RUGBY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 19 June 1926, Page 12

RUGBY

NOTES. To-day the trial match before selection of the Maori team to tour the Old Country was played. The only probable from Taranaki is the brilliant three-quarter Ealwasser, who has been playing with the Star team. For the iirst time for about seven years, says a Wellington paper, the North island v. South match was played in fine weather.

HAWERA v OPUNAKE,

The Hawera-Opunake clash showed as a vigorous contest between evenly matched teams, the territorial honours being slightly in favour of the losers. During the early stages, when playing with the advantage of the wind, Opunake constantly menaced the Hajwera line, but Hawera’s defence waaafaiot pierced until a few minutes interval. In the second spell the former defenders became the more persistent attackers, but until the last ten minutes the Opunake vanguard repeatedly carried play into Hawera’s territory. The home team, however, was unable to penetrate, and the visitors were better able to sustain the aggressive pace, with the result that when opportunity offered it was promptly exploited, and a try registered by the AH Black West gave Hawera the winning points seven minutes befofe full time.

A general comparison of the teams showed little difference between the respective packs of forwards, the Hawera, seven showing to advantage in feeding their rear division from the line-out and formed scrums, while the Opunake van made the better compari. son in concerted rushes.

Honours in back play were secured by the Hawera rearguard, led by 31cAuliffe, who was probably the most resourceful back on the ground and showed glimpses of the form for which he was noted in the Wanganui district. The winning backs, however, did not by any means give an outstanding exposition in attack, but are to be credited with the maintenance of a very sure defence. Even in this phase the principle of backing up the man fielding a ball in the face of a forward charge, or in an otherwise precarious situation, was very often neglected. Next to McAuliffe, who played second five-eighth in the first spell and centre three-quarter in the second, Hammond was the most notable of the Hawera backs. The latter at centre in the first spell was sure, and was aggressive on the wing during the second half.

Barron at first five-eighth was sturdy, if not rapid. He could do with a few lessons at the hands of “Sam” Cameron, who went on to fill a gap after half-time. Meuli on the right wing tackled with unfailing accuracy, but was not given many chances to take the aggressive himself. Hulbert on the left wing was weak. Rumball, at full-back, fielded well and acquitted himself with credit Twist, a new player to the club,' created a good impression as wing forward, playing with conspicuous dash. .llobinson, Patterson, and Williams were constantly notable in the forwards, and the loss of the last-named was felt when he was forced to retire. Paterson and West showed experience in feeding the backs when occasion was favourable from the line-out. Henry, a hard toiling forward, also showed appreciation of this point. The star of the Opunake side was “Billy” Hohaia, who, though troubled with a bad knee, took tbe field as full back and played an outstanding game. His determination, however, to gain ground before getting rid of the ball had unfortunate results when, after changing places with his centre, Bayley, towards the close of the game, he was caught in possession and the Hawera forwards romped away to score. The hacks were weakened by the absence of the tricky centre, Charlie Hohaia, but had a welcome addition in the person of Owen, the former Athletic half. Playing behind the scrum in the second spell the latter stopped a lot of trouble for his supports. Brooker, the captain, who on account of defections has lately appeared out of his favourite wing forward position, took the right three-quarter position and gave an exhibition evincing his dependability, if not brilliancy, as a useful all-round player. Mclvor was the best of the middle backs in the initiation of openings. Mjaqßeynold'i, the wing forward, though not as resourceful as his vis-a-vis, kept well up with the play. In a good pack Tippetts, one of its smallest members, was conspicuous throughout, even by comparison with such noted exponents as Graham and Jim Lusk.

The remainder all played •willingly and were difficult to separate, though Trotter deserves mention for the man. ner in which he held the scrum.

THE ALL BLACKS. There will be little cavilling at the selection made of the All Black team for Australia, and after the display made on Saturday, it is felt that the Cornstalks will have to be pretty good to beat the chosen from this Dominion. It says a good deal for the southern men selected that after being beaten so badly by the North, seven were selected l in a list of twenty-three. Stevenson was selected for full-back in preference to Malcolm, though many spectators liked the Wellington boy’s play the better. Probably the fact that South were up against it during most of the match gave the Southlander more opportunity for showing his best. Malcolm, when tried out last year in trial matches, gave a great exhibition. Probably, however, another team almost a.s strong could very easily be chosen.

