SPORTS AND SPORTSMEN

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20504, 21 May 1938, Page 22 (Supplement)

SPORTS AND SPORTSMEN

(By “Spectator”)

NEW ZEALAND RUGBY SELECTIONS

Sole Selector Step in Right Direction : Mr McKenzie Man for Job : Better Representation Likely : Anxiety Over Captain : Student of Game Required : Forward is not Usually Suitable : Waikato Representatives.

THE first of the Rugby representative matches will be played very early next month and once these fixtures get properly under way a better opportunity of picking the likely candidates for the Australian tour will be afforded. Already many of the prominent players of last season have shown Impressive form and although a fair percentage of the older hands must be included it is to be hoped that there is some new blood worthy of the honour of representing New Zealand discovered before the Anal selection is made. It is extremely unusual for any player to be picked to represent New Zealand before he has represented his province and for that reason the selectors must wait for some weeks yet before they commence to build their team. Of course several of the positions can be filled now if the players in mind maintain their form, but it is a mistake to commence selecting any team before all players have had a chance to prove themselves in their various positions. The Springbok Tests clearly demonstrated last year that it is not in the interest of the game to be afraid to make changes and give younger promising players their chance if their form warrants it and it is to be hoped that this year the same blunders are not made. In last week's notes I dealt with the scrum formation and I am even more convinced now that New Zealand teams, from the lowest grades up to the All Blacks, make a vital mistake in placing their smallest forwards in the front row. Why it is done no one knows. It seems to be the general rule and it is pleasing to see that in one Waikato team at least, a change has been made and big, capable forwards are being put in the front of the scrum. This phase of the selection was fully commented upon last week and this week I propose to say more about the methods of selection and the essentials of a captain. These two points, along with the poor foundation of the scrum, was what told against the All Blacks last season. Dealing with the methods of selection I think that a change in the right direction has been made with the appointment of a sole selector. When there have been five or more selectors in the past it seems to me that they have pushed the players in their particular districts—perhaps unconsciously—to the detriment of the final team and often good players have thus been omitted. A sole selector, no matter how parochial minded, cannot have more than three or four of his province's players at the very most in the team and there is reason to believe that this system will give better representation.

Then again there seems to me to be far greater hope of better combination with trnly one selector. A sole selector will be able to pick each man with an eye on to how he will combine with another player and in a case of this sort the views of the one man is preferable. Every man has a different point of view and in many cases selectors cannot agree as to whom is the right man and usually the wrong player is eventually selected . As well as the sole selector this year there are six other selectors, three from each Island, to nominate players for the team, and this will eliminate the difficulty of a sole selector travelling over the whole of New Zealand to see some of the players. He cannot hope to see a quarter of them on his own and the system devised appears to be the best way out of the difficulty. Concerning the choice of selector I do not think that there is any cause for complaint. It is an onerous position and one that requires to be filled by a man with a thorough, knowledge of the game. The style of football has changed a deal since Mr E. McKenzie, of Wairarapa (the apointee) played but that cannot be helped as there does not seem to be anyone in the modem school with equal credentials. Mr McKenzie has made a study of the game and was one of New Zealand’s selectors for the 1924, 1928, 1930, 1935, and 1937 teams. He has also been selector for the Wairarapa team for many seasons, a prominent referee and also has written special articles for papers on New Zealand Rugby. This brings me to another point. At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Union, the president, Mr A. M. Ongley, criticised the press writers for their opinions and criticisms of New Zealand Rugby. This was unwarranted and not the sort of thing that one would expect from the president of the New Zealand Union. He surely must realise that the press of New Zealand has done more than anything else to stimulate and maintain public interest in the game, while the criticisms were justified by the results. Also they were offered in a spirit of co-opera-tion. Football critics, for the most part, are keen on the game for the pure sake of the game. They have no axe to grind and, trained to analyse every phase of the play, their opinions should be worth more than the kind of thing meted out by Mr Ongley. Me McKenzie, with his training as a Rugby critic, is even more fitted for the position of selector.

