Rugby Clubs Cater For The Young

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31091, 21 June 1966, Page 20

Rugby Clubs Cater For The Young

The red-and-black jerseys of the Christchurch club, the oldest Rugby club in New Zealand (started in 1863) were very prominent on North Hagley Park on Saturday as teams from the club in the under-age and under-weight grades played in the club field day.

Nearly as prominent, numerically, were the scarlet and white jerseys of the Bumside club, one of the newest clubs in the Canterbury Rugby Union. The club is in its ninth year.

The Christchurch Club has 24 teams playing, 14 in senior to under 17, and 10 to the under-weight grades. It has a club membership of 927. The Bumside dub has 20 teams, the top side playing Vi the fourth grade. It has a membership of 520 players, and 650 members in all—committee, coaches and players. The Christchurch dub has one unbeat»n side—the under 17 team coached by Messrs A. Girvan and C, McLaughlan. The Bumside dub’s fourth grade team has ateo won all its matches this season. The side is coached by Mr L. Croad.

Christchurch is “desperate” for a lighted training grouad. The Bumside dub has p> clubrooms or gymnasium, and is “desperate” for them. The Christchurch dub has three All Blacks coaching in the under-weight grade. W. Birtwhistle coaches the under sst 7lb A section team; D. Arnold has the under sst 71b B section team; and B. A. Watts the under Ost 7lb B section side. Another All Black, R. Smith, is the Christchurch dub coach—he has the task of watching all the dub teams and advising on coaching wherever called upon. Bumside’s players come mainly from the BumsideRiccarton - Fendalton - Bryn-dwr-Bishopdale area. Twenty per cent of the players are in the sst grades. The dub's “home" grounds are Burnside and Jellie Parks, and the teams get great support from the sidelines at these two parks.

There are 18 schools in the dub’s area. One of the dub’s teams has players from 12 different schools in it. Officials of the dub this year are going to make a determined drive to get a building for dubrooms-gymnasium. They are certain that if the dub had a headquarters building, it would be able to enter teams in the higher grades. The secretary of the Christchurch dub (Mr T. P. George) and secretary of the Burnside dub (Mr R. J. Sceats) are equally enthusiastic. The depth and strength of dub Rugby in Christchurch; its emphasis on younger players who will be the senior, representative and All Black players of the future; and the astonishing number of unpaid, unsung officials, committee members and coaches who foster the game and give thousands of boys healthy recreation; are very wdl illustrated by these two old and new dubs. Try Money

All the coaches, no matter how enthusiastic they are about their sides winning, place great stress on the fact that Rugby is a team game when lecturing the underweight teams. The coaches frown on parents offering money to sons who score tries. In one team, a lad said that his father had promised him a TV set if he scored a try. Other members of the team, whose parents had made no such offer, decided not to pass the ball to the lad because they could see

no joy for them in him getting a set. Inquiries by the coach revealed that the father, badgered by his children to get a TV set, had replied, jokingly, that the family would get one when , the youngest, scored a try. The team spirit returned when the matter was explained; the embarrassed father bought a TV set for his family and the youngest son, subsequently, achieved his own and his father’s desire by scoring a try—on his own merit and through good team work.

Cream Freeze Although the sun was shining on Saturday morning, a bitter wind was sweeping across Hagley Park. Coaches wd parents watching youthful Ragby players, wore coats and glO'es and shivered. The young players after the games (and in some eases before) rushed up to parents and supporters demanding sixpences. They then surrounded an icecream van like a swarm of bees. Teams And Players The Suburbs B team in the under sst 71b C section won its seventh game\in succession this season on,Saturday. The side has now scored 79 points, with nine \ points scored against it. Linwpod C gave the Suburbs team S hard match on Saturday, and Suburbs had to play very hard win, 9-6. B. Lewis, the first five-eighths and vice-captain, is a good runner and passes the ball on every possible occasion. The captain, B. Barlow, is a rugged breakaway, and R. Clarke and K. Armstrong are two enthusiastic and improving forwards. D. Smolensk!, second fiveeighths, is a determined runner with a good turn of speed that enables him to make gaps in the opposition's defence. B. Lester is a very safe full-back.

In the Linwood C side, L. Mcllroy played well at No. 8, making many breaks in the loose and tackling hard. R. Meeking, first five-eighths, handled well and covered well on defence. W. Hoskins is a robust, hard-working lock. The game was very even and the Suburbs side burst into cheers at the final whistle. An unusual Incident in the game was when Suburbs was awarded a mark. The player handed the ball to another player, who dropped a goal. This was disallowed, of course. Mr W. Mears, coach of the Suburbs side, thinks that more will be heard of a great many players in his side as they progress through the grades, and is very pleased at the combination the side is working up.

The Xavier team in the under Bst 71b competition is playing very hard, but has not had much success. Perhaps with more concerted aim in the forwards, and better cohesion in the backs they will improve. All the boys are enjoying the games, and they keep on trying—which is the main thing. R. Park is giving good service as captain and half-back, and J. O’Byrne and P. Wilkins are

also playing very well. In the ensuing matches, the team could well hit top gear now that all the players are getting the idea of playing as a team rather than individuals. A side with noticeable team spirit, in which combined play rather than outstanding individual effort is the order of the day, is the Burnside A team in the under 6st A section. The team has won all seven of its matches this season.

G. Stevenson is the most improved forward in the Christchurch under sst 71b C team and at centre M. Dixon who is a good runner with the ball has learned to go for the corner instead of cutting back in-field. One of the scorers for Shirley against Christchurch in the under sst A grade on Saturday bore a distinguished Rugby name. ’ He was G. Young, a son of the former All Black hooker D. Young, at centre three-quarters, and he showed distinct promise. Backs In Form Few sides in Christchurch this season have looked after their backs hs well as the Christchurch under 6st B team has taken care of its line.

The twenty-sixth try scored by the team this season was scored by a forward on Saturday, and it was the first try scored by a forward since the season began.