NEW ZEALAND’S SCRUM FORMATION

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20498, 14 May 1938, Page 21 (Supplement)

NEW ZEALAND’S SCRUM FORMATION

Bigger Men in Front Row : Lessons of Springboks' Tour Correct Foundation of Solid Pack : Table Tennis Prospects : Four Players Per Team : Prominent Footballer Retires : Bradman Bowled by Youth

rs HE announcement of the itinerary of the All Blacks who will tour I Australia later this season will materially add to the interest in New Zealand's national game and the form of the various players will be eagerly followed by all enthusiasts. in the Waikato, especially, will the Interest be intense, as Waikato enthusiasts, with some Justification, are of the opinion that country players have not received the consideration in the past that they have been entitled to. This was particularly noticeable in the Tests last season against the Springboks, when country players, although they had excellent form in their favour, were passed over for players in major unions. Since the commencement of this season there have been an unprecedented number of reports and suggestions on ‘.hr deterioration of the standard of play in New Zealand and although excellent suggestions have been made there have been all too few comments on the very poor selections, the passing over of the country players in favour of the town players and the fundamental faults In the front row of the scrum. In this connection Waikato have the chance to lead the way in the Dominion and it is my Urm conviction that a different type of player should be placed in the front row of our scrums. To me it was one of the lessons of the Springboks’ tour. The front row men were not the smallest forwards in the team, as is practically always the case in New Zealand whether in club or representative football, and this was the major fact* i that allowed them to get the ball. The first fundamental of rugby football is to get the ball, as no side can score tries unless they have possession. The surest way of gaining a fair share of the ball is to have a flrst-class scrum as there are always more scrums than line-outs and if a team is very efficient in scrum work the captain can take scrums instead of line-outs when it is his ball. All right then. The importance of the scrum once realised, we can go a step further and see that the most important positions are the front row positions, and It is here that I think a change should be made. Taking the argument to Its logical conclusion the most important man in the scrum is the hooker and the scrum should be built around him and not he being placed into a senurn that has already been decided upon. This to my mind is one of the major faults of New Zealand scrum formation.

Taking the Springbok scrums we see that Lotz, the hooker, was six feet and his companions in the front row were: ' 1 S. C. Louw (6ft.), M. M. Louw (Cft. ji lin.J, or »«. J. Martin (6ft.). This laid .! a very sound foundation for the per- i feet scrurn. The hooker had all the j support he wanted, the front row was i solid enough to prevent the opposition , from wheeling them at will and with ; such big men in the front row the j other forwards could pack down , around them with the scrum declining | backwards very evenly. In studying ! this we can easily see that the back I row men, no matter how they push l have no chance of wasting their weight j by pushing the middle-row men up in ! the air over the top of smaller front row forwards or the middle row big forwards would have no chance of I pushing the smaller front row forwards into the ground as frequently hap- j pened In New Zealand scrums. The J manner in which the Springbok scrums j packed down was an object lesson. Not j an ounce of weight was wasted and j the hooker, the most important man in j set scrums it must be always remem- j bered, received sufficient support to allow him to concentrate on his specialised Job. The monotonous regularitv with which the Springboks hook- J ed the ball could not be combated by | the New Zealand teams and it is my opinion that this was one of the rea- j sons. The hooker had the weight and the support on each side that allowed ; him to concentrate on his job. He , could also always see the ball leave ! the scrum-half’s hands, and as hook- I ing is mostly a matter of timing and judgment this was another big factor j in the Boks’ success. The New Zea- j land hookers, now, not only had In- • sufficient weight, insufficient support s In that his outsides were not tall or I big enough to swing on, but he was i also handicapped in that he could not see the ball leaving the half’s hands as he could not see under his outsides who were too close to the ground. • • • • Coming nearer home the same thing has been noticeable in Waikato Rugby. The Waikato hooker. E. H. Catley, plays for Taupiri and for his club he always secures more than his fair! share of the ball. In his club scrum | he has J. M. Taylor on one sifle of him | and another forward over 6ft. on the j other side. In Waikato games, how- i ever, he has had to hook with smaller players than himself outside of him ! and" this has bepn reflected in his hook- | ing. He has not had the support to allow him to swing on the outsides and also the scrum frequently col-' lapsed when the full weight was put j In. In my opinion Waikato have an excellent chance of demonstrating just what has been wrong with New Zealand scrums as they have the material to experiment adequately. Catley is undoubtedly a fine hooker while Wai- | kato can aiso call on big. husky forwards to assist him in the front row. # • • • Of course this alone would not Improve the scrum, but it would lay the foundation for a solid scrum that could do Its job more thoroughly. Then again, the front row men are nearly always in the front of the line-outs and here again a big advantage would be obtained with biggen players. J. M. | Taylor is the ideal type of front row j forward, being tall, solidly built and vet fast enough to be a great acquisilion in a mass forward attack. Although it is early in the season to try and pick a Waikato team, at present a front row that would lay the foundation for one of the best packs that Waikato have ever had would he Taylor. Catley and Flannaean. The remaining members of the scrum could still be big men for line-oui work and rocking but they could get down fairly low with such solid men in front and give them every bit of their weight, it would not embarrass even Wynyard to pack down In the middle row behind such a solid fronj and as he plays best on the side of the middle row he could be placed there and could still give all his weight in set scrums. « * • • Prominent Footballer Retired One of the most popular figures on the Rugby fields of Hamilton and Waikato over several seasons who is not Bing his iersev this season is l.eo Pardington, Technical Old Boys forward. Pardinaton represented Hamilton and Waikato on many occasions and was often the outstanding player on the field. A forward with plenty of pace, good handline ability and a keen sense of anticipation, he was a vital link between forwards and backs in every match in which he played. Ha also backed up his baekline in defence to a far greater extent than most forwards did and his retirement removes from the Waikato team a valuable member. Pardington, also was,

