CANTERBURY FOOTBALL.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12897, 31 August 1907, Page 11

CANTERBURY FOOTBALL.

TO THK BDITOB OJ "f_lK PKEaS."

Sir, —'Iho signal success of the recent Southern tour ot the Canterbury team must be vory gratifying to all local followers of the game. On two occasions lately 1 addressed you re tho urgent need of some moro tleiiniteiy aggressive stylo of attack being adopted than had obtained in recent years. Many promising teams had often disappointed the public by their want ot cohesion. There seemed to be lack of co-operation between the forwards and backs. 'Iho result often was that many smart pieces of play were spoilt because sonloone missed or dropped the ball, and thero was no colloague near enough to sustain the effort and thus good chances were lost. But during the latest tour there seems to have been a pre-arranged plan of attack for each match. The reports indicate that good combination existed amongst both forwards and backs, with the result thajt what was deemed to be a weak Canterbury team has proved itself one of the cleverest that has visited the South for many years past, and promises to hold its own, with both Auckland and Wellington. Now, 1 have contended that we have the material to develop into the very finest New Zealand Rugby players if it is only put to tho right use. There are many brilliant young players coming on if they are properly trained. The present team possesses several of them, ns shown by their display in tho recent matches, Then, for instance, you have only to think of tho excellent showing mndo in the Third Grade Competition a few weeks n_*o by the Sydenham Club and tho High School Boys. Somo of the best Rugby ever seen on Lancaster Park was shown by those boys. But, as I have previously remarked re our senior representatives, no matter how brilliant our players may bo individually, unless there i« strong ro-operation between forwards nnd bocks, a team that is less brilliant ns units can, with good combination, oft .1 onsilv defeat them. It was this combination that spewed such preot success during the recent tour. Therefore, in view of the remaining matches, I earnestly hope that nur selectors will see their wny to keep the present tenm ns intact as possible. If it were further trained snmowhat upon the successful Auckland lines, which have produced so mnny cood --forwards who can pass the ball with tho barks as well as tbey can dribble, the present team will have inaugurated p most prosperous era in Canterbury R'i;zby football. Though our representatives are rather yonns and li«_it. there is no reason why, if trained in co-onerative arrere«.iv. tactics, they cbon'd not heroine the champion New Zealand try-getting team.— Yours, etc., PRO BONO. August 29th, 1907.