Senior Selector Points To Weaknesses In District Rugby

Chronicle (Levin), 16 July 1949, Page 4

Senior Selector Points To Weaknesses In District Rugby

Some timely and. constructive criticism of rugby- football "in |his district. was made by the sole senior selector, Mr . D. J. Oliver, at a meeting bf the Horowhenua ' Rugby Uriion's "management- committee this week. In club games too much stress was placed on winning at any price, he said. That was the m.ain cause of the trouble. If any progress was to bemade it would be essential to coach teams into playing a good type of football, an which forwards and backs combined well together. . • ' * ' : • * ' ' '

Mr. Oliver was discussing; the senior representative game last Saturday, when Horowhenua Icst fche Behbington Shield to Danne- . virke. The result was disappointing, he said. He had seen the Horowhenua players turn on better football in Club games than they had done agalnst ' either Manawatu or Dannevirke. Perl*aps one or two members of the ieam could be improved on, but he was satisfied that the fifteen was a good one.- So far 'the team had not produced the football seen frorri last year'd seniors or in tne Maori-Pakeha game this season. Dannevirke, on the other-hand, had played a good type of rugby. Blames Club Football. "I .blame our club football," declared Mr. Oliver. "Too much weight is placel on winning- .at any cost. That is where ' ihe 'trouble reaUy lies in our «football. Too often we see the forwards struggling hard for long periods just to score three points, • f orgetting all about fcheir backs. There must be combination between the two. If our eoaches will get down t'o training fcheir teams "to play the right type ; of football there will be a big improvement." " Some outstanding players were

produced in the' college teams, he continued, and on the compietion of their studies they were dispersed " " - 1 t . - .

throughout the clubs of the district. Then they adapted themselves to club football and the right type of p'ay 'they had been taught was lost, He was convinced that it was necessary to start again at the b'ottom rung of the ladder and get coaches , tp teach good football, with not too • much forward play but a cpmbinatibh of forwards and backs in the correct measure. x "The Cry will be, 'We have not got the backs.5 It is necessary to train ihem and give them the chance they are not getting today." The speaker added that ' Athletic and Shannon had been playing good football. ' Unlortunately, the union did not have ihe faciiities for getting the representative players together' and '"drilling it into them," said Mr. Oliver. It could not be done in a gymnasium, but he thought an effbrt shou'd be made to have weekend training. The Chairman, Mr. R. L. Robinson: The coach wou/d welcome that move. Mr. Robinson congratulated the Horowhenua .third grade representative team on its fine display last Saturday. The seniors, hs said, |had not given the performance hoped for, but he felt that the team was a better one than its showing

had rindicated.. There had been general disappointment at the result of the game. Mr. T. Winiata said that the type •of game a team played was induenced by where its strength lay. For exampA, Wanderers were weak in the backs and they played a forward game in consequence. Not Given Chance. Mr. Oliver: Wanderers have fairly good backs. They only think fchey are weak and do not give chem a chance. " Other clubs are the same. They will find' they have good backs if they are given the opportunity. The chairman: I know that is right, but in the meantime they are going to lose a game ?r two. Mr. Oliver: Does it matter? The immediale outcome of the discussion was that the committee decided to ealL representative teams together, as far as possib'e, for weekend training prior to games. Thanking the chairman for his references lO the third gra'de team, the coach, Mr. Juno, said the play»rs were very keen and their display had been gratifying to him.