CONVINCING WIN IN FIRST TEST

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21639, 25 November 1935, Page 15

CONVINCING WIN IN FIRST TEST

SCOTLAND OUTPLAYED ALL BLACKS DISPLAY BRILLIANT FORM TRIUMPH FOR COMBINATION AND TACTICS (TWITBD FIUBBS ASSOCIATION— COrTBIOHT.) (Received November 24, 8.25 p.m.) LONDON, November 23. The All Blacks beat Scotland by 18 points to 8. The half-time score was IS points to 3. ' The teams were:— Scotland Full-back: Kerr. Three-quarters: Forrest, Dick, Murdoch, Fyfe. Half-backs: R. W. Shaw, Logan. Forwards: Grieve, Gray, G, p. Shaw, Beattie, Burnett, Lambie, Waters, Thorn. New Zealand Full-back: G. Gilbert t Three-quarters: G. F. Hart, u J. Oliver, N. A. Mitchell. Five-eighths: T. H. C. Caughey, J. L. Griffiths. Half-back: B. S. Sadler. ' Forwards: J- Hore, W. E. Hadley, A. Lambourn, S. T. Reid, R. R. King, R. McKenzie, J. E. Manchester, A. Mahoney. . All the Scottish players, except Kerr G. D. Shaw, and Gray were included in the fifteen which beat England last season. Thus, Scotland in its first match against New Zealand for 30 years fielded what is regarded as its strongest team- . After a week of bad weather the ground was aott. Otherwise conditions were ideal. _ Play started excitingly, the Sects dashing down the field from a scrum in midfield, and an All Black de-

fender was forced to- race his hardest to touch down. Scotland kept up the pressure. Dick cut through brilliantly, enabling Fyfe to outpace the defence and obtain a try which Fyfe was unable to convert Scotland 3. New Zealand 0. The Scottish forwards were more than holding their own in the scrums, and also breaking away well, preventing the All Blacks from developing attacks. Murdoch was injured &nd retired, depleting the home pack. The All Blacks invaded Scottish territory, but Thorn, tackling magnificently, ended the dangerous period. The New Zealand backs, kicking splendidly, regained the territorial advantage. Then a magnificent passing movement, in which forwards and backs participated, yielded the first score. Griffiths and Caughey giving the final touches. Caughey scored and Gilbert converted. New Zealand 8, Scotland 3. •■'-'..„

Murdoch returned, but the All Blacks were now dominant, and after some hard scrummaging in Scotland's twenty-five, scored another try, Hadley touching down. Gilbert again converted. New Zealand 10. Scotland 3. Scotland rallied magnificently, but a great effort by Logan was spoilt by Dick failing to pass. The Scottish forwards forced back their opponents to the line, but failed' to score. Prom a free-kick, the AH Blacks made a brilliant dash downfleld, but Kerr and Forrest, tackling grimly, stopped it. However* Caughey got over when the defence wavered. Gilbert missed the kick. At half-time the score was still; New Zealand .. .. .*£ Scotland . • ..3 The All Blacks deserved this lead. They were snapping up opportunities near their opponents' line, and wasting few passes, but a weakness on defence' was- shown when Dick cut through;- and again when Logan dashed' round the scrum. Both packs were playing well. The Scottish forwards were very virile, packing tightly, but in the last quarter of an hour the All Blacks were winning two scrums to one. The combination and backing up between the All Blacks* backs and forwards was excellent, and the inside backs cleverly found the line when danger threatened. Sadler was the most outstanding back and most dangerous near the line. Resuming after half-time, the Scots' backs made a brief: ittack, but play soon settled down in Scottish territory, and the visitors appeared likely to Increase their lead until a free-kick relieved the pressure. Shaw led a good attack, which Griffiths beat off, but fine passing between Logan, Shaw, and Dick enabled the last-named to go over between the posts. Murdoch converted. New Zealand .. 13 Scotland ..8 Both sides were playing their hardest, and the Scots' defenders forced. There were several rushes, but neither side could get to close quarters, while keen tackling prevented any attack from developing. Nevertheless, the Scots, finding touch excellently, reached the New Zealand line. They were driven back to midfield. The Scots again invaded the New Zealand twenty-five, but were driven out, and » long dribbling rush by Caughey and - Oliver was checked only in the nick of time by Forrest. ~ The All Blacks maintained a relent- .««» attack, and Mitchell was almost : .over before a great dash by Murdoch play to the New Zeatrjtatd end. Then an All Black /forward rush swept back the >«j*t*s and Sadler, with a clever supported by Mitchell and ;• ftSflgtay, made the issue sure, Caughey sww*:ov*r. and Gilbert converted. 3fe -• Sew Zealand .. ..IS MlwiAmd made a final desperate ef-IsHe-ffrt bailed with a kick a yard mMfpe side-line. Play was in mid||i»§t tha finish. The final scorelllpjjjiy. Zealand ' .'. . ... 'M HHWdng weU beaten, Scotland HHnlPb wflgniflceatly that either

sida, until the last 10 minutes might hafre -won. The Scots' forwards eqitaljfcd tbo» of the. All Blacks, and, le4"sttr BeatUCv Thom, Waters, and Lafeafie, Qtten swept through the oppofttton with tfe ball at their toes. Scotland iijlght have scored several trios* i»uf, dropped passes, indicating, tint no tMto. can afford to make mistake* against the New Zealanders, who befait some of the best movements fromitoeir deponents' wild passes. The match was intensely interesting throughout and superior combination won.

