AS PLAYED IN NEW ZEALAND

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 71, 24 March 1926, Page 9

AS PLAYED IN NEW ZEALAND

AUSTRALIA WANTS EXHIBITION GAMES

CHANGING PRINCIPLES OF WINGFORWARD PLAY. -

(United Press Association.—Copyright.) (Received 24th March, 10 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. A newspaper sporting writer, 'referring to the proposal from New Zealand that All Blacks and Maoris, should play an exhibition game at Melbourne, says: "Such a match would be the greatest football fixture of any code staged for some years, but it would be wasted on the public of Victoria, where iiie' Australian Rules game is invincible and the Rugby code is but little understood or appreciated." : The writer says that he feels that a match between two New South Wales teams of decent standard would give all the demonstration necessary in Melbourne, when, if as a result of the exhibition public interest in the game is evinced, New Zealand teams could be sent over in subsequent years. There is no doubt that if an All Black-Maori match was played in Sydney followers of both Rugby codes would, take the opportunity of seeing the game,as played by two New Zealand teams of first-class standard. Another argument in support of a Sydney match is that New South Wales is seriously considering returning to the two-three-two scrum formation and a wing-forward, especially in view of the report of Mr. Harold Baker, manager of last year's New South Wales team which visited New Zealand. In his report he said that the principle of wing-forward play had been considerably changed, and in place o|, the old stumbling block of the past is a roving back or extra five-eighth, who, more often than not, is a distinct advantage to the backs rather than a hindrance to the forwards. Hitherto critics have been able to base their arguments only on exhibitions of one side playing a seven pack and the other an eight pack, with the referee probably all at sea. A great deal more would be demonstrated and learnt from an exhibition of two teams playing with the seven pack and wing-forward game, such as would be the case in a match All Blacks against Maoris,; when die wing-forwards would be opposed to each other and each could be used to make opportunities to demonstrate and amply show his position.