Japanese Rugby Tour Of Limited Value

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28552, 3 April 1958, Page 15

Japanese Rugby Tour Of Limited Value

T> EFORE the New Zealand • L * under 23 Rugby team was chosen to tour Japan, Brigadier J. T. Burrows, a former All Black, New Zealand selector and administrator and a man who has seen quite a lot of Rugby in Japan, expressed the opinion that New Zealand should endeavour to match the Japanese as closely as possible in the forwards in size. He felt that restrictions on the weight and height of the New Zealand forwards should be imposed to prevent New Zealand from steam-rolling the Japanese pack into the ground. The results of the tour, just completed, certainly justified such restrictions. In the 10 matches played, New Zealand amassed 373 points and had only 49 scored against it. Of the New Zealand total. 231 points were scored in second halves. The Japanese, on the other hand, were unable to score more than 14 of their total in second halves. These figures seem to indicate

that in the first half of the games, the Japanese were able to match the New Zealanders, but that m the second half, the smaller and lighter Japanese forwards, after withstanding 40 minutes of bulldozing by their heavier opponents, wilted badly. The average weight of the New Zealand pack was 14st 41b and the average height of the forwards, 6ft lin. Although the New Zealand pack which beat the Springboks in the last test at Auckland averaged a stone heavier than this year’s side, its average height was almost the same. The Japanese pack gave away nearly two stone a man and its biggest forwards were much smaller than the New Zealanders. It was apparent from newspaper reports reaching New Zealand that the Japanese had no hope of matching the New Zealanders for a full 80 minutes and time and again reports mentioned that the Japanese teams were unable to hold New Zealand in the last 15 minutes.

Led Twice The records show that the Japanese led New Zealand twice at half-time in the 10 games and then lost by considerable margins. They also show that in six other games. New Zealand had winning margins of 14 points or’less at half time and went on to win by margins which were not less than 19 points (only once) and on one occasion as great as 52 points. The enthusiast is now asking. :n view of this record, what New Zealand has accomplished in sending this team to Japan. It cannot be said that New Zealand has helped to popularise the game in Japan through the crushing defeats it inflicted on its smaller opponents. Nor can it be said, through the way the New Zealand team was able to score virtually at will in the second half of each game, that the team was a really good one for it was not tested under pressure for a full game. For the same reason few would agree that the tour was a good proving ground for the 1959 or 1960 international matches against the British Isles and South Africa. The Backs The most that could be said for this tour was that the chairman of the selection panel (Mr J. L. Sullivan), who travelled with the team, will now have some fairly concrete impressions of some of the backs. On this tour they had plenty to do, and from all accounts, did it very well. Before the team went to Japan there was talk of a return visit to New Zealand by a Japanese team in the future. It would not be surprising, in view of the ignominious defeats of the Japanese, that no more is heard of the proposal. Should such a tour eventuate, however, the New Zealand union would do well to impose the restrictions that Brigadier Burrows advocated before this year's team was picked. ,