PLAYING COMPETITION RUGBY

Te Ao Hou, September 1955, Page 52

PLAYING COMPETITION RUGBY (Continued from last issue) Following my general remarks about competitive Rugby in the last issue, I shall now try to give the Maori player—city or country, some idea of what New Zealand Selectors expect of the men they choose; I will deal with it under three main headings Training, Technique and Tactics. These 3 T's might be termed the basis from which to build the 3 P's expounded by Charlie Saxton—Position, Possession and Pace. Training.—One cannot even consider playing any sort of football without giving some thought to physical fitness. To reach the top one must be exceptionally fit in wind, body and mind. The All Black must be hard, sound and alert and these are all traits which can be developed. One night a week for training is not enough. Long rambling runs over the country are not enough although at the beginning of the season they are a useful introduction to more serious training. You should train—if possible as a team—on Tuesdays and Thursdays plus an hour or so of light exercise on Sunday mornings. This is an absolute minimum, especially for men who drink and smoke. Training—as opposed to coaching and practice—for the purpose of getting and keeping fit should aim at developing the wind, hardening the body and sharpening the reflexes. I would advise:— Sprinting and jogging to the whistle, P.T.—the harder the better, Indoor basketball—if it is available. Non-competitive weight lifting. For backs—Athletics in the summer, For forwards—sculling and rowing or surf swimming in the summer, Early to bed every night. No beer after Thursday and NO SPIRITS at all, Skipping for 10 minutes night and morning. These are no more than what many city players undertake without even getting near the Reps. Technique.—Selectors have often been impressed by a player's natural ability but have rejected him because of some technical weakness. For instance, last year in the Prince of Wales Cup match at Whakatane—with selector Tom Morrison present—one player showed up and might have gone into an All Black trial but he was rejected categorically because he was able to kick with only one foot. One should not hope to become an All Black—or indeed a senior player without being able to kick with both feet; tackle resolutely; pass quickly and accurately, move quickly off the mark, go down on the ball, pick up a rolling ball or an awkward pass, keep scrupulously in position and have a thorough knowledge of the rules. Of course we have had All Blacks who were not sound on one or more of these fundamentals but they were either lucky or had some tremendous superiority in others. Mark Nicholls for instance was not well known for going down in front of footrushes but who would say he was not a worthy All Black. Bob Scott frequently misses touch with his line kicks—a fundamental of full-back play—but he more than compensates for it in his general play. The very good can afford an odd weakness—the up-and-coming must be like Caesar's wife, free from blame. All these things that the selectors look for can be learned or developed by constant practice and by concentration. Most people who miss a tackle or a rolling ball or even a good pass, do so through not keeping their eyes on what they are aiming at. Many tackles are missed because at the moment of impact the tackler shuts his eyes. Finally in this section I would like to give a piece of good standard advice. If you cannot play like an All Black at least try to look like one. You can overdo the business of looking odd simply to catch the selector's eye—especially if your method means an untidy appearance. Tactics.—This of course is largely a team matter but there are one or two points worth mentioning, especially for players who get an All Black or rep. trial. Trials are usually “every man for himself” affairs but the chap who pokes his nose into openings which do not exist simply plays himself out of the running. Only go for the break if you are sure you can get through. Otherwise just feed your outsides and back up intensively. There is a lot more to the game than just penetrating. The selector wants to see complete footballers. So, when you tackle make a job of it; when you pass the ball scoot around behind and try to get back into the play; when you take, the ball in the lineout be sure you can get it back to your own half-back; be energetic in your rucking; be alert for quick throw-ins from touch and quick kick-offs by both sides; do not talk on the field unless you are captain or half-back and then only when necessary; if you are a forward and are last up from a ruck or scrum don't chase the actual course the ball has taken, but set off straight down the centre of the field—the wings may centre kick and you will be right back in the game; never give the ball to someone in a worse position than yourself; never forget that field goals are worth 3 points—Eric Tindall went to England on the strength of two field goals in the 1935 trials; if you are a forward and a good line kicker don't be afraid to mark the ball and show you can kick; leave your fists at home; and know and obey the laws of the game. Do all these things and you have a remote

chance of becoming an All Black—but do not be surprised if you miss out. We cannot all be All Blacks this honour is reserved for the few—but we can all enjoy our football and after all this is the most important thing.