FOOTBALL CHATTER

Hokitika Guardian, 11 May 1929, Page 8

FOOTBALL CHATTER

VARIOUS COMMENTS

From the diversity of o

pinion that-

exists amongst officials of the game it is quite evident that the Rugby game in New Zealand is at present in the melting pot, and it is high time thal a strong man should arise and evolve order out of chaos.

Mr N orman McKenzie, sole solcctoi for Hawke’s Bay, and a member oi the New Zealand Selection Committee considers that the New Zealand Union is unduly “getting the wind up” ovei the visit of the British team next year. According to him, New Zea land has nothing at all to he alarmed about, and it is not necessary even t< prepare for the British invasion. Apparently the Hawke’s Bay representative on the New Zealand Selection Committee is well satisfied with the showing the New Zealand team made in South Africa last year. Mr McKenzie also considers that the NevZealand team, should not be sent lAustralia- so early this season, as 1will dislocate: a few representativgames which are being played vor early in the season.

Against this, his brother, Mr E McKenzie, of Wairarapa, who is chairman of the New Zealand Seine tion Committee, does not see eye 1eyo with him. The Wairarapa nor considers that the team, if sent m all, should be sent early in the sea son’, as an early tour would interfon less with the representative programme than if the team were sent later Mr J. W. Norrie, chairman oi tin Management Committee of the Hawke’s Bay Union, cannot see wh club matches should he played under international rules this season “Why,” lie asked, “should New Zea land change their style of play simply because an overseas team is goin to he with us for a few months next year’” Mr W. .T. -Stead, of Tuv-et ear gill. ' member of the 1005 All Blacks, i anything hut satisfied with Rugby a it i s played in New Zealand to-day. In a recent article he strongly a / vocated the abolition of the wjn< forward and urged that a refuri should he made to the- old practice o' the referee -putting the hall in tin serum. With this view, Mr A. J. Ued-V tlie Southland representative on tb New Zealand Selection Committee

concurs. £ was verv pleased to see that Mr A. McDonald, the- Otago and 10(15 All Black forward, had been appoint ed a member of the Now Zealand Rugby Selection Committee (says r writer in the “Otago Daily Times”). Mr McDonald recognises a working forward when he sees one-, and frow what I know of his ideas regardin' the value of a scrum, and the importance of its strength, he will bo it entire disagreement wiifh one of hi'-co-seloetors, who gave voice to tin weighty pronouncement prior to the selection of the New Zealand tean which went to South Africa that hr did not care if the All Blacks' did not hook the ball from the scrums, it. clid not matter. As the games turned out it mattered so much that a spec t-ator of the fourth Test in South Africa told me that Dailey, scrun’ half, was exhorting and imploring hi* forwards from start to finish to stay in the scrum and Fold the opposition. That was the way McDonald was taught to play the- game, and all other good forwards of the old days. Mr Sain Wilson, the strong man in Canterbury Rugby circles, is reported to have recently stated that i.t really did not matter whether Now Zealand lost a few matches or not. This is quite a now viewpoint to take. II we were to allow the Britishers t--win every Test game next year, thick how popular we should he with tie Home unions. Our fellows .played a very sporting game with South Africa last year, but no one in this country hailed the -South African victories in the first and third Tests with unbounded joy.

j If a game is worth playing it rs worth playing well. Here is it hat that sound judge of the game, Mark ! Nicholls. has to say in his book, ! “With the All Blacks in Springbokj land” : “Since the new rule has been introduced into New Zealand, our

scrums have fallen away. The* lacl that we were so decisively beaten for the ball in Africa, also in Great Britain in 1924, and in our various visits to New South Whies, should result in the changing of our scrum formation in some respects. I know that onr scrum properly packed and the right men putting all their weight and pushing power in, can hold eight forwards, but the question to he answered is, ‘AYhat of the hookers?’ lam

quite certain*that two hookers cannot hope to boat three—lt has been done I know—but it is here that a change must take place. There will ho a bitter controversy if wo attempt to change- our scrum, but those oi us who have toured Great Britain, South ’■ frica, and New South AA T aios, realise that something drastic must be done immediately to put our scrums m order if wo desire to retain our •dace among the Rugby playing countries of the world. . . Until the new rule was introduced into New Zealand, we wore hardly ever beaten in the forwards, hut since its adop tion it has been a- Herculean task for our forwards to come out with honours even. Our 1928 forwards were the biggest and fastest sot that New Zealand has ever produced, so that 'heir failure can not lie- put down to want of speed or physique. Mr George Devonish. a South African selector., Pild me that when he first saw them line out on to the field at Capetown they were physic-ally the finest set of forwards lie had ever seen, and lii<’ heart went down to his boots. After the first Transvaal match, he said. “They cannot scrummage, and t'hev will he beaten forward everywhere.” Fancy the pick of New Zealand forwards being beaten time and again by ordinary provincial teams!” AA r hat’s wrong with the scrums n Fverv follower of Rugbv in the Dominion to-day knows full well that honest scrummaging such as wii3 see n 25 years ago is -practically a lost ari. .Rarely indeed does one now see tlm hall come out sharp and clean to tin half-lback. In fact, the majority of scrums have not an atom of solid it’ shout them. The contending packs rock and sway like a ship in distros l ' mhl often form up at right angles. No matter what scrum formation New Zealand intends to adopt, it is big l time something war. done to improve matters in-this country.

The Management Committee of the New Zealand R-ugby Union is not “getting the. wind up” over the visit of the British team next year, but like sensible custodians of the game they have fathered the suggestion put forward by the Petone Club, through the Wellington Union, that all representative and trial matches during 1929 and 1930. should be played undei international rules. In fact, the Now Zealand Union wisely went (he whole hog, and decided to put forward a motion at- the annual meeting of delegates on May 16 suggesting that all matches this year and next shall be played under international rules. The whole subject will be thrashed out at the annual meeting, and it is to be hoped for the good of the game in this country that Now Zealand will decide to come into line with the rest of the Rugby world. Mr S. S. Dean, Mr AA r . F. llornig. and, in fact, all New Zealanders who have been overseas within recent years, advocate a return to the old rules. Hero is what Mr AV. F. Hornig has to say in his report upon the All Blacks’ tour in South Africa last year:—‘‘Line-kicking must he revived in New Zealand, and I strongly recommend- that all interprovmcial matches he played under international rules,, so that our future New Zealand representative- players may have a chance to learn what is expected

of them when they have to meet international teams from overseas.’’