MANY DROPPED GOALS

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31407, 28 June 1967, Page 15

MANY DROPPED GOALS

TAROPPED goals have u been a popular form of scoring with some teams—notably Linwood and Christchurch this season.

However, the proportion of dropped goals has not been quite as high as spectators at Lancaster Park, who have seen a great number kicked this season, might have thought In the 77 club games played this season there have been 42 successful dropped goals about one in every two matches.

Christchurch has supplied almost a third of these with 13. B. A. Watt has kicked five, G. J. Waterreus four, D. A. Arnold two and G. K. Rutledge two. The next highest Is Linwood which has produced seven dropped goals, six of them coming from the first fiveeighths, N. J. Stokes. What has given the impression of a great number of points coming from dropped goals has been the use of this form of scoring in some matches. The game between Albion and Christchurch produced five; a few

weeks later Christchurch scored nine of its 12 points in this manner.

Then last Saturday in the Linwood-University B match the first nine points scored came from

dropped goals; and there were nine from the seven senior matches.

Perhaps the biggest change in the attitude towards dropped goals is that before they were often spontaneous when a player fielded a clearing kick and let fly for the posts.

Now teams on attack and with a scrum near the goal-posts, obviously aim for a dropped goal. In the case of Christchurch it has been most successful.