RUGBY FOOTBALL

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22518, 28 September 1938, Page 14

RUGBY FOOTBALL

LONGER PASS FROM

SCRUM

A LESSON IGNORED

N. A. MITCHELL'S VIEWS

PLACED BEFORE UNIONS

The New Zealand Rugby Football Union has circulated among all affiliated unions the valuable observations of N. A. Mitchell, All Black captain this year, on one of the most important lessons taught by the 1937 Springboks, the efficacy of the long pass from the base of the scrum. Mitchell, on returning from Australia, "was amazed to find in four - Ranfurly Shield games only one team employing this method”—South Canterbury, with Saxton as half-back. The circular provoked considerable discussion at the meeting of the management committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union last evening, , when members admitted that the provincial team had been one of those to. overlook the technique which is advocated by the union’s own coaching committee. “We in Australia this year employed the long pass, and I think proved to the ‘doubting Thomas’s’ that for effective three-quarters play this long pass was essential." Mitchell stated. "To my mind it is absolutely essential to adopt this method if three-quarters play in New Zealand is to advance. Persistence of Tradition

"I think this recommendation came from the committee set up to' go ■ lnto the lessons learned from the Springboks, and yet we find that the only ones using it In their clubs are those who have had actual playing exp&rlence against this longer pass. It therefore seems that until the present generation' of players grows up and begins coaching, these lessons will not be heeded, for, speaking from my experience, the greater number of the older generation seem loath to scrap we formation which was so successful in their day, but which was behind a two-three-two scrum.” Mitchell concluded by urging the union to ’ place the matter before affiliated unions, for with the South African tour so close, he considered something should be done to give New Zealand players every chance against such formidable opponents. _ , . The circular from the New Zealand Union states that Mitchell’s views are passed on to affiliated players In the hope that they will have the effect of improving the standard of play. „ ... “It is rather interesting to note that tills Is the line on which the Canterbury Union’s' Coaching Committee has been working throughout the year,” remarked Mr A. I. Cottrell, chairman of that committee. Mr E. V. Phillips said that the Canterbury team had not followed the principle. "We have a Canterbury team in 1935 which used the long and deep pass from the base of the scrum,” said Mr J. K. Moloney, president of the union. We proved its effectiveness long before the Springboks came here. It just happened that at that time we had the type of half-back capable of sending out long and accurate passes.’’ He added that the circular required little comment; It was almost platitudinous. New Formation Required

Mr A. E. McPhall thought that the circular setting out Mitchell’s viewa would be extremely valuable, not because there was anything particularly new in them, but because more notice would be taken of an All Black captain than of most authorities on the game. It was necessary that this lesson of last year’s tour should not be forgotten. ■ New Zealand, contended Mr Moloney, had to arrive at a new formation of backs suited to the three-fronted scrum, and it seemed that the best arrangement was a half-back who could send out long and accurate passes, a stand-off half or fiveeighths, and four three-quarters. “That has got to come,” agreed Mr Cottrell. He said that anyone who had seen Saxton playing against tile Springboks in an ordinary formation last year would be surprised at the difference m technique from that which had been developed on the Australian tour. Theory and Practice “We have spent a lot of' money on' coaching and on films, and it seems that we must have a coach to take charge of representative teams; —all teams for that matter—who will see that the views of the coaching committee are put into effect,” said Mr Phillips. Mr Moloney was of the opinion that Rugby football in New Zealand would make a big advance if this advice was followed universally. . Mr McPhail contended that part of the trouble lay in the tradition that a halfback must be a' small player. ‘Very often he is not big enough to throw out long passes,” he said: . .. Mr Cottrell, who emphasised that the passes of the half-back must be deep as well as long, argued that a half-back, big or small, could acquire the art. it Is all a matter of timing and rhythm. Once a half-back gets that he can throw the ball half-way across Mr R. W. Britton contended that the, union should appoint its own coaches for representative teams. It could then be assured that the playing principles of which it approved were put into effect.

