The Welsh Match.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3614, 20 February 1906, Page 2

The Welsh Match.

W. L. SINCLAIR’S ACCOUNT.

In the Sunday Chronicle, a critique of the big match by W. L. Sinclair contains the following reference :

The N.Z. team was not properly constituted—they will excuse me saying this —and they played a bit below their form.

A FIRM REFEREE.

Mr John D. Dallas, the referee, soon made it evident he was going to stand no nonsense in the scrummage, either as regarded putting in the ball, offside work, or picking out. He was repeatedly down on Gallaher. The New Zealanders had objected to divers referees, but they got one who I dare swear did not suit them ; but Mr Dallas, who I first knew as the boy captain of Watson’s College fighting mimic battles against Edinburgh Academy, is a rare good judge of the game, and he brooked no nonsense.

When things did not come off for the New Zealanders they fell off. Their forwards could not gain even a fair share of possession, and gradually went in for scrambling work. Then the backs could not pass, and only once in the first half did they reach the Welsh “ 25,” Then the whistle went for halftime, and in the second half they did a bit better, and twice had cruel luck in being stopped short of the line off the only decent bouts of passing they put in. On the other hand these demons of Welsh forwards repeatedly broke away with dribbles, and their backs kicked as I have seldom seen backs rmut. The moments sped amid intense excitement. Welsh folk knew their men had had the better of the argument, but they did not forget the experience of Scotland at Inverleith.

Anything might happen before the whistle. In four minutes at Edinburgh George William Smith bad transmogrified possible defeat into glorious victory, but there was no G. Smith performing, and Wales' held the lead to the finish of the game in which no quarter was given or looked for, in which there was plenty of overvigorous tackling and but which was contested grifnly

to the bitter end. MAORI LANDERS NOT AT THEI* BEST,

The better team won on the day's play, but assuredly the Maorilanders were not seen at their best. Their work seemed 1 poor in all respects, and Mynott and Gillett were specially weak in fielding. I suppose that in this match we had one more exemplification of a great team cracking up, and, like all great teams when they do so, cracking up bid’v. but I ’"rise mv hat to the Welsh forwards, aui to Hodges and Harding especially. They played great games, and to their determined work must be attributed a deal of the credit of victory. Then the backs had been well skilled in practice games. The forwards had the disadvantage of playing as a team in many instances strange to each other, .but the Welsh Union had profited by experience, and they had collected a capital back division, many of whom had played the New Zealanders in their own country. They knew what they wanted of them. The backs did splendidly, and Owen, till he got “ crocked,” Percy Bush, Morgan, and veterans Gwyn Nicholls and Llewellyn, and Winfield were great.

On this form Wales will add other laurels to the chaplet gained? The Scots will settle the question of International supremacy, for Ireland and England can make no show against such a side. It is hard to say who did best for New Zealand. Gillett was not great, and Wallace alone of the three-quarters played decently. Deans was repeatedly tackled In possession, and McGregor never got far against Teddy Morgan. Hunter and Mynott blundered terribly as five-eighths, and Roberts and Gallaher will never forget Cardiff, 1905. They were not always tackled fairly, it is true, but they were beaten at their own game of playing as closely up to the offside rule as a referee will permit? Forward, Newton, Casey, and MacDonald were the pick. Bravo! Gallant little Wales? You have saved the credit of British football, and you have ac f ed up to the spirit of your great war song “ Cambria can never yield."