RUGBY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 27 December 1924, Page 9

RUGBY.

ALL BLACKS. NOTES ON THE TOUR. Some programmes and odd papers to hand from our good friend, Mr. B. G. Bennett, give sundry items of information \v]}ich have a personal as well as general interest. The first is a programme of the Cheshire match, played on Birkenhead Park. Some historical points show that the first organised Rugby match under the auspices of the Cheshire R.U. was played in 187576, the county beating the Liverpool Club. Rugger is just about as old there as in New Zealand.

Mr. .Bennett says in' a note: “The poison trouble is only a rumour- —all are well. The party had a great banquet after the match.” On a Newport programme he adds: “Am sending paper reports to a young friend in Hawera—like to bring on the youthful players. Catch ’em when young, eh?” The colours on 1 the programme were black and yellow. ' ' Newport were beaten after a great struggle both by the Maorisv of 1888 and the All Blacks of 1905. The latter was the first match of the tour.

In another publication ' received, the Villa News and Record, official publication of the Aston Villa Football Club, Limited —this is unusual - for a club to have a regular paper—in a leading article the writer says that the visitors always dall the British Isles “Home,” and visiting Dominion teams have loomed large in the history of Rugby football. It is rather quaint, in view of subsequent results, to fead in a criticism by the special correspondent of the British Rugby teams of 1904 and 19Q8 that ‘‘theteam, though a distinctly fine side—a. great side, in many respects —let it be clearly understood is . not the best team that New Zealand can place in the Rugby fields of Great Britain. The true strength of the team lies in the forwards, who are of magnificent physique, of rare qualities and qualification, sound in wdnd and limb—man for man they compare more than favourably with the 1905 All Blacks* more youthful, perhaps less matured, but lacking nothing in qualifications, and super-players withal. The backs? All, there’s the rub! We haven’t got the super and brainy .backs to-day; but, playing behind such a magnificent and powerful' pack, behind a veritable stone wall, ‘dug in,’ as it were, sheltered from the battering rams and the attack of the opposing’forwards, New Zealand half-backs are-secure, absorbed from smothering, demoralisation, or crumpled and crippled by close-in tactics or tenacious tackling of the opposition, be it however so strong and determined.” The writer adds that “a great stickling on the part of the New Zealand for amateurism; business claims and the like have prevented’ some of the most famous players from making the ’trip (sic).” Two mottoes worth noting: “Watch all the good sides you can; there’s always something to learn.’’’ “Never forget .the tackier’s- motto, 1 ‘Plant ’em deep ; ’” . (The latter is a particularly good one.)

i BURDEN OF PLAY. HOW IT WAS ALLOTTED,

A comparison between the manner in which the members of the 1905 i and 1924 teams have been worked in l the course of the first 25 matches of tlieir respective • tours is interesting. It shows that the original All Blacks laid the burden of the 'Work on the star hacks (counting 16 games out of the 25 as a fair request to ask of any player); while the present team has made greater use of the star forwards.' It has to be remembered that the originals played their first 25 games, including three international games, in ten days’ less time than has been allowed the present side. The number of games played by each mtember of the teams is:—

ALL BLACKS AT BRADFORD

Writing of the preliminaries for the match with Yorkshire, the Leeds Mercury says:

“The New Zealand party arrived in Bradford, and along with the Yorkshire side will be presented to the Lord Mayor of Bradford before the kick-off, which is set for 3.15. After the match both teams will be entertained to dinner by the Yorkshire Rugby Union, at the Great Northern Hotel, and on Sunday the New Zealand party will be motored to Bolton Abbey Harrogate, and Goldsborough Hall. On Monday the party will pay a visit to on© of the Bradford mills, and in the afternoon leave for Manchester, where Lancashire will be met on Wednesday. “Before their first game in this country was played it was thought that the, forwards would have to bear the brunt of the battles. The backs were considered of doubtful quality, but actual football has proved the wrongness of the forecast. The backs have been the most brilliant part of the team, while the forwards, dangerous in the loose, have been held in the nac-ks by the county eights they have encountered.

“Apart from the speed of the individual members of the team, the secret of the side’s success has been the straight running of the players and the splendid support given to the man with the ball.

