RUGBY SLUMP

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20329, 12 June 1934, Page 8

RUGBY SLUMP

SEARCH FOR CAUSE OF TROUBLE.

Poor Play Among Backs. VARYING OPINIONS AMONG . EXPERTS. What is wrong with Rugby football to-day in Canterbury ? The question is one which has been asked all over Christchurch by old-timer.s and students of the game, as well as by the great mass of enthusiasts who attend the club games on Saturday afternoons. Explanations differ, but on one point there is complete unanimity—the Rugby football that this season has produced has been a dull, slogging travesty of the scientific and sparkling game that has held its popularity throughout New Zealand for so many years.

Some of those approached this morning were inclined to lay the bulk of the blame on the new rules, enforced on the persuasion of the English Rugby Union and the International Board, which abolished the New Zealand rule that forbade kicking into touch on the full from inside the twenty-five, and brought about the change from the old 2- scrum and wing forward to the 3- and the 3-4-1 scrums, the latter being the customary formation in Christchurch to-day. Others held that the referees should exercise much greater strictness in dealing with obstruction and offside play, and others again said that the cause of the lack of back play was the dearth of quality halves and five-eighths in first grade Rugby to-day. No Doubt About It. “ Yes,” said Mr F. T. Evans, an old representative player and a keen follower of the game for many years,” there can be no doubt that Rugby is going back. I have watched the first grade games this season, and there is no back play worthy of the name. The forwards generally are good, a fast and hard-working lot. But back play is being neglected by almost every club, and more and more responsibility is being thrown on the forwards.

“ This, I think, is not entirely the fault of the players themselves. There are some promising men about, and under a different style of play they might acquit themselves well. But they do not get a chance. “ Referees should be much firmer in the handling of off-side play and obstruction. The rules say that there shall be no wing-forward, but some of the forwards now just rest against the scrum while the ball is being put in, and then break away and concentrate on spoiling work. The backs as well as the forwards play right up. Strong control would at least give the half-backs a chance. Back play now is terribly poor. The three-quarters never have a chance.” The Players Themselves. That the responsibility for the poor displays rests on the players themselves was the view expressed by Mr Peter Harvey, another who followed a fine playing career with a long stud}* of the game and the development of different methods. “ The backs have been getting their fair share of the ball,” said Mr Har- ' e • The halves do not get it away quickly enough, and a lot of blame rests on the five-eighths and the centres, especially on the five-eighths. 1 here is too much kicking, for one thing. The wings are left shivering. “ The inside backs are revealing a sad lack of initiative. They must realise that if they cannot do anything on their own, their job is to get the ball away quickly to the three-quarter line. I do not think the development of spoiling tactics, or the new scrum formation, has a great deal to do with it. One factor is that the half-backs are not up to standard. Several try to do too much on their own. “ If the half and five-eighths try one thing, and it does not come off, then they should try another method of opening up play for their three-quart-ers. The scoring men are the wingers.That does not apply now, but it should. At present they are consistently starved. Using Their Brains. “ In the old 2-3-2 formation there was the wing-forward playing a spoiling game, and the side row men broke quickly to try to get the half-back. Some of the halves and five-eighths of a few years ago would put up a good showing under present forward conditions. hor instance, if the five-eighths let the ball out fast a few times, they are bound to get a chance to do something on their own later on. “ We have the material, if the players would only use their brains. Some of them, not all, think they know a great deal when they know comparatively little. And they will not be told. In realit}' they have a lot to learn.”

A point to which Mr Harvey gave particular stress was the failure of the forwards to feed their backs from the rucks and loose rushes. Started off in that manner, he said, the backs had far better scoring chances. When they we nt away from a set scrum they were marked man for man by the opposing backs, but when sent away from a ruck or a loose rush they could often catch the other backs, who were drawn already on defence, out of position. In that feature, and in dribbling rushes, the forwards of to-day were noticeably lacking. Another old player who has followed the game closely stated that most of those actually participating in the game at present were inclined to blame the new scrum formation for most of the ills that have befallen Rugby. He also contended that there were not the stars among the inside backs that there were in other days, but also maintained that the 3-4-1 scrum was a clumsy thing, resulting in slow hooking which led in its turn to offside play and too much spoiling. Faster Hooking.

With the old scrum,” he said. “ there was the wing-forward to spoil and the breakaways got in some good work too. But the ball was generally hooked so cleanly that the half had a sporting chance to swing it out to the five-eighths before the others could get down on him. Now. the slow progress of the ball can be followed so easily that not only two or three forwards, but also the opposing inside backs can close right up to their men

and make their spring as soon as the ball emerges.

oung half-backs are being battered to pieces. One in particular looked like developing into a brilliant player, but for the last two games has been poor. Time after time I have seen forwards leave the scrum, go round to the other half, find that the ball is not out, and go round to push in the scrum again. The 3-4-1 scrum appears to me more of a disorderly heap than a scrum.”