PAST AND PRESENT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 116, 22 June 1914, Page 2

PAST AND PRESENT.

IN NEW ZEALAND RUGBY.

A REPLY TO THE CROAKERS.

Pshaw! New Zealand hasn't got the footballers she used to have," ejaculated an old-timer the other day, his thoughts stirred probably !>y the veterans' match in Christchurch last Saturday. "Where are the Ellisons, the M'Kenzies, the Paulings, the Udys, the Nicholsons, the Gallahers and Seelings, the, Taiaroas, the .Gages, Goods, Bayly s, Steads, Robertses, Woodses, Wallaces, and Mynotts of former years. We haven't anyone nowadays; to ; compare with those giants of the game—and I could mention many others Mai;lt my words, when the New Zealand team goes to Australia next month it will have a rough (passage." t Of course, New Zealand has not those lights of other days. Men must come and men must go, and the , old-timers cannot on for ever." : New Zealand cannot expect to produce every year, unceasingly; big crops of -.those sanie giants of the game. But is the case as bad as it is painted by- those old' hands who still live in the past? No.' There is too mueh said and written about degeneracy of New Zealand's footballers. A certain amountjof truth does lie in the statements of tfiioite who contend that our players hav'e fallen ,t>el6w the old standard. But whose is the ( i fault'?

,< 'Admitted that the glories of the dash-_ old "black brigade have become ,gliglitly diminished, even if the glamour (Oi the past still clings to them. Admitted that,- ,the i irresistible, .yelentjlegs ,rushj3s of ;the tall, forwards, .aud, the swooping,: <.ba?fcs. 4ays. : but,■ • j/.ejfle<se4! tcijday.; Admitted : tliajt.. tli e? New. Zealand teams, of more recent years .are not a,s brilliant, •as those,.of> 1 : 903».and 1905-6—to- go nq further!, back M Admit other. cpatentiona, of the pessimists, and even then theJie *sj no cause for.the alarm wjiich the die;&&rds: .try to r .instil; into ps. •«! NO EEAIi^DECAB>ET?CE.'

;yoc|iei"ous. ( put-. ,'ci]y ( hpary,.heads, th.e writer qf pesjb, comments da,res,,uuhesit,atingly, ; t6 assert that ftp. decadence. ,of the Rugby Jias,. set in. . Tlie siiivple'. truth 'is ' 'lfew ( Sfealsmd' has 'the" men,Wt'not the .play ers. In other words, the Dominion has at.prpsbfit sjicti material as the giants 'of the past Were made of, but not the- finished jbrodutits. The main point of diffefrencfe 'between the forwards of tlio past and those of the present: is • that, whereas the fast' and clever men of the past .were also .tail and strong, ; men jwhose. .combina} tiion of j weighty. strength, speed, •; and skill made demons to meet the Rugby' field, mo's't of the clei'er\nien of to-day are lighter, 'and havte not Such 1 Nveight ahd strength to Md to their skill and 'speed. There' ares exceptions, as is only to be expected, although none of the- exceptions 1 reaches quite the standard of the brightest lights of other . days. But 'New* Zea l land is only passing through one of the phases common .to Rugby—the evolution of her .fine material into xhe finished player. In another season Or two, when the half-raw 'material of to-day has been properly . developed, 'the Dominion should be able to place >in the field men iwjelL. worthy of. comparison with the gteat, old-timers. , Audi much the same iriay be; said of the,backs.; The; New Zealand representative backs of tthe present time; are npt-i up to the standard which has been set,. but ; they are; all young players who ai;e; still only learning the possibilities bs ; : the game, and they possess the qualities essential for the development,of champions. >As yet, however, the process of development is by no means completed. MODERN LUXURIES/ An important ,?i4mi?pion nnist now be made, however. It is.thflt .the process of development; is not as rapid as it should ;be, and : that the development of-.finished players to-day , takps .ijaore time thau ; .it did in the past- There are .several.; reasons to aceount for this. One is.inextricably mixed. up with the .gradual change in modern life. It is noticeable in Christchurch, .but, as yet, only faintly perceptible in the North Island;., It ip the growth of ' , luxury among our football players. Years ago,: when men, lived a .life of ; fewer luxuries than exist to-day ; when, there were not the travelling facilities of the present time; ,':th.ey were,: in general, east in a sterner, mould than the usual ;run . of I,modern footballers in Christchurch. They had .to make their facilities and opportunities for training and for practice in the arts of Rugby, and they enjoyed the fruits of their labour with zest and profited thereby. To-day, when a commodious training-hall has been provided within easy reach of the city, and with a regular tram service passing close by that hall, many players fail to appreciate the things that have been provided for them. Modern luxuries have sapped their spirit a little, and they take their training and sjnrit with less energy. WHERE ARE THE VETERANS? This* sapping of spirit: has f! meant a lessening,, of enthusiasm, and some city footballers nowadays need. a longer ( pro-; cess, of "shaping" than- their fore-: fathers did. That means, of course, that they also need more tuition. But not all of them are built that by any means- Many are genuinely , anxious.,to improve their play as much as they possibly can. But—and now.we come to a point at which we can throw some blameon the very men who talk the;-loudest about the decadence of,! Ne;w , Zealand Rugby —they cannot find enough teachers to develop all the available material, A few—very feyv—of the old-timers assist in replenishing the Dominion's stock of first-class football, but all too many of them prefer to stand ou . the, bank and indulge in destructive : . criticism—with : out making any attempt atsynthetic, criticism —or to sit by the fireside, in-, stead, of helping along, j the younger players. If more of the veterans would demonstrate that their real interest in the .game did not finish with the i end of their playing days, and would play a worthy, part in polishing the crude material which is available .in plenty,-

the Jean seasons in New Zealand Rugby would be considerably shortened. Another factor in the lengthening of 4ev,elopmeyt, is : the present,.,method of selecting New Zealand teams.. There is aj good.deal of truth in the, coipplaints riiade by country. .uniops that their players do npt , receive, sufficient attention fjrom the .selectors, This is partly due tjo tlie ,growth of ,the game. There are rjiany more country unions now than there were when the old i lights, of Rugby vfere shining ,brightly,, and the selectors, under prejsenf. conditions, are not able to cover as .much: territory as is desirable. Consequently the, material in the country does .not get sufficient opportunity o;£ being brought into "big" Rugby,, to . assist in his development. When city fail, the seleetorp will perforce have to look more to the country, and means : .will have to be devised for. teaching,the £uer points of the game to the country players. Theij .it will be found that tfye alleged; decadence of New Zealand players is more appareut than real. . . . | As for the prospects of the Zealand team in Australia, is.,a matter whose treatment is, jnot permitted, by considerations of space, just now;. , A. L. C.