SCRUMMAGING

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 17, 15 August 1928, Page 8

SCRUMMAGING

oIYLES UANTRASTED. ALL BLACKS V. £TkIOANS. . Previous to the first test match, All .Blacks v-ff South Africa, the special' football representative cf the 5-lNatai Advertiser" wrote as follows: After closing watching the All Black forwards in the seven ma«hes they have played to date, I have come to %he conclusion, rightly or wrongly, that New Zealand and South African idea s of forward play are rather different. The All Black forwards concentrate on skilled play in the loose, developing passing advances, from all positions on the field, and even lcoking for to combine with their backs. Such good line-out work a s that of the Brownlies, Finlayson, Stewl.il!t and Hasdett, has rarely been seen in this country. In all these aspects of forward play 'the AH' Blacks are somewhat superior to the South Africans, but it' seems to me that in develop, nig this'side of their'play 'the Xll Blacks have neglected what ,w'e'".in South Africa, regard as the- first es--Bent?.ul of forward play—so Rummaging. POSSESSION OF THE BALL.

In Smith Africa we regard) possession of the ball as the key to success, and' we demand that our forwards shall use evcrv bit of their might to win it in the scrums. If. we see a forward particularly ' brilliant in the loose, we place ''him u'n-j ¥ l '. ' as Dein g. a ' .shirker iq! the scrum, until we tire convinced': otherwise. Only, when we arc as-j sured that he i s putting his weight in the pack, as weir as playing b'ril-j li.antly .'in 'the loose 'do„ we regard j > fiimfas"a greaf forward.' The" AH ! fpnvai'ds, incst of',them, are'lyhat w & would term great wingers jKr foragers, and it is"as* wopderfully f fi'no' rear rank men that most of them' commend themselves to Bugby critics* in this country, but they have, nevertheless, developed a hich, standaM/of play by'methods all their j own, When T saw' the All Blacks practising jbeforelheir '-first* match at : Capetown, their parsing" advances from ono end of the field to the other simply delighted me. For the first time T saw a. whole team' of forwards to whom the hackneyed nhnse "thev handled like first-class backs" real-! ly could be applied, and J really do! think" -that more thW half the All Black forwards would give a. highly creditable accennt of themselves as ' centre three-quarter*. -WHISRE MARCHES A#E WON. I mentioned my fears for South Africa to a famous old Spr'ngbok. -He: replied: "Yon'wait for a few frames. I have never seen forward); who can j

Rcrumnwge as well as the Springbolt's, and that's where most matches are won and lost." That sage old player knew his game. , (In the three big '■ matches the tourists.have played since, .they were beaten.. 3to 1 for possession of the ball by the Town Chios at Capetown, 3 to .1 by th& Transvahl in the first match and $ to 2 by. the. Transvaal in the second! match, wh<ui the All Black forwards had speciaTfy trained for a week. Yet'; despite fli©' Transvaal superiority irt.j the scrum the tourists won. The All Black forwards are essentially products of the amended New Zealand) rules, which has developed ft higher standard of handling among their players. "\Vhereas South African pi a vers are content to win jjrouiul by a touch kick, the New Zealanders gaitn territory with handling rushes. • KEEP THE BALL IN JFXAY- , Their r". r ''n idea is to* keep the ball in play all the time, and because of this the All,Black' .forwards have reached a stage of proficiency in the loose which enables them to support their back s "so admirably, which makes them such a dunger near thq hue. But perhaps it i s because they Ifavo v concentrated «o largely on play in the open gelc't that they learn to, •spare themselves . in the scrums. There is one phase of t.lie game In which the All ,Blaeks are decidedly superior to the .South African side, and that is in opportunism. 1 have! never, seen a tehni so well able Vo take advantage of their opponents" mistakes. This, I think, '; s very largely based on "\hs All Blacks' ground fielding ability, together with a well-developed judgment in marking and smothering, which generally has a man near the spot to take advantage of a lapse on the part of an, opponent. The All Blacks are a team of opportunists. These are the outstanding points arising out of the All Blacks' games' to date, and [hey'pouTt to a great battle of forwards tfa*!Ted under different methods. But Ido not think the forwards .will .decide the match. The issue will _be decided by ability, or otborwi.se, of the Springbok backs to turn their* forwnrcV work in . the scrums to account. Lack of thrust from the rear has been the weakness to date.