A GOOD START.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 219, 16 September 1935, Page 9

A GOOD START.

HIGH-SCORING GAME.

VERSATILITY IMPRESSES.

DIVIDED ENGIJSH CRITICS.

Once again the English Rugby critics are divided in their opinions as to the ability of the All Blacks. They arc perhaps a little kinder than they were rf !h? fSE* im f i ot the °P enin S matches of the 1000 and 1924 New Zealand sides, liiV i I s P nera .Hy stated that the All Blacks had not impressed as a particularly brilliant international side. Ihe English critics were hopelesslv astray with their impressions after the opening matches of both previous tours ?i ,?, the rceult of tho fi «t match of the 193 a tour there is every indication that they may again be wrong. Although they all apparently agree on the versatility and brilliance of the New Zealanders, several express the opinion that they will not go through undefeated. The ease with which the 1935 tourists defeated tho combined strength of the Devon and Cornwall Unions is indeed gratifying from the New Zealand point of view and the 35—0 result is highly encouraging for the bigger matches to come.

One of tho surprises contained in the cabled comment by the English critics is the report that "the visiting pack invariably yielded yards in the scrums and did not greatly preponderate in the line-outs." The All Blacke fielded one of their heaviest scrums, containing men of proved ability and experience. The scrum must have averaged close on fourteen stone. Five of the forwards were six feet or over, and with euch fine line-out forwards as Reid and King, it is not easily understood how they did not win possession in this department.

More Weight in the Scrum. The combined Devon and Cornwall pack muet have been an exceptionally fine one to win possession from the set scrums. Apparently with McLean in the looee, New Zealand's seven could not hold the Devon eight, and it seems obvious that McLean was instructed either by the manager or the captain at half-time to push his weight in the back of the scrum in the second spell. One unfortunate feature of the match is the fact that the All Blacks have loet their star hooker, W. E. Hadloy (Auckland), who, through a kick, has a treble fracture of the cheek bone. It is unlikely that ho will bo able to take the field again for at least a month, and in the meantime hie pTace in the major matches will probably be taken by D. Dalton (Hawke's Bay), who, in the All Black trials, showed himself to be almost as quick with his foot as Iladley.

The fact that New Zealand, even with such a heavy pack, did not win possession from the ecrums gives rise to the suspicion that the full weight was not going in from the middle and back rows. No matter how good the hookers may be, they cannot win the ball unles3 they have that essential weight from behind.

Experience of 1924 Team.

But the fact that the All Blacks could not win the ball from the scrums is not such a disturbing feature of the match as it might appear. It is to be remembered that the 1924 All Blacks were continuously beaten for possession from the scrums and taken all through the tour the opposition won a two-thirds majority. But the All Blacks backs on that tour were fast enough and clever enough to score from the frequent mistakes of the English backs. There is plenty of speed among the backs of the 1935 side and it may well be that the methods of the 1924 team will be followed. It often happened during the 1924 tour that the All Blacks deliberately allowed their opponents to win the ball, relying on bustling the half and five-eighths into error and then snapping up the ball to send their threequarter line away to the goal-line. The visit of Manchester and Mr. Meredith to a mid-week county match before Saturday's opening game apparently satisfied them that the opposition of the combined Devon and Cornwall side was not likely to be exceptionally strong and that probably led them to the decision to try two experiments — McLean in the role of rover, and Caughey at second five-eighth. The meagre details of the cabled account of the match indicate that the three-four scrum did not prove to be the success anticipated, for McLean was sent into the pack in the second half. But if the experiment forward failed, the scheme to play Caughey in the fiveeighths line was a success, for his play was favourably commented upon by the English critics.

Gilbert Makes Good. New Zealand's outstanding player was Gilbert, the full-back from the West Coast, over whom' there was so much controversy when the AH Black team was announced. The weather conditions for Saturday's match apparently suited Gilbert, who convinced the selectors of his ability after a magnifcent wet-day game in the trial match at Nelson early in the season. Seventeen points, almost half the All Black total, came from the boot of Gilbert—he kicked three penalty goals, converted two of the six tries, and dropped a goal from the field. His play was described as magnificent. Caughey, the Auckland centre, is described in a cable received this morning as outstanding, and others wt whom big things are expected, Page, Oliver, Corner and Hart, are praised.