World XV beaten

Press, 9 April 1979, Page 36

World XV beaten

NZPA-Reuter Pretoria The World Invitation rugby team, featuring seven New Zealanders and rated probably the strongest side of the tour, went down by 27 points to 15 at Pretoria on Saturday, against Northern Transvaal, South Africa’s present champion. It was the seventh and last game of the controversial tour by a world team, picked — expenses paid — from eight countries, with the idea of easing South Africa’s exile from legitimate international sport. It was the sides second defeat.

Perhaps significantly, since this was also the toughest match of all, the world side dropped the two coloured (mixed race) players assigned to it by South Africa as a symbol of its progress to multi-racialism in the sport. Northern Transvaal, the present Currie Cup champions, scored four tries to the visitors’ one in a game in which the home side had the edge throughout, finally hammering home its superiority with a try and a goal in the last three minutes as the world stars wilted.

Naas Botha kicked 11 points (three penalties and a conversion) for Northern Transvaal, and the four tries came from the full-back, Pierre Van Zyl, the scrumhalf, Tommy Du Plessis, the left-wing, Darious Botha, and the flanker, Burger Geldenhuys. lan Robertson, of Rhodesia, at fly-half, accounted for eight of the visitors’ 15 points with a drop goal, a conversion and a penalty. The sole try came from Kevin Eveleigh, of New Zealand, while Hysie Pienaar, of South Africa scored a penlaity.