SPORTS MEETING ON SATURDAY

SEVEN-A-SIDE TOURNEY

CLOSE OP THE SEASON All the senior Christchurch Rugby clubs will be represented in the «even-a-side tournament which will be the principal feature of the footballers’ sports day at Lancaster Park on Saturday. The meeting will be held on the oval and no charge will be made for admission. It will be the official close of the Rugby season in Canterbury’. Four pennants will be awarded by the union: For the seven-a-side competition, which is limited to one team from each senior club; for each section of the sports events (first to third grades and all grades beldw third); and for the grand aggregate of points for the whole meeting. Points in each event will be allotted on the basis of 5 points for first, three for second, and one for third. Competitors will wear club colours end football'boots. The draw for the seven-a-side tournament is as follows: First Round—Air Force v. Christchurch. Byes: Sunnyside, Technical, Merivale, University, Athletic. Albion v. Linwood, Sydenham v. Old Boys The second-round games are Technical v. Merivale and University v. Athletic. The programme will begin at 1.30 with first-round seven-a-side games. It will include 50 yards scratch races, 440 yards relay races, with football, goal-kicking, dribbling competitions, §nd a 100 yards open scratch race.

FORMATION OF GLUBS IN DISTRICTS

PROPOSAL FOR MARLBOROUGH LOST

[THE PRESS Special Service.] BLENHEIM, September 37.

A matter of importance to Rugby football in. Marlborough was discussed at the meeting of the Rugoy Union, when a proposal was brought forward that next season the ■ union’s area should be divided into districts, with each district to form one club, and players consequently to play according to their residential qualifications. , , .. The sponsors of the proposal were the Moutere and Central Clubs, whose delegates indicated that difficulty was being experienced through a shortage of players.

