Africa, Australia and Xew Zealand). In terse language he thus expresses his views: —

"In South Africa the Army team could get the ball when it wanted it. It didn't always want it. ''In the Duneclin and Auckland Tests against Sutli Africa in 1921—draw a veil over the Athletic Park final —New Zealand got a fair share of the ball— easily 50 per cent. Poor old Ned Hughes and Hill Duncan were good hookers. "There was no difference in interpreting the rules in Africa, 1919, and Xew Zealand, 1921. "Our 1928 forwards are as big as the Springboks, but the weight has not been going in properly; no cohesion. Forwards want to play the back game—the new rule and the public at fault here. "No equals to Nepia, Cooke or Mill. "Forwards like Charlie Seeling, Alex. McDonald, Son White, and Jock Richardson would be worth their weight in gold in Africa to-day, let alone a pair of hookers of the Ginger Casev-Bubsy Tyler. Sam Standen-Ned Hughes, o"r Nuts Hasell-Mick Cain type."