Too Much Booing by N.Z. Crowds

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 6, 30 September 1937, Page 9

Too Much Booing by N.Z. Crowds

PreR* Association.)

SPRINGBOK'S VIEWS Craven Tkinks Dalton & Reid Among Best Forwards ERRORS IN OUR RUGBY

rR> Talftsranh —

WHANGAREI, Last Night. ftDame" Craven, the Springbok vicecaptain, when interviewcd to-day, ga vo a cojnparison between Rugby in South Africa and, New Zealand. 4 'The grounds is tb" Gominion are much lieavier than we aic accustomed to," he said, "and the green grass on your playing-areas i» a great asset, "To be quite candid," Mr Craven said, when asked to comment on the attitude of New Zealand crowds, "there has been too much booing. The booing has not como from tho whole crowd, but oniy from a section, and has ° been particularly noticeable when Brand has been taking a bick and when penaltiea have been awarded against •us. A feature to be regretted is that school children have taken part in these demonstrations."Mr Craven said that the tourists had been disappointed at the standard of the game in New Zealand, and he blamed ihe amended rules. "You have got to fight League theoretically instead of practically," he said. "The New Zealand forwards concentrate =too much .on trying to bottle tho backs, e6pecially the halves, by loose play. * That has the effect of killlng good back play. "Even/South African club Rugby backs cannot achieve so much- as .we have in the international matches here. That is because the N.ew Zealand backs have not como up in a straight- Jine The second five-eighths has to wait for the first and the centre for both men inside before moving; otherwiso tho gaps would be left in the line and the opposition attack would be given opportunities. "The hooking by New Zealand waa all wrongj. The hooker tries to swing both legs instead of one. If a hooker has to hang on his arm to use both feet he cannot rake the ball as quickly as an opposing • hooker who is usmg one.foot. "The only way to re-establish the the standard of New.. Zealand Rugby is to play international rules and for referees to be etricter round the scrums." Mr Craven classed Purdue (Southland) and Saxton (South Canterbury) a3 the best halves' they had played against. Simon was good, he said, but his passing was too elow. He thought that Trevathan 'had1 been unfairly criticised, his -only - mistaka- heing- that. he stood in a straight line with the the scrum, while his passesawere not always righfc. Sullivan' and Caughey were the best eentres, and Phillips was a really good winger. Taylor was a grand f uil-back unless he was rattled in ihe first few minutes. • | The best New Zealand forviards were McKenzie, Dalton and Reid. Ward played an excellent game ior Southland.