NEXT YEAR'S UNDERTAKING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 111, 13 May 1939, Page 23

NEXT YEAR'S UNDERTAKING

WARNING NOTE FROM SOUTH AFRICA

The desirability of giving the New Zealand team a reasonably good opportunity of working into form before meeting the more strenuous engagements on the tour of South Africa next year was emphasised by delegates to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby- Union. Steps to see that the team is not stacked up against strong provincial sides in its early matches will be taken by the N.Z.R.U. authorities.

Writing of the coming tour a New Zealander now residing in South Africa offers some advice, and in this he mentions particularly the line which should be followed in having the itinerary fixed. The advice comes from Mr. J. Prosper, a former Hawke's Bay representative, and is given in a letter to a friend in Christchurch, where he at one time resided.

"One word of caution," the writer states. "X it is at all possible, the New Zealand Bugby Union should stipulate that the itinerary of the tour should ■commence at Durban, versus Natal, and follow against the Border and Eastern Province -or • Griquas': before they are stacked against Western Province or Transvaal.

"Most of the tours commence at Cape Town, and in meeting Western Province they play against a Springbok side before they get into their stride. Also there should be several easy games on the high veldt before the Transvaal teams are met, to give the players a chance to get used to the altitude. MUST BE GOOD TACKLERS. "It has been said that all New Zealand's forwards for the 1940 tour should be not less than 14st. I would like to raise that limit to 15st if it could be done without sacrificing the mobility of t the pack, and in addition " I would not select a man tor any position who -was not a good tackier. Every player on a Springbok side is a good tackier, or he is not considered. "Holton, a splendid footballer, even now when he is past his prime, lost an almost certain place in the 1932 Springbok team to England through swallowing a 'dummy1 at the trials in Cape Town, so strict are the selectors on each man getting his man on defence. "There are the usual first-of-the season articles in the papers here advocating bright Rugby, and I can assure you there is room for it, although last season was a distinct improvement in that respect, with most teams trying to open their game up. A leading sports commentator supports open Rugby but with reservations. He remarks: 'However, the craze for bright football should not be allowed to create the illusion that all that has to be done in a game is to sling the ball about and keep it moving. There war much iri the methods of the British and Australian teams which was worthy of admiration, but their bright football was not always good Rugby.' "He was quite correct, for their methods proved costly on numerous occasions because certain fundamentals essential in sound Rugby were neglected. The chief of these was intense backing up by both backs and forwards, and to do this a team must be in top form, both in physical fitness and efficiency in other departments of the game. CLOSELY WATCHED. "Those essentials are closely watched here in South Africa, therefore the right play is left to the flank forwards of the type of Strachan and van Reerian, and back-ranker forwards are not expected to look like backs and neglect the duties imposed in ■ the scrums. Most of the brightness is expected to come from the backs, of course, who must always be on the look-out for work instead of waiting for the opportunities to come to them. "The same writer goes on to say that it is better to take a bump and 'die' with the ball than pass to a man in a worse position than himself. This is quite correct. Yet I can hear the disparaging yells of the spectators on Lancaster Park when a man does go down tackled with the ball. "South African Rugby has suffered for a good many years through excessive kicking to touch; yet there are numerous times when a kick to touch is the correct tactic and a passing movement foolhardy, although more spectacular. INTENSE BACKING-UP. "The passing game, to be successful, entails very much more team work than the other type of game, where the majority of the work is left to the forwards. Therefore the intense backingup once such a feature of New Zealand Rugby and the chief reason for its success in the past, must be cultivated to a high degree in the team to visit South Africa next season. •"If this department of the game is attended to, and our New Zealand forwards can hold their own as well as tackle, if the backs are speedy and can also tackle, if the team is chosen

free of crocks (and this means a lot), and they get really fit, then, with a capable captain and manager (which also means a great deal), New Zealand will have an excellent chance of regaining the supremacy of the Rugby world."