t • m • • ' The captaincy of the team is what is causing a great deal of anxiety. It must be admitted that New Zealand has not produced an outstanding captain for many yeari and in later years most of the captaining of the side has been done from the side-line. This is a wrong practiae and it is my opinion that had the All Blacks had an astute and capable captain in the last Test against the Springboks last season they may have carried the day. Changes in the formation of the team should be made by the captain on the field when it is necessary, but the captain must be a man capable of knowing when to make the changes and what changes to make. The captains of the last two All Black teams have been excellent leaders, but they have not been good captains. Manchester and King have been the men chosen and both were good forwards and great leaders, and although this is a necessity, something more is required of New Zealand captains. Besides setting a example by fine play himself, a “ptain must know how to encourage his players in time of need; how to instruct them to alter their style of play for ten minutes or 30 during a game; how to change the team to advantage; how to take advantage of any weaknesses in the opposition; how to cover tip any weaknesses in his own team; and above all, how to guido his team to victory in the true spirit of the game. A captain, tnerefore, has to be a keen student of the game and also must be a player in a position to see how his players are faring. For this reason alone I am not in favour of a forward being the captain. There are exceptions of course—P. J. Nel was one—but, generally speaking, a captain must have more brains than brawn and must be in a position to study the form of his own players, and the tyle of his opponents.

I am confident that had any of the backs been the captain of the last All Black team, instead of King, radical and justifiable changes would have been made. Anyone in the position to

do so could have seen that it was useless having Taylor and Sullivan, two of the All Blacks showing something of their true form, right out of things, while Trevathan, Hooper and Mitchell, who had the opportunities, were not making full use of them. A captain, in the true sense of the world would have shifted Trevathan back to fullback and Sullivan into first-five-eighths to start with, and if this was not effective enough would have

brought Taylor into centre with Caughey at second five-eighths and Hooper and Mitchell on the wings. Several changes could have been tried in the second spell, when it was a case of do or die, but lack of imagination and a failure to properly grasp the situation lost New Zealand its only chance. Of course there were faults in the selection to start with and also I am not detracting from the brilliance of the play of the Springboks, who were undoubtedly superior in every department of the game, but under the circumstances a really good captain might just have changed the whole complexion of the game. It was worth the chance and New Zealand will have to find a captain competent enough and strong enough to take these responsibilities, as if they failed to come off he will have to take plenty of criticism. Very Impressive Form. There is no doubt that the Australian cricketers have disclosed very impressive form during the early part of their tour of England and with the first Test to be decided early next month the visitors will approach the fixture with every confidence. The first four matches were more or less practice games for them—and they took full advantage of their opportunities—but the fifth game against the M.C.C. was counted as the first real trial of strength. The M.C.C. authorities selected a very strong team, with at least five players possessing excellent Test prospects, and there is no denying the fact that the Australians surprised even their most optimistic supporters by themselves into a very strong position over the two day’s play. First of all they put up the huge score of just over 500 and, although Bradman certainly made most of the runs, the main thing was that they had this formidable total on the board at the close of their innings. Then came the dismissal of the strong English batting side for a mere 200 runs on a good wicket. There was a great deal of talk in England that the Australian bowling was not very strong and following the great batting of the Englishmen in the early county matches a big score was expected. Of course many of the players were meeting O’Reilly and Fleet-wood-Smith for the first time and they may have done much better in their second knock—they started off much more promisingly—while the manner in which Wyatt held his wicket intact suggests that the visitors’ bowling may not be as deadly as Australians think. A feature of the county matches this season has been the huge scores that have been compiled and with neither England nor Australia pos-