“Putting only seven men into the scrummages, the All Blacks pin their faith to open-play If Yorkshire play their usual formation, eight forward's and seven backs, and if th« forwards can gain possession from the scrummages, .it will be interesting to note how the. countv backs, with the ball, try to pierce the opposing defence and keep the hall out of the possession of tlunr dangerous rivals.”

' After,the match the same paper said : ‘The New Zealand tonHsts remain unbeaten. Their invincibility was not

endangered at Bradford, when a side moderately representative of talent could ao little more than inumtam the county’s reputation tor sportsmanship and pluck in take of adver&uy. i\e\v Zealand had tnree men awu , m t_ook, iNicholis, and Porter, th© "..obtain, whom one would expect to see in their Test fifteen, and they lacked the services of Steel, their right wing three-quarter, :or over half tne game; but they had taken no risks in the selection of their side, and they are nothing if not thorough in any task they undertake.' Yorkshire stuc-K to it so earnestly that they always were prompting the All Blacks to go one better, to the home county’s continual discomfiture, maybe, but to no small instructive purpose. “Face and an understanding born of long familiarity are New Zealand’s winning virtues. A well-practised combination, with \a. steadiness almost amounting to mechanical precision in the centre—whether the five-eighths or the orthodox, formation is adopted—flanked by abnormal pace and resolution, and a lithe, active set of forwards, to whom scrummaging, though of primary importance, appears to be a secondary consideration, they are essentially a side for the open. What they failed to gain direct from the packs on Saturday they stepped in to snatch from their opponents, and in their handling the forwards frequently were as resourceful and certain as the backs.

“Yorkshii'e did so well in the scrummages, however, even against wellstudied tactics, that it is conceivable New Zealand will run up against a side who will place the initiative at the forwards’ feet, and if in that event the men behind know* how to spot and tackle, the tourists will not, I think, appear to he so all powerful. Although they have a finely developed sense of position and a man seldom fails to get in his pass, they are not superlatively brilliant in their ground work, and the anticipatory power s of their defence has yet to be proved. Yorkshire were earnest enough, but very inconsistent in their tackling. 1 THE WONDERFUL ALL BLACKS \ . (South Wales News.) The debut of the All Blacks in Wale s on Saturday was a most brilliant per'formance, such as has not yet been seen by Swansea spectators for very many years. Indeed it is hard to believe that on their form in this match, and under the favourable weather conditions which obtained on Saturday, any Rugby team in the United'Kingdom could have beaten the visitors. Their play was a veritable revelation "to those who had been deceived ( by their comparatively small scores on heavy ground against Somerset and Gloucester; and from start v to finish it was a sheer delight to behold. It was a, beautiful, ''open game, in which all the spectacular elements were assembled to produce the maximum effect. - Again and again there‘were swift passing movements which swept to almost every part of the field in a bi'ief space. And in every detail the visitors were absolute. Their superiority was not confined to one or. two isolated features, but extended to every phase of the game. How long js jt since we, saw such a magnificent, combination of .speed and power on the Rugby field? Even the weighty forwards were faster than the Swansea backs, while the Porter-Daily-Brown combination between the scrummage and the threequarters completely controlled the game in the second half. In forcing openings, in developing combined movements, and in feeding the wings this wonderful triumvirate were in the picture all the time, Porter: particularly being prominent in the initiation of every forward movement as lie'was invariably the first to fill a breach in the defence. We had fascinating glimpses of what Steel and Lucas do, and both contributed substantially to the score-, but we felt that in their ease there were considerable reserves or power that were not disclosed, and that we saw little more than a fraction’ of what they are capable under real pressure. In fact, we had. a feeling at the close that, splendid as was the'visitors’ performance, they are not vet “all out.” They; will probably improve as the seaspn advances, and as they get more accustomed to our style of play and, weather conditions. The match on Saturday at any rate settled one doubt. Whether the visitors will have as good a record-as the All Blacks twenty years ago remains to be seen but beyond question they are capable of attaining quite as high a standard or play. They .are indubitably a wonderful team, destined to add a new and thrilling chapter to'the annals of the game.

