FINAL TEST

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 105, 25 July 1927, Page 11

FINAL TEST

Historic Struggle for Supremacy in Inter^-Ooininion Soccer

CANADA OUTCLASSES ALL BLACKS

IT was a wonderful crowd, officially estimated at nnn ! which lined every vantage point at Carlaw Park on Saturday to witness the fourth and final international Socce? test between Canada and New Zealand, and the record gate brightens the propects of a profitable tour for the over seas visitors. Overhead conditions were ideal until nlar-' mg the close of play, but the surface cut up badly as play Ccer Wgh - class of scientffic Soccer In spite of this it was a thrilling, gruelline- eame m which the Canadians finally asserted their LperioritfaTd Ch e C^°T bly by f ° Ur goals t 0 one ’ thus securing th?

rpHB Canadians made some last i- minute changes in their team. Edmonds was suffering from knee injuries as the result of the South Auckland game, and was replaced at fullback by Malcolm Moon, who had played right half at Hamilton. Williams was also out of the half line and Brolly was partnered on the right by Monaghan, and on the left by Paynter. The Maple Leaves’ front line was the same as in the previous Test and in the Waikato game. In the “All Black” eleven two of the Aucklanders in Reid and Spencer were kept in the reserve line, Innes resuming his old position at outside right, which was filled by Nicoll in the Third Test, and Jones came back to his former place at left half in lieu of Burke. CITY MISSIONER ACTIVE * The early arrivals were entertained by two curtain-raisers on the adjoining ground between teams of “midgets,” who showed early promise in the round baJi game, and as the huge crowd began to assemble and pack the slopes, they entertained themselves with community singing, conducted with plenty of ginger by the popular missioner, the Rev. Jasper Calder, assisted by the Port of Auckland Band. This welcome innovation helped to wile away the waiting, and, incidentally, brought a welcome donation of some £75 to the City Mission “down and out” relief fund.

superiority and wear th.e All Blacks’ defence. McGirr and Anderson were Playing a great game in New Zealand’s back ine, but McDougall’s clearances lack decision, and he did not inspire h * he same sense of confidence rml lt Canadian custodian, Tait, did. lhe All Black half-line was showing signs of feeling the strain, and the Blues attack was beginning to accumulate more penetrative foree as the game developed. Cooper had been hanging on gallantly to Milligan, and Campbell was busy nursing the elusive Archibald, when not bumping into the aggressive Brolly who opposed him at centre-half. But Jones* did not shine against GibTurner, the flying Canadian ngbt-wmger, running down on the good going to McGirr repeatedly, and with clever placements the Blue defenders fed the right wing assiduously, it was from here that most of the dangerous offensives originated. THE FIRST GOAL

Paynter secured from Cooper at the leit extreme and started the first goal movement, the wing man slipping past the defence and sending across a hard centre, which was unintercepted, and landed at Davidson’s feet .for him to run in and give McDougall no chance, lhe excitement had hardly died down when the Blue forwards swept through on the right, a splendid bit of team work giving Gibson a clear run along the line, and he centred with great precision for Archibald to head past McDougall into the net from very close range.

There was an encouraging roar from the crowd as the trainer-manager, Mr. Phil Neesham, led his All Blacks, out in single file to turn action front, and an even warmer cheer welcomed the visitors in royal blue as they filed on

A few minutes later*and McDougall was m trouble again in the mud with several Canadians surrounding him, but a bounce for “dangerous play” brought relief, and New Zealand rallied

strongly, Jones giving to McCormack, who drew the defence and in-passed to Hooper. The ex-Navy man evaded Crawley’s charge and ran in to give Tait his • “one shot,” which could not be stopped, and a welcome spell was sounded with New Zealand down by the odd goal in three. THE GAP WIDENS In the second spell the Canadians continued to demonstrate their superiority, although Innes shone out in some fine solo sprints down the chalk line, finished off with accurate centres which found no one to connect, or were collected and cleared by the adroit Tait. Archibald was a thorn in the New Zealand defence and played splendidly to his wing men when he had drawn the defence. Brolly was a destructive agent in breaking up the New Zealand attacks, and behind him Crawley and Moon were cool and safe. The All Blacks showed signs of becoming demoralised at times, and a couple more neat goals from Archibald and Gibson put the issue beyond doubt. The New Zealanders had openings for reducing the margin, but with the exception of Innes the finishing efforts

to the ground escorted by Mr. James Adam, manager, and Mr. Colin Reid, their trainer-coach. The teams faced * a °h other for an exchange of complimentary cheers, but there was no Maori haka from the All Blacks nor a Red Indian w«?r dance from the All Blues as they broke line for a preliminary warm up. Mr. George Cox, of Hamilton, was. referee, and had wisely discarded the conventional black coat for the more conspicuous white sweater of the oval ball codes. Brolly beat Ballard on the spin of the coin, but there was little to be gained by the choice of ends. The Sround carried a deceptive appearance of having dried-out somewhat, but it soon churned up again, and many lively movements were spoilt by a Player going for a slide, and some neat passes saw the ball pull up unexpectedly at times and baulk the Pmyers. The Canadians appeared to suffer less from the treacherous surface than the New Zealanders, and t-neir ability to keep their feet may nave been due to their being more suitably shod.

