RUGBY OVERSEAS France.—The Rugby game appears to have been started in France in the '7os, but for some years progress was very slow. It began to make more headway in the 'gos, and had become firmly enough established by the beginning of the present century for France to enter into international matches, which were begun against England in 1906, against Wales in 1908, against Ireland in 1909, and against Scotland in 1910. After the World War the game developed probably more rapidly in France than in any other country, and clubs sprang up all over the republic. This is the more remarkable since French players, coming little into contact with clubs and players in Great Britain, had more or less to work out their own salvation in the game. For years their ideas of scrummaging, in particular, were crude, and the first French teams in international matches suffered a series of most disheartening defeats. In later years the play of French teams improved all round. Among the clubs there has grown up an intense rivalry. So far a real genius has yet to arise among French players, but some very good players have appeared, perhaps the most outstanding being A. Cassayet, a fine forward, who played in 32 international matches from 1920 to 1927, and A. Jaurreguy, who has been a conspicuous wing three quarter during the same period.
The first Rugby match in New Zealand is reputed to have taken place at Auckland in the early '7os. The game made an instant appeal to football players, and in a few years it had become established in both the North and South Islands. It is regarded as the national game in New Zealand, and nowhere has more study been given to methods of play. As early as 1888 a team composed principally of Maoris visited Great Britain and beat many of the leading clubs; and when, in 1905, the first representative New Zealand side came over, it proved ahead of British teams, both in methods and skill, and won all its matches except one against Wales. Its captain, D. Gallagher, was the first to demonstrate the possibilities of wing forward play, and the general combination and cleverness of the whole team came as an eye-opener to British players. Nineteen years later, in 1924, the second New Zealand team arrived in Great Britain and had an even greater triumph than the first, winning all its matches. Again it proved ahead of British players in skill and tactics. Its chief secrets of success were its versatility in exploiting varying forms of attack, and an intensive system of backing up, which scarcely ever left a loop-hole for a serious mistake. But the team was also notable for a number of out standing personalities among its players. G. Nepia was an ex ceptionally sound full back, strong in physique, a fearless tackler, and very safe in fielding and kicking. In M. Nicholls and A. E. Cooke, as five-eighths backs, the tactics of the side largely cen tred, and both were unusually gifted players; while M. Brownlie and J. Richardson were outstanding among the forwards, both for their size and skill. In 1926 a Maori team visited France and Great Britain, and beat several of the strongest clubs, but it was naturally not so strong as the representative side.
The Rugby game developed more slowly in South Africa than in New Zealand. It appears to have grown up side by side with the Association game; and a hybrid form of football, embodying features of both games, was also played. Largely as a missionary enterprise, to encourage the Rugby game, the Rugby Union sent a team to South Africa in 1891, and though the side won all its matches the South African players showed considerable skill. Two more teams visited the country, in 1896 and 1903, before the first South African team came to Great Britain in 1906. In this team the brilliance of the backs came as a revelation to most players. They had an exceptionally clever three-quarter line in J. D. Krige, H. A. De Villiers, A. Stegmann, and J. Loubser; and in A. F. Marsburg, a great full-back. The forward play was not so well developed in South Africa at that time, but it improved vastly in the next few years, and when in 1912 another team came over to Great Britain the position was reversed, the forwards proving the strongest part of the side. But the team had in G. P. Morkel another full-back worthy to rank with the great players, and in D. F. T. Morkel a forward with extraordinary skill as a place kicker.
In Australia the Rugby game has always centred chiefly in New South Wales, while in Victoria an entirely distinct game became popular. Like Rugby, this is played with an oval ball, but there the resemblance ends. The game is played on an oval field i8oyd. long at its greatest length and 12oyd. at its greatest width. At each end there are goal posts, 7yd. apart, but without a cross-bar; in addition there are posts, called "behind posts," at 7yd. distance on either side of the goal. A goal, counting six points, is scored when the ball is kicked at any height, without being touched, between the goal posts. A "be hind," worth one point, is scored if the ball passes between the "behind posts" or is touched before passing between the goal posts. The teams are of 18 a side and they are scattered over the whole field in pairs, each man of one side marking an oppon ent, as in lacrosse. The ball may not be passed with the hands but must be kicked or punched, and a player may not run with it more than ioyd. without bouncing it. The entire absence of off-side avoids many of the complications of Rugby or Associa tion; on the other hand there are constant halts for other reasons, when free kicks are given, though these are usually taken so quickly that the play is scarcely stopped. A particularly interest ing feature of the game is the play of one man, who is called the rover. This player has no recognized position, but goes where he likes according to his judgment.
