RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5030, 22 September 1926, Page 3

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

THE SEASON’S REVIEW.

(By Blue and White.)

The crowds of the season are passing through the gates. The eager voices die away, the enthusiasm and the excitement grow dim ; for another year is passing into the annals of the old gapie, another chapter is added to the volume of New Zealand’/ national game. The defeats, the surprises, and the triumphs of the 1926 season are past, and the lessons, well learnt, stand forth in bold relief. Those lean days of New Zealand Rugby following the Great War, onward to the time of the tour df the Springboks at a period when New Zelaand football was, at a low ebb, have given place to a wonderful revival. The inter-change of visits with New South Wales coupled with the triumphant tour of the 192425 All Blacks have- been invaluable to Rugby fdotball in this country, and have-helped considerably in keeping the game alive. Inter-provincial, university, secondary school, and public school matches are forming a solid foundation On which to build international teams worthy df the “did pioneers.” The present Ranfurly Shield holders, Hawke’s Bay, probably the finest provincial dr county combination in the world, servesi as a re- - minder of those wonderful provincial teams and encounters of the late nineties and the beginning of the present century, when Rugby was rapidly gaining ground and popularity oVer the country. A rapid suflrey of the football of. the district reveals the first tour of the ,Thames Valley representatives, the public schoolboys’ triumphs, bringing victory and the Roller l Mills Shield (the Ranfurly Shield of school football) to the district, Piako representa- * tives the Frank Poland Cup winners, and Paeroa ; the winners of the Sharebrokers’ Cup for junior representative competition. - The revival and keen interest snown in school football must have a decided bearing on the standard of , the game in the near future. The game as played not only by the Thames Valley school representatives, but also in inter-school matches of the season has been very encouraging. Bright open play and tactics have largely been the result of consistent coaching. Junior football, while not ot high Order in club matches, has provided in representative games attractive play, pleasing to the public. Senior club and. representative football has been disappointing and of a low standard thoughout. In most cases the fault lies with the players and the clubs. Team practise is. essential to team play. While a great deal of training must be done individually, "still, at least one night a week should be devoted to full team work and tactics before results can be expected. A player who is not keen enough to devote one night a week is certainly not worthy of selection in any team. Practice ma-kes perfect. How many backs to-day can scoop up the ball while travelling at top speed? How many players; can effectively control the ball with the feet ? How many players tackle properly—low and hard ? Such giants of the game as D. Gajlagher, F. Roberts, Nicholson, Seeling, Gillett, and Hunter did hot achieve -fame but through infinite pains in training and in the knoriv- * ledge of the finer points of the game. Straight running, crisp passing, cut-in movements, backing up of passing . rushes, ahd consistent forward following up are essential to bright football. There are two teams, which take the field. The first is a team of individualists, each man playing his own - game without a team policy. The second team is the one in which every man is a unit in a definite, line of attack. To 1 achieve this requires, ability to gauge the strength ahd faults of the opposition. Selection of teams, also requires careful consideration. Better to have a team of second-raters capable of working up a combination in a game or two than the continual changing of players who do not quite meet expectations. Chopping a,nd ‘changing soon leads to a lack df interest and also td fatal results. • The benefits of the tour of the Valley team should be, reflected in the play of next season, but it Would be well if the powers that be keep the inter-change of visits with first-class football teams well to the fore. Interchange of matches, with distant teams _ brings new styles of play ahd mutual ' improvement. -There are many play-' ers of fine calibre, in the Thames Valley. With consistent .training and encouragement, helped by the improved play in lower grades and school, fixtures, and the time is not far distant when Thames Valley should be a real factor in New Zealand Rugby and a " worthy aspirant for Ranfurly Shield /honours. Undoubtedly the material is here. The. Rugby field melts away, and in its place we see the greater field of Life. Each has its rules, its penalties, and its limits ; ea.ch has, its reverses, its failures, and its. triumphs, ‘but each must have its sacrifices and ats grim determination to follow up ’.until the goal of achievement is attained. The silken folds of the ban--7 ners wave out over the two fields and on each we se.e, emblazdned in letters of gold the same motto, “Play up, play up, and play the game.”