SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 144, 20 June 1936, Page 9

SOUTH AFRICAN RUGBY

“OTHERISM” HAS GONE

TREND TOWARDS OPEN GAME

PRAISE FOR THE “WALLABIES”

One of the most famous Rugby footballers in post-war history, Bennie Osier, is now under a cloud in this country, which he greatly helped to put on the top of international football, states one of the Australian cricketers who recently visited South Africa.

“Give it to Bennie!” became a parrot-cry in South African Rugby.

The fly-half (or five-eight, as we tern the position in Australia) was a powerful kicker, and his snap at g°al from the field gave South Africa many international victories. l ,

“We thought it wonderful to win victories by such methods,” a leading

South African Rugby official told me in Capetown, “but your WaLabius proved to us that we paid too dear a price for success. ”

He explained that the powerful African forwards got more than their share of the ball. It would so to Osier, who invariably found touch well upheld (the old Rugby kick-into-toucfi applying), and then when the oall came again to Osier ho often found himself in position to attempt a field goal. “Schoolboys aped others' methods and before long African Rugby found itself largely made up of touch-finding and potting at goal. Our Rugby players, so we are told, exploited moves and the openness of their play not only caused their opponents much concern, but it led South African supporters to expect more from their own men.

“They were the brightest team we have ever seen here," a leading official told me.

One learnt in Africa that the Wallabies' lessons had not been assimilated last season. There was still'too much kicking and everal unions particularly stressed this in their annual reports, asking that the coaches should instil an open-play <complex into the charges. Turner, or Johannesburg, was the only back who had improved last season, and there had been no great discoveries. So far as one could gather, and that from high South African officials, the union is infavour of moHfiaction of the kick into touch. , For such a state of affairs, no doubt, much of the credit is due to the Wallabies, for, as was written before, they taught Africans that they were not getting their duo enjoyment out of Rugby. We met Osier down at Newl&nds, the scene of many of his successes. He has retired now, and he shook his head sadly when a comeback for the Australasian tour next season was mentioned. “I’d like to do it immensely,” he said, “but I am afraid I am well past it now.”

Wherever we went in South Africa and Rhodesia we heard glowing reports of the sportsmanship of the Wallabies. Travelling in the wake of such a team made it easier for the cricketers —and we found “Wild Bill’ Cerulti and Aub Hodgson almost as well known in Africa as the Zulu chieftan, Chaka.