RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 235, 16 September 1922, Page 2

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

HAWKE’S BAY RUGBY UNION. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING. The management committee of the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union met last evening. Mr. J. T. M. Piki presided and there were also present Messrs. J. M. Brown (secretary), R. MartinSmith, H. Newton, J. W. Callaghan, H. Brown, W. Anderson, A. W. H. King, H. Seed, N. McKenzie, C. S. Findlay (treasurer). With reference to remarks made at Wellington at the dinner after Hawke’s Bay won the Ranfurly Shield, the Wellington union wrote as follows: My committee did not feel in any way put out or offended as they quite realised that your worthy manager (Mr C. Findlay) meant to convey quite an entirely different meaning to what was given the remarks, and he was feeling proud of your fine team winning the premiership and inclined to let us know that you were at the top of the tree, so to speak. I am sure he was quite entitled to do so, and we do not blame him, because it must be a great pleasure to your union, the more so as it was no fluke win. We look forward to a good game with your team season. Otago Rugby Union advised that they could not make any grant towards the touring team's expenses ow ing to the wide field opened up in the case of the usual proceedure being departed from. The matter of an old timers’ match as a benefit at Hastings was left in the hands of Mr. McKenzie. The balanoe-sheet in connection with the Hawke’s Bay v. Bay of Plenty Ranfurly Shield game at Hastings showed a gate of £254 6/7. The profit on the match was £l3O 1/10, which will be divided on a 50-50 basis. Out of Hawke’s Bay’s share £2O has to be paid for the dinner tendered the visitors. Te Aute was granted permission to travel to Auckland to play Grammar School on next Saturday. The expenses are guaranteed by the New Zealand Union. The match is at the request of the Auckland union. It was decided to arrange a seven-a-side tournament as a wmd-up on October 7th, and tnat prizes be presented on the evening of that day at a concert. A committee was set up to go into the matter. An endeavour will be made to get teams from Central and Southern Hawke’s Bay. N APIER FACILITIES. Mr. Callaghan reported on the doings of the committee on improvements. They had decided that the only, position for a stand was near the Morris street entrance. They should ask the council to build a stand in sections if they could not build it en bloc, it would be necessary to raise at loan to do the work if the council did it. lhe alternative was to lease the ground and build their own stand taking all profits. There would be a condition that other sports bodies must be allowed to use McLean Park if they desired to. In nis opinion this put the question of a lease out of order. If they could not get improvements the only thing would be for the union to start to look elsewhere. The best plan was to endeavour to get the council to build the stand with dressing rooms underneath. Other members considered the lease was out of the question. Mr. Callaghan said what was wanted was a covered stand. A deputation was appointed to wait on the council stressing the necessity for a new covered stand. FOOTBALL NOTES. l (By “Rugbyite.”) One of the outstanding features of this season’s play in New Zealand has ueen the success of the South Island unions. Otago have very clearly established their claim to be considered the champion province of New Zealand, with Southland next. Otago have won all their matches this year, while Southland have suffered only one defeat, for which their neighbours and ancient rivals were responsible. And Otago’s claim to premier honours does not rest only on matches won, for the quality of their football has this season reached a high level. The short punt by five-eighths and other inside backs has been worked to death in New Zealand Rugby this year It is hard to see any adequate reason for this, for the stunt is mostly worked on attack, and nine times out of ten merely, results in giving the opposing side possession of the ball. Even the Sydney University team has not been immune from the prevailing epidemic. and their score against Victoria College the other day would probably have been much larger but for over-indulgence in this rather playedout mode of attack. Hawke’s Bay have not been free from the practice, which depends for success chiefly upon weak fielding in the opposing team, a factor not always present. The “kick-into-touch” rule is getting a rough handling from a good number of the Rugby scribes throughout the Dominion. The rule was brought into force with a proviso that

