COACHED RUATOKI LEAGUE TEAM TO VICTORY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 91, 4 September 1950, Page 3

COACHED RUATOKI LEAGUE TEAM TO VICTORY

Famous Rugby wing-three-quar-ter for Auckland nearly 50 years ago was Opai Asher, one of the most colourful characters r ever to trip on to a football field, recently coached the Ruatoki Rugby League team to victory.

Opai Asher was a hard man to stop in his day. The story has often been told how he would leap over the heads 1 ' of men trying to tackle him front-on. Spry And Alert

Mr Asher, now past 70 years of age, but still spry and alert, chuckled when he recalled how often he sent a tackier sprawling this way, so that he could land nimbly back on his feet and gallop round the prostrate form in front of him for a breakaway.

The old-timer vouches for the truth of this story. In one important match the opposing full-back was one of the best in the district. First time Asher broke clear of the field, he tried to leap over this fullback, but the full-back straightened up—and took a primitive version of the flying drop-kick in the chest. The words he hurled at Asher as Asher walked back after scoring his try were unprintable.

Soon afterwards Asher broke away again, with only the fullback between him and the line. This time the full-back, the bruises on his chest overcoming pride in his reputation as a sure tackier, merely waved him on. "Go on, go on," you blank-bftank," he yelled, "get over the line if you want to, but don't come near me." Jumping over—or into—opponents was not Opai Ashe'r's only trick, of course: He was terrifically fast off the mark, versatile, and cunning. He was good enough to get into the 1903 All Black team that toured Australia, rated by some New Zealand's best team ever. On form he would have almost certainly gone with the 1905 All Blacks on their historic tour of Great Britain, had he not been severely injured while on duty as a membei' of the Fire Brigade.

Turned to League He turned to League when the game began in Auckland in 1908, finished his playing career in this code, and has been associated with it in various administrative and coaching posts since then. Only a few weeks ago he coached the little favoured Ruatoki side to beat the strong Waikato Maoris by 50 points. He has no great opinion of pre-sent-day footballers. Few of them, he claims, use their brains enough, and try the same old moves again and again. To be good in his day you always had to have something new up your sleeve.