perhaps, the most consistent goalkicker in the Waikato and frequently ' lie placed free kicks from outside the [hallway line and near the sdieline clean . between the posts. Hockey All Blacks Appear j Waikato’s two hockey All Blacks, D. Pountney and W. Smillie, who toured : Australia last season, have again turned out for their respective clubs and \ they should prove valuable members i of the Waikato team again this season. I With another tour by the Indian j hockey team this season a far greater I interest is being taken in the game j and this interest has already ‘ been evidenced in the attendances at Steele Park. Pountney is Old Roys fullback and Smillie is goalie for Kaipaki. With the valuable experience j that these players gained in Australia ! the Waikato team can be expected to j put up a good showing against the 1 tourists, particularly as the team will , also have the services of T. A. Ewan, ; an ex-New Zealand player over several i seasons. I* • • • Table Tennis In Hamilton ! The annual meeting of the Hamilton I Table Tennis Association was held on j Wednesday before quite a good attendJ ance. From the tone of the meeting : an excellent season is in store for en- ! thusiasts. Many improvements to the ' game are being mooted. The two most [ notable are the adoption of the interj national type of ball, and the reduction of teams in all grades to four players, j instead- of, as formerly, six players, f The new ball is much lighter than the | old one. A lighter ball “hangs” more ; in the jair, alloying slightly longer to j play the stroke. Therefore longer : rallies are assured, with more possi- ! bilities for stroke play. The strokes of this game resemble lawn tennis more closely than any other game, and should improve a lawn tennis player’s game immensely, because the tennis grip of the bat is practically the same as with a larger racquet. * • * * With four players to compose a team, the competition will be speeded up, and interest will be kept keener for players, who will not have to wait for I long periods between games. An imI portant aspect of 4-player teams is | that one table will be sufficient for an I evening’s play. Players are advised : to adopt a “tennis” grip of the bat, I with a medium to heavy-weight bat, rubber surfaced on both sides. With the light ball they can then stand well ! back from the table and bring their | tennis strokes into play. An added interest and enthusiasm is being shown this year by all those who were fortunate enough to see the internationally famous players, M. Szabados and S. Kelen, who rank number 1 and number 3 In world championship play. Both these experienced and popular players told the writer that table tennis here could never reach the heights of entertainment and skill that it has overseas, until we adopted the light ball and the tennis grip. • * * • This season Hamilton players will have the opportunity of testing the new game to the full. With several ' ! new teams entering the competitions j and the prospect of touring players L giving us some more excellent exhibitions, this fascinating sport ’ seems to be here to stay. Players and l others interested are specially asked to write to “Top-spin” or the Secretary, | the Hamilton Table Tennis Association, C/o Cann’s Sport Depot, for any information regarding the game. There I are vacancies for players or teams, and I experience is not essential, coaching of . the young players will be given gladly, j and also demonstrations of the correct tennis grip. Arrangements are in hand j for Messrs McKay late Wellington) . and Overheu to give a demonstration [ at the Y.M.C.A. on next Thursday I night. Players should not miss an opj portunity this year to learn the correct method, or raise their standard of play to obtain much more enjoyment from this skill-requiring sport. * * * ’ • 16-year-old Bowls Bradman l For months sixteen-year-old Paul "> Brooks, of Oakendcn Road, Padding- • ton, W.. a young professional at - Lord’s, has been living for the day s when he would meet Don Bradman, r Yesterday he not only met his hero, >' • but clean bowled him in his first praca | tice game in London, says a special a I correspondent, writing by air mail, s J And afterwards he calmly walked back I. | to the dressing-room and cleaned the - j members’ ! ts! “Gee, it was excitt ing.” Paul told me last night, his eyes - shining. “I am not much of a bowler. - but I went in determined to do my i, best. For a few overs 1 bowled to

