ALL BLACKS’ TOUR

Hokitika Guardian, 11 June 1928, Page 2

ALL BLACKS’ TOUR

ALL BLACKS BEATEN. TRANSVAAL 6 TO 0. (Special to Press Association). JOHANNESBURG, June 9. A great crowd of thirty thousand people watched the match here to-day between the Transvaal and 1 lie New Zealand teams. Before the game it was intimated that the tactics of the New Zealanders again changed. Nicliolis to play first five-eighth and Johnson second, the scrum to pack tluee-four-one, doing away with the rover. Public feeling and the opinion of the newspapers, was that the Transvaal would win, and so it proved. All Blacks were beaten bv Transvaal by two tries (six points) to nil. The game was played on l'.llis Park. The ground was in good order and condition, and brilliant sunshine favoured the players. 'Starting a strong offensive early Transvaal had Yew Zealand on the defence, but the Yew Zealand forwards retaliated with a fine ]>ortie. In this movement the Yew Zealanders went almost the length ol the field. A succession of serums then followed, from which the Transvaal hacks got going in a series of what proved to he ineffective runs. lu'nd'sav, the visiting fullback, with a fine kick, put his men within live yards of the home line, lmt the Transvaal defence was like a rock, and eventually the home side cleared their quarters. For the first twenty minutes, the Transvaal hacks were continually getting the hall from the scrums, hut they made little use of it, as their attacking movements lacked sting.

Yew Zealand, however, were up against things for the next’ ton minutes, during which the forwards dominated the play in both the scrums and the line-outs, and the All Blacks got very little of the hull. Punting high the opposing hacks rushed Lindsay, and then hustled him while lie was attempting to clear. Unfortunately, Robilliard bumped into Lindsay, which allowed llaath to pickup anti dive over the lino to score a try.

Devine missed with the kick. Transvaal 3. Yew Zealand 0. In the last live minutes of the first half, Yew Zealand had the best of the play, hut. taking the spell on the whole, the play was deplorable oil its standards. There was not one fragment of good football shown by either side in the whole forty minutes, and the All Blacks gave the worst display of their tour so far. Yew Zealand, in the second half, reverted to the two-three-two scrum formation, instead of the three-four-one formation which they had used in flic first spell. McWilliams acted as lock.

Fiiilay.son was ordered oil ihc field fire minutes after the second spell started, for punching a, player on the ground in front of the main stand, and lie walked slowly from the ground with bowed head, amid hoots and jeers from the crowd. which caused him to receive police protee--1 ion.

Just after this incident, the Transvaal forwards heeled the ball from the scrum to Rotze. wbo sent a pass to Devine, and he went away, then passing to Licbenherg and the I railsvaal winger dashed down the line and rail, over at the corner to score with both Lindsay and Cnrletnn hanging on to him. The kick at goal missed. I ransvaal 6, Yew Zealand 0. The New Zealand forwards then pulled themselves together for a while, and they started on the task ol a iceoverv, but their ellorts wore useless, as the Africans were still getting possession of the ball from the scrums and they kept their opponents continually on the run. Lindsay had a kick at goal from a penalty, but the hull hit the upright.

New Zealand forwards then did obtain the aseciidancy for a short time. Ward, All Williams and Swain putting in some rattling work, while the defence and the touch-finding were accurate.

The Transvaal inside hacks dually drove tile attacks back again, and the home side throe-quarters then set off for the line, hut Lindsay saved. The All Blacks made one more effort, their backs and forwards combining in a sustained dasli up tbe held, but there was no result, and the final whistle sounded with the scores Transvaal G, New Zealand 0. For New Zealand the match was all one of tragedy. The team could do nothing right. The New Zealand forwards were beaten for the hall in the serums, and they could only hold their own in the line-outs.

When the New Zealand hacks were given a chance, they usually mulled it badly. It was the old story-—a team cannot win unless it gets possession of the ball. It was not the high altitude of Johannesburg that heat the All Blacks, for only two of them complained that they felt a hunting sensal ion in the throat. New Zealand could not get the ball, and so they were forced to play a defensive game for the greater part of the match.

The Transvaal forwards were too good for our men. In fact New Zealand was beaten fore and aft. In tbe whole eighty minutes of the game, there was not even the suggestion of class football, and it is doubtful whether an All Black team ever played such districtinglv poor Rugby.

PRESS COMMENT. JOHANNESBURG. June 9. Commenting on the maid), the Johannesburg “Star,” said: Transvaal’s forwards played their traditional game. They outclassed the opposing pack, and, with Devine as scrum half, they won their way to victory. The All Blacks’ play was certainly improved. Air G. L. Finlay, a former Scottish player, was the referee. JOHANNESBURG. June 9. The Finlayson ordering off incident came as a bombshell to the New Zealanders, for the North Aucklander has a big reputation as a great sport. He was seen lying on the ground, with Geero, the Transvaal forward, on top of him. having a head-lock on the New Zealander, and screwing his neck unmercifully. When he became freed, Finlayson made one solid punch at Gee-re’s jaw. which connected. Then the whistle went, and Finlayson Mas ordered off. The whole incident happened in front of the main stand. Up to this stage the game had been unnecessarily willing. Some unsavoury Mork bad been going on in the serums «>n both sides, and those tac-tics wore continued till the end of tbe match.

Seen after the game, Finlayson said he had nothing against anybody. He took all the blame to himself. Tingame had been very hotly contested. It Mas unfortunate that the whistle went just, at that moment. He was sorry that the incident had occurred. Mr Hornig, manager of the team said: “There is no question that Geero was trying to screw Pinlaysoii’s head off. If the referee had seen that part of the incident, both of the players would have been ordered off. It Mas a hard-fought game from start to finish.”