View from the front

Press, 22 October 1986, Page 48

View from the front

Lindsay Knight presents a paradoxical front to the world. To his sportswriting colleagues he often appears perplexed, unwell, anxious for confirmation of his rugby views, worried about the deadlines and the approach taken by rival scribes, and hesitant in making such minor decisions as what to order for lunch. But the man is full of authority once he climbs behind a typewriter, and his literary efforts are not only well etched but reveal his deep understanding of and feeling for his subject. Thus it is that his latest book, “The Geriatrics” (Moa Publications, 296 pp, $29.95) is full of sound, well balanced writing, and craftsman-

like assessments of the many hot issues that plague contemporary rugby. “The Geriatrics” is the tale of the three grizzled veterans of the All Black front row, pictured above, from left, Gary Knight, Andy Dalton and John Ashworth, the men still playing test rugby when their combined ages exceeded the century mark. The author, whom Gary Knight categorically denies he is related to, has proved an able Boswell to the venerable players’ Johnson, skilfully tracing their careers in a narrative interlaced with anecdotes and observations. The trio’s thoughtful views on the state of rugby explode the myth that all front row for-

wards drift about in a state of permanent concussion. Dalton comes through as a man of strong principle, and an eloquent advocate of a better deal for players at the top level. He also has soundly based criticism of some activities by the news media and lifts the veil on some intriguing aspects of the 1981 Springboks’ tour of New Zealand and the controversial trip to South Africa by the Cavaliers. All the spicy occurrences in rugby since the Geriatrics were bought into the All Blacks en bloc for the 1977 tour of France are traversed in the book. Not surprisingly, the J. P. R. Williams episode at Bridgend in 1978 looms iar in Ashworth’s :

story, but there are many other fascinating yarns, ably presented. Of particular merit is the author’s treatment of what he terms the fixation with matters South African in this country. This is representative of Knight’s best writing, whether or not the reader agrees with his views. If there is a criticism of the book, and a minor one at that, it is that not enough of the humour of the game permeates the pages. After all, when the term “geriatrics” was coined on that windy day at Burnham Camp in 1983, it was Lindsay Knight who turned on a colleague with the rebuke: “Hell — that’s a bit on the nose!”

JOHN BROOKS