RUGBY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 December 1924, Page 9

RUGBY.

NOTES. “How one’s mind goes back to those days, and soon aiter, Avhen the first football match Avas played between Wellington and Nelson Colleges,” said a speaiver during' one of the functions in connection with the Wellington College Jubilee. “One of the members of the latter team was vour esteemed exheadmaster, J. p. Firth, C.M.G., and it is quite probable that he was the cause of our downfall.” . THE ALL BLACKS. Writing to the Christchurch Press, Mr. L. Simpson pays a nice tribute to West’s good play. He says; “The finest All Black fonvard rush took place in this match. It. was just after the home side had registered a penalty kick, making tlie score B—3.8 —3. In this great spirited rush tlie All Blacks simply brushed the opposition to one side, _ and a slight knock-on spoiled a certain score. A score it really deserved. It Avas a real old-timer. Out of the ten. tries scored Wtost’s was a fine one. He started a fonvard rush near his own twenty-five, and carried the play right to the goal line. wlier e fie snapped up the leather to dive over.” Three members of the .411 Blacks, at present in Wales, ar e old boys of the Wellington Boys’ College, namely Porter, Donald’ and Nicbolls. On Monday the Old Bovs’ Association sent the following cablegram to Porter (captain of the All Blacks); “College jubilee todav. Present and past boys' congratulate old boys at Home and team on Batutoay’.s win.—(Signed) Wellington Old Boys.”

At the dinner held on Monday last to celebrate the completion of the

Jubilee ceremonies, a very happy reerence to the success of boys from the great secondary schools was made by the llev. Father Gilbert, of St. Patrick’s College. His remarks also served to illustrate how great the bond the camaraderie of good and clean sport made when boys left school. He said it was fitting at such a function to ‘ notice that the first two scores in the great struggle with. Wales were made by an old Wellington College boy, Mark Nicholls, and by an old St. Patrick’s College boy, Brownlie, a boy, he added, whom he had the pleasure of teaching some years ago The All Blacks have gone and done it. They have shown themselves to be “not quite nice.” They have shown themselves capable, toward the end of a game, of “charging like cavalry through a defenceless and undisciplined mob.” Somebody will have to cable to them about this, pointing out thatreally nice people, when playing Rugby football, always moderate- their tactics toward the end of the game, walk toward the opposing goal,- bowing to right and left, while their opponents are drawn up in two ranks, with impeccable discipline, forming fours at the word of command. Thus, and thus only, can the game be rescued from being a tumult of savagery. Now, the All Blacks did not do this, and so must be struck off the .visiting lists of the best people. It is very sad, especially when New Zealand meant so well in sending them. But it is just pos? sible to suspect that the real offence committed last Saturday was more heinous than the charges levelled by the critics. They beat a- team which many of those same critics had picked to check their victorious career, a thing no really nice footballers would dream of doing.—“Mercutio” in the N.Z. Herald.

In the course of a comparison,, one of the many made by English critics, between the 1905 and 1924 teams,' M.,” in; tlie Daily Mail, says: “Our present visitors, however, are unquestionably a magnificent team possessing pace, weight, and cleverness, but in my opinion they are not quite so good as their predecessors. The pack is powerful and clever in the loose, but do. not excel in scrummage work. Neither have they an F. Hunter,, the finest half or five-eighths of all time, though A. E. Cooke is supposed to be his replica. The present back division do not appear to run as straight as I” - ■ Roberts > .GL W. Smith, and F. \\. Stead, but in G. Nepia they possess a full-back who will compare with the best yet capped by any country, but it will take a powerful team to lower their colours.”

