RUGBY

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 13092, 13 February 1937, Page 11

RUGBY

1937 SPRINGBOKS

WHAT ARE ALL BLACKS’ CHANCES

“Wild Bill” Cerutti, the Wallaby forward, may not he the world’s best Rugby judge, hut when he says that the 1937 Springboks -will overthrow the. All Blacks, it is assumed that he has some pretty sound grounds' for that conviction. And he has. He bases his opinion on his experience .against the 1933 South African sides and the New Zealanders of last season. The Wallaby Test team of 1933, he says-, would have beaten both the New Zealand and Australian Test, teams of 1930, and by the same token the 1933 Springboks would also have triumphed rather easily. On paper at any rate, the Australian team which toured South Africa, in 1933 was undoubtedly stronger than our visitors 1 of last year, despite all the grandiose publicity which precided their tour. And the New Zealand Test sides of 1936 were not, in any large measure, superior to the Wallabies. Certainly a. handsome points victory was secured in Dunedin, but it was something in the nature of a shadow without the substance.

SOMETHING WRONG When a team makes a pretty even break of it for the greaer part of the game as did the Australians, and a kind of dry rot sets in it can he taken for granted that something has suddenly got into the works and smashed up the combination, and not- that the opposing side has found its feet and becomes overwhelmingly the master through sheer ability.

And “Wild Bill’s” belief that the Australian backs, lacking in real tactical and technical equipment and experience, became demoralised when disasters overtook their adventurous sorties into the All Blacks’ territory is inohably not very far wide of the mark.

Cerutti’s view that inside back play in New’ Zealand last season was not the kind •to set the Thames' on fire, will accord with that of must students of the game in this country. Sadler, he considers, is just a good orthodox scrum base worker. He’s not quite right there. Sadler can be most unorthodox, so much so that he loses complete track of the rest, of the hacks. He hasn’t yet fulfilled expectations, despite the fact that he has been hailed as a. great player in some quarters. Griffiths did not impress. Cerutti. He’s right. A fine defensive player, the 1936 All Black skipper has not, however, the flair on attack that is necessary in a 'topjgrade five-eighths. A certain stodginess, a certain in ability to seize opportunity by the forelock, at it were, are points about Griffiths’ play too distinguishing to lend to belief that 'he is 'of true All Black standard. C. E. Gillies apparently did not find much, favour in the eyes of the Australian vicecaptain. At. any fate Cerutti doesn’t single him out for any distinglished service award. Maybe he’s not far wrong. A good tradesman Gillies, without ever being likely to ho regarded by posterity as something out of the box.

KILLEEN A SCAPEGOAT

The scapegoat, for the lack of imagination and slowness of. Griffiths and Sadler is how he describes Brian Killeen, who was dropped as second five-eighths- in the second Test. There may be something in what he says, but in spite of some very specious arguments to the. contrary, Killeen’s best, year was in 1934. Hcf has not produced anything like, the same class of Rugby since. Caughey evidently impressed Cerutti more than he has some New Zealand critics, hut whatever his merits or demerits, Caughey will not he on hand during the Springbok tour. He is leaving on a, business trip abroad in March.

Gerutti likes Mitchell and Watt. Ho rates them as high-class three-quar-ters. They .are also rated by some New Zealand critics as pretty good, too.

Pollock, it is clear, will not, in the Australian’s opinion, cut as- much icc under the new kick-into-touch law, which will operate next .season, as lie does under the amended rule. Not everyone will agree withi him. Pollock, although essentially a. running full-back, can play go-cd football under any law. His physique, oF course might keep him out of Tests. The selectors may go for Gilbert or someone of his type, but Pollock has the ability.

NOT ISO HOT

Cerutti didn’t think our forwards so hot,, and he. is sceptical of their mastery of the throe-fronted scrum. Well, be ought to know something about that. The plain fact is, of course, that- we haven’t mastered the formation imposed upon ns by Mr. “Binr’ Baxter.

But there is nothing to stop us from invoking tho wing-forward in all his old garb. . He mighty qu'ove a pretty useful fellow -before- the Springboks have thrown off tho dust of this country. Rankin, the Canterbury forward, was, Oerutti tells us, virtually a, wingfonvard and “did much "damage to our slow-moving inside hacks.” An expert., if we could develop one in time might play great havoc with the South African insides. . - .. Still, -there will be. many New Zealanders who will agree with Oerutti that, unless some wonderful discoveries are made, next season (this unfortunately doesn’t- seem' to be a miracleperforming age) the All Blacks wil have a man-sized job ahead of them.— Evening Post.