_ New sa*lutd Site KealSy Great 1h» special correspondent of the United Press Association, commenting on the match, says the New Zealanders' convincing- win against Scotland proved that they were really a good all-round Side, comparable with any the Dominion has produced. Critics who declared that the team would not rise to great heights must now eat their words. Scotland was not overwhelmed, but on the whole the visitors were much too good for their opponents, and carried too many guns in backing up, combination, and tactifts. There was a period i» the second half when victory appeared possible for Scotland! bst ih the final-'lO minutes the visitors had matters practically their own way, bewildering the Scots j with swift, sure passing 6nd remarkable anticipation.' Moreover, the All Blacks never kicked unless forced to do so: The inside men always aimed to work the ball to the wings or attempt reverse movements, at which they are now most adept after their intensive train- ! ing. On the contrary, the Scottish centres often relied on kicks, presenting the ball-to the visitors, who were enabled to. initiate passing movements even I from their own goal-line, particularly l on one occasion, when Caughey, i. Oliver Griffiths, and Sadler carried play the full length of the field immediately after a crisis, when the Scots' backs seemed certain to score. Critics who have seen international games for 20 or 30 years declared after the final whistle that this had been one of the most spectacular and thrilling expositions of open Rugby ever witnessed. The Scottish backs several times showed ability to beat the defence, but backing up, which was a feature of the All Blacks' play, was missing. If the New Zealanders reproduce the same class of football there is no reason why they should not win all the international matches. It is hard to visualise 1 any team outside the internationals troubling, them. Mr V. R. Meredith (manager) was greatly pleased with his men's showing, and believes the scrummaging troubles are over. Men in Good Spirits The New Zealanders left Peebles soon after breakfast for Murrayfield. ' Manchester and Hart were still feeling the effects of colds in the head, but thought they would be all right when they had warmed up. Lambourn ricked his back in final training yesterday, but had recovered. The All Blacks were in high spirits and sang the latest songs and Maori tunes during the 20 miles' journey. Hadley, the team's humorist, was in his best form.

Arriving at Edinburgh, the -teem vent to a hotel with instructions from Mr Meredith to rest as much as possible, but before going to Murrayfleld the men gathered behind locked doors and had a final discussion of the tactics tried during the week. Mr Meredith emphasised that solid scrummaging and low packing, especially by the front roviA men, were imperative. - Mr Meredith arranged that the players should arrive at Murrayfleld late enough to obviate a long wait in the dressing-room before the start, to prevent the younger players becoming nervous.

Mr Meredith spent Friday in bed with influenza. Some advised him to miss the international, ; but he laughed the suggestion off. Great Interest The enormous interest in the reappearance of the New Zealanders alter 30 years was proved by the fact that most of the hotels in Edinburgh were booked up for the week-end by people who included well-known New Zealanders who came from throughout Britain. Every important newspaper was represented and there were 60 journalists in the press box. The Scottish "Daily Express" published a two-page special supplement featuring the fixture. The Scottish fifteen was reported to be in first-class condition and fully prepared for a very strenuous struggle. Experts estimated the chances about even, but many, judging, the tourists solely on the games at Hawick and Glasgow, anticipated a Scottish victory. Critics who had seen recent games were aware of the tourists' vast improvement since their first appearance to Scotland, and were more doubtful about the result. The team was impressed with the Murrayfleld ground, with its concreteterraced banks, huge stand, and the recently-enlarged playing area* which

had been thickly covered with straw for protection, till yesterday. The teams were wildly applauded as they came out into the winter sunshine, and Maori exhortations were heard from the stand. Comment on Play New Zealand immediately showed that it meant business, the forwards rucking fiercely. It was apparent that a few players on both sides were slightly nervous and over-anxious. The All Blacks were first to settle down and tried several tricks. Hart and Hore worked a smart throw-in from the line-out, but they were pulled up by the referee, Mr C. H. Gadney, a brother of the English international captain, and himself a fine player before he was injured. . ■ . Then Sadler, going round the blind side of the scrum, tried a reverse pass, the ball going forward. At this stage, as in most big games when players are at high tension, the match was marked by frequent infringements from kneck-ons and forward passes. Scotland's first try came after a clean cutthrough the defence by Dick, who tricked Oliver and Caughey. The latter made a poor attempt to tackle Fyfe, who beat Sadler with his pace, and a beautiful movement.led to a well-earned try by Dick, who had temporarily dispelled his reputation for hanging on too long. . ~ „ . Gilbert was busy during the first quarter of an hour, but wa« very cafe and Judged hi* Jine kicks welL The All Blacks participated In few back movements, during the opening 20 minutes. Griffiths was content to go-round the blind side and find the

