NEW ZEALAND RUGBY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 267, 10 November 1937, Page 24

NEW ZEALAND RUGBY.

OTAGO VIEWPOINT. STANDARD NOT LOWER ? EFFECT OF ALTERED RULES. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") JJI XKDIN", Xoveml>er 9. "It looks as if New Zealand couldn t take the 'licking' it got from South Africa.' was the comment made during a discussion at a meeting of the Otago Rugby Union, when the New Zea.land Union advised that it wished to have reports 011 the playing of the game in various districts. "What is wrong with our football?"' asked Air. H. Harris. "The standard last season was on a par with previous years. Just because South Africa beat 11s they are going to try all kinds of things to improve our game. It looks to me as if New Zealand couldn't take the 'licking' it got. If we went back to international rules we would play as good football as anywhere in the world." Mr. T. O'Shea: Our football deteriorated since semi-League rules were introduced. Mr. W. Pearson (All Black selector), thought the new rules had affected the game. In the last team to visit South Africa there was possibly one of the best packs of fot wards ever sent from New Zealand, and when they arrived in South Africa they had to alter their style of play before they could function like an international side. "Success of a side depends entirely on how the forwards function," he added. "In the last series of games we did not get possession of the ball. If we revert to the old system of scrummaging, not two in the front of the scrum, hut to our old type of the game, and get our forwards functioning j properly again. I have no doubt our football will improve, and we will hold our I own again. We've done nothing but quibble since the introduction of the three-front scrum, and have not done anything to remedy our faults under that system." The emergency committee is to prepare a report on the game 111 Otago.