SPRINGBOKS’ TOUR

Hokitika Guardian, 23 December 1921, Page 4

SPRINGBOKS’ TOUR

RFVIKWRI) BYT.’ B. PIENAAR. HIS OPINION OEN.Z. STY OF AND' TACTICS. (••Pi css” C‘orrespondent). IMIOTKiniAUJTZIU lU;, Nov. 1

Mr T. B. Pienaar, the captain of the South African Rugby team that recently toured New Zealand, lias contributed to the “Natal Advertiser” a comprehensive survey of the itinerary, with criticisms of the pl.'tj* and players. The Spkingbok captain coilitltolieos: — •■-Much could be written about the Now Zealanders as a people and about their beautiful country, as these appeared to the critical eyes of their Dominion cousins. Suffice it to' say that we were much impressed bv the latent possibilities of that oiitjiost of. civilisation in the far Southern Sens, and are firmly convinced that she is destined to play in the near future as important a part in the great sphere of world ’polities as she has on the football arena.’

After dealing with the spirit of |>essimism that prevailed on the team’s departure from Capo Town to face the world-famed All Blacks, Mr Pienaar goes on to say : “The members of the side did not say much about the matter, but they felt it all the more keenly. Had it not been for their splendid loyalty, unselfishness, co-upcrntioii, and a spirit of do or die, a different, and perhaps dismal, tale might have been told about the 1021 tour. Still, it was gruelling hard work to fight an uphill fight all the time, and to keep smiling while trying to convince a sceptical public that oilr ability had been under-esti-mated. To that spirit of determination, in all the meii, aloilc is due our great measure of success, for Dame Fortune frowned more often than she smiled upon us. Til K STR AIN OFTHK STRT’OOI,K.

“Again, judging from some South African newspapers received dining the tour, there was a disposition' a! home \o distrust the men at the helm. The c mmittco was criticised, from a distance of eight thousand miles, for its selection of teams, was gibed at lor cabling for reinforcements, and was severely hauled over the coals (or daring to suggest to the Hoard the names of flic recruits required. The inter futility ol such criticism needs no answer. The best reply would lie that contained in the well-known American \:irn: ‘Don’t shout the man at the piano: be is doing bis best.’ In the mulch in Sydney against a New South

Vales team—much underrated, bo if .-aid. both in Smith Africa and in New Zealand —no fewer than seven men were more or less seriously injured, uocossita'iiig an enforced icsi from football

in thci: cases ot a period ranging from I luce to six weeks, and, in one instance. I lull of Rasil xiodl". Cl I- e ■ bole tom . Vi. on. mi ihe mp of ibi-, do Koch uas ,adl,\ injured in ilie :i,sl malcli in New Zealand, our cup of ill-luck was full to the Inim. Ilad we been able to obtain those two recruits from home, our anxiety would have been much lessened. \s ii was. ue had to carry on with fourteen forward's and tliiiteen backs. And those forwards on whom fell the brunt of the struggle can bear eloquent testimony to the arduous nature of football in New Zealand.

“Ihit, in spite of all adverse circumstances, we were successful beyond our most sanguine expectations. True, we may wot have done much that was sensational, but let. me sties.s this point there is neither lime nor place for the sensational in New Zealand football. Hot the New Zealanders paid us tribute after tribute for the bard anil determined nature of our football, and for the greatness of our defence. We uerc called the greatest defensive team lluit had ever visited the Dominion, and we thoroughly deserved that appellation. Only thirteen tries wore scored against us in the nineteen matches we played in New Zealand, a record that

may well stand for all time. The captious critics may remark, 'But we sent you out there to attack, not to defend.’ To which I shall reply, ‘Go out there yourselves and tight a New Zealand team on its own soil, a team that is filled with the consciousness of its

own prowess and Unshed with the great achievements of tie' past.’ and if they do not eat humble pie on their return, well I shall! K LASON'S OF KDCCKS'-'. in.'.', lie a.-i.ed i>: 'LI .'. ini! On '. .ill - ir 1 ate our stic»ess;’ Frankly, it is

on.' uni! is 1,1.15 t <!i;I:(•;.I{ ill answer. * ami i'liri-most, 1 should place (•>«. Wn.ide :;d lon'ii work oi' ilu> men n.it necessarily on the' lipid of piny, lint in ill. ir ns-orintiim uitli one another. If ever tlioiv was n luippy Ininily. this Unim -was ono, despite Kiinc rumours to tile coni ini'v in New Zealand during our sltiy there. "Another eon'lnliuloiy fnetor was the superiority of our style of piny. I say this niter having given I he innttei iliii .1. lihenniini and enieful thought, although v.ell do I knmv tlint I limy bring lio’.ni :i sterni of criticism on my downed head. Lust, nut not le.'ist, mis the success nuide of his job hv our manage.. .Mi il. C. llonnolt.’ After dwelling oM the form displayed i ltd; v id unity liv the Springboks, Mr I’ionnni poos on to suv: "At full-hack we v.ere very well served. Our iliteequariors. us fur ns attack wus eonrorned, were probably the weakest factor in thi' team, hot then we were titifortunate in regard to the wings. Our coni res weie very fast, hut were afraid t« lake undue risks, with the result tlint their play was somewhat too orthodox. On the defence, however, our threes were especially good. Ai serum hull' we were excellently served. On the forwards, as wo ox|)ectod, fell the hrunt of the work, and they emerged fi<iin the ordeal with living eolours ; in faet, they dominated nearly all the games in New Zealand. At. 1 he outset tin' Now Zealand critics were none too enthusiastic about our forwards, as they maintained that we kept the hall too close, that We would never he able to last the puce, that our serum formation was too clumsy and oldfashioned ; hut before the end of the tour they sang a different tune. "In the line-out we did very well, while our general loose work was of a very high order. 1 am aware that F may have aroused a suspicion in tho mind of the South African public that the attack was to some extent sacrificed to defence. Lot me disabuse them of tlint idea. There were too many old experioneed footballers in the side ever

