REPRESENTATIVE RUGBY.

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17804, 31 August 1929, Page 20 (Supplement)

REPRESENTATIVE RUGBY.

GAME IN HAMILTON. VISIT FROM CANTERBURY, • TO PLAY ON MONDAY. At Rugby Park, Hamilton, on Monday afternoon next there will' be a representative Rugby match. 'Canterbury are to be the visitors on the er ruing occasion when they will meet the Waikato representative fifteen. This district has never previously had ii visit from Canterbury and the coming match is one that will be looked forward to with a great deal of ..nterest. While not at absolute full strength, Canterbury has , a strong playing side, on tour and they can be relied upon to produce sparkling foot- " ball on the coming occasion. The match promises to draw a large at- * tendance. - Waikato’s Record. Waikato’s playing record this season Is as follows: Waikato 17 v. Auckland 25 Waikato 11 v. Hawke’s Bay 11 Waikato 6 v. Wairoa 8 / Waikato 15 v. East Coast 11 Waikato 3 y. Poverty Bay 16 Waikato 8 v. Bay of Plenty 21 i Waikato 0 v. Auckland 30 1 Waikato 3 v. Hawke’s Bay 11 I Waikato 12 v. Thames Valley 11 For 75 Against 144 H Matches to Play. 2.—Canterbury, at Hamilton. Hamilton. September 14.—Walrarapa, at Masterton. RANFURLY SHIELD. GAMES THIS SEASON. WAIRARAPA’S SUCCESSES. The following are the results of the games played this season for the Ranfurly Shield, which Is held by Walrarapa:— Walrarapa 10 v. Hawke’s Bay 6 Walrarapa 17 v. Auckland 14 Walrarapa 37 v. Manawhenua 16

Walrarapa 17 v. Canterbury 12

For 81 Against 48 The games still to be played are:— September 7.—Otago, at Master-

ton. September 14.—Waikato, at Mas-

terton. September 25.—Wanganui, at Carterton. >

SOME GOOD ADVICE. BERNIE FANNING SPEAKS. Some good advice to present-day forwards was given in an interview by Mr. Bernie Fanning, a famous ex-All Black and lock of the former Canterbury representative teams, to a Christchurch ‘Star’ reporter. “I've got nothing against the game as it is to-day," he said. “That is from the spectacular point of view. But the forwards seem to have forgot-

ten the fundamental part of their job. Forwards are included in a team primarily to protect and act as a shield for the scoring division, which is the back line. The forwards of the present time, however, give me the idea that they all want to be backs, which, of course, means that they encounter trouble. My advice to forwards is to stay down in the scrum a few seconds longer than they are doing, and make sure that the ball is cleanly out to the backs before they break up. “As things are, the scrummaging is not effective because the ball is not hooked cleanly or heeled back smartly enough.

“For Instance, a scrum Is set. One side geta the ball and It Is heeled, but hangs in the back of the scrum 1 . Instead of staying down, the side with the ball breaks up and the other side pushes through and takes possession, giving the backs, who, had they received the ball, would have been away, a harassing time that gradually takes the sting out of them as the game progresses.

The forwards should stay in the tight more than they are doing, instead of interfering with the backs. Seven fast men are all that are needed in the rear division, and if the forwards act as forwards should, the backs cannot fail to score. “More attention should be given to scrum formation," Mr Fanning said. “The scrums of to-day should be more evenly balanced with all the thrust going in evenly. Not enough care is taken in packing down, and it is because of improper balancing that a heavy pack is often beaten by a

lighter but more Cvenly-weighted one. “There has been talk of the adoption of the 3-2-3 method, but I would much prefer to see the 2-3-2 formation continued. Properly formed, the 2-3-2 scrum will always get the advantage. Sivright's team had one of the heaviest forward packs that ever came to New Zealand, but their 3-2-3 formation was no match for the 2-3-2 method that was used against them by New Zealand. We beat them for the ball nearly every Lime.

“Yes,” he continued, “if the forwards remember to stay down a little longer and play the forward game

from first to last, New Zealand need not fear a challenge from any part of the world.” ; p. *i<i«sdL!i!illßS

An Opposite View. 3-2-3 PREFERRED. Mr. F. T. Evans, of Christchurch, who was a Canterbury representative in the ’eighties and the ’nineties, and later a prominent referee and administrator, believes in having three men in the front rank of the scrum, and he believes that the New Zealand team which is to meet England next vear should have three in the front rank. He pointed out that when the Springboks were in New' Zealand and every time that a New' South Wales side visited New Zealand, and even now in Sydney, and also when the All Blacks were in Soulh Africa, the New Zealand side did not get possession of the ball from the scrums to any great extent. It stood to reason that_ three hookers could beat two every time. In response to a question as to why the 1905 All Blacks did so

well with the 2-3-2 formation and the wing-forward, Mr Evans said that the only explanation that could be offered was that Dave Gallagher, the captain, with his team of experts, must have deylsed some moans of combating the handicap. In South Africa the All Blacks had not started to meet success until they had three men In the front rank. As soon as that was done they got a greater share of the ball.

“The wing- forward, too, should be abolished,” added Mr Evans. “This New Zealand inovation was started by the .great Maori player, T. Ellison, of the Poneke Club (Wellington), and whether it is the laxity of the New Zealand referees, now or not, the wing-forward seems to be the cause of far more trouble now than in years gone by. The playing of an extra hack, as is done in others parts of the Rugby world, would be a great improvement on tlie New' Zealand game.”