Schoolboy League Players Showed Ability

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30233, 11 September 1963, Page 13

Schoolboy League Players Showed Ability

VOTWTTHSTANDING the shock defeat of the Kiwis by the touring South African Rugby League side last month, the game has steadily progressed in New Zealand during the last 10 years. Judging by the display of the schoolboy Kiwi, team against the New South Wales schoolboys’ side last Saturday, the high standard that has been achieved looks certain to be rnadntaiined and New Zealand should continue to hold its own in world Rugby League. It was not so much New Zealand's victory that was pleasing but the manner in which it was achieved. The 13 members of the side all displayed a thorough grasp of the game’s fundamentals and many keen followers of League considered the game the best they had witnessed this season. It certainly made the senior curtain-

raiser look well below standard. The standard throughout the schoolboys’ tournament was very high and a number of players must have narrowly missed selection for the Kiwi side. It was unfortunate that the two main games during the Week —the Auckland-Canterbury game and the test —were both played on heavy grounds. However, it is doubtful that even a dry ground would have produced a better game on Saturday. Now that the code has these young players of ability a great deal depends on the administrators of schoolboy League to keep these boys interested in the code. It has been noticeable in the past thait there has not been the number of schoolboy Kiwis who have gained honours in senior grades that there should have been. The New Zealand Schoolboys’ Council would do well to remember that its job is not only to organise a tournament each year but to promote schoolboy League in the Dominion. lit is only by building up the schoolboy grades that the code can hope to expand. A pleasing feature of the tournament was the improvement shown by the Bay of Plenty side. The code is relatively new in this area but the side won two games, was unlucky in a third,, and gave the strong Auckland side a hard game However, the decline of the West Coast team over recent years is disappointing.

The Coast did not win a game this year. Another notable fact about this year’s tournament was the number of players who were well under the age limit and who will again be eligible next year. One of the youngest sides was the victorious Auckland team. All members of the side were taking part in their first tournament. If the council decides to send a New Zealand schoolboys’ team to tour New South Wales next year—and it seems very likely it will —-then the council will be taking on its most ambitious project. The tour would be a great boost for schoolboy League but here again the council could give some thought to its schoolboy grades and whether the money that would be spent on a tour would not be better used promoting the game among schoolboys.