Move For No Rugby Under 10 Praised

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29791, 6 April 1962, Page 12

Move For No Rugby Under 10 Praised

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, April 5.

The action of the West Coast Rugby Union’s junior advisory board in abolishing organised Rugby for children under 10 was in the best interests of small children and of the game of Rugby, said Mr D. R. Wills, superintendem of physical education, in Wellington today. In “expressing gratitude” to the union for taking the step, Mr Wills said he in no way wanted to hit at Rugby as a sport for he was a keen follower of the game and had close affiliation with

it through fitness courses for New Zealand teams and others. "The West Coast has taken a very big step forward. I hope other unions will carefully consider the reasons for the move. “Children under 10 are far better off playing games better suited to their physiological age and development,” said Mr Wills. “Playing a major game of this kind at a very early age is likely to lead to some undesirable adult conceptions of play—beating the referee, giving lip service to the rules and winning at all costs—not natural to children but sometimes all too evident in adult play. “Rugby as played by young children is bad Rugby, anyway, a mass scramble. These youngsters are not mature enough to play the game properly. There is less likelihood of early injury if heavy contact games of this sort are not begun till the bones are more solidly formed.” said Mr Wills. “I think forms 1 and 2 early enough to begin Rugby,” he said.