him to stand at the extreme end of the line in readiness either to start away on his own account, or to tackle his opponents if the ball is passed back to them. We have not mentioned tackling or pace as requisites for a centre, because, although both are enormous advantages in any player, the centre's defensive work lies more in quickly snapping up the ball or falling on it, than in direct tackling; unless, indeed, the opponents stop to pick up instead of dribbling, in which case they should fall an easy prey to even an inferior tackier; and his offensive work lies more in goal-dropping and in starting the runs for his wings than in making long runs himself.
In wing three-quarters, on the other hand, pace is the first essential, because they should be the chief try-getters in the team. Their principal work consists of getting into position in the open for receiving passes from the centre, and sometimes direct from the halves, and then running as hard as they can run. In this way sprinters, pure and simple, have often earned for themselves great reputations; but a real player will make much more out of the post than the best sprinter. He will not allow himself to be run into touch or tackled by the last of his opponents, as the sprinter so often does, but will pass back again whilst still engaging the attention of that last man, and so make a try a certainty for his side. Many a glorious chance of winning a match has been thrown away by wings holding on to the ball just too long, in the hopes of getting through themselves.
Moreover, a wing's work does not lie solely in scoring tries, he has also to stop his opponents from getting through the main line of defence, and this calls for no mean tackling powers, as any runner who reaches that line will by that time be going at his best pace, and will have in reserve the power of passing or of pretending to pass. The wings
