ALL BLACKS’ BEST WIN TO DATE

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29235, 20 June 1960, Page 12

ALL BLACKS’ BEST WIN TO DATE

Northern Transvaal Beaten 27-3

[From N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent] PRETORIA, June 18. The All Blacks chalked up their best win, of the tour to date when they scored a 27*3 victory over a strong Northern Transvaal fifteen before a crowd of about 45,000 at Pretoria on Saturday. There could be no reservations about this win—it was even more conclusive than against Boland the previous week.

Leading 8-0 at half-time the All Blacks at no time looked like being overcome by the opposition, billed as possibly the strongest provincial side in South Africa.

The game had been regarded as a “fifth test” for the All Blacks. If the New Zealanders can repeat this form they will be the favourites for the other four, the first of which is to be played at Johannesburg next Saturday.

The All Blacks were held in check fairly well in the first half and again early in the second, but thereafter they ran riot with the opposition.

The backs and forwards worked in together much better than in any other match to date, with the back line especially impressive in the closing stages. The forwards were giving away an average of almost half a stone a man and although the Northern Transvaalers might have held a slight edge in the set scrums they could not match the All Black pack in other departments.

The match was always tough, often rough, with frayed tempers at times in the forwards. To the All Blacks’ credit it can fairly be said that the roughness was not of their making. The All Blacks scored three tries, three conversions, and four penalties to a penalty by Northern Transvaal. The top scorer was D. B. Clarke, with 18 points from his boot It was reassuring to see him in such form. One goal he landed was a magnificent kick from six yards over half-way. Crowd Heatile ' As at Durban, when he had to take kicks with the crowd booing, Clarke again had a hostile reception from the crowd on Saturday. The booing became more frequent in the closing stages when the New Zealanders ware so much on top that it did not matter. As in other centres the good things done by the New

Zealanders were greeted either by almost frosty silence or by a polite smattering of applause. Apart from the rousing form of the forwards, well led by L N. Mac Ewan in the absence through injury of W. J. Whineray. a pleasing aspect from the New Zealand point of view was the form of the backs. Although they still made handling mis* takes—less frequently than in former outings—their attack was good and well varied and their defence almost impeccable. The success of the line lay mainly in the combination between the half* back, K. C. Briscoe, and A. H. Clarke, with the latter the brains of the whole line. Briscoe, who was under heavy fire all day, never lacked courage and bounced back for more each time. At one stage in the second half a stretcher was taken out to remove him from the field after he had received a kick on the bead, but after a few minutes* spell he was as good as new again. He still sprays his passes occasionally but on Saturday he and A. H. Clarke combined well. Clarke, who will certainly play in the first test at least, cut and carved his way through nicely, getting good backing up each time from the second five-eighths, T. R. Lineen, and his forwards. There were times when it looked as if more could have/been accomplished by passing; but his tactical kicking was always well directed.. At least twice in the match when he used his dummy pass, be tooled not only the opposition but also bls team-mates. Lineen .did riot have as many chances on attack as he has had in some recent matches but was good value if only for his defence, which was tremendous. Laidlaw’s Good Performance Another who went well both on attack and defence was the centre, K. F. Laidlaw, who ran more strongly than he has done to date. His performance could well win him a test cap next Saturday. It was not his fault that the wings. R. F. McMullen and J. R. Watt, did not do better. Watt, who has had a fairly arduous tour, was slightly off form and it was not until late in the match that McMullen got moving properly. Both had good chances of scoring but their hands let them down. Watt should have scored in the first half after Clarke had made a brilliant break carried on by Laidlaw. Watt had only to run five yards or so to score but could not hold the pass. McMullen was marking R. Twigge, a test man against Scotland this year, and Watt was against L. Fourie, who played for South Africa against the French. Outstanding of the Northern backs was the full-back, D. Holton. but he was completely outclassed by Don Clarke. The outstanding New Zealand forward, and one who was singled out for special attention by the opposition, was the flanker. p , F- H. Jones, tn a match in which none of the forwards was able to stray far from the scrum.

Jones did all that was required of him in the tight and in the loose he lived fully up to his nickname of “Tiger.” He scored two tries, one from a dummy five-eighths position and the other by dropping from the side of the scrum to dummy half and then bursting over the line. Jones has not played a better match for the All Blacks, including the fourth test in 1956.

The former Springbok, Daan Retief, who saw Jones in action, said: “The finest loose forward I have ever seen.”

Whineray who was advised by a doctor not to upset his chances of playing in the first test because

of a thumb injury, stood down, and Mac Ewan became the captain and lan Clarke moved from tight head prop to loose head to mark once again H. J. Bekker, his opponent in the 1956 test series. Bekker tried from the outset to upset the New Zealand front row and succeeded to a degree with his pulling down and pushing up tactics, but after he had been penalised once or twice he settled down to play by the rule book. Four Tight Heads The hooker, D. Young, had his difficulties but ended well ahead of his opposite number, D. van der Heever, taking four tight heads—no mean achievement against a much heavier scrum. The top men in the tight were M. w. Irwin and the locking pair, Mac Ewan and Meads, who did well in the line-outs. W. D. Gillespie was a most valuable forward and he and the other flanker, R. J. Conway, gave the opposition backs little respite. The best forwards for Northern Transvaal were the locks, J. van der Merwe and W. Matthyser. The number eight, J. Myburgh, who gave Briscoe most of his pounding and also lowered other members of the back line when things were looking dangerous for Northern, was also a fine forward. W. Vermass, lively flanker, showed up well at times but lost respect for his blatantly aggressive attitude. He was penalised for rough play three times.

The referee, Mr H. P. A. Hofmeyr, no relation to the 1949 test referee, exercised firm control throughout and saved the situation from developing any further.