1939-04-17 — Page 25

THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 17, 1939.

Scotland's

Rugby Failures

Involuntary Indictment Of The Specialised Wing Forward

PROBLEMS FOR NEXT SEASON

While the majority of Scottish Rugby follow- ers will be only too gląd to forget about the recent international match debacles, those most concern- ed, the Union selectors,,must have the experiences very much in mind, particularly since next season's programme will include an additional match with Australia, and possibly one with France. The other home countries may be thinking on much the same lines, but their problems are not so acute as those besetting Scotland.

winger-

Even those who least admire promised at the trials to be the nearest A scoring the standard of Scottish club approach to I. S. Smith as Rugby are not at all convinced that the sides which finished as international "wooden spoonists". were.representative of Scotland's strength. A new policy in team- building must be pursued.

In preparing a defence of the selec- tors it must be st. issed that they had that most difficult of all tasks, the pat- ching of a "triple crown" side, which they discovered in the first place by .exercising a boldness born almost of despair. The men at Cardiff let them down. Those at Dublin were not good enough to win under the condi- tions, but they fought well enough to raise hopes of a Calcutta Cap win. But the Murrayfield team, or rather the forwards, provided the biggest failure

of all.

ย

Example From The North

That there is the right material for backs is practically proved by the wan ner in which J. R. S. Innes took his chance as a reserve, and went from It makes one strength to strength. ponder as to the possibilities of those fine forwards to be seen throughout and Gol- the

at Inverleith denacre.

season

It is only too easy to retail what happened in Scotland's trio of mat- ches.

Against Wales, the forwards were rather easily dispossessed by a pack who could be termed olid or stuffy, but little else, while R. W. Shaw did not appear to be fully fit. The main dis- appointments were with the men who It has been did so well in the trials. said that there were too many players: fact is that new to Wales, but the

while there had no be new players, some of those who fell in form were no strangers to Cardiff Arms Park, Bad Roberts, kicking, particularly by G. was a contributory factor.

The reintroduction of second specialised wing forward contributed largely to the rout from a disciplined English pack, and it may be that the selectors have done something for the game which they did not contemplate, that, involuntarily and indirectly, they have struck the hardest blow at the spoiling wing forward, who, even at his best, only ruins, the fundamental For the Irish match, W. H. Craw- functions of the players of both sides ford, H. W. Sampson, and G. H. Gallie at the expense of the spirit. rather were dropped from the pack; than the word of the laws of the game. | Dorward, the first choice for scrum-

That Scotland should be responsible for such a form of specialisation, and that it should be persisted in after faults had been laid bare, was indeed a surprise, but surely the lesson was such than it will not be repeated.

New Pack Required

T. F.

was

a

half, replaced his reserve, W. R. C. Brydon; Innes moved from centre to wing; Shaw from stand-off to centre; and W. M. Penman went to full back as a result of both Roberts and C. F.

There Grieve calling off. great deal of experiment in that side, and they did remarkably well against the tearaway Irishmen on a pitch en- tirely suited to the home side's style of play. But the Scottish forwards Scotland has to face up to a search fought well, W. B. Young lending his for a new pack with the exception, per- weight to the pack, and G. D. Shaw, haps, of the second row men. Eng nd who went in for Crawford, restricting must find at least a couple of eter-his winging to challenging G. D. Mor- prising backs and a captain to take the gan, which he did most successfully. place of H. B. Toft. Ireland also need

glimpse Then to Murrayfield for a backs who can do a little on their own. of the real R. W. Shaw, sonic clever Wales, where Rugby is taken more football from W. C. W. Murdoch, who seriously, almost to the extent of drill- went in at left wing as a reserve, and ing, and where club fixtures are actual- a lot of dour tackling by all the backs, and ly very representative, can benefit while the pack, with Crawford from experience to a greater degree Young again at their old tricks, were than any other of the home countries, out-manoeuvred, outplayed, and and should be in the best position to pletely crushed, the principal delin- quenta also making enough mistakes to prepare for 1940.-

give England a victory by penalty goals.

Scotland's other troublés may be the loss of one or two backs through re- tirement, just as R. C. S. Dick left re- presentative Rugby at a vital time amid general regret..

