THE SPRINGBOKS

Evening Star, Issue 22686, 28 June 1937, Page 14

THE SPRINGBOKS

MATCH AGAINST VICTORIA DUNESiH BOY'S COMMENT Friends of Mr J. G. Timlin, a former member of the P.irates Club, Dunedin, who is now in Melbourne, will be interested to read his comments on the match in which the Springboks met a Victorian side. " I went to see the Rugby match Springboks v. Victoria,” he writes. “ Their forwards play very well and are always on the ball. They were penalised in about every second scrum for lifting their feet. I thought Strachan, a big snowy-headed was their best man. H© played a great game. _ Nel, the captain, was also outstanding. “ The Africans were not fit. It was early in their tour, and I suppose they were talking things easy. The backs threw the ball around, and ran across the field a great deal without much penetration. Bester, the centre, starved the wingers. He hung, on to the ball till he was caught, and then gave it to the wingers, who did not then have much of a chance. " Brand is a very good kick, and will be a danger to b{ew Zealand. The forwards, packing 3-4-1, hooked the ball like lightning. I reckon that they should have played a better game and beaten Victoria by even more than they did. I hope New Zealand heats the Springboks. "PAS OP" MEANS “WATCH OUT.” " Rugby players often hoar what the other side thinks of them—particularly if there’s some warm work in the scrums," says an article in a Melbourne paper forwarded by Mr Tim-

lin. “ But Australians won’t know a thine about the Springboks’ feeling; it all sounded double-Dutch to us as it floated over the Carlton ground, where the team trained. “ Actually, the language the South African footballers use is Afrikaans, a very different language, built on a Dutch foundation, with an injection of French influence. Tactically, it is very useful against an English-speaking side. “ ‘ Steel kant,’ shouts a player; and the opposition aren’t to know that they should keep an eye on the blind side. If there is a shout of ‘ Stoot, kerels,’from the side of the serum the men, behind must put all their weight in,. ‘ Push, you fellows,’ is the translation. “ The player who tries to go too far on his own hears ‘ Gee ann ’—the g is a deep guttural—and he passes the hall. Or, if an opponent is coming hard behind him he heeds a team mate’s warning cry of ‘ Pas op,’ and looks out. All the Springboks know Afrikaans, which is more truly the South African language than is English. “ Rugby players disagree about just how much value there is in a language that the other side doesn’t know. Planning secret moves ahead is not much use when a split-second action by the other side can upset everything; but sometimes it is undoubtedly helpful. "Victorian players thought it toa late to learn what an aboriginal would say about football, but the All Blacks are being warned to spend part of their training time learning Maori.”