HARD PLAY IN RUGBY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19585, 17 March 1938, Page 9

HARD PLAY IN RUGBY

BRUTE TACTICS OPPOSED OPINION FROM OTAGO AUCKLAND PLEA CRITICISED (Special to the Hern lit.) DUNEDIN, this day. "A dangerous statement to make," was the comment of Mr. V. G. Cavanagh, a member of the management committee of the Otago Rugby Football Union, when criticising yesterday the plea of Mr. A. A. Baker, chairman of the Auckland Rugb.\ Union’s management committee. I’mmore .strenuous Rugby in the Dominion. Mr. Cavanagh was referring to the report of the remarks passed by Mr. Baker at the annual meeting of the. Mnnuknu Rovers Football Club in Onehunga. In reviewing the Springboks’ victories last season, Mr. Baker was reported to have said that too many "soft” footballers were playing to-day. The game was not hard enough. It had degenerated from the high standard of earlier years and must be restored to that position. Rugby had fallen off badly in recent years and must be made tougher by hard tackling and hard, rugged forward play. It was largely an individual question, and every player should bo trained to stand up to a vigorous and strenuous contest from start to finish. Mr. Cavanagh said that it was difficult to interpret the meaning of the word "hard” used by Mr. Baker, but whatever conception was placed on the word Mr. Cavanagh said he was definitely of tho opini&n that football in Now Zealand was played too hard, but it lacked method. He emphasised that by "hard” he meant that generally no questionable tactics were involved, the game being contested in the traditional sporting spirit.

Brute tactics, however, were not wanted and if parents took that conception of Mr. Baker’s views, theie would be many parents who would hold that Rugby under those conditions was no game for their sons to play and that was where such an expression of opinion became a dangeious statement.