MEETING THE SPRINGBOKS' CHALLENGE

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22081, 1 May 1937, Page 19

MEETING THE SPRINGBOKS' CHALLENGE

Where New Zealand Teams May Fail

[By C.-J. OLIVER, member of New Zealand teams of 1929-31, vice-captain of 1935 All Blacks in Great Britain.] (Copyright Reserved.) Perhaps the most discussed Rugby tour ever to have been organised is about to commence and it brings back to us in New Zealand memories of the last tour of the Springboks ia 1921. To-day most people are wondering what sort of team the Springboks of 1937 are and whether they will be equal to or better than the previous side. Unfortunately I am not in a position to give my opinion of the prowess of our South African friends on the playing field, but after a tour of Great Britain in 1935-36 and after my experience of the Wallabies in their games last year I can give a fairly accurate opinion of what the Springboks will have to face.

This Is the first of a series of articles by leading players dealing- with Rugby football in New Zealand to-day and particularly with the forthcoming matches against the South Africans. In to-day's article C. J. Oliver, vice-captain of the 1935 New Zealand team which toured Great Britain, points to weaknesses in present-day New Zealand Rugby. Articles by J. I* Griffiths, H. F. McLean, and B. S. Sadler will be published successively, appearing on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

After the return of the 1935 All Blacks from their reasonably successful tour of Britain, I anticipated that the knowledge gained by our forwards would enable us easily to hold and defeat the Australian side . which visited this Dominion last year. But, mueh"-a& ; I regret to say so, the All Blacks of 1936 were definitely not up to previous standards, and if the same kind of forward game is to be employed against the South Africans this season, then the chances of New Zealand winning the majority of the test matches can only be termed remote. I do not know for certain what kind of. tactics the Springboks will employ. But should they concentrate on forward play, as they have done in the past, and as they may be expected to do this year, then their chances of victory appear rosy. At all events they are rosy at the moment, for I have never seen the New Zealand forward game at. such a low ebb. On the other hand, should they elect to throw the ball about in the bright and unorthodox manner of the Wallabies they will find the AU Blacks equal to their every move. "Camera" Forwards The Springboks will encounter a vastly different type,of game from that which they had to meet in New Zealand in 1921 and in South Africa in 1928. The hard, rucking type- of forward, such as Maurice Brownlie, is slowly dying out, and in his place we are getting the "shiner," or, as I have heard him called, the "camera" forward, who Is now to be found in most first-class New Zealand teams. I do not mean to say that the Springboks wiil gain easy victories here, but I do want to point out that -the All Black backs will not enjoy the support which their forwards have been able to give them in past years. However, New Zealand will enjoy one great advantage in the services of W. Hadley, provided he is in the same form as lastyear.'Hadley is'proclaimed everywhere -as our fmestf*o>k«r of recent -years, and it is to be hoped that he Will once more be available as centre man in the front row. In Hadley the Springboks will be meeting a difficult proposition, provided that we are able to find forwards who will match the visitors-in weight arid in willingness to push', for in that case the advantage of gaining possession from the set scrums is likely to rest with us. Should our selectors fail to get the right type of forwards, however, our strongest advantage will be lost against the big South African pack. Just how much Hadley has meant to' recent New Zealand teams only those who (like myself) have played behind the scrum can' know, and should he continue his success against the South. Africans our backs will give their opponents some anxious moments. , There is, in fact, no reason, to believe that we will not receive more than our share of the ball from the set scrums and frqm the loose, unless the Springboks are much superior to Wales, Scotland, Ireland or England,

as we saw their teams in action a little more than a year ago. We defeated all these international sides in quick heeling—our ability to beat the Irish team in this department, the South Africans would be the first to admit, marked no small accomplishment by our forwards. Trevathan Favoured A year ago our greatest attacking advantage lay in this superiority, with the forwards spread out fanwise and giving the backs assistance in the succeeding passing rushes. Nor will we lack speed and initiative in the backs to exploit this strength. Outs.de the problem positions of first and second five-eighths, we should equal the Springboks in ability. With such players as Watt on the wing, and Caughey or Sullivan at centre threequarters, New Zealand should not be subdued behind the scrum. Unfortunately I am g.ot so certain of our success further infield. Here is our weakest link, judging by last year's play, and I think that the selectors would be wise to include Dave Trevathan, New Zealand's Bennie Osier, ,in one of the five-eighths positions. This move would strengthen our attack and give the side the further advantage of an accurate kicker of field goals. This accomplishment has pulled many a game out of the fire. If the Springboks possess a better scrum-half than young Joey Sadler he may be hailed as the Don Bradman of half-backs. Sadler's tackling, his speed, and his beautifully-directed passes are still as good as when he earned his great name in Britain. There has been one excellent move by the South African Board of Control, and that is increasing the number of players to make the trip, those extra players being selected on their ability to play in various positions. On our last tour of Britain we felt the strain of a long series of matches .before the itinerary was half over, and after losing such men as J. R. Page, the first five-eighths, and Hadley, the hooker, we discovered that 29 men were not enough. South Africa may have the same ill-luck on the tour this year, and it will be well to carry a few utility men to offset the caprices of chance. The weather may also hamper the Springboks, if they are as unfortunate in their playip" days as the Wallabies proved to be. But I should say that weather uncertainties are the least of the uncertainties and are not not likely to affect the play in any great degree. One hears, of course, that the South Africans prefer a dry ground, but recalling the brilliant expositions of the game which they were able to provide here in the wet days of 1921, I see no reason to doubt that they will do themselves justice even on heavy fields. Inside Backs. Lacking Summing up, I should 'say that consideration of all the factors affecting the coming tour, as far as they can be judged before the teams are seen in action, leads me to believe that the odds are slightly in favour of the Springboks in the tests because of their powerful forward battery and because of the inability of New Zealand to discover (or at all events the unlikelihood of New Zealand discovering) a really brilliant pair of inside backs of the quality of Mark Nicholls and Bert Cooke, who teamed in the famous 1924 combination and whom the Springboks have never seen together. In other departments of the game, I should say that the merits of the teams are likely to be very, even, and as men can disprove the best of paper calculations, it is always wise to remember that we cannot judge a side save on results. However, whatever the results of these international clashes may be, we can assure the Springboks of hard games played in the best spirit of Rugby, and that we hope to repay them somewhat for their overwhelming hospitality to our 1928 team in their land.