MATCH AGAINST IRELAND ON SATURDAY

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21648, 5 December 1935, Page 16

MATCH AGAINST IRELAND ON SATURDAY

[By THANE.]

At Dublin on Saturday Ireland will provide the All Blacks with the sternest test of their tour to date. The match with Ulster oft November 30, when the All Blacks could secure a draw only after a fierce contest, was a true indication of the strength of Irish .Rugby, which is stronger to-day than at any other period in this century. Last season Ireland sprang a major surprise when it won the International Championship, but its victory was deserved and, as there will be few changes in the team that won the championship, the All Blacks will have to be at their best to avoid defeat. Ireland's victory last year was a surprise because England beat Ireland very convincingly at Twickenham by 14 points to 3 in Ireland's first match of the series. That defeat might have demoralised most sides, but the Irish selectors made one or two rearrangements of players that made all the difference, and convincing victories over Wales and Scotland

left them at the head of the championship, an honour not achieved since 1899. In the previous season Ireland had held the "wooden spoon." It must be admitted that Ireland will have to rely on the strength of the forwards to beat the All Blacks, as the backs are not as brilliant a combination as those that can be fielded by Scotland, Wales, or England. Ireland has some magnificent forwards, as the All Blacks discovered to their surprise at Belfast, and in the match on Saturday seven of the North of Ireland teEcm will be playing again. The game will be a battle of tactics from ?tart to finish, and much will depend on the ability of Hadley, supported by a determined hard-working pack, to secure more than a fair share of the ball from the set scrums. If he is able to do this then- the result should be another international victory to the credit of the 1935 All Blacks.

Forwards Good Scrummagers The securing of an ascendancy in the forwards will be the hardest task the All Blacks will encounter on this tour. No team in the International Championship last season was able to wear them down, and only the heaviest pack, scrummaging fiercely and relentlessly throughout a match, could have any hope of wearing them down. Not only has Ireland strong, eager forwards, but the team has developed balance and technique in scrum work which was too much for the opponents of last season. Saturday's match will be a supreme test for this combination. as the All Blacks proved at Murrayfield against Scotland that under Mr Meredith's coaching the All Elacks hfcve also developed technique and balance in scrummaging. The Irish badks did not compare with those of the other Internationals last season, and it is reasonable to suppose that under fast conditions the All Blacks backs will be strong enough to turn the scale. Near the scrum the All Blacks will not have matters their own way, however, as Ireland has the outstanding scrum half in Great Britain. G. J. Morgan, and a very good stand-off half in V. A. Hewitt Last season in the vital match at Belfast in which Ireland beat Wales by 9 points to 3 and won the championship Hewitt, the youngest member of a famous Rugby playing family, confirmed the excel-

Keen Pack and Solid Backs Opposed to All Blacks

cent impression he had made as stand-off half against Scotland when he marked R. W. Shaw brilliantly. Ireland beat Scotland by 12 points to five in that match, four tries to a converted try. Defensive Play of Backs Some of the Irish matches last season created some controversy because the referees allowed the Irish backs to play so close up on defence that they were off-side half the time. This was especially tjie case in the match against Wales, and if the referee in the match on Saturday allows similar tactics to pass unchecked then the backs of the All Blacks may find it difficult to sweep into action. However. with a strict referee such tactics should crcvide many penalties. Certainly the Irish backs do not lafck determination on defence, and in A. H. Bailey they have the greatest defensive centre that the International Championship has produced in recent years. He is a player of the S. R. Carleton type with a fierce and deadly

tackle with great strength and endurance. In the match against Wales last year his marking of W. Wooller, the crack Welsh centre, was the feature of the match. Wooller made some superb attempts to beat the Irish defence on his own, but he never quite escaped Bailey's fling-tackle, sometimes from, behind. » Will Oliver or Caughey be able to penetrate so stubborn a defence? It was generally ..greed by critics last season that had the Irish backs been as good in attacking as they were in marking and tackling they would have held an unbeaten record. England beat Ireland only because of penalty kicks. Ability in Loose and Line-outs

The Irish forwards do not resemble the Scottish in style. The Scottish forwards are strong, robust, and lively, but they concentrate their attention on scrummaging rather than loose play. The Irish forwards are heavier, better in the line-outs, equally good in the tight work and work with tremendous energy m the loose. In the match with England .last season the Irish forwards were so immeasurably superior in the line-outs that the English ci.ptain took scrums instead of line-outs when he had the choice! Summed up New Zealand appears to have a good chance of victory on Saturday provided the forwards can repeat their form against Scotland. The New Zealand backs should be capable of turning the scale. The story may be entirely different if the conditions are heavy or if the game is played in rain, in which case it appears clear that the All Blacks will have the battle of the tour to avoid defeat Touring: Sides' Unbeaten Record Victory for Ireland against a touring side is yet to come. Ireland performed no small feat in running the last South African team, captained by Bennie Osier, to a five points margin or in running the 1924-25 All 'Blacks to a six point margin. Ireland's best record was against the 1906 South African term. South Africa won by 15 points to 12 xn a match that will ever be memorable for a try by Basil Maclear, who ran from near his own goal-line to beat half the South African team and score one of Rugby's most famous tries. The 1905 All Blacks beat Ireland by 15 points to nil.