it would be subject to revision before next season, and present indications are that it will receive the “knock” when it comes before the delegates again. The results which we were assured would follow the introduction of this Auckland-bred amendment have certainly not materialised, and indiscriminate kicking has been rife in New Zealand football this season. We were told that in Auckland the players had become experts at ‘ ‘lobbing’' to the line, yet when Auckland played Wellington the other day only one of the Auckland backs made any attempt to use the “lob.” In this district the spectacle of forwards standing watching while the backs played ping-pong has not been uncommon. There should be an interesting discussion when the rule comes up for confirmation. It is surely time this perpetual tinkering with the rules reached some finality. Mr. S. Dean, the manager of the All Black team which put up such a remarkable record in Australia, has been airing some rather remarkable views on this subject. I’resumably because of the above-mentioned record, Mr Dean would have New Zealand revert to the 3-2-3 scrum, and legislate to abolish the wing forward. New rules are not needed to render the wing forward harmless. All that is necessary is that referees should adhere strictly to the rules regarding offside and obstruction. In any case it is open to doubt whether the wing forward is more of a general all-round nuisance than the breakaway forwards in an eight scrum. The 3-2-3 scrum, as played by. the Sydney University team, has not shown any great advantage over the 2-3-2 scrum as packed in New Zealand. As a matter of fact the New Zealand teams who have opposed the Sydney students have managed to get rather more of the ball than their opponents. There can be no doubt, however, that there is room for a good deal more flexibility in our scrum work than we have had in recent years. The Wellington College boys showed some of the older teams a point recently. Confronted with a vastly superior back team, they altered their scrum formation to 3-2-1, with two wing forwards, and effectively blanketed the opposition. Stewart, the Otago wing threequarter, is evidently a very dangerous scoring man. In rep. matches this year his tally of tries has reached a formidable total. Aagainst Wellington last week he put on another three. He is, of course, well served by his inside men, and his great pace and crisp swerve do the rest. On the defensive, however, he is not nearly so effective. Otago are so well off for class backs this season that they can afford to let Fea, Stewart and Perry play in University matches, and still, through the agency of such backs as Dickinson and Mathleson, defeat such a redoubtable team as Southland. There is talk of playing ,a “has heens” match between Napier and Hastings in the near future. These games, unless very carefully stagemanaged, are apt to be more of a weariness than a source of amusement. Not many ex-players keep themselves sufficiently fit ’to play a decent game, and most of them merely give an illustration of the willingness of the spirit and the weakness of the flesh. Wanganui’s win over Wellington last Snturdav demonstrates once more the fact that football talent in these days is much more widelv diffused than used to he the case. Hawke’s Ban’s lifting of the Ranfurly Shield, together with tins Wanganui win. lends noint to the contention that in the picking of the inter-island and intercolonial teams the “minor” unions are entitled to more consideration than thev have received in the past.

The secondary school teachefs are still, evidently., keen on excluding agricultural colleges from the competition for the trophy, though why they should be barred, providing they observe the age rule, is not quite clear. Otago University’s big win over Sydney makes an effective revenge for the crushing defeat they sustained at the hands of the sahm team two years ago. Sydney University on that ocsion won bv 40 to 10, while on this occasion Otago got home by 35 to 8. Otago University have a great back tea, Fea being the shining light, while Lusk, the half, is regarded as quite the equal of Mathieson, who toured Australia with the All Black team. Al various times the Svdney “Bulletin” has hinted that all is not well with the League game on the other side, despite its apparent prosperity. The following paragraph appears in the latest issue:—l don’t know what the Sydney Rugby League thought of recent remarks in the “Bulletin” about glaring reversals of form in the premiership competition. But what the public thought was abundantly evidenced on Saturday, when a big proportion of the crowd at the GlebeEastern Suburbs match left the ground before the depressing exhibition was finished, first counting-out the losing side and advising the referee to send them off the field. I have met good judges who maintain that East were honest triers. All the same, football is a game that should be above suspicion, and League football is not. Leaving the betting cancer out of the argument, the be-all and end-all of it seems to be the gate. It will be hard to revive the old confidence in a game which is so obviously slipping. Rugby League has seen its best days.