IN CONCLUSION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1696, 31 August 1904, Page 63

IN CONCLUSION.

Noav that the flutter of excitement that upset the Avliole colony has passed there will undoubtedly be general feeling of disappointment at their play. When their long scries of victories in Australia were in progress, excited messages came to this colony of the Avonderful work of their deadly Welsh backs, eacH of whom was a very fiend of Rugby; of their machine-like attack hurled swiftly and surely; and across every message Avas the word “Be\\ r are!" until even the staunchest believer in NeAV Zealand football began to weaken in his faith. Then a whisper crept from Australia that the Britishers had “something up their sleeve." No idea of that “something" could be gained. When the Britishers Avere leaving Sydney they said they felt confident of defeating New Zealand, because in Australia the team had not been extended. This left the impression that if they had been extended they Avould have don© a great deal more than they did. But it Avas clear from the first game played at Christchurch that tho visitors Avere not up to New Zealand's best standard, and never had anything “up their sleeve." A New Zealand team that had such opportunity of building up combination as the Britishers would beat them at any time. Their weakness is simply that they are not an “all-round" team. Bush said, at a dinner given at Christchurch, that they rely first and last, on the passing of their backs to Avin their matches. That is the whole story. Their forwards are not as good as the best provincial forwards in N©av Zealand. They dribble well, but hardly understand line-play and the merit of fast following up. The forwards want waking up. It seems a lack of judgment to carry about an extraordinarily fast set of attacking backs, and keep them continually labouring at defence because of the “weakness of the pack, aa has been the case all through this coiony. The members of the team have some peculiar ideas. With one breath Liey say that too much is made in New Zealand 0. forward play to the detriment of back clay and Avith another breath tell lioav the Swansea Club at Home could give

them (the British team) fifteen points and beat them. Asked how the defeat would come, the reply given is because of the Swansea Club's hard-playing forwards. They say, also, that the Scots and Irish International forwards belong to a hard, dashing class, and Avill beat New Zealanders at their OAvn game. If, therefore, the forwards of the Old Country are held up as the masters of the British team at present in the colony—which is a good back team —the obvious thing is to keep up our standard of forward play. The hampering effect of weak forwards on good scoring backs has been slioavxi all over this colony by the Britishers themselves. Many spectators have demanded, to knoAV where their much spoken of back attack was? The poAver of attack >vas there all right, but because the pack Avas so Aveak the backs got no chance to show their real mettle. They were kept hard at work stopping opponents who were rushing towards the line. If the colonial forwards had been as weak as the British forAvards, the Welsh flyers A\ r ould have given plenty of illustrations of attack. One thing that broke up their back attack to a great extent in New Zealand was the AAring-fonvard play, but the British Avon't give in to it. The only match where their backs went into action, as had been looked for, Avas at Dunedin, and the Aving-forward there Avas utterly useless-—he Avas an emergency put in at the last minute. Yet BedellBivright says the wing man is a Avaste, and advises Ngav Zealand to put him into the pack. That is unreasonable. In this country Aving play imprisoned the British back attack. At Canterbury the Aving man hampered them considerably. In Otago the wing man did not trouble them, and their clever backs did splendid Avork. At Wellington, against NeAV Zealand, the wing man was the longest nail in their coffin. Then at Taranaki there Avere two Avings, and poor little Vile, the visiting scrum half, had a Avorse time than he had at Wellington, and his backs never had a gallop. Then at Auckland, Gallaker, on the Aving, damaged them as much as he did at Wellington. Of course, the wing men did not do everything, bur they capsized the vaunted central attack system, and that is sufficient justification for them. That NeAV Zealand packs broke up the British back work has been a bitter sweetness to followers of the game—bitter because they would have been delighted to have seen A\ffiat, after all, is the real attractiveness of Rugby, fast, tricky passing Avork, and SAveet because the colonial forwards Avere too good to alloAV of it. The visitors say our foiuvards kick too hard, thus giving the opposing backs a chance to get the ball and punt. That is true. Many a score has been lost by hard kicking either into the hands of a back or over a dead-line. Their centring game Avas little seen, but as a novelty it Avill probably be quite the craze next season. It is only of value to a team with! fast, Avell-trained backs, and must be worked systematically. As for their scrum formation, our OAvn is far better if the ball be put in legally. Their linepunting AA r as weak, but their drop-kicking at goals and' place-kicking has been a treat. The “star" of the visiting team "is undoubtedly Bush. A player of unquenchable energy, brimming over with resource —in the hard games in the North Island he has been three-fourths of the Avhol© defence, and Avithout him the team Avould often have been demoralised. Mr Bedell-Sivright has no hesitation in saying that the crack teams at Home will defeat any team NeAV Zealand can Eut into the field next year, but it must e borne in mind that Mr Bedell-Siv-right has not seen a N©av Zealand representative team working Avith proper combination. He may be right, and if it should so happen the colony's team must bring back from the Old Country knoAvledge that will repair whatever Aveakness may be. Ake, ake, kia kaka. There shall no peace bo made; Ave shall fight on for ever, and for ever, and for ever.