Forward Play.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 19, 6 May 1908, Page 13

Forward Play.

By V. 11. CARTWRIGIi f, (Captain of England XV.). Tn writing nn article nn forward play one has to remember that each of the four countries has a distinct type of its own. For instance, in Wales, the forwards are looked on more as a m.iohino, the sole object of which is to supply the backs with the hall on as many occasions ns possible, than ns nn attacking force in themselves, and so they may be termed ns of the “stand am! heel ” order. (Still I have seen Wolwh forwards execute tu hes that would have brought credit to

any Scotch or Irish pack). I do not mean to say that a Welsh forward does not know how t » dribble, one has only to watch that great player, A. F. Harding, to know how utterly false such a statement would be. but it is only during the last few seasons that the Welshmen have turned their attention to that pha-e of forward play, and as a general rule the object of Welsh forwards when they go on the field is to let their backs handle the ball as much as possible. lor Wale* looks to win her matches by the cleverness of her backs. And so it is in this point that a Welsh team differs so greatly from an Irish < i Scotch team. IRISH AND SCOTCH METHODS. In Ireland the forwards arc' regarded as the mainstay of the side, and. perhaps wrongly, Irish outsides arc not considered by their opponents as a powerful factor towards winning tho game. Certain it is that in a typical Irish side practically all the attacking is done by tho wild rushes of the forwards, which are indeed very terrifying things to backs that .ire not over fond of going down to the nail. It is not that their foot-work is so marvellous , in fact their dribbling is nothing like so scientific as that of Scotch forwards, but what they lack in science they make up tor in the “devil” and pace with which I hey follow the ball. Time and again I have seen Irish forwards scon' after an irresistible rush tho whole length of the field. And from my own experience I can say that it is a tar easier thing to lead a park of forwards against a Wel-h or Scotch eight than against an Irish eight, as you never know what they do. they are away from the scrum, and among your backs before you know where you are, and just when you think they are tiring and that you are getting the upper hand, you find your own forwards swept aside and the Irishmen away in a wild rush down the field. Result, probably a try! Quite rightly, in my opinion, the New Zealanders considered Irish forward play the best tliay had ever seen. Now the chief characteristics of Scotch forwards is their concerted footwork in this they have no equals, and woe betide any opponent who drops ua tin* bail in front of them, and foolishly holds on to it longer than is necessary, or longer than the referee should allowl My advice to anyone going down to the ball in front of Scotch forwards is “get off it as soon as you can,” for by doing this you will save your-clves many hard knocks, and the referee the trouble of giving a free kick against you. What Scotch forwards do not know about footwork is not worth knowing, for, as Mr. Tailoch, the President ot the Scotch Union, said to the South African captain altar the match at the Crystal Palace, “In Scotland footwork is at its height, and we have taught our opponents to get oil the ball at once! ” As long as forward play is being taught at the Scotch schools as it i* now. we shall always find Scotland renowned for its forwards. Rugby football is better without such a forward. But there are times when a little extra vigour in forward play does good and saves trouble without doing any harm to anyone. My fust experience against Scotch forwards was my first term up at Oxford. We were playing tho Edinburgh Academicals. and StrandJones, the well known Welsh full back, was in groat form, and only one* did tho Scotch forwards get anywhere near him. However, at the dinner after the match the general cry from the Scotch forwards was “All right. Strand Jones, wait till Scotland meets Wales’” and sure enough Strand-Jones camo back to Oxford after the match with very evident marks of the encounter on him. Still in Rugby football one must expect hard knocks, and as long as they are given and taken in good spirit, as thov nearly always are, no one is tho worse for them. And now. what shall I say of English forward play? Here again, in treating this part of tho subject, one has to bear in mind the various styles of forward play which are in existence in the different parts of England. For instance, in the north you have tho robust stylo, which is more akin to Scotch forward play than any other style we have in England. Then again, down in the west yon have another distinct stylo, and a style which on itw dav is very hard to bent. 1 have seen a Devonshire pack of forwards piny n« firn* a game as I over wish to see: for down there forwards are taught not nnh to use their feet in tho loose wtn k but tl-< th u hands j’ and when a side has « I* .wards that

can handle the laII as cleverly as hicks it generally comes out somewhere near idle top. COMBINATION. But of all styles of English forward play, give me that of a good ’Varsity pack. Perhaps I am naturally a bit prejudiced, hut in my opinion if England had looked more to her Varsities for her players during the past few seasons, she would not be* in her p.esent lowly position-; and I can safely say that the two best forward sides I have ever played with were the Oxford ones of 1901-02 and 1903-04, and after all, is it not only natural that you should get the best players at the 'Varsities? for the fblto’ws are voting and in splendid condition, and the football played is of the highest order. But putting aside all questions of variety of stvles, if one was to pick the best available English pack, there -would be no special feature . that, one can single out as one can in the case of Irish and Scotch forwards. The forwards themselves would not have the “deviT' of the Irishmen, nor again would we see the wonderful footwork of the Scotch forwards, and yet it, would be a pack of forwards that both Scotland and Ireland would find hard to beat, simply on account of the tenacity of purpose, ami the “slogging,” go ahead methods that are perhaps the most characteristic features of English forward play. And now a few words about, the captaincy of forwards. If a side has a good leader of forwards the game is half won, but it is not every forward, however brilliant a player In* nay be, that has the knack of keeping his men together, and imparting to them some of his own brilliance. To be a good captain you must get to know the men you have* to lead, and the men should know ami have every confidence in you as their leader. This should be easy in the case of every club, as the captain has numerous opportunities < f getting together his men for practice*; Im* it is in a country or International side that the real worth of a good captain is found out; for there the captain has in g.» on to the-field and lead men he mav :? ver have s??n before, and about whose play h* probably knows nothing, and so natuially his task is a hard one. Again it is by no means certain that because :» nan is a splendid leader of his own club forwards, h* will turn out at all a capable man when he is selected to load a pack h * has never seen biiforp AN IDE \l. SKI PPER 1 have met very f. w men who have the knack of getting their men together at once; in fact, during the whole of in\ football career, I have only met one man who had that knack, and that was J. Daniell, tin* old English skipper. As a forward who played under him on several occasions, 1 can only -ay it was a Teal pleasure to feel that you were play ing under such a man. as he at once inspired you with confidence, and you felt that you had only to follow his lead and things would be all right. Of course if you niaili* a mistake, you heard of it ami in no measured terms either, but at the same* time you always felt that you would get the same degree of praise for anything that deserved it. He was without exception the greatest captain I have* ever come across; In* had a hardei task, as every English captain must have than that which falls to the lot nf a Scotch, Irish, or Welsh captain, and yet England was only beaten once under his captaincy, and that was in his last mated at hiverleitli in 1904. when In* was in jured in tin* first half of the gamp, am wa z practically unfit for the remainder Ami so inv advice to anyone who aspire*.* to be* a good leader of forwards is. ‘•Lean what you can about the Prophet. and tn Uud follow in his footsteps. II MID KNOf KS. Who ha- not he.nd of the stoiy of - t in ’i*tt<s schoolboy, who. when (lie Scotcl itcrn.itional \\ . were practising al Fettes, wa» cautioned by the referee foi kicking an opponent, and whose repl} was. “.Why. -ir. I only kicked him or the h ick and not'on the head! ” Oh that at oui public schools they did noi teach us to play such a ladylike giihu a* they do. Mmd, in saying this I d< not fur one moment uphold the forwan who, whenever he gets a chance, has t will kirk at an opponent, and does no 1 mind where he kicks hftu.