Tickling Breaks Up Scrums

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31139, 16 August 1966, Page 17

Tickling Breaks Up Scrums

*’Th ? Press” Special Service AUCKLAND. A tight Rugby ruck bi °k e up a( Fergusson Domain, Oranga, on Sunday ( 0 reveal a Payer ] V j n „ helpless on the ground. ♦J™ a Sarne between two W(i,nen and the prop forwards ag wa s not caused by an injun . she was S . IOns of laughter. n\en tim e era bs me referee. ’’'P’ained to the 1 tn most c . ;crum collapsed it was not ’ front i """ b “'» "' :l About 40 women O f various !

sizes and ages gathered at Fergusson Domain to practice, and in many cases to learn, the game of Rugby. A team will be selected to : play a women’s team from ■ Waikato on September 11. Inspected First Before they took the field 1 players were inspected for long fingernails, and all baubles, bangles and beads were removed. The ball was kicked off and the women charged into the game with a determination that would shame many men; players. Husbands on the sideline stepped back a little as their wives swent pest eyes glinting with the light of battle.! “I don’t mind really, in fact |it is probably a good thing."' said one man holding a child.:

“But I have never seen her run like that before.” Play was a little chaotic at first but after 20 minutes, when players got an idea of the object of the game, order becan to appear. The coach, Mr M. Herewlni (not the All Black), told the teams during a break: “Whoever is running with the ball has got to be caught with u.” From then on tackling was fearless. Unorthodox Passes

Mr J. L. Hayes, said that teaching a woman to play Rugby was like teaching a baby to walk. I “Later we hope teams will be able to play curtainraiser games before senior matches,” he said. Mr Herewini said after the practice: “They will be all right I will make quite a good team out of them before they play Waikato.”

In the next three weeks he will ensure the women practice well and will give them tactical lectures.

Mr Herewlni said he thought the women should be able to handle the ball better than men because they all played basketball —and he was right. Passing was uniorthodox but the ball was rarely dropped. The coach of the Te Papapa women s Rugby team.

The organiser of the game on September 11. Mrs Alma McMillan, said the women were all eager to play Rugby continually. She said that next year the women may be the nucleus of various clubs in Auckland.