All Black Power Again Too Much For Lions

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31162, 12 September 1966, Page 3

All Black Power Again Too Much For Lions

(From

I. J. D. HALL)

AUCKLAND. The 1966 British Lions tour of New Zealand finished as it started —with a loss —when the All Blacks won the fourth test, 24-11, and the rubber, 4-0, at Eden Park on Saturday.

Once again the tremendous forward power of the All Blacks gained them victory. Although trying to run the ball, the New Zealand backs looked stodgy compared to the fleet-footed Lions, and it was only when the All Blacks reverted to their pattern Rugby that they were assured of victory.

There was a great deal of sympathy for the Lions from the crowd of 58,000. After 26 minutes they were without Pask, who broke a collar-bone, but they were only down, 8-10, at half-time. But, as in the third test, they made minor errors again when tries were almost there for the taking, and once the All Black pack began exerting concentrated pressure the Lions could not come back. For New Zealand, Nathan,

I Steel, Dick and Macßae I scored tries. Williment ■ kicked a penalty and three : conversions and Herewini dropped a goal. McFadyean and Hinshelwood scored tries for the Lions and Wilson kicked a conversion and a penalty. A warm sun and a cool wind dried out Eden Park and there were perfect conditions. For the first 20 minutes it had all the promise of being a great test. Both back-lines moved crisply, there was purpose and precision in the forwards and at half-time, with the Lions looking most dangerous with their beautiful running in the

backs, the stage was set for 40 minutes of thrilling Rugby. But it did not materialise. The All Blacks suddenly fell away. They made an amazing number of errors as they bumbled and fumbled around. However, the Lions were almost as impotent, for they could not get possession to sustain pressure on the All Black line. Bemused Defence For 10 minutes they tried mightily. Gibson, Bebb and Watkins made some lovely runs through a rather bemused defence but the All Blacks held and slowly regained control. x The decisive try came after 25 minutes when Macrae scored after Gibson and Wilson had fumbled a rolling ball. From then on, the All Blacks, playing with more purpose and authority, methodically added points as the forwards dominated possession. In the dying minutes the Lions came back with two superb runs by Bebb but all their efforts—the skills of the backs as they chain-passed to outflank the defence: the twisting runs of Gibson: McFadyean’s beautiful outside breaks, and Wilson’s smooth running with the back-line—-only produced three points from a penalty.

If the All Black machine creaked along at times, perhaps because there was some indecision of when the ball should be passed and when it should be kicked, there was still much to admire in the power generated by the Meads brothers. Tremain and Lochore. It was their crunching, bursting runs from lineouts and loose play that finally softened the Lions pack, which was almost down to a walk in the last 16 minutes. It was like a boxer using short arm body blows to sap his opponent’s strength before delivering the knock-out punch. But the backs were disappointing. Laidlaw and Herewini did not combine really well, and although Macrae and Rangi made some strong barging runs in midfield, the backs lacked the sophistication of the Lions. The Lions realised that the only way they could win the game was through their backs, but for about 10 minutes in the second half, when the All Blacks were rattled, they changed to a kicking game. This allowed New Zealand a valuable breathing spell in which to reform their rather tattered ranks and the Lions lost their chance of salvaging something from this disappointing tour. The most memorable moments of the match were three tries in the first half. Dick’s was a solo effort, but those of the Lions were superbly contrived. Hinshelwood disproved

that a try cannot be scored from set play. The ball was flipped out to him: he sidestepped Williment, swerved outside Herewini's desperate diving tackle and hurled himself over near the corner. Their next try, by McFadyean, had the crowd in ecstasy. Lewis broke from a ruck and jinked his way past the All Black forwards. Gibson linked with him and then when faced with Williment and with Bebb outside him. suddenly swerved back infield. Williment just caught him by the leg. but as he stumbled. Gibson threw a long pass infield to McFadyean, who took it inches from the ground, running at top speed, and scored beneath the posts.