SCRUM NOT A BATH

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 479, 8 October 1928, Page 6

SCRUM NOT A BATH

NEW ZEALAND RUGBY WEAKNESS MR. FLETCHER’S PROTEST (i rom Our Resident Reporter.) VVKLiiIXGTON, Saturday. ho is disappointed at the laek ot interest shown by the New Zealand Kushy Union in his susgesiiun that a committee should be set up to consider ways of raising the standard of the game in the dominion, Mr. T. A. Fletcher is by no means inclined to let the matter drop. ' The general opinion of the meeting seemed to be that wo should wait until the members of the team which went to South Africa return to the Uominion," said Sir. Fletcher. "Though to my mind that is not the way to go about it. If we appointed a committee before tbe All Slacks returned we could then send that committee to meet them and get their collective opinions on the game in New Zealand in the light of their recent experience. After Ujpy disperse it will be difficult. thing that I am mainly concerned with is the scrum. It is impossible to escape the fact that putting down two men in the front row. then three men. and then another two, is not constituting a New Zealand scrummage, The men must be taught to pack properly, they must direct their weight toward the centre of the opposing scrum, and when that is done we have little trouble in obtaining the ball. Can it be said that it is done in the New Zealand scrummages of to-day? Tlie weight of our seven men, properly directed against the central man of the opposing 3-2-3 or 332 will leave him unable to hook. But to-day we see our men going down with their knees bent, their backs bent and with the wrong foot forward. There should be a ‘lane’ down the centre of our scrum. How often do we see it? We heed, in fact, to convince our players that a scrummage is a scrummage and not a plunge bath. To see some of Iv!? 1 ? ? um P in & *n and out one would think it was composed of iev water. * My proposal was that this committee might bring down some recommendations, possibly some form of Instruction, and that the New Zealand s . h ? uld tfien circulate this to the P ovindal unions along with its anand ask those unions to bef . ore th o notice of the clubs dnfl the club coaches. Fletcher also complains of being misrepresented in the report of his JM.** thp New Zealand Union. He d ‘ d "' °i, say **» at the Standard of the AfHoa i a „ ye< ! the Al > Blacks in e ? had Bte referred to the state of the game in Zealand during the past season.

Ponsonby actually tried three men in the position before it was satisfied. GREAT TACKLING The tackling was hard and fierce throughout, and gave little opportunity for spectacular back play. For all that, however, Ponsonby’s try in which J. Peckham, Schofield, Payne, Fagan and Gardiner handled, was a magnificent one, and so was the try scored by Hansen, with Brady, Gregory, Kirwin and Brisbane, as the connecting links. It was Brisbane’s straight dash through the centre which made that try, although Hansen deserves credit for a dashing piece of work in topping it oft. If Brisbane was a slightly better handler he would be a very brilliant footballer. As it is, the writer has seen no better centre in either League or All Black football in the last few years than the Marists player. I can pay him no greater compliment. Moisley, Noble and Johnson put in some great work in the Marists forwards, and Jim O’Brien, for all his apparent indolence, proved an exceedingly useful soul in the pack. Brady played a splendid game at half and some of his defensive kicking was first-class. Kirwin has only to get fit again to be as good as ever he was, and Gregory played very soundly at first five-eighth. Petherick, who replaced him at fullback, was very solid, but inclined to be too deliberate. It cost his side a try once. DELGROSSO WELL WATCHED Tim Peckham was the life and soul of the Ponsonby backs, Delgrosso being too closely watched to display his best form. Ken Peckham proved an exceedingly versatile performer, and Fagan was outstanding in the forwards. Payne and Gardiner also showed out well at times. The scoring register was as follows: Marists: Tries' by Noble and Hansen, both converted by Gregory, 10 points; Ponsonby: Tries by Gardiner and K. Peckham and a goal by Delgrosso, 8 points.