THE MAORI FOOTBALLERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19996, 13 January 1927, Page 5

THE MAORI FOOTBALLERS.

THE TOUR IN ENGLAND AND WALES. Written for the Otago Daily Times. By Walteb P. Cabman. The New Zealand Maori Rugby touring team has now completed its programme of matches in England and Wales, having during the past seven weeks played a series of 14 matches. The following table summarises the results of the games: Pts. Pts. P. W. L. D. for. agst. In England ... 10 5 4 1 87 87 In Wales 4 2 1 1 29 17 Total 14 7 5 2 116 104 Reviewing the matches as a whole, there is no doubt that the team played much better football in Britain than in France. There was better understanding amongst the players, and also between the two divisions. ” The defence improved greatly, this being especially noticeable as regards tackling, while the line kicking was also sounder. The team’s most valuable asset was, without a doubt, speed. It was speed that enabled them.to cover up their mistakes in passing, fielding, and tackling; it was speed that enabled them to overtake and haul down an opposing player when he had broken clear; it was speed that enabled them to back up continually on attack and defence, and it was speed that enabled them to exploit unorthodox ta The team, as a whole, has played bright, open Rugby in almost every game, throwing the ball about at all costs and keeping it in play whenovei* possible. inis has been to their disadvantage at times, when for instance, they punted upfield, only’to see the ball returned to touch well down the line by the opposing full back. ine English press has not been slow m paying tribute to the “sporting” manner in which the Maoris have played the code, and, l have many times heard remarks during the matches eulogising their fine running and the evident pleasure they derive irom play ine A journalist who is the Rugbv critic for ’ one of England’s leading newspapers and who has recently been delivering “radio” lectures on Rugby football, remarked to me during, the matches that it was a pleasure to him merely to watch tho Maoris running about the held. tie said that they were the prettiest runners he had seen, and ho is a man who has travelled extensively. . . Among the backs the passing has been rather wild and reckless., and many good chances have been spoilt through a forward pass, a pass where there was no .supporter, a pass to a player in a worse positmn than the giver of the pass, a badly timed pass, or through a pass being intercepted. In the early games the handling broke down time and again at the inside, backs, who hung on too long and sometimes selfishly, the result being that the powerful wines, Phillips and Falwasser. were practically starved. Latterly the ball has been sent put at express speed to the wings, but this was going rather to the other extreme, these players being well marked. The tac! 'M| bv the New Zealanders in 1 ranee was their great weakness, but this has distinctly mproved. It is still inclined to be too high however, the game at Twuckenhaniagainst Harlequins developing into, a wrestling tr.f tch. The punting of -the Maoris was for a time very weak in comparison with that of the English backs, but this also has improved both in respect of power and forwards have retained the form shown in France. In addition they have improved in two directions; first, in their hand-to-hand passing, and, secondly,_m their backing up of the roa . rgu A rd ’^® y have been fairly successful in the scrums, and during the, last half dozen matches have obtained possession on more °° cas *°°® than their opponents. They have been overshadowed in the art of controlling the ball at the toe. but it must be recognised that English forwards make a speciality ot this branch of the game m preference to handling. The line-outs have not been very satisfactory. The players #.rely the hall cleanly, and when it was sent to the backs it was usually by means of a wild knock behind with one band. One branch of the line-out play m .whtsh they have been more successful is in bursting through their opponents with the ball at toe. As regards backing up. 1 .have already stated that this has distinct improvement. Since the docks have been making better use of the ball the forwards have given them every chance, and the manner in which the two divisions have combined has been very fine. The forwards scored several tries as the result of this combination, notably at Blackheath, Leicester, and Manchester. On defence, too, they have worked very hard, and it was good to see such players as Rika and Dennis running back in the Blackheath match and going down on the ball when, during a Maori attack, Blacttheath forwards broke clean away. . In my opinion the Rugby in Great Britain is much stronger than New Zealanders will credit. The strength of the New Zealand sides is not so much that they adopt superior tactics, but that they take their Rugby much more seriously j both on and off the field. There is no doubt, however, that Rugby in New Zealand is much more interesting than over here, where the orthodox game is rarely departed from. Many very fine Rugby players have been met during the matches. Such players as Hanley, of Deyon, Voyce, of Gloucester, Greenlees, of Leicester, bir T G Devitt, of Blackheath, V. Griffiths, of Newport, and Hubbard, of Harlequins, were outstanding, and would be a credit to the best New Zealand side. The refereeing has not been as good as it should have been in England. The only English referee who was really good was Mr Jackson, of Cambourne, who, strangely enough, refereed for the Maoris when they obtained their biggest victory and also when they suffered their worst defeat. He referreed in the Somerset game and in the Devon game. The Welsh referees— Mr Vile, of Newport, Mr Freethy, of Neath, and Mr Llewellyn, of Bridgend—were very good. One important aspect of the tour which must not be overlooked is the social side. The hospitality accorded the team everywhere was simply wonderful, and, in fact, the management was forced at times to turn down numbers of suggestions for the entertainment of the party. The Maoris, indeed, secured the love and respect of the people over here for their fine sporting behaviour both on the field and off the field, and in that respect, if in no other, the tour can be said to be more than a success.