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*Rugby iktrospect. The strangely varied form of the lst XV last term makes the writing of a retrospect no easy task. We would see them play really good football against a sound team, and would come to the conclusion that we had a clever side, only to have our optimism shattered in the next match by a spiritless display against inferior opponents. These good and bad displays were almost completely alternating. Taking the School matches in order, we commenced with a very fine display at Durham. Omitting the Worksop match in which we had two backs injured in the first half, and in which form was difficult to gauge, the good form shown against Durham was followed by a disappointing match against Denstone, at Kirkstall. The following Saturday, however, the team showed something of the spirit in evidence at Durham to defeat Giggleswick, but this was followed by a very sluggish display against Mount St. Mary's. At Ampleforth we were completely outplayed by a faster and more experienced back division, and by the individual efforts of a very clever scrum-half, but in the last match, at Leeds, backs and forwards alike seemed to reach the peak of their form, and a convincing win was the result. Unlike the previous season, the strength of the team lay in the forwards, while the backs were young and inexperienced. No school pack ever wore down our own, and taking the school matches as a whole, we must have received more than our fair share of the ball, while the wheeling and close rushes were, at times, excellent. The greatest problem was the finding of a pair of half-backs, the previous season's 1st XV and 2nd XV halves, also the Colts' scrum-half, having left School. After some experimenting the choice fell on Smart, the Colts' fly-half, and Newman, a wing forward from the 2nd XV. The success of a team depends very largely upon the success of the halves, and the speed with which they can let their threequarters have the ball, and the lack of thrust in the back division was, to a large extent, due to the inexperience of these two. This is no disparagement of the players concerned, for no two members of the team tried harder, and they were frequently seen practising together on days when there was no official practice, but it is obvious that two young players (one of them entirely new to the position) cannot expect to enter 1st XV football and play like seasoned players. Their experience must be gained gradually, and, unfortunately, at the expense of their threequarters. In the last two matches of the term there was evidence that they were finding their feet, and that they were showing more confidence.