(Manchester Guardian.) Fortunately Tuesday’s bad weather gave way to pleasant conditions, and the conversion of an Association ground into a Rugby field enabled the game to be played on good turf and gave many people who are strangers to “Rugger” an opportunity to watch the proceedings in comfort. Some followers of Northern Union football were heard to sneer about what they saw, hut that sort of thing can be ignored. It Was a game calculated to increase the interest in the progress of the countv and to . do Rugby a great deal of good. It will also encourage the players, in matches against northern rivals. The large and highly expert crowd ™ V tchecl yesterday's match at Old Irafford did not expect to see the New Zealanders, go through the process which is known as “losing their unbeaten certificate,” but they got what they hoped for, the spectacle of Lancashire resisting 1 stubbornly and not without success a team that was in essentials of a superior quality. No sheep were led to the slaughter yesterday, nor. it is reported, ivere some individuals among the intended sacrificial offerings les s red in tooth and claw than vthe New Zealand wolves. But the layman has to admit of the New Zealanders that there is, in a phrase which is not so obscure as it sounds, “something about them.” Be. sides the highest physical fitness, they have m a remarkable decree a sense of what they are aiming "at and the best way to get it; mind and body are screwed up to a single end in a way that. is attained only by exceptional individuals in our county sides. But individuals do attain it, and later on we shall gather them in the national teams. When, eight Bhdri«+oos assemble together there will indeed be a meeting of the packs DURHAM. (Northern Echo, October 16, 1324.) Masters, .Brownlie, Guppies, and \\ est were perhaps the best of a powerful pack, whilst in the line-outs the All Blacks generally came out with the honours because of the advantage the height of some of their giants gave them. Tf one were asked : was the really outstanding feature of the New Zealanders’ display?” I think the answer should he : “The wonderful accuracy of their passing and the pace at which they executed it.” They got practically el] their tries bv fast handling. Tn these movements the ball passed from hand to hand with a speed and precision which reminded one of the skill of Gallaher’s fifteen.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE. (Citizen, September 25, 1924.) Gloucestershire kicked off in tne second half »to a familiar cry of “Come on, you elver eaters!” and they down to their task grimly. ‘iu.-u luck” was the crowd’s opinion or gallant effort to break away* when the ball slipped from Brown’s hands, and Pickles was cheered for a tricky run and kick .which for a while put Gloucestershire on the attack. Gloucestershire, were holding their opponents' well, thanks mainly to the dour efforts of the forwards, and the cheering was terrific at times. A kick by Pickles, which forced Nepia to touch down with Spoors close behind him, raised the crowd to fever heat. The home team were making a gallant fight for supremacy, but try as they would they; were never for long in their opponents’ half. The last five minutes or so were fought out in a downpour of rain, but heedless of this, and encouraged by the shouts of the thousands of spectators to “Keep.it up!” Gloucester battled gamely on. It was to no purpose, however; and just before the end came New Zealand got their second try. The cheers at the end were equally hearty for victors and vanquished, but the thought was freely expressed that the New Zealanders will not keep their._unbeaten record as long as did the earlier team from ' that country - The attendance was officially returned at between 12,000 and 13,000. NORTH MIDLANDS. (Birmingham Ppst, October 9, 1924; As for those spectators who were witnessing their first Rugby game, their measure of satisfaction, could have been no less, for good, hard football was seen. There was not a single incident that called for adverse comment; the play was open, there were only three stoppages, and those towards the end of the match, while the refereeing of Mr. T. Vile, the old Welsh international half-back, was of such an excellent character that scrummages were kept to a minimum and the game made as spectacular as possible. For the first time the tourists were opposed to a side that made attack the best defence. There was far/ greater thrust about the method of the home men than that shown by either Gloucestershire or Leicestershire, (Certainly a better anticipation of movement, hut in the end the power of physique told its natural tale. The famous tourists of 1905 brought with them fourteen forwards, but out of that number only two men were over fourteen stone. In yesterday’s side, four of the seven ih the front line were of that weight, C. Brownlie, the giant man of the team, being just fifteen stone. Each player possesses the best attributes of a Rugby footballer, but, comparing the score with the opposition and the exchanges in attractive play seen yesterday, there seems to be little doubt that the tourists’ back game will have to improve' if the team is to be regarded as the peer of that combination which made so much sporting history. . . It was just the strength in the final efforts that created this large total. As, a score it by no means mirrored the play, for throughout the North Midlands took the proper risks and gave attack for attack. There were 17,000 spectators, and the outcome ' of .the match should he a further increase in popularity of the game in the Midland area. The tourists have now won eight matches and compiled 171 points, with 16 against, them. ; . NOTES. . If. Rugby at Home is not improving, it js growing. . A correspondent forwards the following par: “As showing the strides Rugby is making in the Eastern Counties of England, it is interesting to note ,that' whereas in 1922 there were jio Rugby clubs in'Norfolk and Suffolk, there are now 14 with every prospect of further additions.” It was a fine compliment, to; A. White to appoint him captain of the All Blacks for the Hampshire match. The hard part wa s that he should be injured in the closing stages of the game. The cables say that White played a magnificent game, but there was scarcely any need to make that observation—he always does. If the -1924 All Blacks consistently adopt foul tactics, why did the referee in the Hampshire match only penalise them' twice? Some of the “yellow’,’ London Sunday journals ought to be compelled to answer. As a matter of fact, the stout defence of the New Zealanders by the Lohddn Times came at a very opportune moment. Some people were beginning to have fh© audacity to hint that the traditional Englishman' who took his beatings like a 'man was a myth.

