All Blacks Watch South African Trials

Chronicle (Levin), 16 May 1949, Page 7

All Blacks Watch South African Trials

C. L. King, N.Z.P.A.

(From

Representative with the All Blacks.) Received Sunday 7 .m. PRETORIA, May 15. After a week of strenuous Rugby, the Springbok trials appear to have added to rather than solved the difficulties ot the South African selectors. This is the general opinion in Pretoria where Rug by fever is at a great height and coui mon observation is that more candidates have played themselves out than iri. The standard of football was high among the forwards and tbere is littie doubt that a powerful mobile pack wil. be fielded though possibly not so giganlic as the New Zealanders had been led to believe. However, the form of the backs was inconsistent. The weather was brilliantly fine for the whole week, the temperatures rang ing about 80 degrees. The picturesqut Pretoria ground which accommodated 8000 when the All Blacks played there in 1928, to-day-held 26,000 people, big iinprovements having been made to tluarena and surroundings. The football was vastly superior to day to that witnessed by the New Zea landers on Thursdav, but some indica tion of general inconsistencies in stand ard ean be gained by the fact that in the maia game the B. side defeated the A side which was generally regarded as the likely Springbok selection, by 21 points to 16. - Trials, specially early in the seasoh, afe not expected to produce Rugby oi high quality.' Nevertheless, the patterr of South African Rugby, as revealed in all the matches, was a big remove from that ' produded by the 1937 side in New Zealand. In fact, it compared more wittt tbe Australian style of Rugby, beirig •fast and enterprising but also full oi reckless abandon. Whether the South Africans would reproduce this type of football in the tests is very much open to question and any criticism of the trials would have to be tempered by the fact that the South Africans are good enough footballers and tacticians to be able to mould their Rugby to requirements. About eight leading players who are still likely to qualify for the South African side, were not able to -take part in the final trials due to injuries. So far tis the forwards are concerned, it is likely that the Springbok will outweight the All Blacks though not nearly to the extent expected. Lotz, the 1937 hooker, who was tipped as the possible te§t leader tliis year, was not chosen for the main match to-day and it is generally expected that his .successor will be either W. Louw or R. P. Jordaan, both of whom are 13 stone 8 pounds. Lotz indicated that lie is still oue of the best hookers but advanciug years is shown in the rest of liis plav. An intergsting feature of the scrummaging was the practice of a side row player in paclting on the angle and swinging his outside foot to assist in

hooking the ball. When the ball was nooked, this player provided a perfeci, shield for the half. In New Zealand this would be ruled as obstruction and the matter is one likely to be discussed with the South African Board and the referees. While there is otherwise much to ad mire in the form of the forwards in the trials, the play of the backs was too erratic to inspire coniidenee. At the mu ' mont there is nothing in sight compar able with the Craven-Harris coiu bination of 1937, nor a sound defensive back such . as Wnite. Among the centres there were several men of paee but none showeo outstanding skill in making play fui their wings. In fact, one of the quiet tips for the Springbok side, J. K. Ochse. who is particularly quick off the mark, ruined two or three grand movements by hanging on when the wing'was un marked. This disappointed .the crowri as several elassy wings were seen in aition. B. Butler, M. E. Gillmer and U. van Niekerk were the most impressive. They are all fast and good handlers and showed resource. - / If South Africa finds t'lie right- insnl" backs, the side should be potenti'ally dangerous as these wings- are. up' to a very good standard. None "are big meii but all are full of resource. when in stride. Injury kept the. best ftiriback out of t'o-dav 's . games. - ELe is . A. R Louw. Of the others S,-G. Nlwmari'haf played for En'gland. . Ile i." a spaspiuul cainpaigner. Another likely 'test 'fuli back is van der Schyff who is a -$ery powerful kick. He is' only 20 years oi' age, but 6 foot and'li stone ahd/a"fint goal kick. None of thfe fullbacks, how-: ever, is in the class of Gerry Brahdi • One of the disappointments of .to day's trial was Denis'Fry, -the- stand ott' half. He has been tipped as a likely test, player but his form to-dav was very average. He was outside J. J. Wahl who is considered the best half, biit on the day this pair were outplayed by G. Miil ler and H. Joffe. Muller is similar in build to Savage, one of the All Black lialves, but despite lack of stature he is most versatile and also a grand tackler. Wahl is a tall half, beiiig rjust 'under six feet and weighs .13-1 stone. He is the ideal type and also sends out crisp long passes. To-day 's was his. ' poorest game of the week. Mr McDonald and Dalton are' refurn ing to Capetown on Monday- anj will join the team at training hea,dquarter« at Hermanus. Mr McDonald is' anxious to see more of South African Rugby before committing himself to an opinion, but the party generally is optimistic that the All Blacks" have no 'pronounc ed weaknesses in the backs as revealed in the Springbok trials. Fry and But ler will be playing against the Al' Blacks in the first match of the tour.