RUGBY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 28 May 1927, Page 12

RUGBY

PLAYERS MUST TRAIN.

WHAT MADE THE GIANTS OF ; ? ' . THE PAST. IT IS THE SOFT MAN WHO GETS HURT.

The esesntiai nature of fitness in every isport is «o easy of comprehension that it seems hardly necessary to give it mention in a isports column. Vet the- want of it is so evident nowadays', and so general, that- one feels compelled to- .reiterate it- again and again. This is, what a critic .says’ in the Christchurch “Star”: “The wise footballer -is already keen and fit, for he recognises' the value --to his club team of getting into- form' early. How often has the fate of a championship been decided in the first few weeks of the. season- ■' through one' team, being in better form than the others? The 'ordinary -footballer with, form As, better thall the brilliant- -player who is- out of form. It :i-s imperative in the best interest of his club that a player' ‘should get into- form by training 'and attending practices, and the earlier lie starts the better it will be. lor his club. He has not the interest of his, club- at heart if he does not train; neither is- lie playing the game- with team comrades- whoilo so.” The urgent need of more care and attention, to.' training is so- marked that the critic’s whole article is given below. He says: “On many occasions in the past -the old Merivale, Linwood, Albion, and Sydenham teams- owed their championship -honours to systematic training. It was strict, attention to- this moist, important fact that -secured- for those great Ale rivale teams of 1890 and 1891 and the unbeaten fifteen of 1893 (which won the' whole of the twelve games played) -the senior championship of Canterbury. Lin-woo-d’s splendid record from .1895 to 1899 in. winning -the championship- five times in 'succession, and only losing six matches' out of fifty-one in the championship' during that, period, must in a large measure be accounted for. by careful training and skilful team work between matches.

Orie is tempted to answer -in the negative the question. “Does the •footballer of to-day. train like the player of twenty, thirty or forty years ago?’ One can recall those burly forwards, with Stoddurt’ss famous, British team which visited New Zealand nearly forty years ago. They were of the “Baby Bliss” type,, and knew the last word in Rugby forward play of those days. They brought with them the very latest, scientific methods, and the moist- approved tricks from, the home of the world’s R,ugniy, while here in New Zealand we Were then but fledglings at the game. Were those old Canterbury, Otago, or South Island packs downhearted at the task that was ahead of them when they engaged the visitors? Not a- bit of it. They trained and trained and trained, -again. It was training, combined with intelligence in play, that made W. 1). Bean, W. Dow, “Dutchy - Evans, A. AT. Plank, Al. Riley, J. Simcock, A. J, Weekes, and J. M. Turnbull the great- -forwards' they were forty years ago .in Canterbury, and Peter Anderson, 1. W. W. Hunter, E. E. Morrison-,,. T. Sonntiag, and Jack Stephenson the cream of Otago-’s vanguard during the .same, period. In. later yeans we know what similar application did an connection with those sterling forwards, Harry Frost, Tom, Cross, Wally Drake, IT. J. Cooke, Bernie Fanning, W. Humphreys, A. Kerr, F. Newton, C. J. Pearce, E. Tyne, and A. lirunsden; and later again what it did for Bill Cummings, E. W. Hasell, A. Fanning, and H'. V. Murray, among others. Some forty years ago a band of youths at Newtown, Wellington, formed a- football club, which subsequently became the Alelros© Club, many times senior champions of Wellington. These youths were popularly known as- “the outlaws of Newtown,” and provided about the best example., Wellington, has had of what getting; into form- will do. They had a somewhat novel method of training. These youths all worked in Wellington, and in the morning; on their way to- work they gathered in Rkldiford Street or Adelaide Road, each with an empty jam tin. or as many as could possibly obtain tins. It was a usual week-day -sight- to see these youths kicking jam, tins from Riddiford Street into Wellington. Woe betide any Chinese vegetable cart which, happened to be standing in Kent- Terrace. The- “outlaws” immediately raided it. and cabbages, potatoes or onions were turned into footballs, with an irate Chinese probably in full chase behind. At night the “outlaws”, would jogtrot back home from work. That is a contract to to-day, when most footballers prefer the tram or motor-bike to take them home. What was the result of “the outlaws” training? Though juniors, they often “cleaned up’ ’ -senior teams, and, although youths* they were eventually graded as seniors.

Take again the famous Alhambra team of Dunedin, with, its “Chummy” Noel, Aliek Downes, “Gu.s” Restieaux, “Otsy” Crawford, Jim Baker, and Jim McOlea.ry, father of the well-known exCanterbury representative of later years. This combination of youths as a senior team defeated senior teams out of number, winning the Dunedin Senior Championship in 1891 and 1892, only losing one match in the two seasons. It was training up on Opoho or “kicking jami tins” along the istreets of North Dunedin that gave “the Alhambra outlaws” the victory in many a hard tussle.

It was hard training that resulted in the Poneke Club winning the senior championship of Wellington so often in the 80’s and 90’s of last century. When a player is in form as the result of proper training—and the earlier in the season the better —he i,s more prepared for hard knocks of the game, and is thus less liable to handicap his team by being knocked out.