Barbarians Swamped By Six Goals, Two Tries

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30367, 17 February 1964, Page 12

Barbarians Swamped By Six Goals, Two Tries

[From T. P. McLEAN, Sports Editor of the "New Zealand Herald”] CARDIFF, February 16. Scenes unprecedented in the long history of Cardiff Arms Park as an international Rugby arena greeted the triumphant achievement of the All Blacks on Saturday in winning their thirty-fourth and final game in Europe by the massive score of six goals and two tries (36 points) to a goal from a mark (3) over the Barbarians. Their opponents, who by and large represented the elect of the British Isles, held the score to 3-6 at half-time, but afterwards were engulfed in a display which so excited the capacity crowd of 58,500 that the cries of “more, more,” which arose after each of the tries, were a lyrical tribute to the quality of the game played by the New Zealanders. But the greatest scenes came a few moments from no-side when the All Blacks yet again swept down the field with the perfect handling which had distinguished their greatest matches.

The All Blacks’ captain, Whineray, playing one of his very greatest games, took a pass with a man in support.

A try was inevitable for .the line was only 15 yards away and the defence was all but spreadeagled.

But what made the great climax of the tour was the perfect dummy Whineray sold to Flynn, the Irish centre, which permitted Whineray to stroll across by the posts so that D. B. Clarke could place his sixth goal of the match. At this superb stroke of brilliance the crowd literally went wild with joy. It was also intensely moving to see the joy of every All Black at this effort by the greatest and the humblest among them. It was another moving

touch, perhaps one of the greatest in the history of New Zealand Rugby when the vast crowd broke into “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.” The crowd sang to Whineray again as Barbarians and All Blacks, at the call of noside a few moments later, hoisted him on to their shoulders. As police rushed forward to ensure that the players were given protection as they struggled toward the pathway leading to their dressing rooms the crowd cheered and sang and cheered again. The match will live in the memory because of the quality of the Rugby played by the New Zealanders. As when the All Blacks demolished London Counties back in November, so on this cool, grey afternoon of February was the process repeated. Once more there was the method, a little more lively now than in November, bf establishing superiority, and once more, as suddenly as at the bursting of a rocket, there

was a magnificent splurge of scoring.

Nor was this surrealist Rugby. Even at their darkest moments, and these were many, the Barbarians in the British tradition were dauntless and desperate in their search for the effective counterstroke but this could not b: delivered because the control of the All Blacks reached so high an artistic level. This was best manifested in a quality of handling which at the greatest moments was exquisite. One of these came when Dick scored the fifth try, in the fifteenth minute after half-time. The movement began from one of the' unfortunate breakdowns in midfield which plagued the Barbarians and for which the fierce pressure exerted by those magnificent loose forwards—Graham, Tremain, and Nathan—was principally responsible. Suddenly, after two or three men had offered and accepted short psfeses, Tremain had the

ball and as deftly as a cricketer he immediately heaved a long overhand throw past at least six men into the arms of Little away out on the left wing. Little jazzed upfield, cut back inside, diddled the first of several defenders and inevitably had someone at call when he was going down in a tackle. Then it was as if the ball was alive with electricity. No sooner had one man touched it than it was in the arms of a support And as the play broke away across to the right there was the sight of Young, with his short legs pumping at maximum speed in a tremendous effort to get to the goal-line 20 yards aiway. But when defenders quicker than he got to him and brought him down there, as the final touch, was Dick unmarked and taking the pass for the try that evoked from the crowd of storm of passionate approbation.