Public Opinion CLEAN RUGBY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 126, 31 May 1932, Page 6

Public Opinion

CLEAN RUGBY

Sir, —T see the president of the Wanganui Rugby Union has delivered his annual wail re Rugby play. This is an obsession of his and is calculated to do infinitely more to induce “mothers’' (why not fathers) to prevent their sons playing Rugby, than anything which occurs on the playing field. Not one in a hundred “mothers” ever sec a football mat.ch, but ninety-nine out oi every hundred read the paper. The point is that Rugby is not rough, it is just as safe as Soccer now, without arty cleaning up, and having regard to the number of players in each code there are not more, accidents tn Rugbv players than to Soccer players and if the Union president is sincere in his concern for the welfare of Rugby he should tell the world so and cease wailing. Tho president is concerned because a suggestion has been made that Welling ton College should introduce Soccer but why be concerned, why should the college not introduce Soccer? Why should the college not introduce suf (icient games to got all its boys play ing something? The tragedy of Rugbv is the array of youths on the side-line who play nothing. It may be that these are .the lads of whom the president of tho I nion says their “mothers” won’t let them play, but still it is a tragedy. Games are for the physical develop ment of the rising generation and lads do not get much benefit as onlookers. The president points out that the Union is responsible for the Rugbv game, but surelv it.-has a wider respon sibility than that; is it. not responsi ble, together with the loaders of other games, for the physical development of our young people and should it not wol come tho introduction of any game even if it is marbles, which will re move from the banks those lads who are fi-. to play some game but whoso mothers won’t let thorn, or who are too tired, or lazy, or frightened, or effeminate to play Rugby from the role of spectators and get, them playing some thing. The president’s bogey is rough play; mine is the lads on tho bank who ought to play but don’t, and I feel sure that some, at least, of those lads are there because of the president s continued doeortatiori about rough play which docs not exist. As the administrators of Rugby lot tho Union solvo tho problem of the lads on the bank instead of accentuating it and they will have done some, thing reallv worth while.- I am. etc., AMOS 11.