of the forwards did not worry Tait much, and the Canadian backs did not hesitate to use the line for safety in the closing stages. New Zealand’s left was very feeble, Ballard being sluggish in his line runs, and weak in his finishes, while Hooper was oftener than not out of position. The game ended in an easy win for Canada, which was due to their more accurate placing, quicker thrust, and stronger finishes. In actual territorial occupation they held but little advantage throughout the game, but when they neared the All lilacks’ danger zone they were able to force the thrust home, while New Zealand’s offensives were mostly futile. The visitors also showed superior staying power and were comparatively fresh and lively at the finish, where some of the All Blacks appeared content to “call it a day.” The huge crowd was admirably impartial, and good play by both sides was greeted with sporting approval, even by the many of whom the round ball game must have appeared strange. ALL-ROUND COMBINATION

ADAPTABLE CANUCKS

The game was hard and full of thrills from the kick-off, and play I'anged l'rom goal to goal at a furious Pace. Both teams took some time to settle down, and the Canadians had to abandon their usual tactics of short Passes along the ground, and adopted more of the long crossing style and fbey proved their adaptability to varymg conditions with splendid effective-

The opening exchanges were even and for the first half-hour it was anybody’s game. Tho All Blacks pressed at the outset and then Canada took a hand,, both goalkeepers being kept busy with alternate attacks. Innes and Hooper were noticeable in the raids on Tail’s charge, while Gibson, Archibald and Turner shone out in clever offensives by the Blue van. Play was keen and willing, but: there was hardly a suspicion of questionable tactics, although neither side hesitated to use their weight to gain the ball or fend off An opponent. Mr. J-JJJ Proved an ideal referee by a wise Policy of non-intervention, arid refrained from shutting down the nat-

Individually the Canadians had not a weak spot in their combination. Tait in goal caught the eye with hits orange jersey and auburn hair, as an ideal custodian, who was cool and active, with a fine sense of anticipating his opponents’ strategy and the flight

of the ball. In front of him Crawley is a line type of fullback. He had a lively pair to watch in Innes and Newman, but he rarely faulted, and his returns usually went for his forwards to move on a counter-attack. Moon proved a good substitute for Edmonds, and did his job well, but was not so bustled as his partner by the opposing forwards, Ballard and McCormack not hustling him much.

In the half-line Brolly, at centre, was the outstanding figure, and his robust play frequently spoilt the All Black attacking movements. He tackled strongly, and fed the line in front of him with accurate passes. He revelled in the greasy going, and never let up from the first whistle to the last. Monaghan and Paynter were both good wing-halves, who worked in well with their forwards and were nippy in defence. Among the forwards Archibald proved himself :;n accomplished artist ous when on the ball. He fed his

jjral safety valves for high-pressure P/ay. A light shower made the surace still sloppier, and the mud was uymg a k= t; Campbell having to retire momentarily to have an eyeful sponged About 15 minutes before half-time Canadians began to assert their Housewives! Ask Tor K.P. Flavouring Pure, strong. Three flavours, ■hemon, Vanilla, Almond-

wings unselfishly, and was Invariably in the right position for their returns. M ith the long passing tactics adopted the inside men did not get so much of the play as the wingers. Both Gibson and Milligan showed a fine turn of speed, the former getting the lion's share of the feeding, and proving him- ! self another Innes at outside right.

NEW ZEALAND DISAPPOINTS The All Blacks were sadly disappointing in every department, but at fullback and if Saturday’s eleven represents New Zealand’s best, which is more than doubtful, U would appear that the standard of Soccer has greatly deteriorated in the last few years. True, the ground conditions were against them, but no more so than against the Canadians, who would probably have won even more decisively on a dry arena better suited to their short ground-passing Scottisn style of play.

McDougall, in goal, gave an impression of "nerves,” and lacked the anticipation which might have saved the second and third scores, but he had a strenuous afternoon and cleared cleverly on accasions. McGirr and Anderson redeemed the situation many limes, and defended gallantly right through the game. The weakness of the half backs allowed the Blue line to swarm down on the Black backs repeatedly, but they rarely faltered in getting in to stem and drive off the attack. The middle line was very ineffective both in defence and attack. Cooper was the best of the trio and should have been played in his usual place at centre half. Campbell started off well and worked hard, but Archibald and Brolly were solid men to stop, and the* Petone man frequently had the inside men to attend to as well. Jones was palpably off colour, and so upset by the sloppy' surface that Gibson got many a clear run. The Shore skipper could not rely on his clever footwork for intercepting attacks or plying his forwards with the ball. BRILLIANT INNES Innes in the forward line, was the idol of the crowd, and he simply revelled in the soft

going. His dashes along the line and ’ashing centres were a delight to watch but met with ■ oor support. Newman did not attempt much on his own, but gave it to Innes whenever an opening offered. Hooper has gone off a lot since he left Auckland some years back, and

only occasionally did he show flashes of his old brilliance. His one goal was a clever effort, but for the most part he roamed too much, and often had his forward line out of position. McCormack was not sighted much, and found Brolly and Monaghan hard to pass, while his partner, Bollard, on the wing, was a “wash out.” He had no pace when given an opening, and parted with the ball aimlessly at the sight of an approaching man in “Blue.”

Naturally a team which had only been assembled for three day's could

not 1 be expected to display the combination and essential understanding the Canadians showed, but even as individuals the All Blacks failed to play up to the reputation which preceded them, and last year’s Auckland team would have defeated them easily. Why a left wing like Kay and Hislop was ever omitted from the New Zealand reps is a mystery' which only the sole selector can explain, and he declines to discuss it. Auckland should give the Maple Leaf men a much harder game at Blandfopd Park on Saturday, but the Canadians are a clever combination to check, and Mr. Neesham must be worrying as to how his men can accomplish it.