FOOTBALL

Hokitika Guardian, 25 March 1930, Page 2

FOOTBALL

KICK INTO TOUCH RULE,

'(Bj Telegraph—Per Press Association.)

INVERCARGILL, March 21

The Southland Rugby Union is anxious to revert this season to the old kick into toucli rule. This decision was arrived at during the annual meeting this evening when the following motion from the Wellington Union, which will come before the New Zealand Union on April 10, was considered. “That the lack into touch rule be reverted to throughout New Zealand during the coming season; failing this that the Wellington Union he granted permission to play the old rule.” It was decided to support‘the first part o*f the resolution. The union’s balance sheet showed a loss of £568 on the year’s working, the northern tour, casting over £6OO.

LEAGUE PLAYERS. LONDON, March 23

Three New Zealand Rugby League players, Hargreaves, Hutt and Hal! brought from the Dominion in August to play for St. Helens, addressed a claim to the Secretary of the Club eemanding a guarantee of 70s per week for fifty-two weeks, regardless of football earnings, and secondly, a guarantee of a benefit of £250 sterling each, as a retaining fee. They declare the work found for them is unsatisfactory from a wages view-

point. _ . Tho Committee rejected the demands owing to the refusal of the New Zealanders to allow the matter to remain in abeyance until after the League Cup semi-final, and all three have been omitted from the team to meet Wigan. WELSH PACK BEATEN.

(By H. P- Marshall in “Daily Mail” London.)

LONDON, January 20.

I was wrong—l . thought Wales would win easily on Saturday, and it is thus all the. more pleasant to congratulate the young English team on a surprising but courageous and wellearned victory. Every, man did his share, and the whole team " came through a stiff ordeal with credit. For all that, it would be foolish to imagine that England’s course is set fair for the. International championship. The standard of play on Saturday was not high, and the result was due to two unexpected factors. . In the first place, J. S. Tucker was brought into the front row of the English pack instead of H. Rew, who had hurt his ankle.

Without in any way depreciating Rew, i want to stress the importance of this change, for it removed what to my mind was the really serious weakness in the England side. D. A. Kendrew, who was originally chosen as hooker,, had never played in Wales lief fire, liml that in itself is A disadvantage. Tucker, whp packed in the middle right away, gave experience and solidity to the if rout row, as anyone who had played against him will understand. , . He .not -only hooked magnificently, but lie held the front row together and enabled the work from behind to be effectively transmitted. / Kendrew and Bateson supported him manfully, but it was he who made it possible for England to win the tight scrums, and to counter the Welsh ascendancy out of touch by taking scrums instead of line-outs.

Thus it was that the inclusion of Tucker gave England a moral ascendancy which, without him, they might well have lost. He was in this way, I think, partly responsible for the second unexpected factor, which was the amazing inefficiency of the Welsh pack. GROTESQUE SCRUMMAGING.

Their scrummaging was grotesque. They seemed to have no idea of packing and generally went down with three men with arched backs in the front row and the other five littered about anyhow in a sort of straggling second row.

The truth of the matter is Wales sadly needed a scrummage leader: their forwards have speed, strength and any amount olf dash in the open, hut all these qualities are wasted without intelligent co-ordination. However much we may theorise, the foundation of all tactics in Rugger is to get the ball. England did so on Saturday, and Wales did not—that is the story of the game in a nutshell. Behind the scrum there was little outstanding play. The English defence was splendid, particularly at stand-off half and in the centre, where R. Spong L. Robson, and F. S. Malir went fAi their men with swift and effective ferocity.

Spong and Sobey worked together well enough at half-back, though I st : ll feel that Snong is not the ideal link with the three-quarter line.

The attir k in the centre was not incisive enough, and neither Robson nor Malir ever looked really dangerous.. J. S. R. Reeve was about the best of the back division and his second try, when came inside - and broke through the centre, was a beauty. J. G. Askew did well at full-back, though I wish he would learn to kick with his right foot.

All the forwards worked splendidly, but I thought that P. J). Howard played particularly well, despite having a very rough time when he was fisted in the face in the line-out early in the game.

As for the Welsh backs, they did not shine. J. Morley, on the right wing, had his good moments, and J. Bassett proved again that lie is about the most reliable full-back playing just Bow.

The others did not live to their reputations—in attack they allowed themselves to be herded across the ground, and they were none too sure in defence.

Altogether, as I have said, the standard of play was poor, though spirited tackling and sound scrummaging entitled England to the victory. There was a crowd of some 65,000 people, and an inadequate squad of police had some difficulty in keeping the touch-lines clear. HOW THE PLAY WENT.

The Cardiff Arms Park ground was drier than T have ever seen it in midwinter, though, even so, it was heav\ in places and treacherous on the surface. There was little wind when Black kiclved off for England, and a fast game seemed probable. The Englishmen started with surprising confidence, and although Wales nearly scored after a mil ’by Hickman barely six minutes bad gone when Spong ran strongly and whipped the ball out to Reeve on tin left wing, for him to dive over in the corner for an unconverted try. Half-time came with England a try to the good, and very soon Reeve increased this lead. There was a scrum near the left touch-line from which England heeled. Sobey shot the ball to Spong, and Reeve unexpectedly came across between Spong and Robson to take the pass. His long stride carried him through the centre in a flash and as the Welsh defence was standing verry shallow', he had only Bassett to beat.

This he did with a perfect outward swerve, and went on to score near the posts. A good try, which Black con verted.

Almost immediately Wales replied Morley cut inwards with that deceptive run of bis and made an opening from which T. Jones-Dnvies went over in the corner. This seemed to hearten the Welshmen, and they began pressing desperately. For a quarter of an hour they won the scrums and attacked with great fire, hut the English defence held, and gradually the tide turned again, till in the last stages of the game Wales were defending, and Black kicked a penalty goal for-England from an easy position." ■THE WELSH' VIEW. (By R. T. Gabe, the famous Welsh In-

ternational.)

We were soundly beaten and there are no excuses to offer. England gave us a severe shock at the outset. They played with inspiration and made the execution of our team look feeble in comparison.

Where we were expected to excel — in the pack—we were badly trounced. The heeling of England was a revelation and was such that excellent opportunities were continually afforded Sobey and Spong to serve the threequarters. The reason why the victory was not greater was not so much due to the strength and sureness of the Welsh tackling as to slips and fumbles by the English backs. The infusion of young blood in the winning team was a stroke of genius and it behoves tho Welsh selectors to •follow suit.

England will probably get a good year. Novis arid Reeve were excellent. Robson and Malir were more subdued. Askew was spectacular and safe,