RUGBY INSTRUCTION

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 109, 9 May 1936, Page 4

RUGBY INSTRUCTION

FILM BEING USED CANTERBURY’S ENTERPRISE MOVIES OF GAME DEPICTED An instructional film has been prepared by the Canterbury Rugby L’nion with the object of improving the standard of the game in the province. The film consists largely of selected portions of ‘‘Rugger/’ the film prepared by W. M-. Wakefield, the famous English player, who has the co-opera-tion of men almost equally famous in the demonstration of the basic’principles of the game The coaching committee of the Canterbury Rugby Lnion has deleted from this film all i matter which it does not consider applicable to the game as it is played ;n ; New Zealand. As yet the film com ■ tains little pertaining to scrummage work, for until New Zealand’s Rugby legislators decide exactly what type of scrum is to be used in this country little good can come from instruction in a special technique. Hadley's Hooking Very soon, however, there will be l added to lhe film sequences showing 'the methods of the great AH Black I hooker, \\. E. Hadley, which were ] photographed in Auckland last SaturI day. The co-operation of experts ■ such as J. E. Manchester will be , sought when the time comes to take photographs of scrummaging with I whatever formation the New Zealand Rugby Union eventually decides upon. In its final form the film will be full of ‘'meat’’— too much even for first grade players to digest at one screening—so it is proposed that rhe film should be shown to clubs in two sections. Many [rips will have to be made into country districts for even at I it is early stage gj the season the union !is receiving demands for screenings from country clubs, and the task mav prove too arduous even far the eiithusia.sm of Messrs. A. 1. Cottrell and J. 9. Burows, who have put in a great deal of work on the scheme, and to | whom the early fulfilment of this idea is due. Offers of assistance with transport, however, have been numerous and there should be no difll'wltv on this account. Essentials of the Game. I The film insists, quite nghtlv, on the necessity of perfecting players in the essentials of the game. Even representative players are guilty of elementary mistakes in technique, and the elimination of such errors will go n long way towards improving Ilugby in this province. The fust pait of the

film, for instance, deals with kicking. Time alter time in senior Rugby players arc seen to niis-kick because they do not look at the ball. “Eye on the hall is just as important in Rugby as it is in golf, but many players will realise this for the first time when they see the film. The instruction also should greatly improve the standard of placekicking. Wakefield and his associates, in the clearest possible manner, show how to dribble, the ball being kept under control by the players propelling it along in front of them with the shins and not the toes. In this section, and also that dealing with tackling, the slow motion sequences are particularly valuable. The film gives this very sound advice to the tackler: “ Put your head behind the man who is being tackled; it hurts Jess if he does not fall on it/’ The secret of passing, the film shows, is in the body swing, and the receiver is enjoined to keep his arms supple and his hands open, watching the ball right into his arms. The half-back is advised to make his passes in such a way as to keep his body between the ball and his opponents. This decreases the • hances of a smother or interception. Most impressive is the demonstration of reverse passing by the inside backs —a manoeuvre that often will completely beat a team of sound defenders. Scenes from Actual Play. The English section of the film contains some interesting shots of the 1925 test match at 'Twickenham between England and New Zealand, and another locally-produced section shows movements in the Canterbury-Otago match last year in slow motion. Incidentally, the film shows up Canterbury’s slow packing in this match—“too many heads in the air/’ says the commentator. There is a particularly fine sequence showing an Otago loose rush, in which backs and forwards combined in hand-to-hand passing. <>n a recent Sunday morning members of the Canterbury A and B teams assembled on the west ground at Lancaste Park to carry out some manoeuvres under the eye of a movie camera perched on the top of the scoreboard. Typical back moves in which the ball travels out ; in which the centre runs outside the

winger to give an overlap, and in which blind-side tactics are followed by inside backs and wing-forward are now included in the film, and although as yet several dropped passes have to be deleted, these give a splendid idea nf characteristic New Zealand back play.