THE ALL BLACKS

Hokitika Guardian, 13 February 1925, Page 1

THE ALL BLACKS

PORTER INJURED. RICHARDSON BREAKS LEG. AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION (Received this day at 8 a.m.) VANCOUVER, Feb. 12. A big attendance gave a line reception to the All Blacks at a joint luncheon tendered by the Canadian Club and the Board of Trade. The visitors had had luck at their first, practice, Captain Porter colliding with another player while dribbling. Several stitches had to bo inserted in a severe cut over the eye. A few minutes later Jock Richardson, the Vice-captain, fell over backwards in a tackle and his log was trapped and badly broken, the snap being heard all over the field.

Richardson was rushed to the liospi lal for an X-rav examination.

BACKS BETTER THAN FORWARDS NICHOLES AND COOKE THE SPARS AUCKLAND, Feb. LI. A passenger by the Maheno last night was 31 r F. J. Ohlson, headmaster of Maungawlimt School, who has just concluded a tour of America and Great Britain, and for a. part of the time was a member of the All Black’s official party. Amongst other experiences with the All Blacks, Mr Ohlson acquired a new knowledge of languages. Talking to-day about the All Blacks he remarked that probably “their hardest game was at Clanethy. Even when our fellows had beaten Wales we were told that Clanethy considered they had a chance of heating us, but we certainly found that those fellows from the coal mines played a terribly hard game.” With the cine given in the remark about Wales, the pressman was able to eventually puzzle out that Air Ohlson was talking Welsh, and referred to the match the All Blacks plavcd against" “Llanelly.”

Speaking generally about tho All Blacks, Air Ohlson said he saw them play eighteen of their inatehs and they had a wonderful reception from the public and players. Tho criticism of their play as boinp; unduly rough and brutal came from only a very small section of the Press, and one of the English referees who had refereed in six of the games protested against such criticism. In a speech this referree stated that in the six games he had taken part in he saw nothing to justify that sort of criticism, and no sign of wilful, foul or rough play. He referred tho critics to the captains of tho English, Welsh and Irish international teams, slitting that ho was satisfied from their comments on the games that they were of tho same opinion as himself. As to the standard of play, AH Ohlson said the team sustained a remarkably high standard. “Our forwards probably did not do so well as we had expected, but while they are very much superior to the Englishmen in the open and in handling tho ball, the English forwards ran heat our fellows at footwork when t hey get the ball nmeng. them. AVe certainly did not get tie ball like the 1903 men did. hut it has to he remembered that British teams had a great deal of experience during the war-time of New Zealand play, end learned a great deal about getting the hull they did not know in 1903. Then again in 1905 the All Blacks found tiicir weaknesses in their Australian games, and before going to Great -Britain, they added Cunningham to the team and he proved a super-lock in tho scrum. With the present team the full complement was selected before the Australian tour, and when some of the players in that tour failed to come up to what war. expected of them there was no opportunity to remedy the weaknesses. The full complement had been picked, and no more could be added, while those selected could not then he turned down. It was, however, in the hacks that, the All Blacks made their greatest showing. The English standard of hack play is much inferior to ours. They have not the same straight., strong running and nippy passing, and they have not the same instinct for hacking up. Even in Wales, the hacks do not run straight as we do here.

“Nicliolls :md Cooke were the star backs, aiul 1 think that in value io the side they were a greater pair than even Mynott and Hunter were, though ol course of a different style. Lucas also played some very fine finished games, notably that against the Combined Services, as did Svenson, while Steel was a greatly improved man and a wonderful scorer towards the- end ol the tour. Parker played a great game throughout. Porter did not strike his best form at first, and be was injured, hut towards tilt' close of the tour he showed bis liest form, especially in the Combined Services match. He took a thoroughly keen and intelligent interest in his team right through the tour, and did everything that was possible lor them.

“The most wonderful feat of defence by attack I ever saw was brought off by George Nepiu in the Wales match. Three Welshmen had broken through and were coming down our line with only Nepia to slop them. Tt looked a moral try, but Nepia suddenly made a great, leaping rush and dive for the hall, throwing himself right into the t hree Welshmen who were hunched, and swept them nil off their loot. He got the hall and cleared, and one of the Welshmen, the captain, went off the field injured. I happen to know that both Mark Nicliolls mid Cooke were just, as hadlv hurt at that time, but they stayed with the game to the end. That is one of the differences between British and New Zealand players. As a matter of fact. Xicholls was not able to play again till the match against England five weeks later. “They had a good many injuries at various times, ami with Nicliolls, McGregor and Cooke showing great form, the 'selectors were afraid to change this combination much. T lelt they veie playing good men rather often, hut could see they were in difficulty about keeping tlieir combination. T should have liked to have seen Lucas get another game in the internationals. Stewart. would have been one of the staisy but lie got ill, and Harvey was kept out by a. lot of illness. Tn fact. I think die team did wonderfully well to keep from going stale, but they watched their training very closely.”