Welsh Prepared To Go Into Battle

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31521, 8 November 1967, Page 23

Welsh Prepared To Go Into Battle

(From

T. P. McLEAN)

SWANSEA.

If, as has been so surprisingly suggested by a leading British critic, the test match between New Zealand and Wales at Cardiff on Saturday could become the Rugby equivalent of Passchendaele, then the preliminary, the match with West Wales at Swansea today, might well turn into one of the battles of the Somme.

Of the four clubs which have contributed players to the combined team x six are from Neath—and it was Neath which was recently sent to Coventry by Cardiff because of the excessively rugged play of its team in a club match.

For that matter, all of the leading clubs in West Wales play their Rugby pretty hard.

It was at Swansea during the last All Blacks tour that K. F. Gray, the Wellington prop, became the villain of the west because of the technically perfect punch with which he stopped the obstructive activities of W. Jenkins. And it was at Neath, not too far away, that R. W. H. Scott was stoned by indignant spectators during one of the more vigorous encounters played by Bob Stuart’s All Blacks. The No. 8, R. Wanbon, is spoken of as international material and one of the props,

B. Gale, is experienced and capable. It follows that the pack contains a core of quality players.

Behind the forwards, C. Rowlands, a former Welsh captain, is one of the shrewdest heads in the game—and he is no exponent of open Rugby. Rowlands plays the game to win and his tactical kicking is brilliantly directed. The remaining backs are likely to be turned into chasers and tacklers rather than into exponents of positive Rugby, and if the All Black backs do happen to fumble or miss their tackles they can expect a highly partisan crowd to stir the local team to even more frenzied determination. From New Zealand’s point of view the greatest interest will centre on the play of Gray and of the fiveeighths. M. A. Herewini and W. D. Cottrell, who are very

keen competitors for the places taken by E. W. Kirton and I. R. Macßae last Saturday. Gray has a sounder tactic?) appreciation and provides a surer platform for his hooker than B. L. Muller and he is also less likely to get offside. Kirton is now playing so soundly that Herewini will really have to pull out all the stops to displace him: and perhaps it will be to the team’s advantage if this happens for Herewini, with all due respect to Kirton, is still the likelier to pull aces out of his sleeve. Cottrell looks the likeliest attacking midfield back in the party but he will need a supremely good effort today to displace Macßae. If they can play as well as at Bristol last week, these All Blacks should maintain the winning record. But Welshmen on their home ground are always to be feared and Swansea, far out in the west, would dearly like to become another Newport, where the last All Blacks suffered their only defeat. The teams are: ALL BLACKS: G. F. Kember; A. G. Steel, G. S. Thorne, P. H. Clarke; W. D. Cottrell, M. A. Herewini; S. M. Going; I. A. Kirkpatrick; K. R. Tremain, C. E. Meads (captain), A. G. Jennings, M. C. Wills; K. F. Gray, J. Major, A. E. Hopkinson. WEST WALES: D. Rees (Swansea); H. Rees (Neath), J. Davies (Swansea), C. Jones (Aberavonj, H. Williams (Neath); K. Evans (Neath), C. Rowlands (Swansea, captain); R. Wanbon (Aberavon); M. Evans (Swansea), W. D. Thomas (Llanelli), B. Davies (Neath), D. Morris (Neath); B. Gale (Llanelli), R. Thomas (Swansea), W. Wil-

liams (Neath). Referee: Mr M. Titcomb (Bristol).