Disorganised Lions Completely Outplayed By Wellington

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31096, 27 June 1966, Page 3

Disorganised Lions Completely Outplayed By Wellington

(From

I.J.D.HALL)

WELLINGTON. A mournful lament played by a solitary piper must have expressed the feelings of the 45,000 spectators at Athletic Park as the British Lions trudged wearily off the field after being beaten 20-6, by Wellington in a supine display of Rugby for an international side.

It could have been Invercargill or Dunedin: the weaknesses shown in those matches were exposed again—lack of solidity in the line-outs, ineffectual rucking, indecisive tackling, and handling and passing mistakes.

This surely must be the nadir of the tour for the Lions. They were probably just as disappointed as the spectators by their drab play hut they can well feel glad that they are not Frenchmen.

If they had put on a display like that at C o 1 o m b e s Stadium they would have all been consigned to the tumbril on a direct route to the guillotine.

For Wellington, Williment kicked three penalties and a conversion and Hill, Osborne and Williams scored tries. Gibson kicked a penalty and Bebb scored a try for the Lions. Although the Lions did not play well no credit can be taken away from Wellington. Its powerful pack was the vital factor in the match. Line-Out Pressure The pressure exerted in the line-outs by Gray, Mac Ewan, and Delaney: the brilliance of Williams who bored in relentlessly on Gibson and Young, forcing them into errors; and the superbly efficient tackling of the backs, reduced the Lions to a disorganised group groping trying to acquire the fundamentals of Rugby. When the score was 12-6 in Wellington’s favour at halftime there was stilt the possibility that the Lions could win for they had the use of a brisk northerly wind and a bright sun. But the next 10 minutes showed that Wellington was going to win. The Lions’ line-out play fell to pieces as Gray. MacEwan and Delaney wedged through, forcing gaping holes, while the astute kicking of Coulter kept play close to the side-line.

Denied good possession, the Lions were forced into taking risks, and in face of fierce tackling by Catley, Hill and the übiquitous Williams many moves foundered and allowed Wellington toj . counter-attack. Only Potential What was so disappointing ■bout the Lions was that one could see the potential there, I but theory and practice were 1 never combined. One glorious movement in the first half which swept up and across field as Gibson, Bresnihan, Jones and Pask, then Jones and Bresnihan again, interpassed and jinked, painted a splendid picture of attacking Rugby. But that was soon erased and replaced by insipid grey wash as the forwards faltered and the backs floundered under the relentless Wellington pressure. The Lions were prepared to use their backs and to carry this out they tried to use the end of the line-out for attacking moves. But the technique was not there. The ball too often would bounce to the ground and after it would be a horde of black jerseys, crashing and smashing their way upfield. Mainly it was a drab game, for Wellington, although enjoying great forward superiority, did not have the speed and crispness in the backs to ; make full use of its possession. For much of the game Coulter kept chipping away over the line-out or scrums with little kicks, and only oc- ' casionally did the Wellington backs run with the ball. Williment may have gained his test place with his outstanding goal kicking. Even • the kicks he missed were fine

efforts. However, once again he was inclined to wait for the bounce and twice got his team into trouble with it Osborne looked most Impressive on the left wing. His speed and intelligence were invaluable and many times he extricated Wellington from awkward situations with his alert cover defence.

Hill and Catley played well in mid-field. Hill made some sharp breaks at centre and Catley, if a bit slow, made his contribution to victory with some ruthlessly efficient tackling which shattered many of the attempts by Jones and Bresnihan to break through in mid-field. Kember and Coulter did not combine particularly well, but towards the end of the match Kember was quite a threat with his hard running. Coulter played excellently except for his rather laboured pass-

ing. His astute kicking and powerful running created the impetus for most of Wellington’s attacking play.

Williams Everywhere

Williams was outstanding in the Wellington pack. He tore into the Lions backs, somehow managed to get back on defence, and bobbed up in the most unexpected places to take a pass on attack or relieve Williment from fullback duties. Lister and Hermansson did well in their lineout play where they curbed Pask, Grant, and Telfer. Mac Ewan and Delaney, Finn and Gray were rugged combinations and Grant lost only one tight head. But it was collectively that the pack was so impressive. They hunted as a unit whereas the Lions were often disorganised individuals.

Rutherford gave another sterling display but his performance again underlines the no-replacement rule. He was hurt early in the match but he struggled on, and although not able to kick very far never

faltered in the face of the barrage of kicks placed before him by Coulter. McFadyean and Bebb were mainly fetchers of the ball for line-outs but in their odd moments impressed by their speed and elusiveness. Jones and Bresnihan were well curbed by Catley and Hill, although both had individual flashes on attack. Gib-

son made two delightful outside breaks but the constant pressure exerted by Wellington never allowed him to de-

velop any rhythm in the backline. Young threw out some swift passes but he, too, became uncertain with the straggling possession given him by the forwards. No Combination Why eight internationals cannot mould into a cohesive forward unit is one of the mysteries of this Lions team Individually they all played well but only rarely was seen a pack in full cry. Pask, a great forward, covered well but he could never get his pack going. Mcßride and Thomas jumped high in the line-outs but on the day were outjumped by Mac Ewan and Delaney. Mcßride did show up in some punishing runs in the loose but they died away because of lack of support. Norris and Williams were not as effective at blocking as their Wellington counterparts dnd this must be a cause of concern to the team. Telfer and Grant were not seen much. They were too often embroiled in the tight play and rucks to link with their backs or bustle Wellington’s backs.

- Kennedy hooked cleanly and : was a useful forward even if ■ one for a penchant for get- • ting off-side.