HEELING IN RUCKS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 307, 25 September 1939, Page 3

HEELING IN RUCKS

Analysis Of Effect In Rugby Scoring

LEADS TO MANY TRIES

Saturday’s inter-island match demonstrated an old truism of Rugby that proficient heeling in rucks leads to more tries than almost any other method. North were superior in the set scrums, and their rakish loose rushes were very impressive, but they served more to gain territory than to score points. In rucks after line-outs, or when, a defender was caught with the ball, South had a pronounced advantage, scrummaging tigerishiy and heeling cleanly. Most of the points came from this type of play. Most of the forwards for South Africa, therefore, should be those most proficient in this essential phase of Rugby. Only one of the nine tries scored came from a set scrum. That was when lindiii fed Schubert on the blind side, the winger making ground and passing in to McKenzie, who galloped over unopposed. All the other tries came from rucks or loose play. South secured five m this manner and North three. The percentage of effective football was, therefore, higher in favour of South. Any analysis of the form of players must, in consequence, be based on effective football. Some of this frequently passes unobserved, and memories are longest on the clearly seen incidents wbicti occur in the open. _ . South’s form was reminiscent of the 1936 Otago side, which beat all comers for the Ranfurly Shield. That pack was one of the lightest any province has fielded, but under the great leadership, of Jack Hore, concentrated on possession from rucks, and did so to such purpose that the backline, containing Trevatban, Gillies, Smith and Watt, was able to register some brilliant tries. Essential Factor. That tvpe of football has been a predominant' feature of southern teams in recent years, and it was the. secret of South’s success on Saturday. There’was nothing spectacular, for example, in the work of George, Parkhill, MacDonald, Sherriff and Herron; in fact they were often not seen, but they were the players largely responsible for the quick heeling in rucks that paved the way for tries. Parkhill even forsook his usual role of backing up, leaving this to Ward and concentrating on solid rucking; in fact, outside Ward, to whom the loose game was detailed, there were no shiners among the South forwards, King and Williams being just as much.in the thick of rucks, though they aimed at being the bulwarks and succeeded ably. One could not criticize the North forwards had their loose play achieved better results, but in the last analysis, some of them contributed little to their team’s chances. With the exception that, he once raced back and showed surprising speed to force. Bowman disappointed. He ought to be, with his physique, the outstanding forward in the Dominion. For all round play Jackson was one of the best of the North forwards, with a newcomer in Coull ranking a good second. The latter produced more of the South type of game, and. of course, a typical Taranaki game—solid rucking and scrummaging. Lambourn not only hooked brilliantly, but his general play was of a high standard. He is also a clever rucking forward. Carson showed on one occasion his value as a loose forward, but his opportunities were limited through liis being in the front of the scrum. McKenzie and Reid were good in patches. The former showed grand anticipation when he scored. The latter made some great bursts in the loose, but there were groans from the public when he hung on once with the defence badly rattled. McDonald worked tirelessly. But there was some deficiency in the North packing. According to the published weights they had an advantage of two stone, but the South frequently pushed them back, sometimes securing possession after Lambourn had hooked the ball.

Players who hope to make the trip to South Africa cannot expect to get the selector’s nod if they do not use their weight. The Springbok Test pack in New Zealand in 1937 aggregated 124 stone, every pound of which was efficiently applied. Since scrummaging and rucking will be an important factor in South Africa next year, if the tour takes place, it appears that preference will go to those who excel most in these departments. Solid Backs. Generally speaking the back play is of a standard superior to that of the last two seasons. Saxton and Tindill are halves well up to international class. Grace also satisfies requirements as an inside five-eighths, his running on Saturday being incisive and elusive and his handling faultless. Pearman was solid and dependable, but did not show the same purposeful approach to five-eighths play as Grace. Perr[am was more consistent than Reid, who was better as an opportunist than a -constructive team player. Neither Sullivan nori Wesney can be said to possess the constructive genius of Mitchell, but both have high nualifications as centres, Sullivan because of his alertness, pace and great coverdefending, and Wesne.v because of his magnificent defence, solid running and sure handling. It is in flank players, however, that New Zealand is particularly well served at the moment. There can be no doubting Morrison’s quality. His chances were limited on Saturday, but he is very resourceful. In Sutherland, however, New Zealand has an undoubted champion, proficient in all respects. He is a sure handler, runs with great determination, and uses a powerful fend; he also possesses defence of the highest standard. Schubert wants more experience. lie has tons of pace and handles well. Phillips was unfortunate in being injured before he had a chance to show his worth. McAneny, who replaced him, was doubtful at,times, but showed distinct promise.