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Hokitika Guardian, 15 July 1924, Page 2

With the All Blacks visiting New South Wales, and the near approach of their departure for England there is a considerable amount of discussion on their .prospects; and a special reference made to the forwards by a northern writer is of interest at this juncture. He snvs that the fact has been emphasised from time to time that something new in forwards has been developed in Yew Zealand since the war. In Sydney, recognition of the new type was accorded after the first match the All Blacks played, one of the newspapers remarking of the forwards, that “the heaviest are the fastest." A few years back one used to hear it said that the big country forwards were big, hut that they had no brains and that the city forwards, usually lighter, could “run rings round them.” That cannot be said to-day by anyone who lias seen hig 14-stone men such as Richardson, the Blownlies, Stewart and Masters on the field. Whatever one may think of their scrum work, one cannot hut admit that in their loose rushes, dribbling, as a forward should, and passing, ns we used to think only a hack should, these men are worth more to a team than the players of lighter build who won international jerseys a few years back; and worth still more than the heavy moil who found places in the teams, and did little, else hut put 1' heads down and push. Sometimes they merely put their heads down. The fast, heavy forward as we know him now is the product of the Springboks’ tour, and the kick-into-touoh rule. There ran lie no doubt that the massed attacks of the dark green forwards were effectual, hut it is just as certain that they made the game dull for the spectator. The amended rule altered all that. Immediately the forwards found that if they were to survive they must lie well trained and fast. The frequent rests while the hall was retrieved from beyond the touch-line were no longer available. Instead, the ball was constantly in jslav, and with the selector’s eye on him the forward simply had to keep himself somewhere near it. He learned soon that to save himself fruitless running backward and forward lie

must keep control of the hall as long as possible. He ccyild not he certain to keep it under control by dribbling, so ho liegan passing it. And to-day a forward passing rush is something to he loarcd by the strongest opposition. Unless some wizard arises in the backs, it is safe to predict that the All Blacks of 1921 will he remembered in England mainly for the tactics ol their forwards, just as the men of 1905 are still remembered for the machine-like precision for their hack attacks. And if we may iieliovc a New Zealander who has played football in England for several seasons, there is only one English forward of international standing who would think of picking up the hall and passing it.