RUGBY HOW NOT TO PLAY RUGBY

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29262, 21 July 1960, Page 21

RUGBY HOW NOT TO PLAY RUGBY

All Blacks Give Example

“ N - 2 OUDTSHOORN, July 19. An example of how not to play Rugby was given by the All Blacks in beating South* western Districts by 18 points to 6 at Oudtshoorn today. From the touring team’s point of view, easily the most fortunate feature of the. day was that the opposing team, a splendid defensive side, was not skilled in attack.

The All Blacks began very brightly indeed and a number of runs out to D. H. Cameron on the right wing, with D. B. Clarke lending timely assistance every now and again, suggested that the pressure must soon cause the Districts’ defence to split and weaken.

Unhappily, about this stage A. H. Clarke was so heavily thrown on to his left shoulder in a tackle that he had to be sent to the left wing and thereafter almost everything that could go wrong went wrong.

Three examples of the extraordinary errors which so plagued the team that Districts was able to dominate a fair portion of the second half may suffice to show

just how sadly the team sometimes fell below international standard. W. D. Gillespie at one stage muffed a perfectly simple catch of a high kick on his goalline. W. A. Davies trying a short drop-out fell over himself in attempting to pick up the ball, and

when D. B. Clarke, easily the finest player in the New Zealand team, ran the ball to the left near the end of the game S. G. Bremner felt bound to kick back to the right, even though all his forwards were also streaming to the left.

With some wretchedly uncertain handling by R. J. Urbahn at the back of the scrum, an undying ambition on the part at Breffiner to put boot to ball and some lamentable scrambling play in short lineouts the All Blacks machine, after the first bright phase, started to stutter as much as if there were water in the petrol

Even Clarke’s outstanding display was marred by an inability to kick the first penalty from only about 15 yards and slightly to the left of the posts.