BOGEY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 17 April 1926, Page 10

BOGEY

The splendid results attending the activities of the Taranaki Primary Schools’ Football Union may be guaged from the following summary of thfj position given by the president (Mr E. Bary) at the annual meeting of the union: “The union has now achieved the task of organising football and sport in practically every school under the jurisdiction of the Taranaki Edwation Board. Its activities cover 117 schools-, and considerably over 1400 boys are playing, in the games organised by the (Schools’ Union. This is a condition existing, as far as is known, in no other province of New Zealand. ’' Intensive preparations are -being made for the new season, whose competitions will begin in a fortnight. _ It is hoped all members are getting into training and are attending the practices notified by most of the clubs. The seven-a-skle tourneys should help towards this essential, absolute fitness tor every player. It is one of the most important points in making the game, not only for the player and the club, bujt for the spectator, and is also a feature that goes a long way in spelling success. Opunake Olu-b committee hare been doing a good deal of useful work in improving their playing area. They put in a lot of work earlier, which ha,s not come to fruition quite as well as was hoped. 'But there is no reason why, if work is continued next season, the ground should not he one of the best in the .province.

SEVEfN-A-SiEDEi TOURNEYS. A very popular kind of “side line ’• to the regular game of Rugby has been provided by the institution of the seven men games, a form of play intended to keep an open fast game, practically free from scrummages and confined to open pas-sing or dribbling rushes. There have been quite a number in South Taranaki and they have attained such a popularity that they have attracted crack teams from other districts and other provinces. • Kaponga is one of the luckiest of these tourneys, and they have had,the good fortune to gee teams like Petone and Napier over to contest and to win the shield, in addition to Wanganui and Rata. But some of the piavers do not quite appreciate the style of play required and, indeed, expected of them. One has seen quite a lot of ,the bullocking forward scrambles, which have often disfigured Taranaki football, and that is not needed nor wished for. The public do not want it. They'ivant clean, fast and open play, and the iplayers really ought ‘to revel in it. Tit is a grand chance for the forwards to take a hand with the backs in passing rushes. It j.s a winning game and deserves more practice? There is actually nothing harder to stop than a whole .team of passing and dribbling forwards. One can reoall wonderful work done by trains of such a description. Committees and coaches should instil this into all players.

IN; PRIMARY .SCHOOLS. The movement ih vogue for the past two years is one that deserves the very strongest support and is certain to have the greatest influence for good now and in the future, the latter more especially, for actually any such scheme should build for the future, land have for its aim the improving of the youngsters, who will be the seniors of the years to come. It is especially valuable to know that last year a, competition was arranged for the tiniest schools, in grade one. In South Taranqjci a lot of the most interesting and attractive football was shown in the fourth grade competition, included in which were schools such as the Haver a High School. If more of such fast open play were s.een in all the competitions, it would he so much riie better for the game generally 1, and add so much to .the pleasure and enthusiasm of spectators. No one could wish ito see better form than that

shown by some of the fourth teams s last year. The play 'between High School and Waimate fourths may well be singled out for special mention. The seniors might well take a lesson from these teams. If they would show more of that class of play it would be so much the better for the football of Taranaki, and give the senior .representatives a better chance in competition with outside provinces. They would do well to. 'be given the advice handed out to the boys of the Waimate fourths. “It does not matter whether you win or lo.se, play the'fast open game,” and actually that is the winning game.

IN ENGLAND. Some idea of the growth of the Rugby Game in England may he obtained from the "facts that the game was almost dead when the Np v Zealand All Blackss created the revival of 1905, and the E.R.tT. purchased its ground at Twickenham in 1907. The game grew so greatly that a_ great deal of money was spent increasing the accommodation to provide for the crowd when the 1924 AH Blacks visited England and played at Twickennam. Even this accommodation was too small for the j i ntern at ion a 1 games this year, all the reserves being sold out a fc-Ttnight before the games, while more than 6000 applications for seats fo* the Scottish match had to be ri med dov n. Oxford’s luck, season after season, in the matter of first-class Rugby footballers who go up as Freshmen Is proverbial. Since the war A. C Wallace, G. C. Aitken, R. L. Raymond, and D. Drysdalo at© among those who had previously played for their country before entering the University, and the sequence will he maintained next season when W. C. Powell, the London Welsh scrum half, who gained his cap weeks ago, matriculates. SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR.

It is good to have read that the South African Rugby Board has decided to invite a New Zealand team to tour South Africa in 1928. It will recall vividly memories of the great Springbok team which toured New Zealand a few years hack and made such a name for their good play. TOO MANY SENIOR TEAMS. IN RUGBY FOOTBALL IN WELLINGTON. The ’delegates of the Wellington Rugby Union have decided that dt as but right and proper that th© senior competition under that body should be decided between the eleven, teams, in the contest last .season. This Is a. big mistake. One of tip, delegates stated that the competition last year was interesting. and therefore it should .not be disturbed. And this argument, strange to say, seemed strong enough, iv dying by the voting, to carry weight with it. The Management Committee erred (says the l Free Lance) in recommending that only one team should he delegated to “B” grade. They ought to

have limited the teams in the “A” o 1 ass to eight, and then they would have provided for the full quota, of senior players in and around Wellington. If Rugby football is to progress along right lines the competition all the tim© must he. keen, and this' cannot be possible when one team or any number of teams go out Saturday after Saturday to> be chopping-blocks for others.