RUGBY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 18 April 1925, Page 9

RUGBY

THE OLD RiCALS. I The formation of a ne,> senior club in Hawera re cans memories of trie nival Club of yore, and the fact that il had some great reams, me members of wnich were Keen sportsmen in the cause of Rugby. We are informed by jan oid player uiat me Rivals were unbeaten, for they went out of existence winle Holding the cup, after a spell of | victories. ‘ Tnere are still a few of their 1 owl players m aiaweru. j iix THE PROVINCES. | The first Series of “try-outs” have | been held, and, judging by the generally gooa roi’ni snotm ana Lhe enrnusiI asm oi piayers, the season promises to I be one ox tne best. This is so in isoutn xanmaKi, and reports Horn otner districts go to conlirm this forecast. or Wellington especially very good reports are receiveu, every etuu noting increases in membership and many promising players added to their lists. The season should see very keen interjclttb contests. j This is very interesting in view of the annual match between Wellington and Taranaki in July. Tne annual fixture should be one of the best recordeu in the history of these M inter tehow contests. The seven-a-side tournaments create much enthusiasm and display much good, fast football. .Scrum work is j brought down to practically nil, and it jis therefore the more necessary for I players to be absolutely fit and able to go from start to finish. Kaponga has ; had a very successful tournament. It | would have been a great draw to have had the Hawke’s Bay champions, but this was unavoidably cut out. Manaia is expecting a great fixture to-day. One of the teams is a team of young players under Charlie Whittington. They, are all fit as racehorses, and there is no reason why they should not be as good as any* in the competition. It is good to see an experienced player taking an interest in the young ’uns. So is the game assisted and improvement made. THE ALL BLACKS. A feature o.f the receptions and dinners given to the All Blades in England was the number of elaborately designed menu cards, on which were worked, besides the colours, the silver fern and other typical emblems, on the menu would very often be fount! courses named after the leading, players, such as “Porter” souxi, and otners.

INTERESTING TROPHIES. Mr W. R. Irvine, the Waipukurau representative in the Ail Black team, brought back with him from his tour many interesting relics of the various games he played in. These have been placed on exhibition in the busy centre; and are creating great interest. Jerseys of all colours are to be seen, the white with the red rose (the English international) being amongst them, also the “Welsh jersey red adorned with a leek, and the Irish one, green with a shamrock, all showing signs of good service. 'The French jeisey is of blue colour, mounted with a chanticieer. Amongst many interesting exhibits is the menu and toast list.of the grand farewell dinner given in London. This is autographed by H.R.H. the Prince of \\ ales, Ernest Barry, the sculler, fcjteve Donohue, and other personages well known in these distant lands.. In addition there is a big array of medals, tie pins, and a hundred other mementoes of the trip presented by English and other admirers.

IN HOME PREPARATORY SCHOOLS

Writing of Rugby in preparatory schools at Home, the editor of the Red Book, the magazine of the Ladyeross School at Seaford, says: ‘‘The chief drawback to Rugger at preparatory schools is the way mere size and weight dominate tne games and are generally the determining factor in the results, it has usually been our fate to possess a much smaller and lighter team than those we have had to meet, and in many games, though our skill might be equal or even superior to our opponents, we have had to be content with a heavy score against us. Not that we care twopence about a beating as such. In cricket and many other games it is possible to be beaten and still Have many opportunities of showing one’s skill and* getting a great deal of fun out of the game. But Rugger against a much bigger side leaves very few openings to the weaker team, and the game is apt to degenerate into rather a farce, the forwards being shoved all over the field, and the backs have to watch perhaps one big fellow strolling over the line and getting try after try, because there is no one big enough to tackle him . it is not without interest to note the opinion that Rugby is not held of as much importance as soccer when the editor writes: “Unfortunately, as we have never considered Rugger matches as counting as seriously in the year’s records as cricket and soccer, we have not kept a proper record of the games.” The Red School Journal in its records of sport has a section on “football,” meaning soccer, and then another on Rugby football 1 , clearly showing which is reckoned of first importance. •

