LIONS OPEN TOUR SENSATIONALLY

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28927, 22 June 1959, Page 12

LIONS OPEN TOUR SENSATIONALLY

Hawke’s Bay Beaten By 52 Points To 12

(New Zealand Press Association) NAPIER, June 21. Back movements which brought the crowd of 21,100 to their feet and which completely dumbfounded the Hawke’s Bay team marked the opening match of the British Isles Rugby team’s tour at Napier on Saturday.

The Lions 52-12 victory captured the imagination of the spectators, who kept up a constant roar of appreciation. This was the highest score ever by an international touring team in New Zealand and was by far the most impressive opening match for any touring team since the war.

The Lions stuck by their declared intention of playing open Rugby. They scored 13 tries, converted five of them, and kicked a penalty goal. Hawke’s Bay scored one try and three penalty goals. At half-time the Lions led 30-9.

The Lions’ precise handling, speed and combination must have given the two members of the New Zealand selection panel who saw the match—Mr J. L. Sullivan and Mr A. R. Everest—much food for thought.

The opposition offered by f Hawke's Bay was far below what | Bay supporters had hoped for. i The home team's forwards were steady enough, but they still didl not give the Lions a thorough! testing. Even if the Bay for- \; wards had been sufficiently strong ! to quell the Lions, it is doubtful I if the result would have been I much different. The Lions had! too much pace back and forward i and were in complete charge! from early in the match. With the forwards winning a! Steady supply of the ball, the!

Lions backs had many opportunities. Seldom has an international team playing its first match in New Zealand played with such a carefree air. Although there were more handling mistakes by the Lions on Saturday than in any match they played in Australia, their general standard was such that the Bay players just had no answer to them. Their sidestepping, reverse-passing and sheer speed kept the Bay players —and the record crowd—in a state nearing bewilderment. Several of their movements involved more than a dozen transfers and such was the speed with which they moved that it was almost impossible to keep full record of the movements. They were prepared to start a passing movement within a yard or two ol their own goal line and such was their backing up that a tackled player could throw the ball over his shoulder and be almost certain that a team mate would be there to take the ball. The teams were:— British Isles.— K. J. Scotland: M. C. Thomas. D. Hewitt. J. Butterfield, P. B. Jackson; G. H. Waddell; R. E. G. Jeeps; A. Ashcroft: H. J. Morgan, W. R Evans, R. H Williams, J. Faull; H F. McLeod. A. R. Dawson, S. Miller.

Hawke’s Bay.— G Jamieson; L. Kaai, D. Scrimgeour, B. L. Wilson; G. Lawrence, T. P. Donovan; B. Neale; L. Cooper; T. Johnson, R. Sharplin, A. Coutts, R. Palmer; N. Thimbleby, P. Cooper, D. Tombs. The star of the brilliant backline was the youngest member of the touring party, the 19-year-old

H. M. MORGAN Irish centre, Hewitt, who contributed 21 points to the score. This is the second time he has reached this tally on tour. His personal score on the tour to date is 62. Hewitt’s mid-field breaks were brilliant and he beat the Bay backs with tne greatest of ease. Jackson was the favourite of the crowd as he darted about the field leaving would-be tacklers grasping at aii as he passed them by. Full-back K. J Scotland spent most of the day running with the rest of the backs. Scotland's three tries were fine efforts and his taiiy for the tour is now six For the fourth time in seven matches, the Lions finished with a man short, the centre J. Butter-

neld having to leave the field midway through the second half with a muscle injury. His place in the backs was taken by the red-headed Welsh flank forward H. J. Morgan who was the outstanding forward of the match. Although he has not yet fully recovered after a twisted ankle he was the fastest forward on the ground. He scored two good tries. He was off the side of the scrum with rare speed and early in the game he subdued the Bay inside backs. After Butterfield left the field. Morgan played sometimes as centre and sometimes on the left wing. The utility back G. H. Waddell at stand-off half, having his first match of the tour, was scratchy for a start, but he finished strongly. He and the half-back R. E. G. Jeeps could not combine at first, but later on their combination was first-class Jeeps, a solidly-built half-back, was in top form and served his backs well. His passes were long and accurate. He also showed himself as a fine nurse for the forwards and was not too proud to work the line every now and again. In Australia this move would have been booed, but the crowd cheered him for it on Saturday. His understanding with hooker A. R. Dawson was too fine at times and he was penalised three times for putting the ball under his own forwards’ feet. Dawson did not need such help, however, for besides winning all the scrums he should

I have, he took five tight heads. I The Bay forwards went well in patches, but folded badly over ' the closing stages. The hooker 1 P. Cooper. A. Coutts and the cap- ’ tain. T. Johnson all went well. ■The Olympic boxing represcnta2 five. T. P. Donovan, at first five--5 [eighths, did not have many 1 1 chances in the backs and was inri dined to give away too much possession by ill-judged kicking. ’ j Of the remaining Bay backs. ’ tl~ full-back. G. Jamieson, and I i the ’second five-eighths, G. Law3. rence. were the best. J I _1 The Scoring " I The game opened sensationally ij with a try in the first minute to i[Johnson for the Bay, and then one j I to Morgan, less than a minute later, . I for the Lions. After that, the score .1 mounted at bewildering pace. After ‘ I a brilliant solo run Hewitt touched - down. He ran 75 yards. Cooper had .[several shots at goal from penalties fl for the Bay before Hewitt was in _ I for the second of the four tries ’ I he scored. He converted that one II and then mid-way through the half! r [ kicked a penalty to make the score . i at that stage 14-3. a | The left-wing Thomas was next to - ■ score after he had chased up a ! grubber kick by Scotland and then l came a memorable try by Jackson i after a clever piece of passing be- • I tween him and Hewitt who’ con- - 1 verted. Fifteen minutes before the - j end of the half. Cooper finally landed a penalty for the Bay to make ’the tally 22-6. Before half-time • i Waddell scored a try which Hewitt > I converted and Jackson scored again . for the Lions. Cooper landed a

second penalty for Hawke's Bay to make the half-time score: British ’ Isles 30. Hawke’s Bay 9. 1 Seven minutes into the second ,(half came Cooper's third penalty—- ; : the Bay's last points of the match. i A quiet period followed until Scotland scored his three tries in quick succession. Hewitt took the tally on ■ to 42-12 with a try and Faull coni’verted it to make the score 10 minj i utes from the end the British Isles i 44. Hawke s Bay 12. I Moraan was next to score after I i a dazzling run by Jackson, and then lin the dying minutes of the match. I Hewitt brought up the half-century I with a try between the posts. Pauli converted and the match ended: BRITISH ISLES .. 52 HAWKE'S BAY .. 12 Mr C. R. Gillies (Waikato) was the referee.