All Blacks Get Nine Tries In 36-3 Win

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31501, 16 October 1967, Page 24

All Blacks Get Nine Tries In 36-3 Win

( From

T. P. McLEAN)

VANCOUVER. On the strength of the first match, won by the convincing margin of 36-3 over British Columbia under floodlights on Saturday, it has taken the All Blacks only one outing to bring true the promise of their coach, Mr F. R. Allen, that they would win matches by tries rather than by goals.

The team scored nine tries, five of them in the second half, but W. F. McCormick, who in other respects was one of the most distinguished players, could manage only three conversions and a penalty goal from 11 attempts at goal.

In reply to this barrage of scoring British Columbia, an engagingly lively team, full of tricks' and a considerable talent for obstructive play, managed a really splendid try late in the game when G. Lorenz, at centre, checked back against the flow of play and evaded a tackle in dashing 15 yards to a fine try. For the All Blacks tries were scored by McCormick (3), M. J. Dick (2), E. J. Hazlett, E. W. Kirton, W. M. Birtwistle and G. S. Thorne. McCormick kicked a penalty goal and three conversions Considering the difficulties, the principal one being the glaring lighting of Empire Stadium, the All Blacks made a most satisfactory, and in the best moments extremely promising beginning to their tour. Rather too much kicking to touch was done in the first half, and after a lead of 33-3 had been built with about 17 minutes remaining, the team came unstuck even to the extent of thrice neglecting tryscoring opportunities from five-yard scrums with C. It. Laidlaw putting the ball in. VARIETY LACKING Not until almost the last moment when the newest of new boys, Thome, with a superb cut through put a seal on a fine match, was there another try. Presumably in this period the All Blacks were running out of steam but the criticism could be made that a little more unexpectedness in midfield might have been desirable. British Columbia began in unexpected-strength and with useful play by R. A. Layzell and D. R. Milne, two tall locks and the former England player, B. J. Wightman, in the line-outs, the All Blacks ball-winning capacities were limited for some time. Not until the second half, when C. E. Meads and B. J. Lochore, in particular, made splendid catches was real authority developed by the New Zealanders in the lineouts. But McCormick, full of dash and sharp spurts, was the man who set the All Blacks going. Six minutes after the start he came into an attack, broke off tackles and went through the British Columbia defence to score at the corner. A few minutes later he placed a great penalty goal from 42 yards—there were only 13 penalties in the match, seven to New Zealand—and then in the twenty-fifth minute he raced up with Kirton on the blind side and once more scored. GAINED COMMAND

With this burly, aggressive figure as an inspiration, the All Blacks hegan to put the sticky patches behind them, and from then until the the strange patch of difficulty midway through the second half they were always in command.

Laidlaw flung out beautiful passes and was always at the heels of the ruck, while Kirton, going blind or open side, was full of enterprise. W. D. Cottrell, too, made significant efforts and if the three-quar-ters as a whole, and especially Birtwistle, took until the second half really to get into trim, a ready explanation was that the British Columbia men played all over the place. Consequently, they were as liable to be in the middle of the All Black back-line at a switch of play as to be back in their proper stations. Before half-time, Hazlett crashed over from a scramble on the goal-line. Then it was McCormick, performing Roger Bannister feats in this famous stadium, where Bannister beat J. Landy in the Commonwealth Games mile, by scoring yet another try and converting it himself. With 14 points of the first 17 to be scored, McCormick had made a magnificent reappearance in his country’s colours. AT THEIR PEAK The best from the New Zealanders came in the second

half when with Laidlaw, once more firing lovely passes, including one backhander, twiddled halfway across the field from an impossible situation and the three-quarters especially Dick, began to play with dash and elan. By now too, the forwards were going well, Meads, Lochore, Hazlett and K. F. Gray in particular, and there would have been even better from them

if W. J. Nathan, though often the “black panther” of old in runs of the fieriest quality, had not so often died with the ball. First there was a try from Kirton when Thorne crisscrossed behind him and confused the defence into believing he had the bail. McCormick placed the goal to this.

Then from a quick break by Nathan and Cottrell, Dick slid over the perfect turf to score in the corner. Birtwistle demonstrated his quality when Kirton, running the blind-side, sent him through to the goalposts on the scissors.