Last week we quoted extracts from Sydney papers which showed that the controlling authorities there were very keen to give the Maorilanders the greatest struggle possible, and. several players were mentioned as of special calibre and likely to fully extend the visiting team. It is to be hoped that these predictions are fulfilled, for whether the Ail Blacks win or not, it is the wish of all who have the. best interests of Rugby at heart that the play shall be of the highest standard. The more this is so, the better for the game hex-e and in Australia. ANCIENT AND MODERN. OLD PLAYER. DRAWS COMPARISONS. A WORD ABOUT HOOKING. George Nicholson, says the Auckland Star, was one of the tallest players who ever donned a jersey. He was a brilliant loose forward who represented Auckland from 1901 to 1909,

and New Zealand from 1903 to 1907. In late years lie lias taken a prominent part in the management of the gamp, in A ucklandj having ijeen nt different times an Auckland selector and a member of the management committee of tlie Auckland Rugby Union. Asked for liis opinion of the Rugby of to-day as compared with the game in the past he commenced: “Well, there’s the hooking for a start. In the old days it was done with the outside foot. Then about 1900 Gittos and Brady started hooking with the inside foot for the Grafton Club, and Brady and Tyler took it up in the Auckland representative team from that. In the match against Wellington, at Wellington, that year, Brady and Tyler got the ball nine times out of ten from Dodd and IV atkins, two of the best hookers V ellington ever had, and from that time on hooking with the inside loot came into vogue. “In tlie nineties there was no inside passing from the three-quarter line. The idea then was that when the wing three-quarter got the ball it should be a try. If it wasn’t, the attack was started all over again. There was more of short passing among the forwards in the old days. “1 never saw a full-back in the old days who did not kick with both feet. There was more attention to training. There had to be, because' there were fewer teams, and men had to play for their positions. “It is a Taster game under the new rules, but not as strenuous as the old game'. You could hold the' ball for a week in those days. I’ve seen rucks last a couple of minutes on end. “What knocks me is the way men get laid out these days. I never saw men get hurt twenty or thirty years ago the way they have been the last eight or ten years. In all the twentyfive years I played football, right from the time I was a nipper, I only left the field once, and that was with a broken nose against Taranaki, the day they lost the Shield at Alexandra Park. I’ve often tried to get at the bottom of these (injuries nowaidjays, and I think one of the reasons is boys wearing bandages when they are young. I don’t think it strengthens their knees and ankles, by any means. No, it seems to make them more liable to injury.”

