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22 must have a head on his shoulders, as he is the man who has not only to bear the brunt of the attack, but also to give the wings their openings, and sometimes to win the match himself by dropping a goal. To fulfil these requirements he must throw himself without hesitation on to the ball at the feet of the opponent's forwards when they are dribbling down upon him—a task which is not half so difficult as it looks, if done fearlessly. He must be equally good at taking and giving a pass, that is to say, he must always place himself on the open-field side of the scrummage and must warn the half-backs of his whereabouts by calling. The moment he receives the ball he must make for the open, and, before he is tackled, pass on to the wing, who is still further in the open, and then back him up to receive the ball again just before the wing is tackled, and so on until the ball is safely landed over the goal line, as it should be, if the passing is done with precision. Lastly, he must be quick at taking his drop, for as he starts much nearer the forwards than the full-back, he will have to kick from much more difficult positions. In deciding when to kick and when to pass, he will be guided principally by the position of the players on the field. If he sees a good opening for a series of passes, he should take it in preference to kicking into touch, as being more likely to lead to an immediate score. If, on the other hand, his side is being pressed, from his position in the field he will gain more ground than even a full-back can for his side by a long kick into touch.

It is impossible to say definitely where he ought to stand, as he has to be constantly changing his position at his own discretion. As a general principle he must stand farther back when his side is being' pressed than when his side is attacking. He must always be ready to start running to the open side, and at the line out it is not a bad plan for