New View Of Rugby Attitudes Forecast

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30368, 18 February 1964, Page 18

New View Of Rugby Attitudes Forecast

(From T. P. McLEAN, Sports Editor of the “New Zealand Herald"} LONDON, February 17. Because of a wind of change now blowing in British Rugby, especially in Scotland, Ireland and Wales, a wholesale reorientation of playing attitudes is foreseen by the captain of the touring All Blacks, W. J. Whineray.

During a discussion with Whineray and the manager of the All Blacks (Mr F. D. Kilby) in a review of the team’s most successful tour, Whineray remarked that he had been especially struck in these three countries with the evident desire of players and administrators that their teams should perform well.

The traditional British attitude ot playing the game for the game’s sake with not much importance placed upon victory was weakening. Instead, teams and players were becoming willing in the New Zealand manner to organise themselves and their tactics in order to reduce errors and capitalise mistakes forced in the opposing team. The care taken by the Leinster team which recently played the All Blacks and the members of which were grouped together on the week-end beforehand for the purposes of discussion, talks and walks was an instance, Whineray said, of the new attitude developing in tainDisputed Criticism It might not have been a coincidence that the hardest international the All Blacks played was against Ireland. Both Whineray and Mr Kilby conceded that the All Blacks, principally because of injuries to men like Walsh and Arnold, and also perhaps because of a lack of special talent for midfield positions, had not become in the fullest sense a great side, but they disputed the criticism so often made in the British pres sthat the team had not played an open attacking game because of fear of the consequences.

“From the beginning,” said Mr Kilby, “I made it plain that (he backs could run the ball as and when they deemed it prudent. * ‘From the beginning, however, we discovered that opposing teams, as often as not, took up defensive stations which made it impossible for our men to- run

the ball and accordingly we were then forced to use other methods.

“On this point,” said Whineray,” “I have had a number of interesting discussions with British Rugby men about great running teams. Some of them have conceded that the 1951 South African team had good qualities in attack through the backs but this opinion is by no means unanimous.

“Otherwise the people of considerable experience have had to reach back as far as the New Zealand Army team, the Kiwis of 1945-46, for a backline of unusual quality and they have told me that this team, good though it was, may have been fortunate that British Rugby, because of the war, was at that time in a state of some uncertainty.” Stronger Players Certain players in 1960 had perhaps been stronger than players in similar positions this year but the teamwork this tire had been superior. The tour of the British Isles, Whineray ■ added, was- just as great an experience as the visit to South Africa.

On the field it had been a harder tour than he had anticipated. . Socially it had rather more depth than the visit to South Africa if only because so many of New

Zealanders’ roots were vested in the British Isles. British forward play had proved strong.

Unfortunately the same' could not be said of the backs, particularly the centres, who lacked the sparkle New Zealanders associated with British teams after the visits of the Lions sides of 1950 and 1959. The financial rewards of the tour, Kilby said, promised to be the greatest in history. Because of increased gate charges the takings for the match with England at Twickenham exceeded £50,000. Not Too Long

Kilby considered that the tour of four and a half months and 34 matches had not been overlong. Whineray acknowledged that his men had continued to “feel good on the field” but he thought that the tour tended to be a little long It might be that it would be better to make a tour of 30 matches every five years than one of 30 to 40 matches every 10 years, but that was arguable On one point the two men were unanimous—it had been a vexation of the tour, they said, that there had been too much unnecessary travelling “I intend to make a point of this in my report lo the New Zealand Council,” Kilby said