NO MORE SKYLARKING All Blacks Now Deadly Serious

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30858, 17 September 1965, Page 13

NO MORE SKYLARKING All Blacks Now Deadly Serious

[By I.

J D. HALL,

Rugby Reporter of “The Press.”]

AUCKLAND, Sept. 16.

lhe sky-larking which had characterised the behaviour of the All Blacks before the first three tests against the Springboks was conspicuously absent today.

It was all deadly serious, as the side prepared for the fourth and final test, at Eden Park, Auckland, on Saturday.

A morning training run was postponed because the chairman of selectors, Mr N. J. McPhail, had not arrived from Christchurch.

However, in the afternoon a full-scale run was held at Eden Park. The training was much the same as that usually carried out by the All Blacks —touch Rugby and then basic drills. But the most noticeable feature of the training was the serious manner in which

the players carried out their j tasks. Even K. C. Briscoe, usually completely irrepres-i sible, was subdued. Correcting Faults Mr McPhail did not work his team too hard. Rather the whole practice was concentrated on correcting minor faults in the line-outs and rucks. Before the practice proper began, Mr McPhail had earnest consultations with C. E. Meads and W. J. Whineray: it was soon obvious that Mr McPhail expects Meads to play a more prominent part in the line-outs than he did at Christchurch. As expected, M. A. Herewini, the first five-eighths, peppered the line with his

tactical kicks. Herewini and W. F. McCormick both practised goal kicking. Neither performed particularly well, but Herewini looked the more impressive. Casual Springboks In contrast, the Springboks’ training session in the morning was a fairly casual affair. But there was no mistaking the air of confidence now surrounding the South Africans. The backs moved well and looked far more impressive than the New Zealand line.

For the Springboks it was their last training run in New Zealand. When the coach, Mr H. Muller, blew his whistle to end the run, there were sighs of relief and big smiles from the players.