Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-02
PREFERS THE RUGBY GAME.
Robert Acton, the Harvard Foot Hall
Guard, Thinks Il is Superior.

Acton the harvard Foot hail
Guard. Thinks II is Superior.
The general discussion which has been
aroused this year over the question, How
can the game of foot ball be improved?' has
called forth a variety of opinions from foot
ball authorities. Among other things it has
been proposed to give up the present sys-
tenn of interference. and in other ways to
bring the game back into closer connection
with the English Rugby game.
Robert Acton, who played the position of
left guard on the Harvard eleven, says a
Cambridge. Mass. special to the New York
World, this year, occupies a unique position
in this discussion in that he has played both
the English and American games, and can
speak on the merits of both from his own
experience. He first began playing foot ball
in 1881 and was an expert in the Rugby and
association games in England before COM
ing to this country.
To World correspondent, in speaking of
the proposed changes III the American game,
he said:
You cannot draw any comparison be-
tween the English and American games that
will signify very much, because the game
has changed 50 much here that there is lit
tie ground TO base comparisons on This
talk of danger in the game the way they
play it here Is all nonsense.
LAS to the style of game, IL is hard to
draw any comparison. For example, in Eng
land there is no such thing as making hve
yards In order to keep the ball. Neither
side has the ball, but 1t is placed between
the two teams, and anybody gets it that
can. So far as five yards is concerned, they
would make you present OF 1t. OF course.
they wouldn't do that-they would fight for
hall an incn on principle-put what 1 mean
is that they don't attach any Importance to
soort distances.
ut would make better game here If
they did not allow either side to have the
ball, to start with. That would do away
with all momentum plays and the other OBJ
jectionable features. 1 agree thoroughly
that these plays ought to he stopped. They
are embarrassing to both spectators and
players.
Another change which has been proposed
would improve the game-if all interference
in front of the runner were done away with.
In the English game the players run be-
hind, and as soon as player is tackled he
passes the ball to another, who advances II
In turn. This makes the game full Of sur
prises and keeps up the interest.
Then, again, the kicking and catching on
the other side is far superior to ours. A
player over there will scoop up the ball
from the ground with his foot in a way
that would astonish the foot ball public
here. There is no reason why the players
here should not be equally proficient in
handling the ball, If il were not for the fact
that the rushing tactics make the other de-
partments of the game of comparatively
triffng Importance.
My personal preference would be to have
more rather than fewer players on a side.
II fifteen players were allowed, the mass
plays would become too cumbersome and
unwieldy, and would be abandoned. Foot
ball ingenuity would he directed in other
channels, and We should see new departures
in the game.
There is little training and no coaching
In England; at least, not such coaching as
they have here. There the newspaper re-
porters are the only coaches. They are old
players and are absolutely impartial, SO
their advice Is worth something. When you
get through a game you go home thinking
you are a great player, and in the morning
when you read the papers you find every
play dissected. all your hidden faults ex-
posed, and you begin to wonder what you
were doing while the game was going on
suppose 1t Is necessary TO pay more at
tention to training here, as the season is SO
much shorter and the men have to get into
condition quickly. Nevertheless, think the
thing Is overdone in the large colleges
Il heartily approve of a conference to talk
over the game. / think an open game and
more passing and kicking will come next
year. anyway, but the game ought to be
changed in many ways. 1 say let any COL
lege SO inclined send delegates. They all
have good men, and their ideas are worth
considering. 1 am sure the game will ulti-
| rnately be changed until it is more like the
English. Why not adopt the English game ?
1t is superior to ours. Then the teams of the
two countries could meet The material
here is fully as good, II not better than
over there, and the players learn new plays,
and difhcult ones, very easily. i think a
team could be formed here to play the Eng
lish game. which would make a good show
ing against the English players"