A LONELY TRY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18230, 14 November 1924, Page 13

A LONELY TRY.

bucks just win.

BRIDGE UNIVERSITY MAKES big fight.

NgW ZEALAND BACKS POOS

! «_P**SS ASSOCIATION COPYRIGHT) J*s2* A"" H - Z - CABLB ASSOCIATION.)

LONDON, November 12. AU Blacks defeated Cambridge 'JfuLfc? b7 five pointfl t0 Dil * Attendance was 7000. The game ¥* nT»yed ** dmzlins ram ' wh ?L*l effect of cramping play and JJiing certainty in handling the ir Zealand was represented by:— ■ Kepis { ' Brown Robilliard Nicholls McGregor ~ Porter Mill <r' Cnpples White ' Blehardw* West Q. Brownlie Irrino McCleary

* though tho AH Blacks had tho adweight, the Light Blues in ttitftly P» rt of the match carried moßt l/ita gcrums. This was no great adtham ' as they indulged k ]MM ineffective passing, and were rtry dilatory in getting to the ball. \tXf was chiefly in tho centre of the poor in character. The gtfl hid a Blight advantage in stragtflg forward rushes. Ono of those jjrtgd'dangerons, but Nepia with a ' nui J d*sh stopped it. Mill put in a Jjjrlewble run which camo to nothing. '''Tie tattle between tho forwards was ' |most strenuous description, but the Vj* Zealand backs were below their gitt form and wcro often caught out jfjoritioa. ,'PUfce two, the 'Varsity dcfcnco at *as sounder. Once more the looked to have a chance, when through all the opposition till him. Cupples then led a forward 'WI tho Blacks, which regained lost PA"# T&e team's display, however, j^iijcoaWncing. spoiled a possible chance of by bverkicking. \Haif-time came without score: v'hjvtttbaA ..o aWdg# -0 interval the home forwards host form, notably Scott, Tucker. After 15 minstruggling Yonng, one of the , 1. misdirected a pass, resultant scramblo Mill the line and Nicholls easily .. 5 "Blacks' stamina began to was mostly in the Hjjtg&A tbiy. a brilliant forward rush Nepia had to force down, rdiiig, the Welsh sprint chamt*a Spectacular run, but kickiftty when approaching Nepia. toks through, but Doiity sent ,&k,-with a great kick to the g. nvTho Blues frequently r from a line-out, and splendllad their forward rushes, d was weak on the wing, and Kifcholls wore tho only conifcs.' ichardscm, Brownlio iwore the best forwards, fltfc-'' cohesion was faulty, aopg the backs. McGregor iii. passing out and weak in lUt the-worst feature was tho to stop thoir opponents' remarkably close in icondition's. There was score, and the match ended: AHcn, an bid Cambridge P'W®nt. i caused surprise and somo weakness in adapting thomgrounds. Their only due to Young's wild pass, .were individually capcollectivoly. Cambridge tho better of tho scrums. WELL TESTED, lip® teams hard pressed. TELSORAHS.) ||p®®Ps*®d'Novcmber 13th, 8.30 p.m.) |||ti V LONDON, November 12. correspondent, commenting ®ateh, Bays: Cambridge gave Zealandcrs a hard game from of backs indulged in f removements, and the Camin jeopardy on several BK kt ie home defence witlionslaught well. Htefli Blacks re up against keen were seldom able to run should be made on the Blippery turf. part of the second apell defence was severely tested, forwards doing great « u PP Or y VARSITY PACK. INTERNATIONALS. • 13th, 8.20 p.m.) f - s November 12. fight Cambridge University Blacks is featured io llga newspapers. Chronicle" says tho eight ' undergraduate forwards | the Blacks in tho manner } pack.

A CLOSE SHAVE. HARD PRESSED BY NEWPORT.

(By A. J. Harrop, Special Representative of "The Press.")

