NEWSPAPER SAYS; Players like savages

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33063, 2 November 1972, Page 26

NEWSPAPER SAYS; Players like savages

<N Z P A -Reuter— Copyright >

PARIS.

The British and Australian Rugby league players behaved like savages in their World Cup match in Perpignan on Sunday, according to the Paris newspaper, “L’Aurore.”

Commenting yesterday on the match, which Britain won 27-21, “L’Aurore” wrote: “Like savages . . . There is no other word to qualify the conduct of the British and Australian players.

“One knew there was no ; lost love between the two teams since the 1970 World Cup. But this was too much. The shameful spectacle which they offered to millions of French television viewers was inadmissible. Public revolted "The ferocity . . . and brutality . . . was such that the Perpignan public—which has seen some rough play in its day—was revolted and made this be known vocally during the match. “The only aim of these professionals appeared to be to demonstrate animal strength. If that is Rugby league, no,” the newspaper said.

“Who are the sensible parents who will let their children learn of the ‘joys’ of Rugby league with such examples before them?

“Free tickets have been given to children for the New Zealand-Australia game in Paris. This will prove to be an error if the heads of these two great teams do not give the necessary instructions so that the grounds do not turn out to be a battlefield." Bruising style The Press Association staff correspondent, Alan Graham, who is covering the World Cup series, reported yesterday that the Australians are bound to play the tough, bruising style of Rugby league which has marked all their cup games in recent years, and it is yet to be seen that the Kiwis know how to handle such rough stuff. The problem clearly is that Rugby league in New Zealand, by world standards anyway, is too pure. A clean-up campaign begun

iprimarily by Dr L. J. Cooney I when he was president of the (New Zealand Rugby League in the mid-1960s brought [fairly swift action by [referees to anyone punching, kicking or stiff-arm tackling. Rules ignored | Furthermore, referees in i New Zealand have demanded —and got—good scrums, at least by Rugby league standards, with moderately straight put-ins, the ball hitting the ground before it hits a player, and that hookers bind to their props, and use the fourth foot. I All this is straight-forward stuff, written clearly into the international rules, which are (agreed between the four World Cup nations. The problem is that the other three countries outrightly ignore many of these rules in their own home competitions, and their referees, brought up on these competitions, ignore them in test matches, too. Violence is penalised only l occasionally, sendings-off are rare, while scrums in Britain, Australia and France are regarded as nothing more than a means of getting play restarted. Times to adapt The ball may be thrown in any fashion, hookers need not bind, and may use any foot. It is no wonder that every Kiwi team which comes to Europe is baffled. Naturally, questions are asked as to how the 1971 Kiwis managed to win four and draw one of their six test in Europe last year. The answer seems to be that these games, with little at stake, were played in a generally friendly spirit, with little rough stuff, and that the Kiwis, with a month in Britain before the first test, had time to adapt their scrums to the scruffy European standard. The World Cup is entirely different, and more so because the Australians, the toughest team of all, are included in the activities. Everything is serious, and there is little friendship. If the Australians had beaten Britain last Sunday, they might have taken things easy today, but they, lost, so now they need a win, and there will be no mercy asked from New Zealand—and none given.