All Blacks Have Run In Match With West Australia

Chronicle (Levin), 27 April 1949, Page 5

All Blacks Have Run In Match With West Australia

(From the P.A. Correspondent with the .M B%S-) '

Received Tuesday, 7 p.m. PERTII, April 26. A temperature of 86 degrees greeteci ihe All Blacks when the Tamaroa jcrthed at Fremantle on Sunday after,ioon. Ideal weather prevailed for the iast stage of the voyage and the seas u'joss the Australian Bight were the •almest for some time. All members of the team ar£ now 100 poi* cent. though Savage and J. W. Goddard took the longest to recover t'rom the early seasickness and misseu ,ome oi the training sessions. With the exception of Meates who injured aii ankle during training on the boat, all the team had a run in a niatch against Western Austraiia. Allen's team ran up 17 points to three in the first spell of 30 minutes and Dalton 's team ran up 17 points to ml in the second spell, Western Austraiia put up good opposition, particuiarly with rucking and tackling. As a result the match proved a really useful test as the All Blacks badly need a stiff work out. By the special request of Fred Alien, Ihe referee was severe on the slightest int'ringement by the All Blacks who were penalised 15 times to one by their opponents. From one of these Hondros dropkicked a splendid goal from neai halfway for Western Austraiia. New Zealand scored 10 tries — Botting three, Henderson two, Boggs two, Wilson, Grant and M. P. Goddard one each. Dnly two shots were taken at goal after the tries, Scott and J. W. God ilard each being successful. Scott 's conversion was from the sideline. The crowd of 2000 had heard of his goalKickmg prowess and gave a big cheer when the ball sailed clean over the , entre of the posts. Though the players have indulged in steady training since fiuding their sea legs, it is apparent that many of the All Blacks will need all of the period availabJe after arrival in South Africa, to throw off surplus weight. The otiicial weights, in football gear, after the selection of the team last Septem ber, showed that only 'one player was over 15 stone. That was Frazer, with liarvey, McIIugh, Crowley and Simp son only a few pounds away. At the welghing in Wellington in oi'dinary clothes prior to departure, no fewer tlian nine forwards were well over 15 stone with three over 16 stone. The heaviest forwards were: Harvey 16 stone 9, Frazer 16 stone 5, Simpson 10 stone 2, Crowley and McHugh 15 stone 12, Christian 15 stone 11, Dalton and Skinner 15 stone 6, Willoclts 15 stone 4. Several of these appear capable of c-arrying extra poundage without theii phvsieal fitness being affected, notabij liarvey and Willocks, who gave the im pression last year of having trainui down to a very fine point. Nevertheless, there is at present plenty of surplus poundage to be worked off most players. The only forwards practieally at normai weights are McNab and Johnstone.

m — Training Programme The training programme each day has eonsisted of one hour physical exei'cises and football, In addition all tront row forwards spend further time mastering the art of hooking. The njain purpose of this is to have substitutes available should Catley or Wilson be incapacitated. Dalton appears the quickest of those tried out. Oue of the most interesting features of the training has been practice in hooking the ball throngh various channels. The team is leaving nothing to chance. Though down the centre hooking is gen erally preferred, the same channe] as exploited by the Springboks in 1937, is also being perfeeted.. In these practices Johnstone and Frazer have been working in tka front row as well as in positions in which they were chosen, while Grant, chosen for the back row, has also acted as lock, a position to which he is quite accustomed. This abilfty to move the forwards aronnd is the best findication of progress made in serummaging since New Zealand, after det'eats in 1937, really set out to master the three-foui'-one formation. Part of each day has been devotecj to lulks on ihe laws of Rugby. Just before leaving New Zealand, the manager, Mr. Parker, received copies of a book from a leading South ' African referee, which is designed to en'Sure, greater uniformity in controlUng games by South African referees. This'hhs been studied and wh«n the ' team reaches Cape Town, discussions will be held which are expected to be of con eiderable benefit. During a talk given on the voyage by : Major A. D. Cilliers, a South African Rugby administrator who recentljvisited New Zealand, the players were greatly impressed by his comment that they were unlikely to encounter hardturfless grounds as experienced in 1928, Major Cilliers said practieally all play mg areas were now turfed, including Debeer's Stadium, Kimberley, which in 1928 was red dirt, The optimism of the team manager, Mr, Parker, has become infectious. During training he has worn a Weish iuter national jersey, When replying to an inquiry as to what it was, he said, re ferring to the 1924 side's victory over Wales, "we waited 19 years for that, I hope to be wearing a South African jersey after this tour." Three birthdays were celebrated on the voyage to Fremantle— Henderson Frazer and the assistant-manager, Mx. McDonald. Frazer received a huga floral bouquet to tho great amusement of the passengers, The team has naturally been it centre of interest and has also become' very popular. Oue of the hits of the voyage so far was the team's rendering of McNamara's Band. With radio announcer McOarthy as conduetor, press representative King at the piano, the rest of the team was divided into an imaginary orchestra. Their antics as flautists, trombonists. violinists, drununers and so on when the chorus was creached, had the passengers in fits of laughter.