FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 July 1921, Page 11

FOOTBALL.

COMING OF THE SPRINGBOKS. COMMENTS ON THE TEAM. One cannot be impressed with the strength of the South African Rugby team, says a South African correspondent. South African footbaJl has been passing, through a period of lean years since war broke out In 1914. To-day there is a great dearth of ttreequarters, and, as a matter of fact, through tl»e whole length and -breadth of the land there is not a single example of the great centre threequarter of the past. Initiative, resource and brain iness are lacking. Among the four selected centre threequarters, who will proceed on tour, there Is not one who by the utilisation of those qualities born in a footballer, which amount to invariably leaves Ids opponents guessing. It is ' the case to-day of the “centre" receiving the ball from the halfback, trying to break through the opposing backs, and, if successful, away flies the ball to the “wing," who endeavors to finish the movement. Or, again. It is a case of flashing out the ball -from the scrum as quickly as possible, the centre passing immediately to his confrere, who in turn, and without hesitation, sends out to the wing, a truly stereotyped form of attack and eminently successful against ordinary South African Club fifteens, but not against a representative New Zealand fifteen, whose wonderfully fast breaking up forwards, a:id four lines of defence, have to be overcome before a score can accrue.-

The best cerum-half in tte country unfortunately did not attend the trial matches and was not selected, and in this department of the attack there will be a great deal lacking. Neither or the two scrumhalves are particularly brilliant. Although! Michau, who is clubmate and partner to De Kock, the best five-eights in the country, is sound, he Is not up to international standard, but it will be these two who will have to bear the brunt of all the big games. In my opinion there is not only a decided weakness at centre threequarter, but the forwards have, on the whole, been selected from the point of view of weight. Nippiness, fleetness of foot, dribbling and handling propensities, the latter three attributes which were such outstanding qualities in your military service side of 1919, have not •been given sufficient consideration in the choi.ee of the African frontal attack. Three of the forwards, “Baby" Michau, "Tank" van Rooyen (Transvaal), and “Roy” Morkel (Western Province), on an average would scale just on or over the 16 stone mark.

The question uppermost in one’s mind is, except for pushing power, what earthly hope fave these big bulky men got in the loose or in the quick breaking-up of the scrummage against the fleet-footedness of New Zealand’s forwards which one recognised in the service team, and who were up a»id away in a trice to the flanks to frustrate an onslaught by the opposing backs? With the; wonderful wedge fanmation of your scrum, as opposed to the South African packing 4— t, and on top of that the New Zealand interpretation of the foot-up rule, it is not our big beefy forward who is going to gain the advantage.

In tte line-out matters should be fairly level, although there is no doubt In one’s mind that the New Zealand tactics of •hunching" when it is their throw-in, some 15 or 20 yards from the touch-line, with hand-to-hand passing among the forwards. Is a far more dangerous phase of their attack than- the "Springbok” forwards, who throw out to their backs. Not all the chosen scrummagers, however, are of the same hefty proportions. The nearest approach to such men as Bellis and Mofflt on the New Zeaeland side are Mellish, the South African who has played for England, and Ellis, of the Transvaal. They are two real “goers,” and they will be as prominent In the loose as Roy Morkel and “Nic" du Plessis (Western Transvaal) will be at the line-outs. The remaining forwards are the ordinary hard-working kind, but sev-' era I are on the old side.

I have as yet said nothing of the wing three-quarters, because there is not much to say, except for van Heerden (Western Province), who is In a class by himself as a scorer, the remaining three wings are not by any means tried men. Meyer, who played full-back for the combined universities fifteen against the “All-Blacks” team, gets his Place on the wing. Zellar, a Natal centre three-quarter, has been chosen as another wing three-quarter. This little fact must alone tell those of you 7000 miles away that we have not a wide choice in the matter of three-quarter backs. The two full-backs chosen, one of them being G. Morkel, the best we have, and a player who has figured in every international match played, is on the slow side, and is a long and safe kick, but he cannot be compared with such as Jack O’Brien in speed or resource. The second fullback will rarely be seen out, as he has been selected purely for h.'a kicking propensities.

Selected from all quarters of the country, many of the players being separated by 1000 miles and more, playing entirely different types of games, and without previous practice, the welding of the side will take some considerable time. Compared with the two previous Springbok touring teams, more especially in the back division, the 1921 lot does not, to my mind, compare very favorably. of the defensiye qualities of the back division it is too early to speak. Individually .. not mL Sf) sound as "ere the previous strings. The forwards, on the other hand, in some respects, may bo slightly superior, «rt o5 Pr 4 ,y W ° Uid d 0 better a S aiu3 t British teams, but it is doubtful whether as a pack they will be so successful against the of-,. Play the New Zealan d forward revels in. Still it may be that, contrary to expectAf° n { \ It*® WUI filve a far better account of itself than some of us, who have, been more than impressed with the New Zealand game, anticipate. That the Springboks will lose more games than they have done previously Is understood.