seasing anything really outstanding in the way of wicket-takers, but both having strong batting sides, and the wickets again over prepared and favouring run-getting, I cannot see many Tests finishing in four days. The only factor that will help the games to finish will be rain and unless it favours one side too much England may gain the majority of wins. There is no doubt that the Englishmen can play much the better on rain-affected wickets. Waikato Rugby Selection. With Waikato’s first representative Rugby match of the season scheduled for Monday, June 6, it is anticipated that the selection of the representative team to meet Auckland at Hamilton on that date will be made following to-day’s matches. The announcement of the team will probably be made early next week. The Waikato selector, Mr J. R. McKenzie, of Tamahere, has made visits to Cambridge, Morrinsville and Matamata during the last three Saturdays and he has seen many of the aspiring players in action. The Waikato will field an excellent pack, although the loss of J. Best as a companion breakaway to J. C. Wynyard will be felt considerably. Several of the backs available are of a high standard, but the line does not appear, at this stage, to be of outstanding quality. Generally speaking, the standard of play in the Waikato seems to be higher this season and if a line can develop combination its display should be very creditable. There are several players who can be regarded as certainties, but for other positions there are several footballers knocking at the door of selection, so that changes will no doubt occur before the second fixture is played. The Likely Forwards. Waikato’s strength will probably lie in the forwards, and the pack should be capable of gaining more than an even share of the ball. The hooker will undoubtedly be E. H. Catley (Taupiri). There is no one else to be considered. Catley needs big men in the front row with him and the pack will be all the better for that. A wise selection for the front row would probably be J. M. Taylor (Taupiri), E. H. Catley (Taupiri) and J. Flannagan (Technical). All these men are tall and sound players in the tight and the loose. There is considerable speed in that row for loose play, also. The middle row will be more of a problem. J. G. Wynyard (Te Awamutu) must be regarded as another certainty for selection as a breakaway, while on the other side W. Danniels or L. McAlpine (Te Awamutu) may be considered, although the latter is not up to his old form so far this season. Clarke, an ex-All Black, is now playing for Te Awamutu, but he has played only one game so far. The locks might be selected from Warrender (Matamata), Grace (Te Awamutu), T. Thompson (Rovers) and A. Thompson (Rovers). The most likely middle row might be Wynyard, Warrender, A. Thompson and Daniels. S. Harbutt (Cambridge) is worthy of consideration for breakaway. Dowling (Technical) is a good back-row man, but he lacks experience and it appears as if a player for the back of j the scrum might be Munro (Matamata), who is playing as well as any man offering. The eight players mentioned here as the most likely men for the Waikato pack would make a solid and fairly speedy vanguard. Most Prominent Backs. The two outstanding halfbacks in the Waikato at the present time are L. Russell (Morrinsville) and Brown (Matamata). Russell is the logical selection for the position, especially in view of the fact that he has been playing up to the standard he had attained prior to his injury in the All j Black trials at Wellington last season. Three five-eighths for consideration are P. Hawke (Matamata), Hanna (Te Awamutu), and G. Hawke (Matamata). Hanna has not been particularly finished in his play recently and as P. Hawke is probably a certainty and a player who combines very effectively with his brother, G. Hawke, the pair may wear the Waikato colours against Auckland. R. Everest (Frankton) with speed and ability to tackle, which was particularly demonstrated against the Springboks last season, should be the centre-three-quarter. Speed on the wings is essential just as an ability to tackle is required. In both respects A. J. Sayers should be in the running for a place on the Waikato wing, as he has scored more individual points than any other player in the Stag trophy games to date so far. W. Tombs (Te Awamutu) is another likely winger for selection, although he has not been brilliant this season. The fullback position will be decided between Dalbeth (Technical), Robertson (Matamata), and A. Gillespie (Old Boys). Of this trio the most dependable man is probably Gillespie, who played a fine game at Cambridge on the opening day, when he tackled well and handled surely. His kicking is an asset also. The selection of the Waikato representative team is being awaited with interest by football enthusiasts.

Relentless Work as Halfbaok Although only a first-year senior footballer Tetzlaff, the Technical Old Boys’ half-back, has played three excellent games this season and although he was behind a beaten pack on Saturday In the match against Taupiri he demonstrated clearly that he is a sold worker and a half-back who can withstand any amount of buffeting. Generally speaking the Technical backs were all at sea on Saturday with the exceptions of Tetzlaff and Haughey. The absence of Wakefield in the five-

eighth line made a tremendous difference. Haughey was handling the ball fairly well and had a fair turn of speed which, on several occasions, gave him penetrating abilities. It was his first game this season and he may be useful later. Goosman was disappointing and his speed was of little avail against the speedy Taupiri wingers. His passing needs more concentration. Blvthell was not as prominent on Saturday, and in fact it appeared at times as if he would have played better If he had concentrated more on the game instead of on the man. Dalbeth had his hardest game of .the season to . date, and there were weaknesses when 1 he was bustled. Hard Scrummaging With the Taupiri-Technical Girl 1 Boys’ game at Rugby Park a predom- : inantlv forward tussle, there was a : good deal of hard scrummaging work , which at times developed into willing play. The outstanding forward on the field was undoubtedly E. H. Catley, the Taupiri hooker. He did not have his own way in the scrums, however, and j O'Meara, the Technical hooker, raked the ball fairly often. M. Beer, the Cambridge hooker, might have the measure of Catley in hooking, but in other departments of the game he is not up to the standard. Catley was particularly brilliant in the line-out and he and Wynyard should get a good share of the ball in that phase of the j game when Waikato meets Auckland j early in June. Taylor Taupiri) and 1 Flannagan (Technical; were prominent forwards in two good packs. Taupiri I definitely had control in the set scrums ! but in the loose the Technical forwards held their own. In the latter stages of the game the packs were fairly evenly balanced. Technical forwards frequently gained ground by breaking-up quicker than did their op ponents. Too much was expected <»f both packs in the first half of flic game when backs on either side were j running the vanguards off their feet i with erratic kicking. .Tones, the Tan- ! piri breakaway, was always a solid ! worker.