GIANTS WITH FEET OF CLAY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 2, 25 September 1937, Page 18

GIANTS WITH FEET OF CLAY

"Cross-bar").

£ » .. THIRD TEST OF YEXR 1921 THAT HOMERIC, SCORELESS DRAW * RECALLED BATTLE ROYAL' IN ATHLETIC PARK MUD

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To-day thoughts will return to tlie greatest Rugby Test of ». all time, greater even than the struggle waged against Wales in 1906, greater stiH than the final issue at Capetown in 1928. It was the Homeric struggle waged in the mud of Athletic Park on Septemher 17, 1921, when neither Springboks nor All Blacks • eould cross each other's line, when -thousands of spectators, rain drenehed, battered with crayfish, decorated with yellow elay, left the "Western Bank, then an ill-formed terraced hillside without its concrete proteetion of to-day, and pondered and repondered which side would have won liad "it been fine. *

M history is to repeat itself at Vuckland to-day, let it be hoped that „he repetition extends to the play. only anH hot to the weather. ... Many came away from' that- great matfch of - 1921 believing that . South. Africa .▼ould h&ve beaten New Zealand on 7 fine day. Strange as though it may ^eem, that thought Js uppermost in the minds of many New' Zealanders atill— that Africa is a good six-point ..TCtter side than the All Blacks on a irm, dry turf. Let it he hoped that f jto-day's match does nothing else it vill settle that arguments The teams which played in the *ud in Wellington in 1921 and came * the field from a scoreless- draw iere; — . ~ New ZealaaO. 1 Full-back:;. .C N. Kingston : XTara- ' mki). Three-quarter? : J. Steel (West Toast>, M. F. Nicholls (Wellington), i. Siddells (Wellington):. . . Five-eighths: K. Ifwerson ,(Auckind), W. R. Fea (Otago). Half-back: E, Roberts (Wellington); Wing-Iorward: E. A. Belliss (Wanganui). Back Row: C. Fletcher (Auckland), md A. H. West (Taranaki). Middle Row: J. Richardson (Otago), 7. E. Moffitt (Wellington), A. L. Mc^ean (Bay of Plenty). Front Row: W« D. Duncan (Otago), -«d R. Fogarty (Taranaki). South Africa. Full-back: G. Morkel. . ' Three-quarters: W. C. Zeller, S. S. Strauss, C. du P. Meyer, A. van Heer-d6Half-backs: J. P. 'Michau, WTownsend. ' - / . . Forwards : W. H> Morkel (captain), A P. Walker, M. EUis, J. W. van Rooyen, P. J. Mostert, N. du Plessis, itoyal Morkel, and F. W. MellishBefore the match took place this wa* the trend of criticism: "For sixteen years New Zealand has traded on the glory of the All Blacks, and the South African's tour has oroved conclusively that the New Zealand standard of play has deteriorated. We can claim no superiority over the Springboks. New Zeaand's real weakness is in the backs, larticularly the five-eighths, and even he three-quarter line this season has iroduced no one of the Smith or Walace standard." . _ W l That paragraph, r^Arvi nww - " jnight almost fit into the icture quite well to-day. The Heavens Wept. Rain commenced to fall on the Fritay afternoon, increasing the appreifension felt about the weather for ,he Saturday. The morning of the jreat day broke, however, with the leavens weeping copiously. There'was • temporary break about mid-day, hut £..was followed hy a swift change of .vihd to the south and the rain came iown, in 'earnest and never let up iiiring the whole afternoon. A ■ huge irbwd packed Athletic Park, those on che Western, Bank being . drenehed almpst before they got there. Crayfish d vtftere in demknd, L arid f ortiflcd with warm driiik, some of it of the. strong -/ariety, the holiday makers ^ made ihe hest of things in the slippery, fiayed terraces. Fair damsels slipped over, gallant males going to their asdstance slipped over, the players silpped over and "enjoyed" the mudBut iiot a solitary player, either for Africa or New Zealand, was able to slip over the line with the ball. "Moke" Belliss got nearest to a try, jut there was that element of doubt tfjout it that the referee, Mr. Albert Milson, now secretary to the New :eeland Union, did not award it. At ;ne stage of the match Mr. Neilson ,-as caught hetween tvvo forwards and :ent down into the slush. When he ose he was dazed for a time, but arried gamely on. He was in hospi■al for some • afterwards. The outstaxlding player on thp field -as the South , African full-back, lerhard * Morkel. He handled the >all and kicked it as though it had :een a fine day. His work was phelomenal. . New Zealand began well, hut m the :oncluding stages of the first "half Africa was on top. Dribbling rushes yy the All Black pack had been the nsitors' worry to begin with, but their tefence was hefr)ic. When ihe second •pell opened South Africa remained on the offensive, and for 15 minutes had^the New Zealanders defending desperately. But vowards the end of - the game the All Black forwards, with none playing hetter than "Moke" Belliss, came at the South African line time after time. -Belliss -played a great game, and it is credited to him that he nearly crossed the line twice. Could not be Deseribed. The actual game did rrot lend itself to description. Its highlights were confiiied most to the superb dash of the New Zealand forwards and the great display by Gerhard Morkel at full-back for Africa. Bad as was the

