THE ALL BLACKS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 252, 3 August 1928, Page 3

THE ALL BLACKS

MATCH BEFORE FIRST TEST. THE FINLAYSON INCIDENT. (Special to the "Guardian," by C. T. White, formerly of Ashburton.) CAPE TOWN, June 25. The All Blacks at last seem to have struck form, and in playing as they did in their match against Isatal they confounded the critics. Before this match the odds wore largely in favour of South Africa winning the Tests, but the display of the New Zealanders at Maritzburg swung the pendulum until it is hanging at an even balance three days before the First Test. From the outset the tour has not been bright for the New Zealanders. First, they met the best provincial teams in the country—Western Province, Town and Transvaal. They were then far from physically fit, and playing on_ hard grounds at Kimberley and in the Transvaal made matters still less pleasant. Besides these drawbacks, the All Blacks had to abide by a new set of rules. Personally, I think their last season in New Zealand should have been played under the South African rules. It would have been a great advantage to the visitors. And on top of all this the All Blacks have failed badly in the scrummages, with the exception, perhaps, of the Orange Free State and Natal matches. But in this aspect of the forward play I can see a great improvement. Their reverse against the Transvaal and the unfortunate ordering off of Finlaysoon seemed to have been „the turning point for the better in their career. Since that game the team has been on the build. The Free State team was openly stated by the critics to be too good for the New Zealanders and would administer their third' defeat. We know how the New Zealanders gave this the lie direct —they ran up 20 points and kept the scoresheet blank on the Free State side. Then back to the Transvaal for the return match. Here I should like to clear the atmosphere in connection with the Finlayson incident. Prior to the commencement of the return match against the Transvaal, Finlayson and Greere shook hands, and the matter has evidently been settled. Mr F. M. Howard, who travelled with the 1924 team in Britain and is at present touring with the team on behalf of English and African papers, has the following to say in regard to the Finlayson incident—"To come to the least pleasant aspect of the match. A desperate forward battle such as this game largely rosolved itself into is apt to lead to frayed tempers. There were too many, such cases of overstepping the limits of mere hard play. The ' rough stuff ' started quite early on in the game, and in the end (15 minutes after halftime) Finlayson was sent off for striking an opponent. "As so often happens, the man thus unavoidably pilloried was very far from being the worst offender on the field. It will come as a distinct shock to all those South Africans who had seen that really great forward and fine sportsman in action at Newlands and Kimberley to learn that he it was who suffered the first and inevitable penalty for an act of momentary loss of control, which cannot be excused. Finlayson, because of his outstanding play, has been watched very closely in all four matches. And no one has ever detected the semblance of anything foul or unsportsmanlike, against him in any of them until his fatal offence yesterday. "Even up till then he had done nothing, in a game in which hard knocks were going in plenty, that was even on the .verge of calling for reprimand. I had my field-glasses focussed on the play at the time of the incident, which took place right in front of the grandstand, and 1 saw clearly every detail of what occurred.

"It is only fair to state on behalf of Finlayson, 'not as an excuse but to situate the facts quite clearly,' that his blow was an act of retaliation for an offence upon him which was, strictly speaking, at least as reprehensible as his own.

" The aggressor went unpunished, although later in the game the referee liad to warn him for another offence.

"Finlayson started walking off almost before the referee had pointed to the touch line. He deeply and sincerely regrets his misdemeanour—the first which has smudged his career. He has tendered his apologies where they were due, and taken the entire blame upon himself. Finlayson told me personally the referee could not possibly have acted otherwise; that he entirely approved his decision; that he fully deserved his punishment; and he knew the moment he liad hit his opponent (and come to his senses again) that he was due to 'take a walk.' No one could be more obviously and sincerely contrite for his lapse than Finlayson." To get back to the match. The All Blacks proved themselves to be a 10 points better team in this return match. The match against Western Transvaal was won easily enough. But the win in points should have been much greater. The New Zealanders took things very easily in the latter part of the game. . But they played the tune against Natal at Martizburg. Here they played their best game of the tour and gave very classy football. Yet, it was said Natal would administer thenthird defeat, while others said the difference in points would not be very great. This match changed the prospects of the First Test, to be played on Saturday. The betting now is far from all in Natal'si favour.