RUGBY FOOTBALL

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 112, 14 May 1938, Page 23

RUGBY FOOTBALL

STUDY OF SPRINGBOK TACTICS N.Z. TEAM MANAGER DISCUSSES SCRUMMAGE Of special interest are. observations made by Mr. J. T. Burrows during his close study of what happened in matches played by the Springboks in New Zealand last season. Mr. Burrows was manager ox the .New Zealand team, as well as being a New Zealand selector, and his opinions about how thq Springboks did things, particularly as regards scrunam^ge.tactics, are set out in a. letter written by him to N. A, Mitchell, the well-known ex-Southland captain who was one of New Zealand's brightest hopes for the Tests last year, x but who -was able to give but littM service owing to injuries.

"In the first place," writes Mr. Bur-| rows (whose letter is published in the | "Southland* dimes''), "you will knowi that our idea as .to the direction ofi the weight in:the front row of thei 3-4-1 scrum bas -always been on the I two outside hookers. The middle hookerdid-.not get .any weight at all,! so that he could be free to swing if the occasion required it. I think. now, that is where we have been wrong. The Springbokaidirect all their weight on the middle looker,' and as far as possible make a wedge.- The three hookers pack very low with feet back., the middle man having his arms on top of the others, whSe the outside men pack closely under his arm-pits. "Lotz's method of hooking the ball was simply jto Advance his right foot (when the JsilFVas "put in from .the left side) and* ,the ' man on his" left would advance his left foot after the ball had passed, and thus close up the channel and trap the ball. Then when the ball was hooked it would travel back through v the channel between the first' and second hookers. "As we know that ball frequently shot back between the side hooker's legs and almost straight into Craven's hands. According to Boy- Louw, however, the real path of the ball was down the scrum between the first lock's legs. "That brings us to the position of the locks. Their feet should also be back and set astride almost exactly as the stance of the lock of our old 2-3-2 scrum. The legs of the lock nearer the side from which the ball is thrown are wider apart than those of the other lock.. The locks clasp each other with their inside arms, and they direct all their weight on the middle hooker. She side row men pack down on an tangle inwards, but here again both feet tend to be well back. "I noticed from photographs and from games that sometimes one foot

would be advanced and sometimes the other foot. We always looked upon it as bad packing if the side row man had his outside foot forward. The Springbok theory is that the placing of one foot forward tends to direct the player's weight upwards. As far as I can see the side row man probably advances one foot slightly for comfort, but both should be well back. The back row man packs between the two locks, with' his feet well back and apart. . "Every man when packed down should be able to see the ball, and the line of heave should be parallel with the ground. Hookers must pack low. When Craven put the ball in the scrum I think he show,ed it to his forwards first and then counted (and presumably the whole scrum counted also), and then shot the ball in quickly enough to' make' it rebound off Lotz's foot. If Louw's inside foot did not get up in time the ball came straight out of the scrum and had to be put in again. If he. blocked the gap the ball was either deflected through his legs or else the lock's legs, to be picked up by Craven. •The two side row inen did not even Jjother about getting up to pur first

five-eighth. Their job was to prevent the opposing .halfchiack from running wife the ball, and to protect their owl* half-back when their scrum had gained possession of the ball."