RELATIVE METHODS WEIGHED,

LOCK CUNNINGHAM INTER

In the history of Rugby foptball in New Zealand (says the Auckland Btar), three men stand out in a list of oiy players who have represented New Zealand since 1884, as the three greatest lockmen the game has produced. They are: The late George Williams, of the 1888 Maori team; Pat Purdue, who wore the All Black jersey in 1905; and W. Cunningham, who held the position of Rugby Atlas in New Zealand teams from 1901 to 1908. On a combination of playing ability and length of service, Cunningham ranks as the greatest of them all. He commenced his career as a ! representative player in 1899, and played for Auckland regularly up till 1911. In the subjoined article, he gives his impressions of play and players in his day and deals interestingly with the game of to-day. ‘ ‘ A quarter of a century ago the game was more a herculean struggle than a scientific display of Rugby the old days, play was confined chiefly to the forwards, the backs being in most cases only line-feeders. ‘Take, for instance, the meeting between Auckland and Wellington in the old days, when the keenest possible rivalry existed. The game was never spectacular, as it is to-day. In those games, the ball would be kept between both sets of forwards, who would be afraid to let it out of sight. The consequence was the spectators did not see the ball for perhaps ten minutes on end. In old-time football each team would endeavour to work the ball down the touch-line to within a few yards of their opponents’ goal-line, and there would make a burst (mostly of an individual character) to get over the line. “I have played in matches where our instructions were to keep the ball in the scrum as much as possible, and we have done so, to the disgust of the spectators, who had paid to see something more than the perspiring forms of fourteen burly forwards crouched up in a heap on the ground. Take an ordinary club game played under the amended rules, and then look back at the Springboks’ game. There play was monotonous to a degree, for which the old rules were responsible. . “The absolute free kick I am in accord with. In olden times a free kick was free in name only. You would see a bunch of hefty forwards rush at the kicker, and the ball with their mouths open, showing their teeth. They would also jump and shout at the kicker. ‘ ‘ Comparing the play of the past with the present, I must say we had some giants in the past, but we also have giants to-day. In reference to the forwards, I can reel off a few names offhand, who, to me, were real top-dogs: such men as Seeling, F. Murray, Tyler, Francis, and Gillett (Auckland), Cross Swindley, “Off-side’’ McKenzie and the late Tom Ellison (Wellington), O’Dowda and Lambie (Taranaki), McDonald (Otago) and Fanning (Christchurch), and scores of others who were real giants at the game. “Now, as a set-off against those men, I will name a few present-day topnotchers, such as M. Brownlie, C. Brownlie, Finlayson, Stewart, Richardson, Irving, Lomas, Masters, * Donald, Beilis, and Ormond. These men, I claim, are better than those of twentyfive years ago. “As regards backs, I have in my mind’s eye such men as Geo. Smith, Billy Harrison, the late Dick McGregor, Morry Wood, Jimmy Hunter, Billy Stead, Billy Wallace, Freddie Roberts, and the late Alf Bayley, of Taranaki. These men were real champions, and if the rules then were as now, what a wonderful scoring lot they would have been. Another old-timer I have a great respect for as a player is the late Dave Gage, one of the best, if not the best, halfback New Zealand has produced. Another champion old-timer was Pat Keogh, of Otago.

"I doubt whether we have better backs to-day than those men I have just mentioned. They were fast, weighty and splendid kicks. Ido not hesitate to say, however, that the forward of today is superior as an all-round player to the forward of 25 years ago. The forward of to-day is a heady, versatile and brainy player, who invariably links up with his backs in a passing movement. A New Zealand pack of to-day is composed of men who are powerful and fast; more so than the old-timer, who was certainly powerful, but not so fast and versatile. As a forward I give the

palm to Finlayson, of Whangarei. His display against the New South Wales team last year was great. Next to Mm I place M. Brownlie and Stewart, both stalwart forwards. As for the backs, I will not say they are better. Presentday New Zealand back teams play better as a combination, but individually I think those backs I have mentioned were better than the present-day backs.”

THE ROVER. THE CORRECT METHODS. Few players for many years in the important position of rover, or wing forward as it was called for so long, have realised the true tactics necessary, not only to secure the greatest success for the team, but also, most important, to avoid that irritation caused by a wing forward appearing to think he had nothing to do but to beat Ills vis-a-vis and worry the opposing half. Certainly he must, in compion with every member of the team, try to get on to and spoil the attacking movements of tlie opponents, hut his work needs to be also constructive, and the paragraph in the report of the North and South match, “The Black backs swung into action time after time, and Porter was always with them,” shows that he realised how best he could help. That is the true work of the rover; to make himself on attack an extra back. The value of his work is realised by everyone who has seen him play, and is proved by the results achieved

STOPPING PLAY. A feature that should mark the work of all referees, and which is the case with a few, is the penalising of the slightest holding of the ball in stopping a rush. It has a double advantage because, in addition to giving the attacking club the utmost benefit of their enterprise, as should be the case, when they are harrying the defence, it largely obviates the danger of a man being kicked in the course of a melee such as so often ensues in the stoppage of a forward rush. The aim of all rules and of all practice should be to keep, play always open and fast. Many referees should blow the whistle much sooner than in some cases they do.