ground at the beginning; it got worse as tlie; match progressed. A "lake" on the touchlihe got wider and -wider, and Keith Siddells .had many- a skid into.it. It was' a great match in its way,' a matph which- will never be forgotten by those who saw it as long as they live. The pelting rain, the giapts with feet of clay hammering at each other's goal, the cold south wind, the seething crowds, the rains Of crayfish on umbrellas, ill-advisedly kept up once the' play began, a Scotch bahd marching in the swirling. rain, ; ihe referee going down beheath the struggling players, then the speculation as to who would, have won bad it been fine! u The crowfi swarmed out of the.gates, squ'elchlng over the sodden ground. They were drenehed to "the skin, but what did they care? They plodded down through • Newtown, , into Courtenay Place, into Willis and . Manners Street, down to :Lambton Quay. Visitors lamented the lack of dry : clothes, and many ;sperit the eveniiig sitting in pyjamas iwhile - their clay-spattered third Test suits adorned chairs hefore hotel fires. Will history repeat itself at Auckland? We sincerely hope so as regards the score, but we sincerely pray that the weather in the north will be kind. Of the New Zjaland backs playing in that match, Jack Steel was by far the best. McLean, Richardson and West, apart from Belliss, were the hest of the forwards. The only exceptions to the weak play of New Zealand in the first spell were Steel and Siddells: the handling of the latter (who had been the 'Varsity full-back all the year!) being exceptional, comments an Auckland writer.. Kingston, at full-back, gave

a much hetter display in the second spell, his handling and kicking improvjng. Steel's play was always Charaoterised by determination. There was deplorable weakness in defence by siveral New Zealand backs.* Fea, Ifwersen and Roberts showed a disincjination to go" down on the* ball. Ifwersen at times did some clever work, "and New Zealand was unfortunate.on one occasion in not- getting across after the Aucklander had cross-kicked to the corrier. Fga showed that he might be a dange^rous player on a dry ground. 6f the forwards, Belliss and Fletcher were outstanding in the first half, while McLean was outstanding in the second. Richardson was the best of the others. The Amazing Morkel. The Spiingboks' champion forward, van Rooyen, stpod out on his own. Of the halves Michau and Meyer worked well with their forwards, and defended soundly. Gerhard Morfcfcl, at full-back, played another amazing game (he won the Auckland Test), and his line-kicking was the great feature of the match. Zeller got few opporttinities, ^vhile van Heerden lacked determination. "While the game was not spectacular, due to the flooded field, it was an otherwise inspiring " contest. The Spririgbok official captain, Theo Pienaar (who- did- not play in any Test) said after.wards:. "My hopes of taking the Ashes back to South Africa have not been realised, because New Zealand has made marvellous progress for a small.country." ' How They Stand. Results of all Tests hetween the two countries Year. Where played. Winncr. K.Z. S.A. 1021 Aucklfend S.A. 5 V 192 L Dunedin N.Z. 13 o 1921 Wellington. Draw 0 0 1928 Durban S.A. .0 17 1928 Johannesburg N.Z. 7 6 1928 Port Blizabetli S.A. fi 11 1928 Capetovrn N.Z. 13 5 1937 'WeUington N.Z, 13 7 1937 Christchurch S.A. 6 13 Totals 'i3 ' 73 Played 9; won by.N.Z. ; won by South Africa -1 ; drawn 1.