WHO WILL WIN?

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 191, 12 August 1921, Page 2

WHO WILL WIN?

FIRST TEST MATCH. NJ3W ZEALAND OR AFRICA? PROSPECTS ANALYSED. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star."* DUNEDIN, tills day. j Who Will win the test match on 'Saturday. Jfea.la.nd or South Africa.'; To that, the question of the day,, the general answer from people with a deep jlanOvVledge of Rugby football, those who often are termed "tihe heads," is, New Zealand. Tihe-re is an u.mi'-tnila.ble confittencc that the Dominion's prestige in, the game will not be sullied when the n-hfette blows "No side." It Ls true that one cannot yet sec in the New Zealand I side a replica of any -of the great teams of the ipai'.t. It has no splendid stars to add brilliancy to the fine football expected of «. Dominion Rugger team. One can run through the names of many fn-m'uus players of .bygone days and not find the like of any of tlhe-m in bhis team, but that does not mean fchia.t none will he found presently. There are hints of full.re greatness in the play of several members of this sido. any one of whom may hurst into brilliance even in the team'vi first match together. . A WORKMANLIKE TEAM. On the whole the side may lie described on its present form as workmanlike. One wishes that it could have had more time together for practice. A couple of hours on each of five mornings is not sufficient for the moulding of a bright comhina(ion. bill more could not be given in the number of days allowed without running the r4sk of making the men stale. However, under the coaching of Messrs. J. W. Stead, the great "All Black" live-eighths, nnd A. McDonald, the brilliant "All Black" forward, the team has made much advance iv picking up the arts of the game, which had become almost lost in some of the provinces. The men know more of tactic? now than they did a week ago. The coaches have been handicapped by lack of time, and by not being able to >co them in match play before sending them out for their real how much the men have benefited from the coaching. Yet they have made good progress with their task of fitting the team for a demonstration of real New Zealand Rugger. NEW ZEALAND'S JSACK DIVISION. Speaking nt a dinner given to the. South African and Otago teams on Wednesday evening. Mr. Picnaar. the Springboks captain, expressed disappointment ttith the back divisions that the Africans have met in the Dominion so far. and remarked that with its splendid forwards New Zealand should have developed better hacks than it has. There is no doubt that the provinces have not sets of backs of the .-.tundard of some of the pre-war years, but if the weather and ground conditions are suitable and New Zealund can secure a fair amount of possession of the ball Mr. l'ienaar might have some glimpses of back play better than anything the South Africans have shown us yet. New Zealand's inside hacks have more variety of methods and more resource than the Springboks' inside backs have, and Mr. Stead has added to their equipment some knowledge of manoeuvres used by the All Tilack-s of j 1005-ti. including variations of the ''X movements of half-back and five-eighths, a, type of attack quite foreign to the style of back piny the Africans have shown us. These movements, of course, are only for occasional use, and it is highly desirable that the side which has them in its repertoire .should receive the ball often enough from the scrums to make the sudden option of a thrust with an "X" movement after a period of orthodox attack come as a real surprise to the defending team. Xew Zealand's inside hacks have been quick to grasp the tactics which Mr. Stead has been teaching them, but there is one very important question which no one can answer until the game is over, and th% is whether they have the test match temperament. If they have it, and they get enough of the ball, they will puzzle the Springbok Lacks, for though light and roller smnll they are alert, nippy and speedy. It is because they are young and not very *xperienced, and beoause their temperament in international Rugby has yet to be revealed, that one wishes, in common with people officially connected with the team and with the Xew Zealand Rugby Union, that Teddy Roberts, brainy and versatile, had been given a place in the fifteen instead of in the emergencies. However, if v'ictorv comes to Xew Zealand in a game in which there i„ plenty of back play, the Dominion backs should receive special credit, for their average age, is only "3 years. EXPERIENCED FORWARDS. The Xew Zealand forwards are an older left, the most experienced of them being Hughes, who represented the Dominion 14 years ago. Physically they are of the right Xew Zealand type, with fair weight for the heavy stuff, sonic height for linoouts. and plenty of speed and ability in the loose rushes, t'nfortunafely the injury which McLean suffered at practice to-day may keep that line young forward, 'who is tall, well proportioned, and fast, out of the ! team. Still, the other forwards will make a good pack. They have learned many wrinkles from Alec McDonald, and if they only play the right'game, such as Canterbury's forwards did in dumping the big African forwards quickly when the latter got possession of the ball, and iv breaking up the tight play and sweeping down with loose rushes, they will carry off the honours. It is conceded that the Springboks have not yet fielded what is really their best fifteen but there is also a doubt as to whether they themselves realise what their best team is. There is still .1 tendency for them to put some of their biggest men in their teams for the mora importunt fixtures, although it has been shown that when New Zealand bred forwards make the nlay fast and fairly open those dreadnoughts are not of sufficient value. The Springboks' best vanguard would consist of their lighter and faster forwards, hut , even these have shown very little variation from massed attack and close passing rushes, and %By are tapfrom having the speed and versatility of New Zealand forwards. However they play a hard game, and they are very keen. Yet if the Xew Zealand pack can successfully combat the African's method of securing the ball from the scrums by swinging on the loose ' head, the path to victory for the Do- I minion will 'be open. The African backs have shown X'ew Zealand nothing new I yet. their principal method of attack .still being to get the iball out to the | wing three-quarters as quickly as pos- ! sible, and let the speed of the wingers do the rest. But Xew Zealand also have fast' wing three-quarters, and if all goes well the wing forward and the .breakaway forwards a'co will prove a hindrance to that style of attack of the Springboks.

It will 'be a ibattlc of styles. So far New Zealand methods appear superior, and the only thing to ibe proved is whether or not the right men to apply those methods have been chosen. Perhaps it is 'because they are satisfied New Zealand's methods are the "better, and njit fbecause of the exact personnel of the Dominion team, that so many of the "heads" are confident of New Zealand 'being victorious. As for the teams, the Springboks have come determined to win the tests, and they are very sanguine. The New Zealanders are quite as confident. THE RIVAL TEAMS. The weather is wet and very unpromising for to-morrow's test, but there is certain to be a big-Attendance. Dunedin is -crowded with visitors. McLean'6 injury keeps him out of the Dominion team, and I'oga.rty goea in. The New Zealand team weights are: — W. Kingston 11.0, J. Steele 13.6, 0. Aitken (captain) 12,4, P. W. Storey 12,8. C. Badeley 10.5, H>E. Nicholls 0.12, J. Donald 13.0, R. I'ogarty 13.it, E. A. Bollis 14.8, S. White 13.0, J. Moffitt i 4.10, J. Richardson 14.8. E. Hughes 12.88, W. Duncan 13.0. The Springboks' team will not be finally announced until to-morrow, but J suggest that it will be:— P. (!. Morkel, Harry Morkel.. t'larkson, Meyer. Zeller, J. Miehau. Townsend. Roy Morkel, Ellis. Kruger, Walker, Hellish, Harry Morkel, Mostcrt, and Dv Plessis. If that pack is selec'vcd the eight men in it -will average 13.10 against New Zealand's seven man pack averaging just over 13.9.