NEW ZEALAND’S DAY.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20273, 16 August 1937, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND’S DAY.

The Dominion added to its fame in tho realm of sport on Saturday when it won three international contests, and engaged in a fourth. It was a coincidence that teams representing the country should have been playing on the one day, and in three countries, trying conclusions with the chosen representatives of other units of the Empire. The results were altogether satisfactory, and possibly it would be correct to say, in the case of the Rugby football match, a little surprising. The football enthusiasts throughout the land knew that the Rugby team would meet strong opponents, and if a record crowd witnessed the game a very much larger crowd listened-in to the description over the air. It was unfortunate that an accident weakened the home team, but the fact that with only fourteen men the New Zealanders succeeded in defeating the South Africans redounds to their credit. There is such a thing, in the world of sport, as the match temperament. Those fortunate enough to possess it invariably do their best when that best is most urgently required, and on Saturday the All Blacks proved that they possessed, individually and collectively, that valuable asset. They rose to the occasion. The run of the play is shown by the fact that each side had its line crossed only once, so that the defence must have been very sound. Those who had seen the visitors in action fully expected that they would prove to be tenacious in the defence of their line. They are quick to smother an attack, and cover so well that it is difficult to find an opening. On the other hand there had been some misgivings about the capacity of some of the New Zealand players in this respect, but on Saturday they proved that they could tackle well, and made no mistakes. There is always a tendency to compare the players of the day with the giants of tho past, and usually to the disparagement of the former, but the game on Saturday showed that New Zealand could still put into the field players in every way worthy of their predecessors on the playing fields.