Coach’s address lauded

Press, 21 April 1979, Page 60

Coach’s address lauded

PA Wellington, Councillors of the New I Zealand Rugby Football; Union were deeply appre-l ciative of a 45-m inute address from the All Black coach, Mr Jack Gleeson, at| their meeting in Wellington yesterday. The N.Z.R.F.U. chairman, Mr Ces Blazey, said his; council was very interested! in the information the Feild-i ing publican divulged during! the talk and the 30-minutei question-and-answer session i which followed it. He said Mr Gleeson concentrated on matters related to the victorious “Grand Siam” All Black tour of the British Isles at the end of last season. Earlier in the day Mr Blazey had said that Mr Glee-

i,son was unavailable for the i coaching job with the All ’Black teams to Australia and 1 the British Isles later this ■ year because of ill-health. However the highly in- : novative and successful t coach of recent seasons will i share the coaching responsibilities with his fellow New , Zealand selectors for the ; two tests against France and I the two later international • fixtures between a New Zealand XV' and Argentina. >| Mr Blazey presented a II summary of Mr Gleeson’s wide-ranging remakrs to the - council at a press conference i after the meeting. 1 Mr Gleeson expressed con ? siderable appreciation of the f workload undertaken by the manager of the New Zealand - side, Mr Russell Thomas, in; - the British Isles last year. ’

He told the meeting Mr Thomas’s policy of attending ! the numerous social functions on tour, left himself as coach free to concentrate on the duties related to the playing of the matches. It also enabled Mr Gleeson ample opportunity to think about the direction the tour ■ was taking and the style his players would need to adopt to better oppostion sides. Commenting on the standard of refereeing encountered in Britain Mr Gleeson said his side was well ' served. He wanted his team to play 80-minute running rugby and his forwards had : been helped in this because ■ British referees had come to 11 grips with the new laws reflating to the freeing of the ’ball from rucks and mauls.

r| Players had a responsibility to free the ball from! - these situations as quickly] >|as possible and the All] 11 Blacks had been assisted in] 3 this department by referee-] ing interpretations. i The tour cause was fur-| ; ther helped by the fitness] r and dedication of the All > Black team — the captain, t Graham Mourie a shining example — and coaching - aids made available by the - hosts to the side. i Mr Gleeson said his side I was as fit as any of its opponents and fitter than , most. I Because of this it was J able to win matches — in- ’ eluding vital test victories J— in the final minutes of a ’game.