RUGBY SEASON AT TWICKENHAM

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27370, 8 June 1954, Page 12

RUGBY SEASON AT TWICKENHAM

Social Occasion On

Final Day

SEVEN-A-SIDE TOURNEY DRAWS BIG CROWD

LONDON, May 3. A crowd of 30,000 people saw the final day’s play in the 1953-54 rugby season at Twickenham on .Saturday, In London, the last day of the season is traditionally reserved for the Middlesex County Seven-a-side finals, a social occasion which gives players and supporters the chance to sit in the sun for some six hours and watch nonstop Rugby while sipping their beer or teas.

Under the rules of the senior-seven-a-side game, the duration of the play is limited -to seven minutes each way with one minute interval for half time. In the final match, the halves are extended to 10 minutes each with an extra five minutes being played in the event of a draw. This year the knockout competition attracted 151 teams, the final 16 going on to the concluding rounds at Twickenham. All proceeds from the competition are given to charities. Since the competition started in 1926, more than £54,000 has been so given. Although some “sevens” enthusiasts are apt to claim that the game provides the best of rugby showmanship and is superior to the 15-a-side game and Rugby League, “sevens” can best be described as a cross between Rugby and basketball. Possession counts for everything and although players must be fast and fit to last the game there is not much call for other skills of the Rugby field. With only three forwards and four backs to cover the field, break-throughs are frequent and normally one error in tackling or handling can meap a runaway try. Most sides select one player for the express purpose of overhauling runaways. As far as tackling is concerned the standard is poor. Players adopt ankle tapping and shoving rather than dive tackles as it enables them to remain on\ their feet to take part in a movement when their side gains possession. But there is plenty of excitement when players are forced to dive at their opponents when they have broken through and are racing for the line. Some of the teams are not too lighthearted in their approach to “sevens” even though the competition is accepted as a social occasion. Rosslyn Park, which won the competition Saturday, attracted some of the Twickenham crowd’s rare booing on Saturday when at one stage of their match they persisted in kicking the ball out of play once they had taken the lead. When every second of time counts this tactic can often mean a win for a team that has gained a quick lead.