Remember When:-

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 67, 10 June 1927, Page 6

Remember When:-

TACK STEEL scored his famous try for New Zealand against the Sp-tn boks at Dunedin in 1921. The scores were level—five Silver Ferns, carrying several “crocks” in that fierce second spell -* 1 ""

wilting perceptibly under the tremendous massed forward attacks, set up by the Africans °* Badeley, playing as if inspired, was New Zealand’* anchor. Time and again, the Aucklander got the am Blacks out of trouble with beautifully judged kielri varied by those lightning dashes on the fringe of the which made him the finest attacking plaver of the 4 UCK bok year. ’ -Pnng. Presently “Ces” got the ball again. Out came a unerringly-placed cross-kick to the wing. Steel saw** coming, and was in his stride in a flash. Streakin like a greyhound on the grandstand side, he just rr ar° aged to get the ball in the crook of His arm. trave in at top speed. ' ng STEEL CUTS LOOSE

Henry Morkel, on the wing, made a desperate effort to stop the fvi West Coaster, but Steel was not the 100yds. professional sprint champion? New Zealand for nothing. He shook off Morkel’s flying tackle, his*eTo°* pace and weight carrying him on with hardly a falter in his stride B-orf 1 Gerhard, veteran of a hundred Rugby battles, tried to get across from fS?" back, but as if realising the hopelessness of it, stopped with a gesture « resignation, folded his arms with a truly Napoleonic air. and grimlv v a r-v2 the Maorilander racing for the distant touch-line. Steel grounded the unopposed, and then pandemonium broke loose. The Dunedin Scots Have the reputation of being a dour folk. B that winter’s day six years ago, when the fate of New Zealand Rugb hung in the balance, they threw off their mantle of silence. The crowd went mad. Hats, sticks, overcoats—anything that the wildly-excited “fans” could lay their hands on—went flying skywards. It was said afterwards that the cheering could be heard like the roll of thunde miles away in the city. In passing, that match stands out in the writer’s memory as one of th grimmest Rugby battles it has been his lot to witness. Playing the wedge” formation, with incessant kicking to touch, the South African* tried to wear New Zealand down by sheer brute strength. But for Xicholls’s lion-hearted display behind the scrum, and “Ces” BadelevVwnn derful game at first five-eighths, they taight have succeeded. There i no fewer than 114 scrums in the game. Sitting out on a tarpaulin in of the stand in the company of Mr. W. G. Garrard, the old New selector, and Mr. Frank Mussen, a well-known Southern pressman^* 3 counted on one occasion five scrums in 60 seconds. One doubts if an* other international match since the war could show a greater number Mr. E. McKenzie, of Wairarapa, was the referee that dav. and th« “Ted” had his hands full. High lights of the game, apart from the All Black trio already metioned, were “Moke” Beilis’s fiery dashes from the side of the'<=<-rurn and “Ned” Hughes's great performance in hooking for New ZealamLaT the age of 41. It was “Ned’s” last big game, a fitting end to a notable Rpehv career, and at the same time “Jock” Richardson's and Son” White’* duction to big football. * nlro " Of the Springboks, Gerhard Morkel at fullback dominated the scene a* the greatest fullback of his time. A week or two later, at Eden Part Auckland, Morkel set the seal on his career with his famous dropped eos' now Rugby history, which left the question of supremacy between Afrit* and New Zealand still undecided, the Third Test at Wellington ending in l scoreless draw. Next year, on the playing fields of South Africa, the of 1921 will be fought all over again. woes J. M. McK.