RECORD OF ALL BLACKS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27213, 3 December 1953, Page 4

RECORD OF ALL BLACKS

RUGBY FOOTBALL

“ TEAM THAT FOUND ITSELF ” 157 POINTS TO 30 IN FIRST NINE GAMES [From the Special N.Z.P.A. Correspondent with the team} ABERDEEN, Dec. 1. Kipling once wrote about ‘‘The Ship That Found Herself.” The All Blacks might deserve the title of “The Team That Found Itself.” In spite of a great deal of criticism, some of it downright hostility, the fourth All Blacks have ended the first month of their campaign in the British Isles with a record of nine matches played, eight won, one lost, and 157 points scored, with 30 against. They have scored 32 tries, 17 conversions, 7 penalty goals, and 2 field goals, and have had 7 tries, 3 conversions, and a penalty goal scored against them. The scoring alone would seem to demonstrate that there has been at least an element of unfairness in some criticism. Gate records have been established at Cambridge, Twickenham (where the attendance was about 15,000 more than the previous record for the same class of match). Bristol, Llanelly. Cardiff (where the gates were closed with at least 2000 fervid Welshmen still struggling to get in), and Galashiels. The applications for tickets for the match with England at Twickenham have surpassed all previous figures. About 24,000 grandstand seats are available for sale, and at the latest advice there had been 64,000 applications. Similarly, there is provision for about 48,000 people to stand, and applications total 87,000. The record attendance at Twickenham is about 75,000, but the Rugby Football Union is secretly preparing for an attendance of 80,000. No major All Black touring team has ever had so much early success in forward play from the beginning of a tour, including the hard struggle with London Counties. The All Black forwards have done tremendous service, and the pack now is even better than it was. For the backs the early weaknesses in midfield have not been eliminated, but much improvement has been made. Recent matches have given the backs more self-confidence, and this ought to be valuable in the future. It does not look as If a Hunter, a Nicholls, or a Cooke will come out of this tour. What has been evolving, however, has been a quality of backing up much superior to anything demonstrated by opposing teams