line. On the other hand, the Scottish three-quarters were mailing strenuous efforts to open up the game. Caughey lost a chance when he dropped the ball after cutting through during Murdoch's absence. Thorn went to the wing, marking Hart, and Fyfe to centre. Then Griffiths made a magnificent opening, leading to Caughey's first try. The latter forced his way over after receiving the ball 10 yards from the line. Because of Hadley's quick heeling, Shaw anl Dick could not reach attacking positions. Murdoch returned limping, and played on the wing. At this period Griffiths was finding the line splendidly, often sending the ball into touch a few yards from the corner flag. Dick lost a certain try by hanging on after Logan had passed Griffiths and Sadler. Sadler was in his best form, taking the hardest tackles imperturbably. Gilbert Safe Scotland attempted to make openings by kicking through, but Gilbert let nothing pass him. On the resumption after half-time the Scottish backs were guilty of much bad handling and wild passing, which was inexcusable in international players, and suggested that they were rattled, although this was probably not the case. However, the impression did not last long. Shaw completely beat the defence by running between Griffiths and Caughey in a perfect movement, in which he showed intelligence and quick thinking, -y> „ Then came a period of terrifically hard forward play, both packs rucking vigorously to secure possession of the ball, which, as towards the end of the first half, was still coming more to the All Blacks. After 20 minutes, Hore left the field to have his left arm bandaged. It had been badly injured, and from that on was useless, being carried at his side for the rest of the game. Then followed a period of 15 minutes when there was a possibility of a Scottish win. The forwards were irresistibly sweeping down the field with the ball at their toe, storming the All Blacks' line with magnificent rushes. Scotland had a chance when it won a series of scrums, but somebody always did the wrong thing at the most critical moment. The New Zealand pack, which had been racing round the field throughout the match, rallied, and outplayed Scotland, amazing the spectators by the manner in which the men fanned out to receive reverse passes and infield kicks from the wings.

It was impossible to imagine a more brilliant movement than that which led to Caughev's last try, for which credit goes to Sadler, who skirted the wing with only a foot in which to move, and beat four opponents before sending to Caughey. The latter, sensing the opportunity, raced towards the centre of the field. Every All Black gave a good display, making an irresistible combination.

Gilbert was at his best, and did not make a serious mistake. His tackling was deadly, and his line-kicking faultless, while towards the close he rushed up with the three-quarters to open up play. Mitchell and Hart were dashing and determined arid made many fine runs. Sadler was outstanding, his magnificent dodging runs on either side of the scrum starting most of the tourists' best movements. Caughey several times failed In tackling, but made amends by wonderful attacking play. New Zealand could not have done without him. Griffiths was sound, and made several surprising penetrating runs, while Oliver was again the brains of the backs. He was always in position and was most unselfish. Reid, Mahoney. Hadley, and Hore were in great form, and were most prominent in the loose. Manchester, King, McKenzie, and Lambourn did great work in the tight, which meant everything to New Zealand. Some critics believi? the Scots were handicapped by Murdoch's injury, although this was counterbalanced by Here's, . i New Zealand won 35 scrums and Scotland 15.

Logan, Shaw, and Dick were great individualists, and were liable io beat the soundest defender. Th? Scots baeks tackled betler than the New Zep.lfinders. and only the rel'-ntlessness of the Scots nrevent«d n big score. Mr Meredith's coaching and tactical instructions played a big part in the victory. Manchester savs it was a good, hanl game against thorough sportsmen. He hoped the onlookers enjoyed it as much as the players.

TEAM'S BRILLIANCE APPLAUDED SOME COMPLAINTS OF OBSTRUCTION (Received November 24, 8.50 p.m.) LONDON, November 24. Hore is suffering from a badly strained arm, but is expected to be available for the match against Ireland on December 7. The critics applaud the brilliance of the All Blacks' teamwork, speed on the ball, and sure handling, but say that Murdoch was dazed for a long period, and the game might have been closer 1 The "Dundee Dispatch" says it was New Zealand's best display of the tour, but the luck evident throughout the tour still held. .. The "Sunday Graphic" says the score flatters the winners, as the second goal should not have been allowea. The All Blacks marred the game by too much obstruction. .»„„i orw » The "Observer" says New Zealand handsomely vindicated its rated as of international calibre. The All Blacks showed imtiative;mueh more than the mere °PPor tu . nlsm exhibited in earlier games. « was a nitv that one or two defaced the performance by hanging onto the Jerseys of players dribbling the ball.

PLANS FOR VISIT TO IRELAND PAGE REJOINS TEAM LONDON, November 22. Instead of spending a week at Monkstown before the Irish international match, the New Zealanders will stay, in Dublin. Page has rejoined the team from Cambridge, where he played with a focal aide. His leg is not giving him trouble. Page was knocked out by a kick on the head during the Cambridge game, but the injury is not serious. It is expected that he will now be available for the North of Scotland match at Aberdeen and he may yet be a candidate for the last three international matches.