HINTS TO FORWARDS. (By F. Mitchell, in " Pastime.")

Otago Witness, Issue 2358, 4 May 1899, Page 43

HINTS TO FORWARDS. (By F. Mitchell, in " Pastime.")

Let us see if we can put together some hints that will be of service to the aspiring forward. First, of what build must he be? I would not have him too tall. Anything over 6ft Beems tod big, and anything under sft 9in is rather difficult to pack with, for we must always strive to get our forwards as much of a size as possible. No, the best forwards of my time have been men under rather than over sft llin, and that is about the ideal height. I well remember an enormous policeman, about 6ft 4in, and broad in proportion, coming up to London for one of the trial matches, and we of the Combined Universities were told that he would make mincemeat of us. After about a quarter of an hour he had done nothing, so we told one of our halves to throw tho ball to him, and in a twinkling we caused him, as Mr Budd says, " to assume a horizontal position." It was so easy to get the undergrip of him, and that goes a long way. Well, let us have our forwards fairly tall and of a muscular build, let them be energetic in the extreme, always on the go, and men who are generally in good condition. Pace I do not insist on, though a certain amount is a desideratum.

Now, what are his duties? In defence he must always break away from the scrummage as quickly as possible, so as to hamper the passing of the other backs. No four three-quartet passing can be so deadly if , the forwards are really up to fhajir. business^ and get oa gg the.

opposing backs as quickly as they know how. Americans tell us that our passing would never be allowed tO" get into motion owing to the pace with which they would get on to the backs. Though this is not altogether a correct estimate, there is much to be paid for the idea, and were Eiiglish for-wards-to use more energy in breaking up and trying to intercept runners, I am sure that there would not be so much of the machinelike passing as there is at present. A forward, too, must follow up on every occasion possible. He can often force a hesitating back player to kick at the wrong moment or to attempt a shot into touch at a difficult angle, and this may give someone a chance.

In tackling, a forward should always go low and hard. This is an old rule, but still holds as good as ever. Take your man about the buttocks with a good swoop, and you will have him over like a shot rabbit, but if you should fly at him with head in the air, you will probably get his hand in your chest, and you will lie on your back for your pains to his great glee and to your own ignominy. Sometimes out of touch you may conveniently make a high tackle, but never in the open. Young players I would ne\er advise to attempt a high-flyer. Such, in brief, are the forwards' duties in defence : to break up quickly, to follow up all kicks, and to tackle low. His opportunities in forcing the game are many. First, with regard to the formation of the scrum. There should, as a general rule, be three in the front rank. At time 3, near an enemy's goal-line, an extra man may be brought up, for it makes ono pair of legs less for, the ball to go through and holds up the opposing players from getting at your halves. Thus the scrummage formation will be three in the front rank, two in the second, and three behind. The front rank should be' bound togetlier, but not bo tightly that the two forwards behind cannot get their heads in between the sterns of the first three. Care should be taken to get well down, so that the enemy do not get underneath, for then the top scrummagers are powerless.