4 TRIES TO NIL

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31198, 24 October 1966, Page 3

4 TRIES TO NIL

XV allabies Improve (Special Crspdt. N.Z.P A > LEICESTER. Australia produced some of its true potential when it beat Midland Counties, 17-9, on Saturday in the second match of its Rugby tour. The Wallabies gave a display full of promise, scoring four tries to nil, but there is still room for improvement. The forwards showed more drive and purpose than they did in the opening match, last Wednesday, which the Wallabies lost. They had more cohesion this time, but can become tighter still. The backs did not get as many opportunities in the first half as expected because of an unusually poor service from the half-back, K. Catchpole. He and the five-eighths, P. Hawthorne, failed to knit up, but in the second half they functioned better, and Australia’s attack began to flourish. The backs, apart from being responsible for all the tries, also did a magnificent job with low, hard tackling against competent opponents. Over-all, it was a sign of growing strength by the Wallabies. For Australia, S. Boyce (two). A. Cardy and J. Brass scored tries, Hawthorne kicked a field goal and P. Gibbs kicked a conversion. For Counties, B. Page kicked two penalty goals and a field goal.