RUGBY FOOTBALL

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 90, 13 October 1937, Page 13

RUGBY FOOTBALL

LOWER GRADES

CAUSE OF CONCERN

JUNIOR COMMITTEE'S

REPORT

Matters of vital interest to lowergrade Rugby in Wellington and to football generally were contained in a report of the Junior Advisory Committee, presented at last night's meeting of the management committee of the Wellington Rugby Union. The junior committee was welcomed by the chairman, Mr. J, N. Millard.

The report, which was based on the preliminary work of a sub-committee consisting of Messrs. A. W. Coper, W, R. King, and D. M. Eckhoff, embodied in its recommendations a number of observations, and concern was expressed about the poor standard of Rugby in some grades, particularly the junior, first, and second divisions, the third grade, first, second, and third divisions, and the fourth and seventh grades. Touching upon the Rugby activities of ex-pupils of secondary schools, the report stated that numerous lads who had played Rugby at secondary schools were lost to golf and other games because they found that club football was far more strenuous than college football. This wouia have a serious effect on clubs in the near future, seeing that the present trend of education is for every lad to spend some time at a secondary school. MORE VIRILE RUGBY. "It is a pity," said Mr. Cooper, "that boys who have enjoyed the benefit of good coaching in the primary and secondary schools should subsequently be lost to the game?' Mr.' Millard, however, said he thought the number of club players recruited from secondary schools was increasing, and in this view he was supported by other members of the management committee. The report stated that a lack of constructive play was very noticeable in a large number of teams in the lower grades, including junior. This indicated a weakness in coaching, particularly in football tactics. Most clubs looked to the lower grades for their future .seniors and the union for its future representatives. The suggestion that a regular meeting for coaches should be attended by at least one from each club for the purpose of mastering the fundamentals of the game met with general approval.

Mr. R.Bourke said that his experience with primary school teams was that the methods of their coaches were often criticised by seventh grade club coaches. He considered that the place for the best club coaches was with the lower grade teams, not so much with the senior teams. CHANGES IN GRADES. The committee recommended the abolition of the seventh grade competition. The age limit for the fourth grade, it was considered, should be tinder 19 years on April 1, as in former seasons.

In the event of the recommendation regarding the fourth grade not being adopted, the committee recommended as an alternative that the first division of the third grade be composed of three secondary school teams (Silverstream, St. Patrick's, and Wellington College) as at present, one team from the Training College, and eight club teams, the latter to consist entirely of players under 20 years of age on April 1.

Reference was made in the report to the number of senior teams in Wellington. There were at present 25 clubs, and from 16 of these 27 senior fifteans were drawn. The opinion was expressed that with such a number in the senior competition the good players were too scattered, and that many players enjoyed senior status who were not fit for senior football. In order, therefore, to reduce the number of senior teams, the junior advisory committee recommended'that for every senior team a club enters it must be able to maintain an equal number of teams in the junior and third grades; or, stated more correctly, a club should not be allowed to keep senior status unless it maintained a junior and a third grade team.