It is just as well to remember, however, that visiting Rugby teams in the Dominion have often cropped up against particularly objecj/ionable specimens of the one-eyed variety. They breed ’em everywhere.. : ‘

If the All Blacks go through the tour unbeaten, scores of nrophets will have to lie low. Ancl they don’t all live as far away,as London!' ‘

RETURN OF THE ALL BLACKS.

ARRIVING AT WELLINGTON. At a meeting of the management committee- of the New Zealand. Rugby Union, the chairman (Mr. A. C. Kitto) stated that Mr. H. Frost, liresident of the New Zealand Rugby Union, hact written that it was eminently desirable that Auckland should be the landingport for the All Blacks on their return. Mr. Kitto explained that the present programme provided that the All Blacks should play two matches in Vancouver, and leave San Francisco for New Zealand on February 25 He had'replied to Mr. Frost, pointing., out that tlie All Blacks had called at Auckland on their return from Sydney, and the members of the management committee did not see that there was any reason to alter the programme already mapped ouj; for the return of the team. It would take the team all their time to complete their programme in Canada, ajid catch the boat at San Francisco on February 25. The action of the chairman in replying to Mr. Frost in the terms outlined was approved. “ODDS AND ENDS." The accommodation for the visiting Press at Brunton Park was of a most primitive character—a damp form for a seat, and a taller form, also damp, for a table, and the open sky for a roof. Happily it didn’t rain whilst'the match was in progress, and the mild discomforts only served as a peg for the exchange of reminiscences with other old hands present. We remembered. of course, the first time a New Zealand team visited Carlisle, and we couldn’t very well forget what happened on that occasion. The date was November 20tli, 18888, and the game ■°Tidod in a Maori victory by 2 goals and 2 tries and 9 minors, to 2 minors. This never-to-be-forgotten gamo was plaved for the most part in a blinding crale of snow and sleet, *o severe was the tveother that of the Maoris and eight of the Carlisle team chucked it up ere the finish. And iio,n"e could blame them. As a matter of fact one

Nepia ..v... "Backs. 1924 1905 •2« Roberts .. . ■ 23 Cooke ...... 18 Gillett .... . 20 Svenson ...; 16 Stead ..... . 20 McGregor '. . . • 16 Wallace .. . 18 Mill ...... 14 Hunter ... . 18 Nicholls .... 13 Smith .... . 17 Steel ...... 13 Mynott ... . 14 Hart .....*. 12 Deans .... . -13 Brown .... 12 Booth 9 Lucas ..... 11 .McGregor 9 Dailey ..... 11 Harper ... . -7 Paewai * • -7 ' Thomson 5 Robilliard .. 4' Abbott ... 5 Badeley . ... 2 Forwards. .Irvine .22 Glasgow . 19 Richardson . . 20 Seeling . 17 Masters ... 19 Tyler , . 16 M. Brownlie. 19 Casey .... . 16 White 17 Cunningham . 16 Porter 16 Gallaher . 16 Donald 16 0 ’Sullivan . 14 Cupples ... 14 Nicholson .. . 14 Parker .... 12 Johnston ... . 12 C. Brownlie . 12 McDonald . . 11 Stewart .... 9 Corbett . 10 West ...... 9 Newton . 10 MoCleary ... . 7 Glenn . ... 9 Harvey ....... 5 Mackrell .. 2 Munro 4