RUGBY FOOTBALL IN AMERICA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13456, 5 June 1907, Page 8

RUGBY FOOTBALL IN AMERICA.

, IMPRESSIONS OF PROFESSOR JORDAN. • " Professor Jordan, president of the LelandStanford University, ■ which, in conjunction with the University of California, has done a great .deal towards .stamping out the American and adopting the, Rugby- game, was an honoured guest at the University v. Glebe match on Saturday (says the Sydney Morning Herald).

Ho said that a team. here is more homogeneous than an American. "Over there you will see a greater mixture of men with black and flaxen hair—black men from the south of •Europe,* flaxen from -the north, such as Danes, •Norwegians,., and Swedes.' Here the English and the Scottish predominated. , "There is more;fumbling in this game than in the American. If a man fumbles over there he, will hear a good deal about it. . There may, however, >. be more ; opportunity here than*; there. - The Rugby game lias 10 times as many i chances to fumble, but a fumble is more * disastrous in the American game." . , '■■~-. ;..'.' Speaking of the physique, he said:—" The men here are heavier than our actual team. Our men , are chosen for speed rather than for weight. Your players do not get knocked out as burs' do in. the American game. There they are knocked out for a week; in . this," motioning towards the playing area in front of him, " they can ,go to dinner in, the evening." . " Comparing the Stanford team to a few Rugby teams that exist in the United States, they, seem ; to me," said the distinguished visitor, subsequently, to show greater speed/.and quickness in recovery,; and a greater disposition to get all in.to the game. At presentl think the Stanford team is inferior to those I saw to-day in working .the*, scrum, and in 'skill in dribbling; -in swift running and dodging in the scattered field Stanford . seem to me to show out better. Stanford are also in the best of condition, training rules are rigidly observed. In the game as played by ua the passing from one back to another is a prominent feature, but that . may be affected by the skill of a side in breaking up the passing. "Do you think Rugby is likely to become eventually the recognised game in America?" : r , . - , - - -" "I hope so. . That is. what wo are strug-. gling for. The president of the University of California and myself, aided and abetted by the athletic committees of the two Universities, abolished the American game because we do not believe the massed play, such as your scrum is, either safe or sportsmanlike. The American game has no off-side. The men run ahead of the ball, and the two teams- oppose one another until they are together in a mass, and the player with the ball runs over their heads. The American gamo has a good many interesting 1 points, but it is a battle, and not a sport. It is a battle, too, in having every detail planned by a coach, the play being executed through secret signals. .. ■ • /-."' ' < 1 "Tho Rugby game is being taken up rather unwillingly. From tho University tho lower schools are taking it. The players enjoy it much better, but they do not like to play a game different to that played by the institutions of' the country. But the American game has the condemnation of every University faculty. On that fact Ave look to see Rugby taike its place. A tour of Australia and New Zealand on the part of a team representing each University in successive years would go far towards establishing Rugby as the national football game of America Wo think Stanford should come in 1908, and the University of-Cali-fornia the next year. It may be we might bo mercilessly beaten, but that would not matter unless you lost interest in them here. These University teams would, I think, give a good account of themselves, especially in speed and quickness f recovery. " Tho impression made by to-day's play is that a team from over there would excel in those" qualities mentioned above; that is, in speed and quick recovery, and also in a scattered field. They have a good deal to learn in the matter of scrum, and apparently also in dribbling. "As showing tho earnestness with which we are taking up the introduction of Rugby, I may state that on the next steamer two Stanford coaches, Lanagan and Pressley, are coming in search of information, and they will spend two months in Australia and ■ New -Zealand studying the play. "If an Australian team comes to California, as we hope will be the case this year, we can assure, them a hearty welcome 1 and a very interesting series of moots. We will concede victory beforehand, but every such game will make our team stronger, ■; and will give the game itself a better hold. Besides tho two California!! teams, there are good teams at the University of Nevada [and the Pomona College near Los Angeles."