RUGBY

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12465, 5 June 1926, Page 17

RUGBY

Hair &> Detane win? They are Hi ll ii i i»ly n well led team and contain at least three players who hare worn the All Black jersey, but three playera ean’t 'win' a game off their own bat. With a view to getting an “inside” story of the lade of the village, the writer made a journey out to their gymnasium and saw them getting ready for the fray. Their keynote 1 thoroughness. •«. * ■ • The gymnasium is the biggest in the district and was built by voluntary labour —an example of the spirit that has made the club. In spite of its size It is severely taxed. Petone have twelve teams in the field, and as every player gets a turn bn the tan floor discipline and organisation, are necessary to enable things to run smoothly. For over three bonrs a sight practice is in full swing. .... Ik doesn’t matter wihetber you are an All Blaok or an emergency for the seventh class team at Petbne, you have to practice iust the same and just as hard. Here is an instance. A scrum was wanted to bold the senior pack, and Mark Nicholls was unrolled as a hooker. He also took Us place in line-out practice. Nothing tut good must come from practice of this nature. * * * * Generally, the programme begins with a' ran on the beach which is quite dose to the gymnasium. “How Far have yon been?” the writer askad H. E. Nicholls. “About two mil—,” was the reply. Then follows a little passing practioe in which both backs and forwards take part. Tip and down they go, taking the ball at top speed. The packing of the scrum is next attended to, and the intricacies of screwing and wheeling are gone through carefully. The hookers also oome under the attention of the coach, Mr E. (“Dodger”) Price. • • . • Daring die hooking the half and the five-eighths get into position _ and as the hall comes oat they swing into morion. The passing of the halfhack, H. E. Nicholls, has been a tittle erratio of late, but you can lay long odds that this is being cor. reded. As a illustration of detail, it may he mentioned that the wing-forward is schooled in the manner in which he is to pnt the'ball into the scrum. He has a certain method —auite legitimate—by which the hookers know the precise moment the l ball is being released. It would not be fair to give sway the secret. • • • • While the forwards are practising the backs that are not required toss s hall about amongst themselves. They ire always on the move. • • • • Then comes line-out practice, and the variation of tactics of letting the hall oat to the hacks or keeping it tight are c&refnlly carried ont in detail. The packing ronnd the mau with the hall is a factor not overlooked. s * • • The dribbling formation is schooled into the forwards, who gallop np and down the tan with the ball at their toes and the half-back following behind. t # « • Bush-stopping and gaining posses-. tiob from the opposing pack are also ' dealt with, and in all there are little tricks of the trade that have come from the fertile brain of either the coach or the captain. Nothing is left to chance. • • * • When ali is over the players are rubbed down by a number of enthusiasts, and thus they experience none of the stiffness that is often the sequel to Hard training. « - * . Of course, the routine of training is varied and never does it tend to become so machine-like that the initiative of the player is lost. Mr Price does not believe in practice by numbers. neither does be believe in any Sard and fast order of routine. * * * * Chatting to the writer afterwards, be said that he always drills into playera the necessity for keeping their eves on the ball. “It is the rule of all games,” be said, “and cannot be emphasised too strongly. There would not be so much energy wasted by the forwards if they paid attention to this. In the line-outs, in the loose, and in- the tight they Rhould always know where the ball is.” • • * « “The rule also applies to the backs, but they must also know iTio exact position of the man to whom they are going to pass. A half behind tho scrum should locate his first fiveeighths with a fraction of a second glance of the eye and then let him have the hall on tbe move. «... “Speed is a big factor in attack—especially auickness off the mark. A yard gained in the first ten is worth six later on. • • • • “We are proud of the fact,” said the coach, "that thirteen of onr senior players Have graduated from our school team. The remaining two have come to live with us and have taken their chanoes with the rest. We never go after a player and never go on reputation. » * * • “We tell all our hoys that they have the chance of gaining a place in onr senior team, and last year seventeen juniors were tried ont during different periods of the season. "Wo could have had a five-eighths who has played for his province from one of the city clubs, hut it might have meant leaving out one of our men who has won his way up through the grades. Not only that, players who are discontented with one clnh are liable to bernmo the same after having been transferred. “We prefer the loyalty of our own boys every time, and I have always been an opponent of any move that tended to offer a noted player from other parts a good job in Petone, and I am pleased to sav the big mniority of the players and officials are with me in this. A player comes for a year, but what guarantee have you that he is going to stay ? He wanders off again and you are weaker than you were before be came. To my mind such a spirit is not Rugby.

