All Blacks Train Under “Work, Not Talk” Rule

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31112, 15 July 1966, Page 15

All Blacks Train Under “Work, Not Talk” Rule

(From

I. J. D. HALL)

DUNEDIN. Even veterans of the 1963-64 tour of the British Isles could not remember a more strenuous training session than the one the chairman of the selection panel (Mr F. R. Allen) put the All Blacks through at Carisbrook yesterday.

The last 15 minutes must have seemed almost physical torture to the 15 players who rushed from line-outs to rucks, to up-and unders and to passing movements.

Apart from the physical! side, it was a most impressive; training session. There was a crispness about the back play; which appealed and the for-! wards carried out their drills with the precision which one expects from an experienced All Black side.

When questioned about the severity of the training, Mr Allen said that he believed that a training run should not belie its name. “I did not want to talk to them but to work them, and they responded well. Basically it was the same sort of training I used with the Auckland Ranfurly Shield team: plenty of hard work but enough variation to keep the. players interested.” Using Backs Asked about the All Blacks' campaign for the test tomorrow, Mr Allen said that it was no secret that he wanted to use the backs as much as possible. “I am sure we have got good attacking backs a d if the chances are there we will use them.

“Rugby is a 15-man game and there is no reason at all, even if our forwards are going well, we should rely on them to the exclusion of the backs. “Not that we are going to be foolish. I would think that anything outside 10 yards from our twenty-five means that we will attack through the backs.” Mr Allen said that he was not approaching the test with any degree of complacency and neither were the play-

It lasted an hour and 55 minutes and there were some very weary All Blacks at the end of it. Mr Allen urged them, upbraided them, cajoled them and praised them.

1 have seen the improvement in the Lions’ forwards ;play and the potential of their backs scares me. “David Watkins would be the quickest first five-eighths I have seen and outside of him there is speed and skill. If play goes their way we will we working hard to contain them. j “However, I have faith in the All Black back-line. MacRae may be our key man at second five-eighths but there I is talent right through the line and if we can do the things we want to do then I will be very happy.”