RUGBY FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11950, 26 April 1902, Page 5 (Supplement)

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

HINTS ON FORWARD PLAY. " Playing out of touch, as at present in vogue in the Rugby Union game, appears not to find favour with a number of the spectators of the game, avid the Northern Union have adopted another style of play. I have no wish here to discuss the merits of one style over the other, but the change does not appear to me to have benefited the game very materially. I will grant that it makes the game faster, and also rather more open, but that is all and I do not think it would suit the require- j ments of the once-a-week players of the \ South. There are many different styles of play out of touch, and on a great num- I ber' of occasions when the ball is thrown out of touch the result is merely a scrummage. It is not an easy matter for a forward to gain much ground out of touch, or at any rate it should not be, if the opposing forwards mark their men properly. A forward has no business to be allowed to catch the ball when thrown out of touch and run away with it. If this does happen it is simply e sign of carelessness on the part of his opponents. A powerful forward often makes several ranis , for his side by struggling on until he is j finally thrown down, or the ball is held, but the best way of gaining ground out of touch is by breaking away with the ball at your feet. When the half throws the ball out to his forwards, the 'man who catches it. must try and put it down at once in front of the man next to him, who must then break away into a dribble, followed by the others. It is better to put the ball in front of another forward, as it is generally a good deal easier for him to break away than fur the man who has caught the ball, as the latter is already half-collared by his vis-a-vis, and is thus hampered. I have seen this done most successfully—the only danger being pit the very cr.imencement, when the forward who is. breaking away is rather apt to kick the ball too hard, and thus feed the opposing three-quarters, who will then have time either to get in a kick, or start a passing run. Another good way of making ground easily out of touch, and one that is very disheartening to the other side, is for the forward who catches the ball to throw it back to the half, who must run behind the line-out immediately he has thrown the bill out of touch, or else to one of his three-quarters, who can then kick it over the forwards into touch again a long way down. I have often seen the ball carried right down the field like this. To carry this out properly there must be a perfect understanding existing between the forwards and the halves : and the forwards have to be very careful that thcball is passed straight to' the half and not thrown wildly away anywhere, while the half has to make sure of his kick clearing his forwards, and also finding touch. It is useless kicking it anywhere up the field, it must go into touch; while if the half kicks it right into the backs of his forwards lie very often lets his side down badly. Both these methods I ha v.: mentioned should only be adopted as far as possible in mid-field, as when playing on the defensive or in one's own twenty-five it is foolish to risk anything, while* again when one is in the attack it is the behind* who must do the scoring by passing movements, and the ball must be kept out of touch as much as possible. I also consider it advisable when playing on the defensive to give the preference to a five-yards' scrummage rather than risk a throw out of touch, especially if one has the better scrummage, and also when on the attack a five or fifteen yards' serummage may be advisable. Every kick-off must be well backed up by the forwards. and when the kick-off is with your opponents the same three forwards should always drop back—one in the centre, and one on each touch line. It is, above all. most important that the touch lines should be marked, so as to prevent the ball from bouncing and rolling into 'touch. Forwards should, besides this, always be able to use their hands, and be capable of receiving and giving a good pass."—J. Daniell, in the Windsor Magazine.

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