France Beats Otago In Its Best Game Of Tour

Press, Volume C, Issue 29591, 14 August 1961, Page 12

France Beats Otago In Its Best Game Of Tour

(From Our Own Reporter) DUNEDIN, August 13. The French Rugby team won the eleventh game of its tour when it beat Otago by 15 points to 6 at Carisbrook on Saturday. Far above die mere fact of France’s success, however, was the method of its accomplishment. Here was a return to those French principles which many doubters had feared were on the wane. The techniques of sudden switches and consistent backing by a well-balanced pack splendidly equipped for the open game and the consequent smoothing of the passage of the ball through the half-backs to an alert and versatile three-quarters line, made the game France’s best so far. Otago, to its eternal credit, was infected with the same spirit, and if there was an absence of talent in the backs to bring about victory there was never a lack of the offensive spirit.

For Otag) it was perhaps a match of lost opportunities, especially in the dying s’.ages, when the Otago forwards were on top, but few would have cavilled at the result France’s score of three tries and two dropped goals to a try and a penally goal fairly represented the difference in the teams.

The ground was muddy and holding in parts, and the crowd of 23.000 was surprisingly small. The French tactics of taking play to the middle of the field from a line out and then switching play to the whole backline on the blind side contributed to France's success. Largely unsuccessful in the earlier games, the manoeuvre had Otago at sixes and sevens, and if no tries were scored directly from the movements France was invariably carried Into an attacking position. Bad Start

France, as in so many of its games, began badly, and for the first 12 minutes it looked as if the tourists were in for another of those games in which nothing went according to plan. Much of the fault was in the combination between Serin, the half-back, and Camberabero at first five-eighths. Passes w’ent astray, and the union did not seem a happy one. In this period Otago scored a very good try and the team looked good enough to be able to increase its lead. In fact, Davies, the full-back, missed three reasonable penalty kicks, and with a little bit of luck Otago could have been 12 points ahead in almost as many minutes. Then Camberabero found his feet—end hands—and the French backs began some of those delightful moves which brought two tries and several narrow misses. In this period —the second part of the first spell—the Rugby was a wonderful treat and a fillip for those whose faith is founded on the swift, open game.

Camberabero. who, Saturday’s form would suggest, has been played far too in-

frequently on this tour, flicked on his passes to toe Boniface brotoens, ait centre, who propped and threaded through a staunch, but baffled defence. It must have been like chasing shadows, for toe French . backs beat their opposites with a skill wteto. unfortunately, they have shown only occasionally in the last few weeks. Fine Movement

To toe visible chagrin of Moncla,* the captain, no try was allowed after a lovely movement which began just inside toe Otago half and ended over toe Otago line. Camberabero, who at stages in toe game, showed toe same precise skill, placed a short kick over toe Otago backs, and Andre Boniface, taking toe ball on toe full, sent his backs racing towards toe Otago kne. The left wing, Calvo, was toe last to handle, and he went over in a tackle, but the referee ruled a five-yard scrum. It was poetic justice toat France should score immediately. The backs short away to the other side and Guy Boniface sliced through to give the right wing, Rancoule, the easiest of tries in toe corner. These tw*o movements and the one which followed when Andre Boniface swerved through toe centre to send his brother Guy in for a try, were the best back movements of toe game.

The French forwards found their opponents a much more difficult proposition than did their backs. In the last 12 minutes, especially, when Ortago seemed to realise that, in their case at least, feet were more valuable than hands, France was almost at its wits’ end to keep its line intact. Otaao won toe lineouts, too, by 35 to 25, but Otago found that to win the ball here was by no means an unalloyed blessing. The Otago half-back. Smith, gave his five-eighths, Kirton, a splendid service, but toe outside backs, confronted by Moncla and Le Fevre in inexorable moods, made several handling errors which often spelt disaster. In the open the French forwards were undoubtedly superior. It was a game to their liking and they exploited it with aU their old skill. French Backs

Serin, who is considered a likely prospect as half-back for toe test on Saturday, improved with the game, and developed a formidable liaison with Camberabero. Small and slight, Camberabero gave an excellent display and it seems unfortunate that his talents have been neglected. He was quick and heat, and his kicking, both offensive and defensive, was brilliant because of its length and accuracy. The Boniface brothers were the hub of the back attacks, and Otago never really had toe answer to their thrusts. Andre Bonifaee did much to ensure victory for his team by kicking two fine field goals. One was a 45yd effort, and the other, because of the rapidly closing defence, was just as meritorious, although it was shorter by some 10yds. Vannier, at full-back, rarely put a foot wrong and his incursions into the back attacks were always successful.

The best of the French forwards was the lock, Saux, who has gone from strength to strength in recent games. An admirable tight forward, he made some telling runs from the lineouts with Moncla and Lefevre. Moncla drove his fellows as hard as he drove himself, violently and relentlessly; and with the exception of the final quarter hour, they all responded. The big lock, Cassiede, showed no signs of his hamstring injury, and his good play in the line-outs would suggest that he will be Saux’s partner in the test. Fine Forward Try

Cassiede had the distinction of scoring one of the best forward tries seen on Carisbrook. Rollet burst from a scrum on the halfway line, and Lefevre, Celeya, and Domenech handled before Cassiede, taking a pass with one hand, trotted over for a try. The movement swept the field without a pause and passes were given and taken with a skill most backs would have envied.

Rollet lost a tight head in the early stages; but he won two in the second sipell. Domenech again was conspicuous in the loose, and Bianco, until he left the field three-quarters of the way through the second half with leg injury, was a driving force in toe tight. Davies, at full-back, was easily the best of the Otago backs, and halted many French attacks. His goalkicking was not entirely successful, but his attempt from 40yds out and into the wind in the second spell was a good effort which gave Otago its final points. Merrilees and Eglinton, the wings, did not fail for want of trying, for both hunted the ball, desperately at times, it seemed. Merrilees scored Otago’s only try in the early stages of the game, and it was a spectacular effort. Otago ran the blind side after a ruck, and Merilees taking the ball 15yds from the goal line, completely beat the defence in a run which ended in a flying dive in the corner. When the Otago forwards split the French pack like a wedge in the dying stages there were no better men than Lindsay and G. McLennan, the props, and Clarke, the flanker. Lindsay showed determination in the line-outs throughout, and sometimes two and three Frenchmen were needed to halt his progress. Mr J. Logan (Wellington) was the referee.