NEW ZEALAND IN THE ASCENDANT.

Shannon News, 14 November 1924, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND IN THE ASCENDANT.

LEICESTER, Saturday Oct. 4, 1924. (By R. A. Barr, “Times” Special correspondent All Blacks in England.) The surprise and sudden,, shock at Newport,. 24 hours ago, had a start-: lingly steadying. influence over the All Blacks at Leicester. In marked effect' the,, New Zealanders won their seventh; successive match of ,the tour, defeating the famous “Tigers” of Leicester hy 27 points to nil, after a thrilling, exciting, and at, times dazzling display of. Rugby .football by the New Zealanders. After the desperate struggle for supremacy at . Newport two days before, when Newport’s strongly aggressive, side steadied, ■ startled and stopped the hitherto brilliant career of the All Blacks, the New Zealanders were* set seriously to think how to achieve the high honours won at Swansea, narrowly lost at Newport, against the “Tigers” of Leicester. How the AH Blacks of 1924 did retrieve, and not only retrieved but achieved still higher honours at Leicester, easily arid; overwhelmingly, is now history, and such history as . the famous All Blacks of 1905 never made, at the same stage of that .memorable and triumphal tour of England.

The All Blacks of 1924 have more completely confounded the critics of to-day than Gallagher's great side of 1905.

Dr. "Teddy” Morgan, the famous Welsh international, who had intensive experience of New Zealand Rugby, not only in New Zealand in 1904, in the memorable test match at Wellington, but in the more memorable match at Cardiff in 1905. Wales against the famous All Blacks o f that year, and who is the highest authority in Great Britain to-day, writes this appreciation of the All Blacks of 1924: —

“The New Zealanders are unquestionably a great side; after < making every allowance for the fact that Welsh football is far below its proper standard, something more is required to explain away so heavy a. deeat. The greatest contribution Swansea made to their on defeat was not the poor play or the indifferent .form of their backs and forwards, however. It was that magnificent ground, perfect in spite of all the. rain, which gave the New Zealanders the first opportunity they have had during their visit of playing their fine, open game. In conditions so favourable they proved themselves masters of pact* and tactics, and their demonstration of the passing game was a revelation How Swansea compares with i the other Welsh club teams the season has, given little opportunity of •> Judging yet, but if the other Welsh .sides that are to meet the New Zealanders hope to avoid a similar defeat they must put up a much stronger game than any of, them played last season. .Why Rugby football has fallen on such lean times in Wales It is difficult to say, but the New Zealanders’ visit might perhaps serve the useful purpose of reminding our players that once Wates played the same style of game as their visitors to perfection and that with careful selection, study and emulation Wales can do the same, again.” ' < Reverting to the latest contest at Leicester yesterday, the interest in the meeting of the "Tigers” with the All Blacks was at fever heat. Over '.30,000 spectators witnessed a dazzling j display of modern‘Rugby as dramatically illustrated by the New Zealanders in that glorious game, while 1 upwards of another 5000 were denied i the privilege owing to the lack of accommodation. A specially strong, side had been selected to represent Leicester, ' including Smallwood, the . English international throe quarter, Massey, a game scrum half, also of international reputation, Sambrook, a fine full-back, who'has a powerful foot and a great I touch-line finder, but an indifferent j tackier. In the pack, which, physi- I cally compared favourably with the I stalwart New Zealanders, was Buch- I anan, the Scottish international for-' I ward, who had played a great game I for Devon in the opening match of I the All Blacks’ tour. Price, the'rover | of the "Tigers” played against For-I ter, but was completely out-paced, I out-played, and out-classed by the All j Black captain, who, while not display- 1 ing his great form at Swansea, was/ more than a match in anticipation., I dash and resource for any player on I the Leicester side. I

With all its reputation and superior claims to hold the All Blacks, the

selected side of Leicester was outclassed. The “Tigers” at no stage of the game played up to their reputation, nor did they act up to their uame_ There was nothing of the tiger in their tenacity, and there was little of th e tiger tactics in attack or defence. The “Tigers” were simply tame cats in the hands of their opponents, who better deserved the title “Tigers” In the dramatic opening, after the kick off, the dash, and devil of the AU Blacks as they swept aside the

‘‘Tigers” tame tackling, penetrating the defences like a bayonet-point to the last line, electrified the erowd, which cheered to the echo the electric flashes of brilliancy in the bouts ol passing by the backs and the dashing dribbling rushes of the giant forwards —Brownlie, Richardson, White and Cupples—simply spread-eagling the oposition, who made gallant but futile efforts to defend, only the safe fielding and magnificent lin e kicking of Sambrook at full-back averting danger and disaster. The first spell w;as brilliant ’ with the speedy New Zealanders sweeping to action in complete combination, m bursts of passing, stopped, at the most critical , and dangerous: stages by faulty fielding and knocking on suddenly stopping the movement, saving the Leicester line from absolute destruction. The speed, resolutton, determination and dash of the All Blacks simply swamped the “Tigers” into conftision

Individually the All Blacks were