A Poor Preparation

com-

Cambridge scored a surprise victory over the Oxford crew in the University. Boat Race. With a fine easy stroke the Light Blues led all the way down the course and finished four lengths in the lead. The picture show the crews just before shooting Hammersmith Bridge with Cambridge well in the lead. (Fox Copyright).

Paul Runyan's Drive

Two sorry displays, and a third But where did Scotland go wrong where some courage redeemed them, was the Scots' record, and it was pos- this season?

First and foremost, of course, was sibly all the worse because it was a the slavish regard for non-scrumma-poor season all-round. England shar- gers in the back row of the packing the championship after scoring but Secondly, the selectors departed from one try-in three matches, Wales shar- what appeared to be their policy of ing with one 7 their, poorest sides for choosing only the biggest, heaviest, and years, and Ireland sharing only be- hardiest of forwards. Thirdly, in cause of supreme faith in forwarda their dilemma, they placed experience who, after all, could not do everything,|- at a discount and then, paradoxically, Weather conditions played a big part took little note of the men in the best in the international round, and only at

Murrayfield were conditions good. club packs.

It has not been a good Amongst the backs, the withdrawal prepare for the Australian four. of Dick must have been a grievous Then there is also the prospect of n disappointment, and the injury to the resumption of fixtures with France. versatile J. G. S Forrest another. People in high places are of a mind That was perhaps the luck of the that international Rugby and Associa game, and there were other factors, tion football Axtures with Continental notably the partial and not entirely countries are an aid to good relation- unexpected drop, in form by the match-ship, that they make a bond of spor- winning genius, R.W. Shaw, and the tsmanship, but one is afraid that past failure of J. B. Craig, the one man experience has not always borne this who "played himself in "--and

·

Who"oute

season to

GRAPHIC GOLF

USES WIDE

PAUL RUNYAN

BODY TURN, REQUIRING CONSIDERABLE

WEIGHT

TRANSFERENCE.

STRAIGHT LEFT

ARM INSURES

·ACCURATE ARC

9.30

By BEST BALL Despite his slight stature, Paul Runyan is one of the top ranking pros. As a matter of record he is now the P.G.A. champion and his final match in this event was against long hitting Sam Snead, who rates on a par with Jimmy Thomson as a driver par lence, Runyan has to many yards to most of the hard hitting pros off the tee but, never- theless, is able to pack enough yardage on his drives to be in the battle, To accomplish this he employs a wide arc in his back- stroke, taking the club back with a straight left arm and making considerable body turn and weight transference. This leaves him a position, at the top, of being able to utilize his bodily power on the downstroke.

RACING

Happy Eve Will Run Again

(By."RAPIER”)

pony

re- di

Happy Eve was the only which the Sassoon connections fused to part with when they posed of their stable to Mr. Li Lan Sang last year. It will be recalled that Happy Eve won the Hong Kong Derby, in great style in 1937, and after its defeat by Bear Claw in the Easter Stakes the same year it did not appear again due to lameness. It went into training the early part of this year, thus leading to the belief that it was well again, but it suffer- ed from a recurrence of its previous trouble, and so it did not participate at this year's Annual Meeting. I think that Happy Eve will run again, probably during the second half of this year's racing.

STRATHROY

I am glad to be able to report that Strathroy is apparently fit again, as it has been seen in morning train- ing. Strathroy," belonging to Mr. J 'excel- F. MacGregor, has had a brilliant

carcer. concede

Until the latter part of last year, it was always handled by Mr. Don. Black, whose Judgment in rid- ing this pony was invariably superb. the This pony won practically all classic events for Australian Ponies, and I believe that before long it will run again. When that time arrives, ponies like Lucky Lad and Lan- cashire Chips will have to be in their best mettle in order to win again.

Despite the wide are, Runyan is able to bring the clubhead onto the ball accurately because of his under control. Good synchroni straight left arm, which keeps it zation of mind and muscle enable him to time the impact point at the moment when the velocity of the clubhead is most speedy. Runyan plays his own game on the drives, not worrying over how for his op- ponent has driven. He knows his own limitations here and as a con- sequence directa his attention to hitting the ball accurately.

Wednesday--Taking Divota

Swimming Record Smashed

Detroit, To-day---Juno Dilliard, the United States, broke the WO- men's swimming record for the 1

100 yards breast-stroke event when aho clocked 76-3/5 seconds to best Mrs. Rawls-Thompson's record of

Reuter