PRIMARY SCHOOLS’ ASSOCIATION

The report of the annual meeting of the Taranaki Primary Schools’ Rugby Union, to be held to-night at Stratford, states, inter, alia, that the senior and McLeod Shields caused keen competition among the schools in the various groups, the former being won by West End and the latter by Opunake. In the interprovincial match with Wanganui, Taranaki won a 'good match, and the members of the team gained much commendation for their behaviour on and off the field. Another interesting fixture was that between North and South, the display of football on both sides evoking much favourable comment. The divisional tournament, which is now an established annual fixture, was held at Now Plymouth, and drew representatives from all four divisions. Another valuable feature of the union’s work is the assisting of the game in schools too far removed to take part in the competitions, and the success attending that work is acknowledged by the representative in the Eastern district. He refers enthusiastically to the work of the group organisers. The scheme covered the fixing of boundaries, appointing of teacher organisers, and distribution of footballs, and it was taken up with enthusiasm and energy, and as a result 30 schools, grades I and 11, played organised football for the first time. Among the organisers was one lady, Miss E. Burkhart, who acted with Messrs E. St. John, C. V. Smith. A. N. McClure and E. A. Simpson. During the year Mr T. Innes was appointed organiser for the Hawera junior group, and Mr W. A. Curteis organiser and union representative in the Eastern district. It is honed that one result of the assisting of the smaller schools will be the arranging of matches between them and some bigger school and the institu-

tion of a South Taranaki small schools’ match. The committee feel that, although some of the football has been crude, yet the organising of matches is going to have a very valuable effect on the boys in-fostering among them a love of the national game of New Zealand. With a view to widen the scope and improve the status of school football, the following suggestions are made : (a) To organise the district north of Waitara similarly to the Eastern district; (b) to fix a definite time for completion of competitions; (c) schools to nominate the grade in which they wish to play; (d 1 ) to hold a combined athletic meeting; (e) to allow seven-a-side teams in matches for grade II and under; (f) to set ui) a ladies’ executive to organise and control girls’ sports in the primary schools; (g) an extension of the scheme be made to include basket ball and baseball rounders for girls.

A GREAT INSTITUTION. “Rugby football has been a recognised institution in New Zealand sport since the earliest period of our history, but the game witft us was not always the scientific one that is played today.” Such was an opinion expressed by Mr George 'Dixon in his book of 19 years ago on the great tour of the 1905 All Blacks. To-day the same -pinion stands good, and as further supxiort to it there is the record tha* beats all—that of the 1924 All Blacks, who, in following the footsteps of iAe originals, went through a long series of matches without experiencing a single reverse. The “gradual process of evolution” to which Mr Dixon referred has continued, and to-day New Zealand is even better known through this great game —Rugby. With each season the call to sport comes, and that for the Rugby fields locally this season is meeting with a greater response than ever. Alt through fhe summer an amount of Rugby interest has been maintained through the New Zealand team being on tour in other lands, and with this a great keenness to be ‘‘on the ball” again has been aroused. For some weeks past placers have been making ■ preparation, and' from most of the local clubs the reports regarding attendances at the various practices which have been arranged confirm the Wellington Rugby Union’s statement that the prospects for better football are brighter than was the case last season. The prospects of senior clubs are. of course, being keenly discussed, and from inquiries which have been made there is every reason to believe that the material offering for the senior competition .should account for football that will command more attention than was the case last year, when interest slackened after the All Blacks had made their departure. Outside of club '•omnetitions the outlook is much brighter than last year, as in addition to the usual run of representative matches there will he games with a New. South Wales team which is to visit the Dominion. Another event to stimulate interest and competition will be tbe selection of a team to visit New South Wales. The choice of players for this team i e to be made next month, so that the efforts to secure places should be a help towards making the football good from the official start of the senior competition. It mnv be mentioned in nassing that the plovers to make the trip to New South Wales will not include members of the team which went to England last season.