Two teams of Australian Rugby players have visited Great Britain, the first in 1908 and the second in 1927. The first was not an outstanding side, but the 1927 team, composed of New South Wales players, captained by A. C. Wallace, an old Oxford Blue and Scottish International, and in cluding A. T. Lawton, another Oxford Blue, soon became popular. It had not so many outstanding personalities as the New Zealand side of 1924, nor were its methods as versatile and enterprising as those of the New Zealanders; but it trained into a thoroughly good all-round combination.
In many other parts of the world Rugby football has made strides in recent years, and is now played in practically every British colony where the conditions are at all suitable. In Canada and the United States its followers, com paratively, have never been very numerous. This is due to the popularity of American Rugby, a derivative from English Rugby, and also to the popularity of "soccer," which likewise is a de rivative from an English predecessor. In South America interest in Rugby has shown a marked increase, particularly in the Argen tine republic, which was visited in 1927 by a team organized by the Rugby Union under the captaincy of D. J. McMyn, the Scottish international. The side was of fair strength and won all its matches, but the Argentine players, showed quick appreciation of what they could learn from the tour, which gave a great fillip to the game in the republic.
Though both the Rugby and Associ ation games are played during certain periods at Eton, the college has retained as its chief forms of football two entirely distinct games, called the Wall game and the Field game. The Wall game owed its origin to the presence of a high wall enclosing part of the college grounds along the road from Windsor to Slough. The area of play comprises a strip of ground running along this wall. At each end there is an area known as "calx" equivalent to the area behind the goal line in Rugby. One end is called "good calx" and the other "bad calx," and goals are marked at the back of each calx. The teams are of 11 a side. Five players on each side form down against the wall in a bully, or scrummage; the remaining players take up positions outside the bully. The ball is put into the bully at the start of the game and whenever it goes out of the area of play; and the object is to work it along the wall with the feet into the calx. When the ball has been forced into calx, the attacking side strive to gain a "shy," which is ac complished by a player lifting the ball with his foot against the wall, and touching it there. This achieved, the ball may then be "shied" at goal. In scoring, a goal outweighs any number of "shies." ' The Eton Field Game.—In the Field game the usual number of players is 11 a side, though more are sometimes included. The game is played in a large field with goals at each end, similar to the goals in the Association game but smaller in size. The chief features of the play are the bully, resembling an attenuated scrummage in Rugby ; dribbling by the forwards, who form the bulk of the team; and long and accurate kicking by the "behinds" or backs. A goal may be scored either by an ordinary shot or by forcing a "rouge." The "rouge" is closely allied to the try in Rugby and is scored by an attacking player touching the ball down behind the goal line. The ball is then brought out in front of the goal, a bully formed, and the attackers endeavour to force it through. A goal counts three points, and a rouge from which no goal is scored one point.
The Harrow game is comparatively simple in principle and play. It consists mainly of dribbling by the forwards and long kicking by the backs. Two posts are set up at each end of the ground without a cross bar, and a goal, or "base" as it is called, is scored when the ball passes between them at any height. The ball may not be handled, but it may be caught from a kick, when the catcher may either kick it or drop it and begin dribbling it. A cardinal principle of the game is that players must keep behind the ball; otherwise they are off-side except in certain contingencies, much the same as in Rugby. The great art in the play is to be able to keep the ball close under control in dribbling. Usually teams are of 11 a side, but the number of players may vary according to circumstances.
The Winchester game is played on a much smaller area than either Rugby or Association, the dimen sions being about Boyd. by 25yd. There are no goal posts, a goal being scored whenever the ball crosses the end lines. This is not as easy of accomplishment as it would appear, for one of the rules is that the ball may not be kicked more than 5 f t. high, unless it comes rolling or bounding towards a player direct from an opponent. The number of players varies, but in the chief matches there are six a side. The main feature of the play is the "hot," which is somewhat like an old-time scrummage in Rugby. This takes place at the beginning of the game or whenever the ball goes out of play. Dribbling forms no part of the game, and almost the sole business of the backs is to kick hard and straight. A player is off-side if he is in front of the ball, and passing is illegal. In spite of the small area of play the game is very exact ing and calls for great speed and quickness.
