All Blacks whipped

Press, 19 April 1979, Page 32

All Blacks whipped

s’ZPA Londoi Graham Mourie’s All Blacks in Britain last year had more luck than greatness and most referees looked kindly on them, according to a Welsh writer, Bryn Thomas, in his review of the game in 1978, “Rugby in Focus.” Thomas, the chief rugby journalist for the Cardiff “Western Mail,” verbally whips the All Blacks for the Bridgend incident (a “wanton act,”) the line-out in the Welsh test (“the most blatant con trick in the history of rugby,”) and Andy Haden’s punching of Alister McHarg in the Scottish test. He says he doubts whether the All Blacks will be remembered as a great side — “Sadly, it is the last week of their tour that will be remembered.” In what he calls a tech-

nical analysis of the tour, Thomas writes: “They were a lucky rther than a great side and the tour was influenced considerably by British referees being lenient to the tourists. Some of their decisions were appalling.” Thomas says several referees had poor matches, including al! four test referees, and that many observers missed “gentle pressure” applied to the referees by Mourie, “who queries most penalty awards against the All Blacks in kickable positions.”

He writes that the laxity of refereeing did not help rugby, although it may have helped New Zealand’s record.

“Equally it must be recorded that several British teams did not play well against the tourists,” he says. “In all, I often found the whole course of this

tour bizarre, and often embarrassing.” He says it was not the defeats that worried him, “but the attitude allowed to a touring side that really did not need such treatment.” Thomas writes that the AU Blacks did not leave behind many lessons of which British rugby was not already aware, but there were a few points that British rugby needs to rethink. The New Zealanders were better at close-sup-port play, they recovered more quickly in defence, and they tackled better.

“The forwards accomplished far more closetackling than their opponents, and they did ruck better although there was an element of clanger, sometimes violence, in their approach, with little thought for the man trapped on the ground.”