BETTER STANDARD

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19623, 5 May 1938, Page 12

BETTER STANDARD

DOMINION RUGBY QUEST BY DELEGATES THREE-FOUR-ONE SCRUM FORMATION FOR ALL, BLACKS DISCUSSION OF BACK PLAY (Per Press Association.!) WELLINGTON, ihis day.

Suggestions for improving the standard of play in the Dominion were considered by the delegates at the annual meeting of the New .Zealand Rugby Union yesterday, when the report j>f a special committee was under discussion. Mr. E. McKenzie, who submitted the recommendations of the committee, said that lie was afraid the average coach could not teach the teams much. Willi regard to slow motion pictures, Canterbury had used these for the past two years, but the form displayed by the Canterbury representative team on tour last year did not suggest that the players had learned much from the pictures. Mr. McKenzie maintained that if New Zealand was going to adopt the international rules, they should have all or nothing. When the question of scrum formation was under discussion, Mr. M. F. Nicholis, of Wellington, said lie was opposed to the meeting laying down how the game should be played.

Mr. S. S. Dean said that Mr. Nicholis might have been a great player, but it was clear that he was a very poor administrator. Mr. Dean said he was in favour of adopting the 3—4—l scrum and the sooner they had uniformity the better it would be for the players. Mr. T. A. Fletcher disagreed with Mr. Dean. He said that they wanted individuality in Rugby. Mr. .1. N. Millard, of Wellington, said that the union had just adopted the international rules and in the next breath wanted to bring in some little rules of their own. He thought that the 34 —1 was the best scrum formation, but he did not think they had any right to dictate to any union what scrum formation should be used.

Mr. A. A. Adams, of West Coast, pointed out that if New Zealand adopted the 3—4—l formation, that would not prevent unions and clubs from using any formation they cared to adopt. The Hon. J. McLeod, of Taranaki, moved that it be a recommendation to the New Zealand Rugby Union that a three-fronted scrum be adopted. This was carried.

Mr. Dean said that the New Zealand team would start off with a 3—4—l scrum on the tour of Australia this year. When the recommendation that the back formation should be changed was reached, Mr. McKenzie, in answer to a question, said that he favoured the playing of four three-quar-ters as was done by other countries. Mr. Nicholis said that New Zealand had always favoured the threequarter bias* The records would show that by far the greater number of tries had been scored by three-quarter backs. Mr. J. K. Moloney said that the New Zealand selectors last year had not done their work particularly well He was of the opinion that the best AH Blacks had not been selected for years past. Something would have to be done to produce the best All Black team for 1938. The Hon. .1. McLeod said that Taranaki was strongly in favour of

a sole selector. An amendment moved by Mr. Norris that the council give the matter of the appointment of selectors further consideration was carried. Mr. G. A. Maddison, of Hawke's Bay, said he hoped to see the day when island selectors were done away with and the New Zealand 'union would deal with its footballers nationally. The Hon. J. McLeod moved further that there should be three selectors for island teams and a sole selector for New Zealand teams. This was carried. The question of the allocation of preferential booking for future New Zealand matches was left in the hands of the council. Mr. J. K. Moloney brought up the question of university football in New Zealand. He said that the universities considered they were not getting a fair deal from the New Zealand union. They would like to exploit America, as they had done Japan. He would like to see the union treat university football with a little more sympathy. Election of Officers

Officers were elected as follows: — Patron, the Governor-General, Lord Galway: president, Mr. A. M. Onglev, ' Manawatu!; vice-presidents, Messrs. M. McKenzie, Marlborough, and L. V. Carmine, King Country; council, Dr. Adams, Wanganui, Messrs G. A. Maddison, Hawke's Bav- A. Saint, C. Belcher, Waikato; A. A. Adams, West Coast; A. E. McPhail. Canterbury; D. M. Spedding Otago; council executive, Mr. S. S. Dean, Lieut.-Colonel Roache, and Messrs. W. .1. Wallace, F. T. Glasgow, A. MacDonald. J. Prendeville, A. C. Kitto; appeal council. >Sir J. S. Hutchison, and Messrs. F. H. Campbell and F. H. Sincock; auditors, Messrs. H. Kemble and Sons. A vote of appreciation of the services rendered by Mr. C. Wray, New Zealand representative on the Football Union, England, was passed, also a motion of appreciation of the work of Mr. A. E. Neilsbn, the New Zealand Rugby Union secretary. Press Pessimism Deplored In an address, Mr. Ongley criticised the press writers for pessimism as regards New Zealand Rugby. Had the matches against the Springboks been played under rules familiar to New Zealand, the All Blacks would have won the rubber. A Wanganui proposal that a New Zealand team should tour New Zealand during the coming season gave rise to a number of other proposals, and finally the matter was left to the incoming council.