KICKING TO TOUCH

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 57, 4 September 1937, Page 23

KICKING TO TOUCH

NEW ZEALAND'S NEED

"An Old-time Wellington Junior Representatlve" writes from Auckland as follows!— "From observations I should say that New Zetland Rugby footballers seem, in an extraordinary manner, to have failed to realise the effect upon the game of Rugby brought about by the alterations to the touch-line rules. For the benefit of some readers, perhaps I should explain that the amended rules provided ,that it from a kick from outfield, the ball1 went into touch without having first landed in field so as to bounce Into touch, a scrum would be ordered away back at the spot from -where the ball had been kicked. In any case, if the ball did land infield someone would generally be there to take it, and so the game became speeded up. Kicking the ball became risky, and the art of kicking neglected. Under the old rules,' it was permissible- to kick direct into touch quite out of reach of an opposing player. "Now, under these (old) rules we find the Springboks demonstrating to us how the game should be played, and it is to be hoped we are capable qf learning. They have practised kicking, and,, of course, do kick into touch, while it appears we do not. We do not even seem to try to kick into touch, or, is it simply that we cannot kick? I think the Taranaki match ■was a perfect example. In this match it was heartrending to find again and again the-Taranaki forwards carrying the ball into Springbok territory only to have it go to a Springbok, who quietly sent it back with, a superb kick to touch a few feet from the Taranaki goal line; There is no doubt about the: Taranaki team being a firstclass one." It had no weakness really if judged as a team under the amended rules, but under existing Springbok match rules the Taranaki team could not kick, and, therefore, was of no real account so far as the Springboks were concerned.

"The.game as played now resolves itself into a game of kicking into touch, a most uninteresting game from the spectators' point of view, and likely to result in increasing attendances at the League game to the detriment of Rugby, if persisted in. The Springbok team is a very fine combination. It has both brain and brawn, and is using both to the best advantage, while reserving its strength for the Tests. "We must learn to kick and generally to use our brains a little. Let us look back fifty or sixty years ago. Every schoolboy 'learned to kick in those days, not only to kick goalsmere child's play—but to make long kicks Into touch. I wonder if many old Wellingtonians remember Archie Rigg, who in the very early days used to shine at kicking a football from one end of the Basin iteserve to the other. ■ Some of us really could kick in those days.

"At the first Test the All Blacks' victory in the circumstances was a really splendid achievement. The forwards must have more than held their own both on the line-outs and in the scrums, and to have made up for the serious handicap imposed upon them by the superb kicking of the Springboks. I warn the All Blacks that the

Springboks are quite capable of holding their own in any department of the game, and that it is a tremendous advantage for any team to be able, by superior 'kicking, to keep the plajr in the vicinity of its opponents' goal-line. So' do please let us try to learn to kick in the meantime, so that we may 6e able to win the third Test, if not the second. It would be fine to be able to have some throw-ins and scrums on the Springboks' goal-line."