‘Disappointing Start To Series’

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31114, 18 July 1966, Page 3

‘Disappointing Start To Series’

(From the Rugby correspondent ol "The Times", touring with the Lions? DUNEDIN. From the British Isles point of view this was a disappointing start to the cutrent international series. But let us salute a fine team that played splendid all-round Rugby; a team without any weak link. Certainly New Zealand was never under pressure, but even at the interval, when there was no more than five points’ difference between the scores, it was already clear that, bar a miracle, New Zealand had the game sewn up. Indeed New Zealand might well have scored more than the three tries that came its way. With the sun shining brightly behind them in the second half, the All Blacks banged home the nails in the British coffin, with the opposition looking incrfeasingly tattered as the game progressed.

Some of us had been quietly sceptical about stories we had heard that Mr F. R. Allen expected his backs to run with the ball from the start of the match. We have heard this sort of thing before, and have regarded it as clever psychological warfare to confuse us and divert our attention from the familiar New Zealand emphasis on the forwards. But this time the laugh really was on us, for the backs lost no time in swinging into fast, concerted action. The Lions knew what to expect from the home forwards, all of whom, except Hazlett and McLeod, had toured Europe three years ago. As anticipated, they were

a hard, fast and coordinated unit, always with the ball, which is the lynch pin of the New Zealand forward game. The All Blacks had 75 per cent of possession and their backs revelled in it. Laidlaw was in wonderful form as a launching pad for New Zealand’s rockets. He never “flaps," knows exactly when to feed his backs and when to play back to his forwards, and throws what is probably a longer pass than any other scrum-half playing at present. Herewini was therefore in clover, even if he did kick on occasions when there were several men .over. He can still drop the ball on a sixpence and his dropped goal was a splendid piece of opportunism. The most dangerous attacking back on the field was Macßae —tall, strong and longstriding—and he sent shudders down visiting camp

followers’ spines every time he had the ball. The Lions were disappointing. Their forwards have improved with every recent match, but were faced by a' combination that acted instantly and instinctively. This co-ordination was admirably epitomised by the Meads brothers, who were so close together that they might have been in harness. The Lions forwards were once more untidy in the line-out and beaten in the rucking. The All Blacks back row chased Watkins unceasingly, and although Gibson tackled nobly, the only Lions’ back to live up to his reputation was Wilson. It was no disgrace to be beaten by a team of such sparkling attacking form. Next time perhaps the All Blacks will be more tightly stretched, although on Saturday they would probably have beaten any other team in the world.