THE ALL BLACKS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19669, 12 July 1929, Page 18

THE ALL BLACKS.

FIRST SYDNEY MATCH. A DAT FOR FORWARDS. (ffftox oro ows coanßspoHßßirr.) SYDNEY, July 4. Twelve foot elides in the centre ©£ the field 1 Incessant rain I Mud-bespattered players 1 A vast crowd of nearly 30,000 cheering almost exclusively for New South Wales, the Blues. Brilliant defence. An AH Black team of great promise, but not quite ready. These were the outstanding features «f the first match which the All Blacks jilayed in Sydney last Saturday. The team included many players who were unfamiliar to Sydney crowds, and while it did not succeed in winning, it at least prevented a strong New South Wales side—the strongest side the State has over possessed—from scoring, and upheld the reputation of New Zealand football in the highest degree* Any other New Zealand team that has visited Sydney in recent years would have won the match. But that does not necessarily mean that the present wide is a weak one. Jjast Saturday it was plain that it was not a team in the full sense of the term. After watching the match one was forced to the opinion that the side will win its next match. Of course, it is a little rash to make such a prophecy, particularly ] *8 these notes will appear in print after the First Teat with Australia, However, the Australian team will not be vastly different to that which was met last Saturday, and it seem# at time of writing that the Now Zealanders needed but a little practice together to ensure victory against the strongest team Australia can produce. Last Saturday's game will do much to enhance the reputation of Rugby in Sydney. Under extremely trying conditions it was played in the best spirit, and there was not one questionable artioo on either side. Bugby is regarded as the cleanest of games here, and it is certain that New Zealanders will never do anytlnng to besmirch it. The All Blacks are extremely popular in Australia, and this is probably due to the fact that they can always bo relied upon to play a clean game, with sportsmanship the main characteristic. By the time the game finished, all the players were thoroughly weary, and It was impossible to distinguish the players of one side from those of the ether. The match was reminiscent of that famous last Test between the Springboks and New Zealand, on the Athletic Park, at Wellington, for it was just such a day. Not once did the tain stop, and tf l ® playing area was a •ea of mud. Worse than that, the central area of the ground, which is covered with special soil laid down for cricket pitches, won almost unplayable. Both teams slipped and slid all over the place, and accuracy was out of the question. The honours of the game were distinctly with the All Blacks ( and it was extremely disappointing to New Zealanders that nobody could put the finishing touch to the many brilliant movements that were initiated by the front, line men from the Dominion. During the first spell it must be admitted that most of the attacking was done by the New South Wales team, and on more than one occasion Nepia was the only man between them and their goal. But how safe Nepia was! HSs confidence in himself was" remarkable. Twice he must hare realised that everything depended on him, as it oertainly did. and yet be strolled across the field to do his job in quite a casual manner. Then he would go for a low tao.kle, and in his tackling he never made a mistake. Ross, the New South Wales full-back, is a brilliant man in that position, but he is not the equal of Nepia, and the crowd recognised the fact. The two penalty kicks taken by Nepia would have gone between the upright® if he had another ounce of luck, and he must not be condemned for tnose failures. Considering the state of the playing ground and of the ball he would have achieved something remarkable—something that would nave gone down in the history of Rugby for ever.

The New Zealanders played orthodox wet weather football throughout, and New South Wales did not, at least until well into the second half of the game. Rarely did New Zealand pass the ball, which was as slippery and elusive as if it had been greased. They kept the bail on the ground and the All Black forwards treated the crowd to some of the finest dribbling rushes ever seen in Sydney. Unfortunately they could not control the ball as they wanted to do, and if they succeeded in keeping their feet they often overran trie leather, or kicked it too far". The crowd was disappointed that Porter could not take the field, for his popularity in Sydney is most marked, even though he does play in the unpopular position on the wing. Porter, many think, could have brought about victory, for he has always displayed such uncanny powers of anticipation, and even Porter may have been able to anticipate the freak movements of the ball in the mud and slush of last Saturday. R. T. Cundy was a splendid substitute for Porter, and he was not called up for being offside more than three occasions. Of course, the crowd thought that he offended more often. But then the Sydney crowd does not believe in wing-forwards, so it was probably a little biased. Cundy was certainly a very lively customer, and was never far away from the ball.

When New South Wales attempted passing movements among the backs they attempted the impossible and the All Blacks were always ready for the mistake that was bound to oome in such circumstances. It was from several of these mistakes that New Zealand should have scored, but every time they found the _ defence too strong. As already indicated, a more experienced AH Black team would have turned these mistakes into profit, and New South Wales, so serenely confident, would have been bewailing its first defeat. As it is the wailing has yet to oome. The New Zealand strategy comprised ruck work, with the stab kick, and gained considerable ground on more than one occasion with a high kick. Just as Nepia saved the situation for New Zealand so did Ross do the .same for New South Wales. It was a game that revealed more than anything else the attacking powers of the New Zealand forwards and the sound defence of the backs on both sides. With a strong southerly wind behind them in the second spell New Zealand should have scored at least twice. In the same period New South Wales should have scored once. So that should have been the result—two tries to New Zealand, and one to New South Wales.

Oliver is going to be a dangerous All Black this tour, and much will probably bo heard of him. He has impressed the critics by his initial display, and they seem to fear him more than any other player. Still, it would seem that Dalley will actually be more dangerous than Oliver, judging by Saturday's display. He was brilliant behind the scrum, and he is bound to do ever so much better when the conditions enaWe him to set the backs moving. He seemed to know more about the game than any other player on the field, and proved to be a capable skipper. He was always anxious to attack vigorously, and when he had the ball he never made the miswhich characterised the play of Nepia, who frequently ran back instead of forward. Why Nepia played this amazing game it is difficult to understand, for it served no useful purpose. However, none of the others followed "lis example. One would not be far wrong in saying that Dalley was the outstanding back on the field. Waterman and Grenside showed great pace, and are certain to do better on a dry ground, when they should be match winners. It is difficult to select forwards for special mention in a game where all the forwards worked so hard ard so well. The forward line is regarded here as being true to the type the crowds have been led to expect in a New Zealand team. They are all men of great physique, and the match proved that they were all great workers. Tbey were just about a stone heavier, on the average, than the local pack, and they made wnat use of that extra weight they could in the wretched conditions that prevailed. They could scarcely hold their feet when they went down to a scrum, so they were not able to do all that they might have intended, or planned. Sonntag, Rika, and McWilliame were probably the outstanding players. Actually, . there was little to choose between any of them, and summing up, one can say • that the selectors, Men if they have experimented, have done their work well.

The match was the first big Rugby game played on the Sydney Cricket Ground for many years, and the great crowd must hare been very encouraging. to the New South Wales Rugby Union, which has had a terrific fight with the League.The League is still verv sore at having lost the ground, anS in gaining it the Union nad a great opportunity to bring the Union game back into public favour. The match was widely advertised, and it is remarkable that there snould have been such a vast attendance in such weather conditions. It certainly justified the forward move of the Union, whose officials are in high spirits. Moreover, the crowd was not disappointed by »he display of either the All Blacks or the local team, and is bound to want to see more of both. Consequentlv, the attendances at future matches of the tour are bound to be large, and as a result the Union will be put on a soand financial footing. The New South Wales Union owes a great deal to the New Zealand Union, and is not slow at any time to admit that debt. The warmest friendship exists, and may it cob{jsMkl