While other clubs, notably those in the town, had a surplus. Opposition was expressed by most delegates at the meeting however. They considered that the trouble was caused through lack of organisation and team spirit, and eventually the proposal was lost by 11 votes to 6. RUGBY LEAGUE THACKER SHIELD MATCH DECISION NOT TO PLAY GAME CRITICISED Dissatisfaction with the decision of the Addington Rugby League Club not to play Blackball for the Thacker Shield this season was expressed in a letter from thb Westland Rugby Football League to the executive of the Canterbury Rugby Football League last evening. The letter said that when Addington won the shield f^ orr l hall the Blackball team played over the’season to oblige Addington, and now that the Addington Club should reciprocate. The West land League asked the Centre to take the matter up with Addington to see if the cl £t> would was consider its decision, as Blackball was desirous of travelling to Canterbury. It was reported that the request for the match had been made to the c direct If it had been made to the league the match could have been, arranged, it was stated. ■ Tne executive decided to reply that because the Canterbury season ijad now been closed, it would not be possible to play the match. Lease of Show Grounds The secretary of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association (Mr M. E. Lyons), wrote that some months dgo some officials of the league asked that he should advise when the association proposed to .take steps to relet the Show Grounds for football purposes. As the league was aware, the existing Tease of the Rugby Union expired on September 30, and he would be glad to have any proposals the league might desire to submit, and these would receive the careful consideration of the committee of the association. - The letter was discussed in committee, and it was reported later that the reply had been left to the secretary (Mr H. B7 Rogers) and treasurer (Mr R. A. Drury). Suggestions made by the Auckland League for the policy of the New Zealand Council in the future Were forwarded in a letter from the council. These were: That the council establish a fund to subsidise a coaching fund for outside leagues on a 50-50 basis; that' the council establish a fund .to subsidise club teams travelling to other centres, according to distance; that a special fund be established for the leasing or purchasing of grounds in other centres. After a discussion in committee, the chairman (Mr C. H. Goodman) reported that the league had leased Monica Park for the summer months to hold sports carnivals, which would ,in all probability, include night trotting. PLAYING OF GAME BY BOYS MR A. E. CLARK’S REPLY A further reply to a letter sent to the Canterbury Education Board by Mr D. C. Brown, headmaster of the Waltham School, giving his explanation of the circumstances about the allegation that he (Mr Brown), had prevented boys at the school from playing League football, was received by the executive of the Canterbury Rugby League last evening from Mr A. E. Clark, chairman of the schoolboys’ committee of the League, who was unable to attend the meeting. Mr Clark’s letter said, inter alia:— As the press saw fit to publish a full report of the letter sent to you from the Education Board, in fairness to me I would like the papers to publish my reply' to Mr Brown’s letter; to the board. First of all, I would like to say that Mr Brown’s remarks were not unfairly or unjustly construed by me, and I will say again that he would not allow the boys to play League or any other game *on Saturdays; that he would bar them from playing for the school and would also impose another penalty on the boys, but he was not prepared to say at the moment what it would be. Mr Brown also said in his letter to the Education Board that the boys practised on frosty nights by artificial light on wet grounds. This was also another false statement, because the boys always practised on Waltham Park where there were no lights, and their practice time was from 4 o’clock to 4.45 because the coach had to be on duty at his work at 6.30 p.m.” ■’ ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL MATCH FOR DEWAR CUP WESTLAND ACCEPTS OCTOBER 8 AS DATE A report that the Westland Football Association had accepted October 8 for the junior representative match at Greymouth between Canterbury and Westland for the Dewar Cup, was made by the secretary (Mr R. B. Bunt) .to the management committee of the Canterbury, Football Association last evening. Mr Bunt also reported that South Canterbury had accepted October 8 for matches against two Canterbury schoolboys’ teams, and for a match between the South Canterbury senior representative team and Canterbury B. The former matches would begin at. Hagley Park at 10.30 a.m., and the latter at English Park at 1.30 p.m. Permission was granted to the Marist Club to play a junior match against the Wellington Marist Club for the Keeling Cup at Christchurch on October 1. The Bangers Club wrote asking for the result of the investigations of the classification committee about the playing of Jennett Anderson by the Marist Club in the final of the seventh grade competition for the Priddls Cup last Saturday. It was decided to reply that the playing of Anderson was quite in order as he was a registered seventh-grade player of the club and was within the age limit. Mr A. G. F. Ross presided at the meeting. DRAW FOR SATURDAY’S MATCHES ENGLISH CUP SEMI-FINAL TO BE PLAYED The following is the draw for the matches of the Canterbury Football Association on Saturday:— English Cup—Semi-final; echuical A v. Nomads, at English Park, at 3 p.m. (Mr R. H. Neville). Humphreys Cup—Final;. Celtic v. St. Albans, at Hagley No. 1, ait 3 p.m. (Mr W. Mann). White Cup—Final (replay): -Technical A v. Technical B, at Hagley No. 2. at 3 p.m. (Mr L. Williams). Sixth Grade Chaiinpionship—Final: Marist v. Thistle, at Hagley No. 3, at 3 p.m. (Mr J. O’Brien). The sixth-grade final will not be played if a mutual agreement can be made by the two teams to hold the trophy for six months each. - The private primary schools’ six-a-sidc tournament will be held at Hagley Park on Saturday, beginning at A3O ana.

MATCH FOR CREWE SHIELD j ASSOCIATION REFEREES’ TEAM The following team has been selected to represent Canterbury Association football referees in the annual Association football match against Canterbury Rugby referefces for the Crewe Shield, at English Park at 1.30 p.m. on Saturday:— S. Doree; R. C. Neville, W. Kelly: M. Walker, G. Colville, G. Cox; F. Cope, J. Fitzsimmons, L. Doherty, A. W. Pritchard, C. Sweeney. Reserves—H. Moore, C. Keys. The referee will be Mr G. Black. BRITISH FOOTBALL RESULTS OF LATEST GAMES • » ttnriTßS r»*s» mpuibbi.i (Received September 27, 7 p.m.) LONDON. September 26. In the annual football Association Charity Shield, Arsenal beat Preston, 2-1. Rugby results were:— Blackheath 12, Devonport Services 11, Pontypool 16, Newport 0. Rugby League results were:— Leeds 9. Hull 9. St. Helens 23. Keighley 0.