RUGBY TEST.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 141, 17 June 1930, Page 9

RUGBY TEST.

BATTLE OF TACTICS;

BRITISH BACKS SUPERIOR?

FORWARDS MAY BE HELD.

VISITORS FITTER THAN EVER.

(Bγ Telegraph.—Special to "Star.")

DUNEDIN, this day.

Much heartened by their grea't displayagainst 'Otago, the British Rugby player? are training hard on the Carisbrook ground, where the first Test will be played next Saturday. They are fitter than they have ever been on tour, which is saying a good deal. Their main training work this week will be concentrated on tactics calculated to upset New Zealand attacks and to pierce the defence. The British conferences on" the tactics to be used against New Zealand are likely to rival in seriousness any of the more recent naval and political parleys, for the visitors are most earnestly benfc on lowering the Dominion's colours next Saturday. The opposition camp- of New . Zealeaders will be pitched at Oamaru on Tuesday night, and on the following day they will have a Test rehearsal against the" North Otago team. The All Blacks will-not run undue risk of injury against the provincial team, but they will have to extend themselves sufficiently.:to show the selectors, that they are at the top of their form. Should North Otago happen to beat them, such a defeat, would not be without precedent, for New Zealand teams about to leave on overseas tours have thought more of escaping injury than of beating a provincial side a few days before sailing. The New Zealand camp will be struck on Thursday and shifted to , Dunedin, where the men will stay at the City ! Hotel. The Britishers are at r the Grand HoteL , No definite arrangements have been made as to when the Carisbrook ground will be , available for each team on Friday. Visitors Have Not Seen Cooke. On their present tour the British, have played against eleven of the nineteen men selected for New Zealand. They mtet Mill and Irvine at Masterton; Porter, Nicholls, Johnson and Olliver at Wellington; Stewart, Cottrell, Hart and Lilburne at C'hristehurch; and Hore at Dunedin last Saturday. They have heard a good deal of Cooke'a football prowess, and in. view of the Test they were disappointed at not having a chance to study his tricks in Wellington. The visitors have yet to meet on.the field such heavy and dashing forwards a,s Hazlett, "Me Williams, Finlayson, Steere, and Batty. The backs,, who have not played against them in the Dominion are Nepia, Lucas, and Gooke.

The British have not travelled 12,000 miles to be caught napping , in the first Test, and the crowd at Oamaru on Wednesday will, it is understood, include at least two British players and students of form. The New Zealander3 have seen the British play, and no doubt will welcome them to the exhibition a.i Oamairu.

Both teams for the first Test will be selected on Wednesday nights

They Still Don't Like Porter.

In spite of what might have been said oner way or the other, *it is certain that the British team did not like Porter's style of play in the Wellington match. Hia inclusion in the New Zealand team, and hia appointment as captain, are to. them significant of hard, spoiling work in Tests and of "borderline" tactics round the scrum. The visitors' ideal of a wing-forward, if there must be one, is Scrimshaw, whose work among the backs in the Canterbury match earned their admiration. Knowing that Porter will be on the field for the first Test, it is likely that the British have mapped out some scheme for getting the ball away from the .scrum with more success than they met with at Wellington, where Porter left the scrum-half alone and went for Spong, the clever fly-half.

The display given by the British in their match against Otago has made the Test prospects very even, and .there is a strong element of doubt about the NVw Zealanders being able to repeat against Britain . the defeat they inflicted on England in 1924. The visitors have been improving in combination all along, whereas the New Zealanders have scarcely had a game together this season. It is generally believed, however, that as provincial packs have been able to hold the visiting forwards for most of the time, the All Blacks will be able to do the same, and to greater effect. Visitors' Strong Backs. Few Zealand will probably predominate in the forwards, but the British backs may win through with their speed, fitness and combination. They have a fine pair of wingers in Eeeve and Morley, Avho are better men than Oliver and Hart. Even Johnson and Lucas on the wings would probably still leave Britain superior there. The British attack is generally made by the wingers, to whom the ball is whipped out from the scrum, without much attempt being made to penetrate at the five-eighths. The New Zealand back attacks trill he made nearer the scrum, but in spite of an extra man, in the wing-forward. : there will be stiff opposition in Spong, Boweots and the speedy breakaways at the back of the British scrum, who are round on to the-opposing inside backs in a twinkling.

One point which has been impressed by the visitors' play, particularly last Saturday, is that they do not use the old kick-in:o-tonch rale to slow up the game. They prefer to set the backs sohxgi even in their own twenty-five, rather than find the line. The forwards Join in the rush, to stop which the defence requires to be accurately in position. Summed up., the first Test will be a battle of tactics and fitness. Xew Zealand has the football brains, gained through, years of experience. Whether fitness and youth to last out a hard game. Is there is another question. On this and on scrum work the match will depend.