LOST LIME KICKING

Evening Star, Issue 19891, 13 June 1928, Page 5

LOST LIME KICKING

AMD NEGLECTED SCRUMMAGING ALL BLACK CHANGES TO-DAY (.SmaAr. to the ' Rr.vu,'] AUCKLAND, Juno 12. When the. 1028 New Zealand Rugby Union footballers step out on to the Kroonstacl ground this afternoon they will again bo following in the wake of their illustrious predecessors, the New Zealand Military Services, for on August G, 1919, Jimmy Ryan and Co. wcut into action against tho Orange Freo State for tho fifth match of tho Army tour of Soutli Africa, At this stago ono hardly daro prophesy that tho present All Blacks will make as light work of tho opposition as did the sido of nine years ago; for. although tho score at ono stage stood at G-5, only ono point in favour of I lie Services, half-timo was called at 11-3 and no side at 16-5.

Some significance in tho present game attaches to the following:—Commenting on the 1919 game, (ho Bloemfontein ‘Journal’ stated; “Every forward is a splendid tackier, and speed appears to bo ono of the requirements for a forward, because tho All Blacks’ pack wore as speedy as their hacks, if not more so. The New Zealand hacks, on tho other hand, were disappointing. Jack O’Brien, at full-back, was a veritable stonewall, and saved remarkably well. Tho handling of the other backs —P. W. ?to rev. U. W. Roberts. W. A. Ford, J. Ryan. J. C. M'Naught, and Randmann—was bad, and they lacked sorely in initiative. Except for tho kicking of O’Brien and Roberts, their touch-finding was faulty, and had it not been foi the fact that the forwards always came to the assistance of the hacks tho latter would prove a source of danger to the team almost as frequently as an asset.” If ever a rearguard was damned with faint praise that Free State journal surely got the measure of the Army backs. Racks unable to kick into touch with anything like a consistent length should really be disqualified for international Rugby, yet for the 1928 jaunt to Africa tho rearguard was chosen without its members being called upon to demonstrate to tho selectors that they could kick a football well enough to enable their forwards to live for more than sixty minutes of a strenuous contest; and any authority on Rugby will tell you that tho kick into touch amendment has almost eliminated the good old honest sernmmagers so essential to the 2-3-2 fqrraation.