Fine New Book On Rugby

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29070, 5 December 1959, Page 5

Fine New Book On Rugby

TN the foreword to J. M. Wallace’s “All Blacks and Lions,” Mr R. B. Bruce Lockhart, describes the book as “thoughtful, knowledgeable and provocative.” There could be no better assessment unless it were one to make mention of the fluent, appealing style of the author.

This is not a book on the 1959 British Isles tour of New Zealand. But it is remarkable, for in carrying out his purpose of examining “why back play should have developed its finest expression in the British Isles and forward play its greatest exponents in the All Blacks,” Mr Wallace has ranged through Rugby history, recalled great games and great players, and offered his reader a startling analysis of the state of New Zealand Rugby.

Experience Mr Wallace, a Wanganui representative and an All Black trialist —and generally regarded as very likely to be an All Black until injury ended his career —is, familiar, at first hand, with Rugby in the United Kingdom and New Zealand, and there are few, if any, better able to take the long view. But if Mr Wallace is analytical, he is never anything but entertaining. When he illustrates a point .by referring to a particular incident in a particular match, he makes the players live. The writing is always attractive, sometimes beautiful.

He has much to say on the scrum-half problem in New Zealand, the inside back problem, and allied difficulties. And the final, brief chapter on captaincy

and the coach is a gem. In New Zealand, says Mr Wallace, the captain is permitted to (1) lead his team on to the flelcl and call for three cheers for the opposing team; (2) to exhort his team to keep getting stuck in; (3) to have “Captain” written after his name in press lists; (4) to sit in or near the middle of the annual team photo and to hold the ball. “His more important functions” says Mr Wallace “have been usurped by the coach like a cuckoo in the nest.”

Coaching Mr Wallace likens the New Zealand club and representative captain to his coach as a dummy to its ventriloquist. “In New Zealand,” he says “the coach has overcome the captain because the players themselves want a coach. New Zealanders like it that way . . The players look to the coach for the answers. His personality builds the team, moulds it successfully or not, co-ordinates the team’s play.

“There is in every club and union a most intense desire to achieve success. The club aim is to win the ‘competition,’ the union aim is to win the Ranfurly Shield —and hold it. . . . There will be no assurance that the team will be well led. Often the captain is unsuited to captaincy or inexperienced in the art. So the team is guided from the touch-line in telepathic puppetry. Moreover, this method of selection and appointing of a captain derives partly from the old self-assertive colonial tenet that every man was as good as his neighbour. . . .

“Yet, paradoxically, a system has developed whereby the footballers have delivered themselves ■ to a paternalistic coach to whom ; they are now prepared to subi ject their individualism .and whose i legendary (though often doubtful) : experience and wisdom they res- ■ pect. So the natural human cravl ing for organisation and leader- . ship is satisfied in New Zealand football by the coach. . . . 1 “The late Major-General Kip--1 penberger wrote in his ‘lnfantry Brigadier’ that there was no shortage of junior officer candidates in the 2nd New Zealand Division during the 1939-45 war, so far were the qualities of leadership present in the men of the divi- . sion. , “Yet the nearer New Zealand Rugby has approximated to total - war, the fewer born leaders have ’ arisen. For in all the intensity and thoroughness of their coach- , ing, most coaches have neglected , one of the vital facets of team play, the coaching of a field cap- . tain.

Minor Role “It is really the duty of a good coach to teach captaincy. A Socratic coach will certainly produce his Plutos and ultimate Aristotles. But coaches are afraid to do this and thus allow their captains too great a measure of freedom. These sensitive men are afraid because they become too nervously identified with their teams. If the team loses or loses frequently, the sad reflection burdens the coach rather than the captain who. fairly enough in the circumstances, is spared the severest criticism. If the coach, in other words, gives the captain a free hand and the captain makes a mess of everything, our unhappy coach takes the blame. The coach is jealous of his reputation. So he funks doing it. He retains control. In any case, there is not so much for a captain to do, in New Zealand club and representative Rugby. The tactics are straightforward enough and practised over and . over—ruck and out —out for the good teams, ruck up-and-under for the less good.” It is a temptation to quote Mr Wallace at even greater length on the many other aspects of the Rugby problems he poses. His illustrations —diagrams and match incidents—are admirably selected and presented. He says much that has to be said, and says it well. The high noon of summer is at hand. But it is always the Rugbytalking season in New Zealand, and Mr Wallace's work deserves an extremely enthusiastic reception.

gives up many hours to teaching children to swipi at the St. Albans pool each week. Peter Stentiford is following in their footsteps, and besides an excellent record as a' swimmer, is a keen official of the centre. Peter Stentiford was a member of the Auckland team which travelled to Australia in 1950, and this put him on the road to swimming successes. He is one of the finest sprint swimmers in New Zealand, and holds the Canterbury record for the 55 yards in 27.55ec. He is secretary of the Canterbury Water Polo Board and a fine water polo player, and also has a good record of service with the Waimairi Surf Livesaving Club. Graham Dann was one of the leading Canterbury swimmers last season, haying won three national titles —the senior 100 yards freestyle and the intermediate 220 yards and 100 yards freestyle events. At last year's national coaching school, Dann made great improvements, and created new records for the national 100 yards freestyle (54.4 sec) and the 220 yards (2min 16.2 sec). The trip to Australia would furnish him with valuable experience in international competition.