Eingleton, and then out came Don. I was so nervous I could hardly throw. And then I saw the middle stump hit, and I realised that I had clean bowled j him. I was so excited I did not know j what to do. Don grinned at me and : said it was a good ball.” Paul’s j mother, brown-eyed Mrs Mabel Rose ; Brooks, smiled proudly at her son as he talked. “It is the best news he has j ever brought me,” she said happily.: “He is simply crazy about cricket, and j Don has always been his, greatest fav- j ourite. 1 want him to be a famous j cricketer more than anything in the j world. Tills will encourage him to get ; j to the top.” _ i t »»• * : j Farr’s Eye Trouble j Tommy Farr, troubled with his eyes, 1 has consulted a specialist, who has '<■ advised him to wear glasses, says a « special correspondent, writing by air < mail. Farr is now staying at Palm * Springs, but a friend here told me to- ’ dav that the nature of the heavy- ■ weight's trouble has not been diag- 1 nosed. Eileen Wenzel, Tommy’s ex- ■ show girl fiancee, declares that she knew nothing about it. “He'll be go- 1 ing to New Y’ork this week," she said. “Then he’ll go to England to fight Walter Neusel. I shall stay here, to at- i tend" the Universal Studios School." ; \sked if this impending separation ■ implied o rift in their romance, Miss • Wenzel replied: "No. Tommy has , sane modern ideas. He doesn’t want me to mix in that fighting circle until he has better prospects—perhaps later in the year.” Farr’s sight difficulty recalls that of Jack Petersen, former British heavyweight champion, who last year retired from the ring at the age of 23. He now wears j Cricket Itinerary. The following is the itinerary for (lie Australian cricketers’ tour of Eng- . land this year:— , 1 May 14. 16, 11—M.C.C., at Lords. i l'g, 19, 20 —Northamptonshire. j 21' 23, 24 —Surrey. 25’ 26, 27 —Hampshire at South- j ampton. 1 28, 30, 31—Middlesex, at Lord’s. j June 1. 2, 3—Gloucestershire, at Bris- . tol. i 4, 6. 7—Essex, at Southend. 10 to 14—First Test at Nottingham, j 15, 16, 17—Gentlemen, at Lord’s. j 18* 20, 2 I—Lancashire, at Old Trafford. 24 to 28—Second Test, at Lord’s j 29, 30, July I—Derbyshire, at I Derby. ' July 2.4, s—Yorkshire,5 —Yorkshire, at Sheffield. I 8 to 12—Third Test at Manchester, ! 13, 14, 15—Warwickshire, probably j at Birmingham. 16. 18, 19 —Nottinghamshire, at! Trentbridge. 22 to 28—Fourth Test, at Leeds. 27, 28, 29—Somerset, at Taunton. July 30, August 1, 2—Giantorgansliire, August 4, 5. 6—Matches to be arranged by Scottish Union. m next column)

j 8, 9 —Durham, at Sunderland. ! to, It, 12—Surrey. | 13, 15, 16 —Kent, at Canterbury. I 17, 18 —The Army, at Aldershot. 1 20 to 26—Fifth Test, at The Ovai. * 27, 29, 30 —Sussex, at Brighton, j Aug. 31, Sept. 1, 2 —An English XI., i at Blackpool. I Sept. 3,5, 6 —An English XI., at I Folkestone. 10. 12, 13—H. D. G. Leveson Gower's XI., at Scarborough. ! 15. 16, 17—Gentlemen of Ireland, j at Dublin. I _