Scottish Sport— A Rugby Desire

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 213, 22 August 1931, Page 4 (Supplement)

Scottish Sport — A Rugby Desire

VISIT FROM NEW ZEALAND.

NO CLASS DISTINCTION. A .visit to Scotland has convinced Mr. Colin Reid, who has been closely associated with sport in New Zealand, that when New Zealand sends another Rugby football teain to England there will be considerable disappointment if the team’s itinerary does not provide for games in Scotland. Mr. Reid, who returned to Wellington recently, said that there was a genuine public desire in Scotland to see New Zealand’s Rugby footballers in action on Scottish soil. The game, along with various other branches of sport, was in great favour there; in fact, the amount of attention given to outdoor exercise generally was amazing.

At ths time of his visit to Scotland there was a good deal of discussion on class distinction in sport, and Mr. Reid was given the opportunity of dealing with the subject through the eyes of a “New Zealand Scot." “One point of difference in the case of New Zealand and the Old Country,” he stated, “is that there is a reversal of positions m the status of the two games (Soccer and Rugby), which perhaps allows one who has been in touch with each game in both countries to say most emphatically that class distinction in the sphere of sport has absolutely no bearing on the game itself from the players’ point of view. Then both games are played strictly under amateur conditions in New Zealand, so that the supporters of the rival codes meet on common ground when any endeavour is made to show that football of either code ■a predominant. Naturally, there as here, there are those who consider their game to be ‘the real thirty,’ but that is as far as it goes. I would like to say, before getting down to points of comparison between the two games, that sport should be the enemy of class distinction. The real sport is the man who can give or take a beating, and there is no class distinction in that. “The consensus of opinion in this discussion seems to be that the real sportsman plays for the love of the sport, pecuniary gain being, in the vernacular, ‘a wash-out.’ That would make it appear that to the professional footballer the sport is only a secondary consideration. The narrowminded person who adopts such an attitude is not only not conversant with his subject, but can have had no personal contact with professional footballers. There are black sheep in every fold, but I can safely say that the professional of to-day is not only a credit to the game, but that his social standing is of a very high order. He loves the game for the game's sake, and is a very disappointed man when he is not chosen to play. To say that he doesn't care whether he plays or not, so long as he receives his salary, is just rubbish. professionals at Play. “Many years have elapsed since 1 last visited Tynecastle, and to enable me to get a look at things, when partisanship was sure to be at fever heat, I selected the Heart of Mid-lothian-Leith Athletic game. New structures there were, new faces (with a sprinkling of the old), new players, and a crowd quite different from the days of old. The amenities of the modern ground are such that a new atmosphere has been created, modern and inspiring. The players are of the stamp that one regularly meets in the best sporting circles, and compare very favourably, I think, with the men composing the British Rugby team who recently toured New Zealand.

“Their play, too, was refreshing to one who had not seen a real game for years—always constructive, clean and methodical, and never orthodox, the unforeseen always happening. “The crowd ’ rer> * orderly and gentlemanly, and at no time offensive. Partisanship was shown, but was never allowed to get out of bounds. The spectators were ready to recognise ability on the opposite side. What a triumph for the modem spirit, keenly pleasing to one who u iicvcs in watching the game for the „• s | C not with the idea <f

seeing one’s ‘pets’ vanquishing the opposition. "In passing, let me not forget the referee; his control was most inspiring. He handled the game with confidence, and in a manner which held a touch of administratlve power. Amateur Rugby. “To complete my comparison, I decided on paying my respects to a local meeting in the Rugby world, so wended my way to Inverleith to see the game between Heriot’s (F.P.) v. Stewart's College (F.P.)- having. I admit, a slight feeling towards the former. Having had a look round the accommodation and had a word or two with some old friends, the players were soon on view. Fine examples of budding youth they were, eager to enter the fray, and with no thought of any championship points at stakeif they had, it could not be discerned. "I do not wish to appear too critical — I have since learner! that the gams was not to be taken as representative of the quality of home Rugby—and will merely say that it was not what I had expected to see from two first-ciass clubs. The standard never rose to the class of New Zealand club games. There never appeared any methodical attempts at team work. Never once was the cross kick exploited; and the scrum work, In my opinion, was wretched, the ball rarely going in cleanly, eveh nithough at times there were about half a dozen attempts. “I wonder what any of our New Zealand referees would have ruled under these circumstances, especially as several y*ards had been gained by the time the ball did get in. I preferred the handling of the Hearts’ game, most decidedly. Playing the Came. “In comparing the players engaged in these two games I came to the conclusion that the participants had received just as much enjoyment and healthy exercise from the game as the other, and as much as any young sportsman could desire. Even although the one game was professional and the other amateur, could it be suggested that one single player in either of these games ever gave a single thought as to the magnitude of the gate takings or anything like that? I hardly think so. The Inverleith ‘barrackers’ gave me food for thought. One could see people from all walks of life in the stand, and I think I might aptly sum up the crowd by saying that they were rather lacking in knowledge of the filler points of the game, especially the fair sex. Some of the spectators appeared decidedly bored; I don't think I could i say that about the ‘Soccer’ game.

“Having watched both codes, in my opinion every man played the game, knocks being given and taken in the true spirit of sportsmanship. That surely is all the old-timer need expect. It is what counts in sports. Take a tip from our Dominion sportsmen, and thank goodness that the day of class distinction there has not arrived I could name many who left this fair city for our young Dominion who have made good without college breeding, and many of these men are the backbone cf Britain overseas.”