Up to the end of the twenty-first match, which was played against Wales on -Saturday, the 1924 All Blacks have scored 503 points to 71 recorded against them. Up to the end of the twentyfirst match the 1905 New Zealand team had scored 496 points to 36 against. Hie 1924 All Blacks have established a new international record in being the oniy touring team to com e out of Wales without having a defeat recorded against them. Here is the past record : 1905 All Blacks lost to Wlales o—3 1906 Springboks lost to Cardiff o—l 7 1908—Wallabies lost to Llanelly 3—B Wallabies lost to Wales o—9 Wallabies lost to Swansea o—60 —6 Wallabies lost to Cardiff 8 —24 1912—Springboks lost to Newport 3 —9 Springboks lost to Swansea o—3

It is a remarkable tribute to New Zealand’s ability as a Rugby country tnat, apart irom the nine victories which New South Wales has scored against us, New Zealand has only been beaten twice in international matches —by Wales, in Wajps in 1905, and by South Africa, at Auckland, in 1921. Says the London Evening Standard, after the Cheshire match; “I saw a prominent member of the touring party after the game, and he was sincere in his praise of the Cheshire backs. ‘What must the rest of Scotland’s threequarters be like,’ he said, ‘when they leave out men like Grade O n Saturday, for the first time since we started to play in England, we met a couple or “crackeriacks” in Grade and Locke. Locke is a magnificent, resolute run- ? er - W© are beginning to think that if England has any more- like him things are going to be a bit sultry for us at Twickenham in January.’ ” Dealing with the tour to France, the Auto states that one of the French clubs would probably guarantee the additional sum, and adds that the Racing Club Narbonnais and the State Bordelais have both proposed their grounds as suitable for a third match. The dates of the matches at Toulouse and Colombes are fixed for January 11 and 18 respectively. DISINFECTING A FOOTBALL. , A football .match at Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, a few weeks ago, was twice stopped while a player disinfected the ball and his boots. The game took place in a meadow adjoining land declared infected by foot-and-mouth disease. Twice the hall went over on to the forbidden territory. The player who recovered it had to dip his boots and the ball in a bucket of disinfectant before the game was resumed. RUGBY FOOTBALL. (London Times.) The “All Blacks” are still unbeaten, although they had a narrow escape at Newport last week. One minute from time Newport still led by two points, but a. mis-kick by their full-back had opened up the way to a last eventful attack by the All Blacks, and, to the bitter disappointment of a record crowd Svenson was enabled to score a try and Nicholls proved infallible with a non e too easy place-kick. . In this way the New Zealanders won a most exciting struggle by two goals and one penalty goal (13 points) to two goals (10 points). It would be a big mistake to assume from the closeness of the score that the ball also was kept close by the Newport team. It was, to be'sure, primarily a battle of forwards, but the conditions were almost as perfect as they had been at Swansea, and, although the Newport pack deserve most of the credit for their club’s magnificent effort, the backs on both sides had their share of the ball, as was proved by the way in which the play at times travelled up and down the field at the most alarming i-ate. It was the clash of two sides capable of wonderfully quick following up and deadly tackling that made it so difficult for both of them to score. The Newport pack on the day’s play were as strong, and rather more learned, than their opponents. Behind the scrummage the Newport men also contrived to hold their own fairly well, though it would snow a sad lack of proportion to describe them as a really first-class Welsh back division. Man for man they were ha.rdlv to he compared with Cooke, Nicholls, Porter, Svenson. and Steel, not to mention Nepia. It may seem odd to leave out Mill, who scored tb" All Blacks’ first trv, but that headdown dash of bis through a crowd of players appears to be his one first-class accornnlishment, and the veteran, and slow, Wetter was quite as effective as an all-round player. Dowdall, too,

played an alert and plucky game on the fringe of the scrummage. It was Wetter’s, and the centres’, fault that the wings had no chances to find the open. Even if they had it is to be feared that lack of pace would have been against them. The New Zealanders’ defence however, was well tested and the kicking of Nicholls, Nepia, and Porter could hardly have been better. The fact that T. Jones was kept out of the scrummage all through the game appeared to help Newport backs very little.

