Sporting Crowd

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30215, 21 August 1963, Page 13

Sporting Crowd

Observations on crowd behaviour ait a Rugby match in Ireland have been made by a correspondent to "The Press.” “It was my good fortune to witness the match between Bob Stuart’s All Blacks and Munster, at Cork in 1954. I think it was John Kelly who was taking the kicks for New Zealand; as he was lining up the ball preparatory to kicking, a murmer of ‘hush’ arose from some 10,000 spectators, and one could have heard a pin drop when the New Zealander kicked the ball,” wrote "Disgusted.” "This exhibition of sportsmanship by those southern Irishmen will be remembered by members of the team, particularly as the game was a close one, being 3-all only a few minutes from time, when Tanner scored in the corner. “I would, with regret, recall a similar exhibition to that at the inter-island match, at a cricket match between Canterbury and Northern Districts a few years ago. These same spectators were, doubtless, cheering their heads off when Clarke kicked New Zealand to victory against South Africa in 1956.”