NEWPORT, October 2,

No team could have gone nearer to defeat without actually losing a match than the All Blacks did to-day. I do not wish to see a game more exciting. The great crowd was almost delirious for the last 20 minutes of the match, and when Newport led 10-8 with only five minutes to go, the All Blacks' task appeared hopeless.' I cherished the secret hope that something might avert the threatened catastrophe, but it was perilously near time when Svenson scored the winning try. In my sketch of the Swansea match I remarked that Newport would probably prove a very different proposition, but just how different they proved to be hardly entered into my thoughts. Of course, before the Swansea match, a three points' margin over Newport would have been considered quite satisfactory. But the runaway victory at Sfc. Helen's put everything out of focus. I am quite sure that it had a lot to do with the poor display of the All Blacks to-day, and my impression was confirmed by a member of the team, who told mo that lie thought the victory had an unconscious effect on the side. However, the match was pulled out of the lire, and the team deserves every credit for never letting down under the extraordinary pressure of the Newport forwards. Our backs got little of the ball, and when they did get it they were- much less effective than usual. Nicholls the Hero. Nicholls I regard as the saviour of the match for New Zealand. I have seen him play many times, but never before so wonderfully well. He was übiquitous in jlefonco, sound in attack, and ho kicked three goals. The game will always be associated in my mind with the name of Nicholls. I believe there was some criticism of his selection in the team. New Zealand may well rejoice that he was there to keep Newport from registering a decisive win. Porter was not so good as usual to-day, though he did well in defence. It seems very unfortunate that the team should be robbed of the assistance of Parker so often. His speed would bo invaluable, and he might well be played in the scrum. Cooke, who played a good game, was injured in circumstances which will long be debated. The refereo and a very largo portion of tho crowd were clearly of tho opinion that Jones committed a deliberate foul, and I heard for the first time a prolonged demand by spectators that their own man should be sent off the field. This fact, and the wonderful reception Cooke recoived when he was able to resumo five or six minutes later, makes a tribute to the Newport spectators imperative. They applauded good play by both sides, and, though naturally anxious to sec their own team win, set an example which might well be followed in other parts of the country.

Story of the Game. The details of tho match require very little space. In the first half Newport controlled the game. ' They scored from a passing rush which found our defence badly astray—probably onaccount of the unexpectedness of this, the first real display of combination on tho part of an opposing side which the All Blacks had experienced sinco the start of the tour. Newport ended the spell with a five points lead which was no more than ; they deserved, .though the All Blacks lost a certain try when Brow • failed to gather a pass from Nicholls, when the defence was beaten. In the second half the New Zoalanders played better, but when a try did come it was through a great individual effort ,by Mill, who went over on his own in the same way aB he scored in the Somerset match. Nicholls goaled with a standing kick, and the scores were level. The New Zealand supporters breathed a sigh of relief when a penalty gave Nicholls a chance of goaling, and tho sooro read sin oui favour. But our hopes were dashed when, after a fruitless pot at goal by a Newport man, their wing beat Svenson, who slipped, for the ball, and a good, goal put Newport two points ahead. Newport, however, elected to keep tho gamo fairly open and from a kick which failed to find touch a movement began which ended in Svenson scoring a clever try wido out. . Nicholb goaled with a splendid lcick, and in tho remaining couple of minutOß Newport elected to ■play for safety—though it would have been more logical to have done this esMter. ■ , - Forwards to Blame.

While it is difficult to assign an exact causo to to-day's comparative failure, the forwards must bear much of the blame. Newport took a man out of the scrum to mark Portor, so it was seven against soven. Our men did not appoiir to use their weight and they woro also beaten in the loose. They seldom got the ball smartly to Mill, who was continually harassed by tho opposing forwards. He did not make the best of the chances he did havo, however, and there can be no doubt that Dalloy is a more effective half. Nepia waa below form early m the ganfo, but he did some good work later! His risky habit of running with the ball has the merit - of- helping to tiro out the opposing forwards, who nover know what ho is going to do. Tho match naturally raises tho question as to what will happen when wo meet Walos. Fortunately Beg. Edwards, the Newport captain, who was tho inspiration of tho side, plays for England, not Wales, and the Btyle of eame he used to circumvent the All Blacks will not be so valuable for England, who will be just aa keen to open up the game aa we will bo. But there can be no doubt that our scrum formation waß singularly ineffective to-day. Wo did not get enough of tho ball to justify the extra back. It is to be hoped that the team will have learned valuable lessons from the game and that some improved method of working the scrum will be evolved.