The New Zealanders met a representative English club side at Leicester on Saturday, and won with rather disturbing. ease by three goals', one penalty goal, and. three tries (27 points) to nothing. This score—for the benefit .of those who find significance in comparative figures—was exactly one point less than the five goals and a try obtained by the All Blacks of 1905. Everywhere that the present touring side go there is the same striking amount of interest and excitement, and what, perhaps, is of more importance, the same feeling of hope before the match aiid appreciation of the visitors’ good points afterwards.' More people at Leicester rushed to see them on Saturday than had watched the international match between England and Ireland a couple of seasons ago. They were not rewarded by as thrilling a struggle as that, which had occurred at Newport two days previously, but at least they had the spectacle of what a first-class back division can accomplish when their forwards are able to inaster their immediate opponents. Apart, however, from the fact that they were meeting a superior side, Leicester lost the match for three reasons—two of them, at any rate, quite unnecessary. In the first place, they adopted almost at the last moment, a formation in which they were, novices and their opponents experts. Many people find little virtue in the Leicester five three-quater game, but admit that their players have adapted themselves fairly well to the new idea. It was, therefore, an absurdity, even in the absence of H. L. V. Day, to rearrange the side so that H. L. Price should play a s five-eighth with A. M. Smallwood. The latter, a magnificent runner, made some characteristic breaks-., away, but Price was so little at home that he alternately stopped in his stride to pass, or, more often, to kick into'touch or drop at goal. Compared with the speed at which the All Blacks carried out their movements, the. faltering and spasmodic efforts of the Leicester backs were ludicrously ineffective. - WELSH RUGBY. (Athletic News.) As usual, on the eve of :the season, thex-e is some uncertainty as to bow the leading Welsh teams will be made up, but in the main it appears likely that the clubs will depend upon their old. players. In_ a few cases there have been notable losses. Chief among them is the defection to Halifax of Eddie Wat kins who played inside half for Wales in all last season’s International matches It is stated thaif he received £I,OOO for his signature to a Northern Rugby League form, and as Watkins has beeu employed as a roadman r it is not surprising that he succumbed'. This will be a great loss to Neath and to Wales. The club (who will be captained by the old international .for-, ward, D. Hiddlestone) have, however, every hope of filling all ; their back positions satisfactorily, and, as in the past, they do not lack good forwards. LOSSES AND GAINS. ' 7 Other notable players who have gone North are Melville Rosser, of Penarth and Wales, and Joe Jones,»of Swansea and Wales—two centre three-quaters from uhom much was hoped. Of outstanding recruits there are P- M. Bertram, the famous W atsonian and Scottish forward, has entered into partnership at Sketty, near Swansea, with Dr. E. T.(“Teddy”) Morgan, the great Welsh wing threequater of 20 years ago, and will be available for the All Whites. Swansea usually have had a fine pack of foruards, but the addition of Bertram should go far to lift the line to a level which they have not occunied in postwar years.

A gain to Swansea, too, though no addition to the strength of Wales is the transfer of Ivor Jones, of Llanelly. Last season he was Llanelly’s most prolific scorer, for he not only placed 34 goals, but also scored 17 tries—a temarkable/performance for a forward. Swansea (captained by J. H. John, a forward), will have to. rebuild their back division.

Aberavon, who last season were the test of the Welsh clubs, and possibly the best club in the kingdom, start the season under the captaincy’ of W. T. Thomas, with practically all'their aid players available, and full of hope or great success. At Llanelly enthusiasm is in full flood, and with Albert Jenkins as captain, and few losses to •ecord. the team should do as well as they did last season. CARDIFF DISAPPOINTED. Cardiff, judging Dy. the available players, should do better than they did iast season. They had hoped to secure the services of Hamilton-Weelces, the Cambridge and English wing tlueequater, but business, which took him temporarily to tlie Welsh, port, has removed him to Liverpool, and he will probably play for Birkenhead Park, Cardiff will be led by T. Johnson, the Welsh wing three-quater. Newport, in the early part of' the season, will be handicapped through the absence in South Africa of Neil M'Pherson, Dr. W. J. Roelie, Vincent Griffiths, and Harold Davies, but upon their return all the old players (except Alafron Williams, now in Australia) vill be available, and with the return 'Jf D. D. Herbert (unable to play after injury in the final Welsh Trial last January), the three-quater line should ;e considerably strengthened. Tlie team which will be captained for the second year in succession by Reg Edwards, the English forward, are in need of a fullback. EFFORTS TO RAISE THE STANDARD. Difficulties beset.Pontypool, but they have overcome them so often'that there are hopes that the club will climb again to the position of prominence which they held in the past. They have lost ■many players, but the captain (Cliff Richards, the Welsh International wing three-quater) and the committee are Iveen upon building up a back division •vorthy of the reputation of the club, ind are bent upon playing the open, scientific game.

