RUGBY FORGOTTEN AS MAORIS SCORE

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30842, 30 August 1965, Page 3

RUGBY FORGOTTEN AS MAORIS SCORE

Fantastic Try Ends Entertaining Match

[By I. J. D. HALL, Rugby Reporter of "The Press.”]

A fantastic try scored by the Maoris in the final minute of the match against the Springboks at Wellington on Saturday was the signal for one of the most amazing demonstrations, in the history of New Zealand Rugby as thousands of cheerful, shouting spectators swarmed on to the field.

The referee, Mr D. H. Millar, was helpless as the Maori and South African players were mobbed. The police tried to clear a path for Waterreus to attempt the conversion; but it was hopeless..

Six Maori girls began an impromptu twist session near the posts and when even more people joined the crowd, Mr Millar ruled no side.

The official score will be, therefore, South Africa 9, New Zealand Maoris 3.

For South Africa, Nel, Mans and De Villiers scored tries. Crawford scored for the Maoris.

Those last few hectic moments put the seal on one of the most entertaining matches of the tour.

In the second half, in particular, the game fizzed and bubbled when the Springboks, gaining an ascendancy in the forwards, cut all sorts of capers.

There was enough response from the Maoris to keep interest sustained even though it was obvious the Springboks were going to win quite easily.

The match was not marred by any unwholesome incidents. Indeed, at times it seemed as if it was being wrapped in cotton wool.

The rucking certainly was not fierce and the referee ensured that there was no chance of tempers becoming strained in the forwards by promptly stopping rucks from developing. . There was only one sour note md that came from a section oi the spectators who booed some of the penalties against the Maoris. When Mans attempted a penalty in the second half there was loud jeering which swelled into a roar of approval when the kick missed. The Springboks won because they achieved forward domination and gained a surfeit of possession. Even in the first half when the Maoris were playing well, the Springboks won the line-outs, 25-10, and in the second half the margin was 29-8. It was one of the better dis-

plays by the Springbok pack in New Zealand. As expected, Hopwood made a difference in the loose play and the greater fire shown by Botha when he crashed away from line-outs perhaps signified a new spirit in the South African team. Generally the forwards were tighter, showed more resolution and for a change presentee a solid wall in the lineouts. However, the Maoris squandered many of their chances

by kicking too much. When possession was so limited it had to be used propertly, and too often Going or Herewini kicked for the line when it would have been more advantageous to have run with the ball, particularly as South Africa dominated the lineouts. Given so much possession

by their forwards, the Springbok backs romped happily, but often ineffectively in the second half. Against a team ruthlessly seizing on errors the Springboks could have been in all sorts of bother.

If much of the game revolved around the loose, and often scrappy, play, there were still Some purple patches.. Brynard’s try was a minor masterpiece. Hopwood acted as dummy half and Mans came in from the b’ind side to take an inside pass from De Villiers. Mans .swerved through, Roux widened the gap and then fed Brynard who dived over. The try was scored near the section of the crowd who had jeered Man’s kick and this time it was a case of “even the ranks of Tuscany could scarce forebear to cheer.”

The Maoris’ try was really spectacular. A forward picked up a rolling ball near his half, passed to Herewini, who accelerated and threw a long pass to Rangi. He ran 30 yards before being tackled. Myers picked up the ball, burst through a tackle and grubber-kicked. He retrieved the ball, dived for the line, but missed. Nathan made a bid, the ball rolled loose and was passed to Crawford, who plunged through a tackle to score near the posts.