ALL BLACKS TOO CHEERFUL: 'This One We Must Win'—Mr McPhail

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30846, 3 September 1965, Page 17

ALL BLACKS TOO CHEERFUL: 'This One We Must Win'— Mr McPhail

* s one—the third test —and the vital °: ser * es an d the match we must win,” said he chairman of the New Zealand selection panel, Mr IS. J. McPhail, yesterday. Mr McPhail, normally one of the most cheerful of persons, " as v ery serious at training yesterday. Under his guidance the All Black team had their most strenuous training session of the series.

“Some of the All Blacks were too cheerful when we started training: they had changed their attitude at the end of the session.” said Mr McPhail.

"Test matches, particularly against South Africa, are serious matters. We won well in the second test but that does not mean we can repeat the performance tomorrow’.

“Once a team is two up in a series it can become overconfident but this All Black team will be disabused of any feelings of that sort.

Need Great Effort “The South African team for the third test is a good one and it will need a great effort on our part to win. “This must be a do-or-die effort by the Springboks; we are approaching it in the same way. “As far as I am concerned I have no false impressions about the strength of the Springboks. The series is still wide open.’’ Mr McPhail said he hoped that the ground would be dry. Forwards Excelled “I feel we can play just as well on a dry ground as a wet one. At Dunedin the conditions did not really favour either side. It was just that our forwards really excelled themselves. The All Black team was really put through its paces by Mr McPhail and Mr F. R.

Allen at training at Rawhiti Domain yesterday morning. After the usual touch Rugby the forwards and backs split up and then an hour later they came together for some final polishing under Mr McPhail’s guidance. Mr Allen was a hard task master for the backs. He whipped them along, praising, criticising, but always urging them until at the end they were a tired, sweaty lot. M. J. Dick was placed on the left wing and W. M. Birtwistle retained the place he held for the first two tests. Backs Sharp There was a commendable sharpness about the New Zealand backs. C. R. Laidlaw threw out long passes; P. H. Murdoch was sprightly at first five-eighths; R. C. Moreton ran hard and passed well; and Dick and Birtwistle were most impressive. As usual, the forwards concentrated on driving and rucking, and there was a determined air about them as they went through their drills.