Abertibery, led by J. Fear, a tried and skilful forward, hope to do better than last season by following their oohev of depending upon local "talent. Incidentally, one may say that too many of the leading Welsh teams are tempted to look for players outside their own areas when in the junior duh<3 around them there are men who would repay cultivation. Last season \bertillery was more definitely a local team than any of their first-class rivals, and their record certainly justified their faith in local talent.

Cross Keys, the other pro at team of the western valleys of Monmouthshire,

Western valleys of Monmouthshire, will will-not lack experienced ..leadership, for they have Fred Reeves, the old Ihteihw-tionalphalf-back, captain, and Steve Morris, perhaps the most consistent of last season’s Welsh forwards, as vicecaptain. And in their case, also, most of the old players will serve..... Some of the other clubs, Pill Harriers and ■ Treherhert among them, are struggling against financial difficulties. The,depression in trade and low wages in the coalfield have played, havoc with “gates,” apd many clubs have had a hard struggle to keep their heads above water. But the spirit of hope prevails, and with that optimism which marks Welsh Rugby enthusiasts it is believed that a succession of club successes and a general improvement in the standard of play will be the forerunner of triumphs in the International field.

Writing Of the North Midlands match, a EUme paper says that in. spite of the ultimate scores it was a . really good and' entertaining .game, played under favourable atinosphereie conditions, Before a “gallery”..of .sorhe : ,2o,ooo. This must bb something like a Rugby record crowd for Birmingham, which is a veritable “Soccer” hotbed. There was hot a single incident in the game that called for adverse comment; the play Was open, there were only three stoppages, and tho.se towards the ehd Of the match, while the refereeing Of Mr. T. Vile, the old Welsh international half-hack, was. of such character that scrummages were kept to a mihiinum, arid the gam© made as spectacular as possible.

THE A.I.F. RUGBY TEAM AND N.Z

... (Sydney Referee:) T.V.T; writes from Wellington, New Zealand (Oct. 21 1924), ih reference to a Question some little time back answered, ih The Referee :

In' The Referee oh October lo 3 in replying tb a qilfestioh asked by Ake Ak’e, NeHbh; you .give it as -y6\ir opinion that the A.I.F. Rugby team beat the N.Z. Army team bn its merits in the contest for the King’s Gup. As one who was in close. touch with . bur Army team during that mCihorable Contest, I say that, had if ndt. been for the action of the English spbffihg. Writers,.the A;I.F. would nevef have beateh our boys. You may ask what have sporting writers to do With it? Well, ih the contest for the . King’s Gup N.Z. beat Mother Country .at Inverleigh, Scotland, ahd the: English papers were very sore because their men had to play away from their home, ground, Twickenham. In addition to running down'our chaps, they published cartoons ,*n Which were sortie Very personal remarks about some of the players. This sdrt of treatment naturally Licensed our men, and lhoy wete very keen for another go at Er-g----land. .