While one admires the Selwyn team for the plucky wav in which they come np to scratch each Saturday in suite of reverses; it seems a pity that thev should he the means of a bvo in both the senior A and senior B divisions. They are hopelessly out of it as far as the championship is concerned, and don’t look like extending anr of the other clubs. • • • •

Tradition nnd should not he the deciding factor in the retention of senior status hv any clnh. If they are not good enough thov should go down. Selwyn nro plainly not Good enough for senior A grade, nnd their plane i« in the division below. in fncf it vcvM Po {nt*ro«tinrr to how flipswith TVirirua, Eastbourne and Johnaonvill*. t

Because of the stubborn fight put up by the Selwyn supporters at the annual meeting, when a postponement comes along two clubs have to stand . aside for two Saturdays while another team scores a bloodless victory by 57 points to 3. Such a position does not make for the improvement of the | game. .... It is perhaps too late this round for i the green and blacks to go down os such a move would throw the competition out of gear, but the management committee should take a firm stand when the round concludes, and thus keep Stan Kirk, who got his cap at Wellington College a couple of seasons ago, is ploying behind the scrum for College Rifles in Auckland. With him is Sheen, who played a big part for Christ College, in. the memorable game against Wellington College m 1922. . • » » Mill, despite the fact of it being his first game of the season in Napier, was undoubtedly the inspiration to the team. Swinging the ball away from all angles, dummying and sidestep'ping he was the Mill that the pnblio delight to watch.— Hawke s Bay Herald,” on a last match. British Rugby received another nasty knock recently, this time at the hands of France, the “baby” of Rugby in Europe, for, in the annual intercity fixture, Paris beat London by 11 points to eight, after a good game. Several prominent international footballers played for each side. This is the fourth successive victory for Pans, and since 1911 (not counting the war years) London has won three times and Paris seven. T . . . . * * * One All Black Sydneyites are particularly, anxious to see again is Nepia (says a Sydney paper). When the worldconquering New Zealanders were here in 1924, Nepia was regarded almost a*s a joke as far as full-back was concerned, and when he “speculated” several times in face of the enemy critics lifted up their hands in horror. But, subsequently, the Maori earned a reputation that seldom falls to-the let of any full-back. » • • • “Jock” Richardson made a welcome reappearance in Pirate garb last Saturday in the match, Pirates v. Southern (says the “Southland Times’*)- The' 'debut of the All Black forward was as startling as it was unexpected, he first of all filling tho position of full-back. However, he later got into the thick of things and played

wing-forward, in which position he played with exceptional stamina considering a spell of many months’ duration prior to the game. It is just likely that he will be seen out again today. but; t he Mias definitely announced that he does not intend to continue for the present season at least, • * * • Who’s going to say that the League is losing ground? (asks a Sydney writer). In ill species of entertainments the support given by the public is the deciding factor, and gate receipts tell their tale. Therefore, tho New South Wales League has only to publish a record of its takings this season to prove the strong position in public favour. After the decision of tile second round, the takings showed an increase of £I2OO over those of last season of the same time. Thus the policy of the head body in endeavouring to liven up the games has been approved in no uncertain fashion. • • • • That fine player, J. H. Parker, the All Black rover, who is fruit-farming in Canterbury, has been succeeded in the wing-forward position ‘in the Christchurch Old Boys’ Club by his younger brother, for whom critics predict a big future.