Details Of Play

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29223, 6 June 1960, Page 12

Details Of Play

The teams were: New Zealand.—W. A. Davies; T. P. O’Sullivan, K. F. Laidlaw, J. R. Watt; S. G. Bremner (captain), S. R. Nesbit; K. C. Briscoe; W.

D. Gillespie; K. R. Tremain, C. E. Meads, R. H. Horsley, P. F. H. Jones; E. J. Anderson, R. C. Hemi, M. W. Irwin. Griqualand W'est.—V. Kruger; J. Harmse, N. Pietersen, G. Roelofse, J. Liebenberg; G. Anderson; R. Lockyear (captain); L. Slabber; J. Combrink, J. Brobbelaar, P. Arnold, W. Roets; S. Smit, J. Keyser, H. van Wyk. The referee was Mr P. A. Myburgh.

Bremner lost the toss and Davies kicked off into the sun and a slight breeze. Two and a half minutes from the kick-off Davies had a shot at goal from a penalty. He missed but converted a try by Tremain scored in the fifth minute. The ball came down in the open and it was grabbed by Meads, who barged through before passing to Tremain, who touched down near the posts. That made the score 5-0 but New Zealand’s lead was reduced a minute later when Lockyear kicked a 43-yard penalty for Griquas. The New Zealand backs were again taking time to settle down and as in other matches they were standing very shallow on attack and defence. Eriscoe and Bremner were not combining well.

Briscoe made a fine break from midfield but the ground won was lost almost immediately when Lockyear kicked over his scrum to take play ten yards from the New Zealand line. Sixteen minutes had gone when the All Blacks scored again.

The ball came loose and went tc O’Sullivan’s wing. The Taranaki player took the ball brilliantly and sent it out to Laidlaw who scored between the posts. Davies converted to make the score: New Zealand 10 Griquas three. At this stage the New Zealand forwards, with Meads. Tremain and Jones in tremendous form, were keeping the opposition completely subdued. Hemi, having his first match in South Africa, won several early scrums on the tight head. From one of them, when the ball was held in the back row, Griquas was caught offside in front of its own goal forty yards out. Davies kicked the goal. The All Blacks used the up-and-under frequently although the sun was in their own eyes. Silly Mistakes The All Blacks were making silly mistakes and earned penalties: for example, for failure to retire 10 yards when a penalty was awarded against them. They were also penalised several times fo r off-side play. , Eight minutes before half-time. Davies had another shot at goal from well out but missed. He missed another three minutes later. Davies when he came up into the backline ran nicely. Just before half-time, when he was making for the goal line. Watt was forced into touch with the result that one of several hundred schoolboys along the line was injured In the last minute of the half Lock'ear had another chance of reducing the All Blacks’ lead but his shot at goal from the penalty —awarded 10 yards closer to the goal line than necessary because of no retirement by the All Blacks—missed to make the halftime score: New Zealand 13, Griauas 3. From the kick off the All Black forwards drove hard down towards the goal line with Watt

putting in a kick for the corner It landed a yard from the flag but a line-out penalty against the New Zealanders spoilt the move and allowed the opposition to edge back over the half-way line. Try By Watt From a scrum on the half-way line in midfield. Briscoe whipped the ball out to Nesbit who passed to Bremner. Nesbit ran round outside Bremner again to accept the pass, cut through and pass to Laidlaw. Laidlaw ran Watt into position and the winger broke out of several tackles to score behind the posts. Davies converted to make the score: New Zealand 18. Griquas 3. By this time play had settled into a fairly dull routine with both backlines content to work the touchline. There were flashes of constructive play in the All Black backline, but not as many as there should have been, with the amount of ball the New Zealand forwards were winning. The forwards took things in their own hands and- drove through instead of feeding the backs regularly. The second try to be scored against the All Blacks in South Africa came after 25 minutes when the big Griquas

winger, Liebenberg, ran half the length of thp field to score, after picking up a bad pass between Bremner and Laidlaw. The All Blacks’ cover defence for once was not working and he was untouched as he sped for the line. Lockyear missed the kick. New Zealand 18. Griquas 6 This put new heart into the home side and the game, which had been fairly pedestrian most of the time, livened up somewhat

Bremner Injured Ten minutes before the end of the match Bremner had to receive attention after a heavy tackle, but he was able to carry on. The All Blacks had been trying hard for some time for an addition to their score but due as much to their own mistakes as the Griquas defence they were unable to do so until five minutes before the final whistle Bremner had put them in a scoring position with a series of well-placed touchfinders. From a scrum five yards from the line Hemi won a tight head and Briscoe ran blind for a try which Davies just missed converting New Zealand 21, Griquas 6 Then just before the final whistle Briscoe was penalised for putting the ball into the scrum wrongly and Lockyear kicked his second goal for Griquas. The All Blacks attacked for the remaining minutes but could not score again. Final score was: New Zealand 21, Griqualand West 9.