The Mother Country had only been defeated once iii the by N.Z. The All Bla'eks were undefeated, but still had to meet Aussie. The A.I.F. won, afid then N.Z. and England, with one each-, were level, and had to play off-for the Gup. This match was played at Twickenham and N.Z. won. These facts afe "true, and bii the strength of them, I don’t see how you can say that the A.I.F. were superior to N.Z. at Rugby. One hae no doubt that the A.I.F. defeated ; the New Zealanders on their merit's. At their best the A.I.F. had a great set of forwards, possessing excellent combination, being brilliant tacklers and most zealous scrummagers. They won because they made if a close forward game. We do'not say that they were superior # as a team to the New Zealanders; hut they won this match on their merits. The A.I.F. pack was ouite up to the best International standard when they played in Sydney, and /one does not think any New Zealand eight of the period would have beaten them. They were better all round than any New South Wales pack we have seen, save the Wallabies after their tour. THE ALL BLACKS Says a correspondent in a northern paper—“ Allow ine a little of your sporting column, to suggest a wav to provide the public of New Zealand an opportunity ."of witnessing our chaihpion AH Blacks when they return. 1 suggest that.a. jimteh be arranged in each of the four centres and also a match in .Southland, Hawke's .-Bay, Taranaki, Wairara.pa, and Wanganui Districts, and the West- Coast, making in all 10 matches, T think the team would not be so stale that it would be impossible to .play these ,fen matches. The public of.. New Zealand has. not seen the All Blacks play and of the financial success Of the. matches the *ew Zealand Rugby Unioti need have no feans.

. The game needs some boasting, as since the Springbok visit .of 1921 the public interest has somewhat flacked A tour of New Zealand by an All Black touring team would be unique in New Zealand football history . ’ J Candidlv (writes •&, correspondent in the Sporting. Chronicle). I think the present New Zealand side is as wonderful .'Sr, the 1905 All Blacks, though with a difference. The members of that team were individual giants, and they excelled because each man was more or less a genius. The members' of the present side are not so individualistic, perhaps not quite as finished, and brilliant man for man, hut they h-aVe developed combination to a fine art. and their individual capacities allied to tea.m spirit will: • carry them through many a stiff battle. They are big, strong, very fast, and every man can swerve. Thev call _to their aid no tricks. They have introduced nothing new in the wav of tactics, but they exploit every legitimate move. “CRUX OF THE TOUR.”

Mr. O. J. Wray, New Zealand’ ,s representative on the English Rugby CJnioii, writes : -—<

“If the New Zealanders are as good as I think they are they ought to win every match. The crux of the whole tour will be tlie second London Oounty match on December 27 a.t Blackheath. Of course, every New Zealander wishes to see absolutely the best side play against England on January 3. If that best side is entirely reserved for the game against England it will have a spell of .seventeen days without a match. The question is: Clan they afford to do it? If we had an unbroken record up to that point we cannot risk losing the Blackheath match, and the very best- judgment would have to be exercised so that we should net ri.sk on the one hand losing the Blackheath match and on the other hand weaken by accidents the team for the England match.” °

(It was in the second match against London Counties that the 1912 Springboks lost their only match in England).

SEVEN-FORWARD FORMATION There seems to be a. general impressioit that the New Zealand forward formation of seven mbn, ranged 2—3— 2, was the usual style in New Zealand.

It was not. When Gallagher’s team came here nineteen years ago, the clubs iii New Zealand played all sorts of formation, and it was only oil board ship that the seven forwards formation Was. arrived at, and perfected. Some English clubs, notably Leicester, play this formation, and Devon County adopted it against the present team. The real secret of the success, of this formation is hot its novelty, hut. the essential need for fitness, and above all understanding,,,amongst the members of a side. The New Zealanders of 1905, rightly claimed that their seven men were shbving with twelve shoulders against, twelve shoulders of the opposing eight. Also they, had no centre man in the back row to possibly obstruct Quick healing. Their strength jav in the fact that, in addition to the abilities of their men to play ih various positions, every one of their team had to pass a time test for speed, and cover 100 yds inside 12se'e. The result was that their sfenuinM&gens were always on the spot, formed up—two hookers, a lock, twi> supports, and two breakaway forwards, before the opposition trotted tip' to Mick their heads ih anywhere or -anyhow. And sb, foresight aiid fitn'ess carried them far.

iffPhe seven pack, 2—3—2., Was the customary formation ih New Zealand in I^os.—The Cynic. ]