SCHOOLBOY RUGBY

Press, Volume C, Issue 29536, 10 June 1961, Page 9

SCHOOLBOY RUGBY

“Few Wellington Parents Watch” (N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 9. Scboolbcy Rugby was defended today by the secretary of the Wellington Saturday morning schoolboy Rugby, Mr W. L. Kerse, in replying to criticism by Mr D. R. Wills, superintendent of physical education for the Education Department, yesterday. Mr Kerse said the reference to parents was an indictment against the parents themselves. In years of administering schoolboy Rugby he had never seen "screaming" parents; there were bar rackers, but no screamers. “There would be barely a total of 100 parents turn up at our games on 35 grounds throughout Wellington,” he said. Mr Kerse said the boys were under the constant supervision of coaches. If there was any sign of physical distress a boy would immediately be taken from the field. "There is no competition, no record of wins and losses, no trophies. "There is no play. These are only boys playing a boy's game and there is no evidence to back up Mr Willis's change*- The coaches would be the first people to clamp down on rough play.” As tor the Rugby being too strenuous, “our bantams pley 15 minutes each way. the midgets 20 minutes, the intermediates (the top grade) 23 minutes. They are held rigidly within weight and age groups.” said Mr Kerse.