FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1921, Page 11

FOOTBALL.

THE AUCKLAND GAMEMOST SUCCESSFUL SEASON. STRONG FOLLOWING REGAINED. (By “Drop-kick,” in W”ellington Post.) During ihe coming week there will be a renewal of discussion—of an informal character —on the proposed amendments to the law's of the game, and the fact that the president of the New Zealand Rugby Union was not included as a representative at this conference has aroused the indignation of some unions. from this, however, the time is opportune for referring to the matter as there is a likelihood of important developments in the near future when thfe position in regard to Auckland is further considered. By reason of the fact that the amended rules mainly originated from Auckland football in that district may be said to have an important bearing on the future of the game in the Dominion, it not internationally. Auckland, with the permission of the New Zealand Rugby Union, pending 'further consideration by the English Rugby Union, is playing the unauthorised rule relating to kicking into touch. The experience this season in the north, therefore, demands more than ordinary attention. In order to fully ascertain the position, the writer during visits to Auckland this season, made a special point of interviewing players and officials. Regarding the new rule they agreed, without exception, that it had been responsible for saving the game throughout the whole district. From the play, too, it was quite apparent that the rule had made for a better game. Tt is only by close association with players as well as officials that a true knowledge of the benefits of the rule, as well as the serious consequences if it has to be abandoned,, can be obtained, and to those outside Auckland it is well that further facts shoudl be made known, more particularly at this, time as Mr. Bennett, manager of the Springboks’ team, will be taking back to South Africa a report on the matter.

ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR. Some interesting points in favor of the Auckland rules were obtained bj the writer from a former prominent Wellington footballer, who is now resident in Auckland and taking a keen interest in the game up there. ‘TJnder the existing rules,” he stated, “the habit has grown of excessive use of the touch line. One reason for this is that it requires no initiative and no resource. Any player of even mediocre ability can kick a ball into touch and gain a certain percentage of ground. It has also been found that th,e most effective combination to win matches is a strong, hustling team of forwards, supported by persistent line-kicking, and it has been the custom, to develop this style of play, as it is very much easier to develop players of this type than those who depend in their attack on cleverness and brilliance. /Another common practice is for a team, which has established a lead of a few points, to close up the.game by relentless use of the line, endeavoring to win the game by allowing no opportunity to the other side of scoring and preventing the game becoming open. According to the rules these are perfectly fair and legitimate tactics, but the inevitable result is to lower the standard of scientific play and to make the game unattractive both to players and spectators alike. “As a matter of principle too much value is attached to the punt in -football; for instance, a brilliant passing rush, or a fine forward charge, each requiring the combined skill of several players, may carry the play forty or fifty yards. The same result may be attained by the kicking of one individual. “Auckland’s position has been forced by the introduction of the League game, which, being more open than Rugby, has appealed to the spectators who follow football, and it has rapidly acquired a strong footing. It has also gathered to its ranks quite a number of promising players. As the population of the New Zealand towns is comparatively smail, there is no room for the maintenance of two codes; one must eventually stifle the other. The supporters of amateur football, wishing at all costs to keep supreme the amateur code so that the young men of the community should be i able to take part in sport purely amateur, and not be forced to play a game which had professionalism as its basic principle, tried the experiment of amending the kicking into touch rule, with a view to removing from Rugby much of its unattractiveness. 'i'he method adopted was to take away much of the advantage of the line-kick. If a player in his own twenty-five kicks the ball into touch on the full the line-out is taken where the ball goes into touch, ■as at present. Between the two twentyI fives, if a player kicks the ball into ! touch on the full the line-out is taken parallel to where he kicked from. He ! can kick in-field, and if the ball bounces : out. then the line-out is taken where the ball bounces out.

OPPORTUNITY FOR CLEVERNESS. "There is no penalty for kicking the ball out on the full, but no ground is gained thereby. It can only be used as a method of defence. The attacking side can be checked by such a kick, but the attacking side retains the advantage of ground gained by their attack, and the line-out recommences the play from that spot. The result is that a player does not use the line if he can avoid it, but, if at all possible, he will return the attack either by running or kicking in-field and following up. The practical result is that the rule acts more or less as a compulsion to play open football, as back players particularly must develop initiative and resource; and the back whose only object in life is to kick the ball out of bounds becomes a distinct detriment and a handicap to his side. It becomes virtually impossible for a clever team of backs to be permanently kept at bay, as the ball, being kept so much more in play, offers the opportunity for cleverness and pace at some stages of the game. The old practice of making the game tight and resting on a. lead of three or five points has to be abandoned, and those dreary spectacles of bollocking line-out work by forwards, followed by persistent short line-kicking, become a thing of the past. ACCURACY NOT PENALISED. “The rule does not penalise the really accurate kicker. In the first place, there is full scope for him in defensive work in his own twenty-five and in the taking oi free kicks which can be kicked out

i on the full from any part of the field. | lie can also, by returning a ball close ■, to touch, place his opponent in a position where he cannot return the ball with any effect, and if he is a really clever player, combined with accurate kicking, he can, on finding the opposing backs out of position, land the ball inside the touch-line so that it will Bounce out. This requires great skill—first, the quickness to see the opportunity, and, second, the absolute accurate kicking to. achieve the object. So that 1 it is seen that a first-class kick can gain a tremendous advantage over a mediocre kick. BENEFICIAL RESULTS. “The result of playing the rule in Auckland has been that, without any principles of Rugby being altered and without any advantages taken from the possession of skill by a player, the game has been made much more attractive, both to players and supporters. The backs are encouraged to develop initiative, and are encouraged to find that their efforts cannot be stifled by a side content to do nothing but play safety. Legitimate forward playing is in no way affected. The forward rush is just as valuable an asset to its side as it ever was, but much of the uninteresting close tight work, with its tendency to undue roughness, is lessened.” REMARKABLE PROGRESS. The progress made by the Auckland Rugby Union in recent years has been remarkable. To briefly instance this, the gate takings (admission fid) in a few seasons have advanced from approximately £6 10s to as much as £4OO. The average attendances have beer better than those recorded at Athletic Park, the centre of Rugby’s stronghold in New Zealand and total from six to eight thousand spectators. For Charity Cup matches the gates are about £•200, but far in excess of this for the big secondary school fixtures—the big draw in Auckland. There has been a big increase in players, many of whom have come over from the League game, and throughout the district there is now a total, of five or six thousand. A few years ago the Auckland Union had no finances; to-day all its overdraft has gone. In short, the season has been the > most successful experienced for many a I day. Thil is all due, it is stated, to the change in the game. It has been brightened up, and helped along by enthusiastic supporters, who have devoted much work, time, and money to keep a purely amateur game alive. Spectators and players have shown their appreciation; and without interference of existing conditions the Auckland Union will continue to make headway. Special attention is paid to the schools, there being sixty schools playing Rugby, with a total of about 4000 players within a five or six-mile radius. In a recent tourney forty-six teams took part. The boys are provided with jerseys and footballs, and are encouraged in every way. A change to old rules would mean a severe loss to Rugby in New Zealand. To revert would mean a huge gain to I the other game; in fact; the writer was I reliably informed that at least two senior clubs had decided to go over if ■ the new rules were not permitted. Rugiby cannot afford to lose such a strong ' following as that which has now been • regained in Auckland.