to forget the old axiom, 'Attn 1 ever the best defence.’ But remember we bad been called the,worst defensive side that bad ever left our country. Every candid person will admit that lie was over-awed by the tales ot the "prowess of tfie All Blacks, and the members of our team shared ill that feeling. They felt that New Zealanders were thw best in the world, and that they were up against the stillest proposition of their lives, and therefore it behoved them to be doubly careful to avail! any shattering blow that might destroy the moral of the side. “By the time i\‘c bail played the Wellington match, the unofficial test, a game, by the way, that no critic in New Zealand had tipped us la win, we had worked out a clear-cut scheme o! defence that was well-nigh perfect. For obvious reasons, I cannot here divulge it, but I can assure the critics that it was almost impenetrable. Teddy Roberts, the Wellington captain, anil football idol of New Zealand, said to me after the game : ‘M hat puzzles me is bow we never got through; v boner er we went for an opening one of your men would be there.’ that game won—to the amazement of all New Zealand—our minds were at rest. \\ e had set ourselves to solve a very difficult problem, and bail succeeded to bur complete satisfaction. We had proved that

the best provincial team in New Zealand could not only he held. bn. decisively beaten, and henceforward we were at liberty to develop our attack in whatever wav we desired. FAST WINDS. ••South Africa lias always prided itself on its fast, straight running wings. Lot it keep oil pinning its laitli to them. Orthodox it may la', but. to perpetrate an Irishism, too Non Zi nlamlers arc just as orlhoilox in their heterodoxy. It is stcrcot > ped In play to the wing, thci say. ((ranted. But

it no; as stereotyped always to cut in and never l-"t the ball out to the wing? Our scrum is too old-insliiouod be’nce our forward methods too orthodox, again in tlieii opinion. Unit mn> 1 1(V but our serum formation is infinitely more mobile than theirs : it one formation fails in a game, we may adopt throe or four others. It thci: s fails., as fail it did mi many an occasion, what have they to lull back upon.-’ Nothing. Again, the wing forward with seven lorv.ards in the scrum, is. according to them, t'm only po-siMe enlightened wav <d placing. * • Why, then, did we, alter boiieliting by pa-i experience, simply ignore the v.ing forward, and depend oil olir solid siraiglit--boving eight to beat loom. as tie did*? No. tli- fault with the New /.aland tout hallos is that they have hi l licrto always been top (log. and their n.ciiious bate, t lawelore, triumphed. But is a well-knonn football axiom ih-,1 a side play only a . well as 'ls opponent alloc, it to play : ■'••msC'|U"ii l - Iv when tl.nir forwards met their 1 1 1 f i t '! i . ill!*!!' •! MUM I |»l'Mil 4 inn • 1

slniv.’n up in \\> ttiir li-, 1 ’;• Aiut opining lint ii *lu‘ '‘ing i»>rw jillouim! to rosiui t!u* livlil mi* IV:u*r<*«l siml untnunnu'Uoi! -a mattor In;- ilu* rH’ereos—tlu* t:m*!l ol i Mil'iall is sounded, Air Pienaar goes on to say: “Those All Black tactics and styles of play thill soiliuleil so I'ormidnl,!e to our uninitiated ears were not nearly as terrifying when viewed at .close quarters, tlooil, laird players they certainly are, bill not such worldbeaters as they were boomed to be. Admittedly their standard of l>hiy was not so high as of yore—the Groat Mar had seen to that —but we were equally afI'erted by it. Their back play has lanquisheil owing to the over-exploitatinn „1 the forward, and the wing-forward. All their backs seem to do is to cutin or kick high and charge down. The All Blacks are splendid opportunists, and the side making the slightest error is in danger. Their forwards billow up very fast, and depend on the opposition to make a slip. But ns tor a general attack, that seems to he sadly lacking. Root, hoot, boot on to the opposing backs, rattle them, and slip throiig.il. The wing-forward is a past-master at this. But it does all seem so haphazard, so devoid ol generalship, so lacking in those beautifully executed movements to which we an 1 accostemeil. Effective it is. but spectacular—Well! 1 do not decry our laic opponents, they are formidable, but 1 view with quiet confidence the result of our meeting them on Alvienn soil, provided that our Hoard sets its house in

order in good time, and sees to it that it will not he caught napping. AMKN'OFO HI ! !■>:. "As for the amended rtd<"-. " 1 ,ve saw played at Auckland, they, to use a colloquialism, lelt us 'stone cold. Ti e game to us seemed to degenerate into n set nllible, interspersed with aun:ess kicks up nnd down the held, that led to nothing and nowhere. Rugby rules are good enough us they stand at present, hnr some slight modificntious, provided they are carefully administered. Let New Zealand eliminate the wing-forward, and it would semi jegniii tlint speetneillnr Ivilgb', :! e loss ol wliii li I hey ire bewailing so much to-day."

Mr I’ieiianr eoneliules bv saving that -Jemth Africa must take a leal out of W.v Zealand’s hook in regard to encouraging the young player.