Jan 1954

RUGBY FOOTBALL, 1953 RETROSPECT For the 1st XV the season began with bitter disappointment, yet finished triumphantly. We had looked forward with some eagerness to the success of the School side being built up on the experience and skill of the half-back combination, •Macpherson and Maxwell, but a most unfortunate injury to Macpherson, incurred before the term began, prevented his playing until late November. Such a specialised position is hard to fill overnight with anything like the same effectiveness, but P. S. Roe, a Colt, performed his task as a stop-gap most nobly for much of the season. Other key positions were retained by old colours—a forward in each row of the scrum with P. G. Taylor hooking, and R. G. Bough in the centre of a three-quarter line full of considerable promise. Yet with a fair distribution of previous experience the team's play seemed dislocated.

The team were given every opportunity to settle down; few changes were ever made, in fact the pack played together throughout the season. This policy fully justified itself by the way the pack played as a body, and they could invariably claim responsibility for the successes of the team. The backs, however, always seemed to be strangers to one another's play, and they never seemed to gain confidence or to give confidence to the others. At this stage one must openly admit that the rudiments of back play are sadly amiss in the lower part of the School.

There was never any lack of spirit amongst the team, and they strove hard for their successes, never losing any match by a very wide margin. Once again the team suffered from inertia in the early stages of many matches, for which they invariably had to pay the price of finding themselves several points in arrears; as a result they lost matches which they might well have won.

From the Ampleforth match onwards •Macpherson rejoined the side, and the whole team promptly shed its frustrated look and played with renewed hope, confidence, and zest. Maxwell, in particular, at stand-off half played with fresh vigour and inspiration, and the team finished the season with three consecutive wins, all good ones. It was then a good side, with no outstanding players, yet no weaknesses.

None of the other School teams could claim any great success. The 2nd XV were very weak amongst the backs. The fielding of a 3rd XV on one occasion gave the 2nd 'Game an added incentive. The Colts XV met with two successes in their school matches, but suffered more than usually from an outcrop of injuries and the calls of the 1st XV. The Junior Colts side seemed unusually small and were badly handicapped as a result.

House matches were played with the usual fanatical enthusiasm.

It is quite surprising how much harder some boys play for their House 43