RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 14 October 1922, Page 4

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Transvaal yon the South African championship last season. ~ _'[ South African football is standing, it it has not deteriorated," writes a critic, in reviewing the ' provincial Bugby contests. ,"We are treading tne old road, in the same, old thoroughgoing way, depending on old ideas and old .players, who do not possess quite, tne finish, skill or speed of their pre-decessors^-at least, those who made ™n-° ry»a he SPringbok' teams of 1900 and 1912. It may be argued that the result of the tour of New Zealand' disproves- this. Admitting the successes of that tour, it is significant that, while New Zealand has 'scuppered its • old international side in favour of, youthful players, that shared *he honours with out representatives, South Africa would to-day in all probability be represented by a .team difwJff™ T eryT,^eY deSrees fl'om that which filled a bright page of South Af-i-ican football Mstory-in other words, the conclusion derived•' from a close study of the play, in the biggest game of the year, is that South African liugby is standing, if it has not deteriorated. It was the only conclusion possible after the 1920 tournament, and it has been subsequently confirmed, despite the successes of the New Zealand tour. -The All Blacks recognise taat the war gave the game a set-1 back and are takingf. every possible step to remedy it. Lei us not neglect the_ lessons of defeat, for there is material enough and to spare, if it be only moulded right in the - early