North’s Strength Beats South’s Spirit

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31773, 2 September 1968, Page 22

North’s Strength Beats South’s Spirit

(By

J. K. BROOKS)

The shop window of New Zealand Rugby, the inter-island match, glittered with many-splendoured things when North beat South, 34-17, in a colourful, fast-moving spectacle at Lancaster Park oval on Saturday.

The AH Blacks’ next two customers in the international Rugby market, Wales and South Africa, could not have been but impressed by the wares displayed.

The forwards were tough and resourceful, and their stirring play showed that a New Zealand pack still commands pride of place. The back play, if not always technically sound, furnished the necessary embellishments to the display because the emphasis was on attack.

Lancaster Park crowds were not wholly satisfied by the fare provided by the two previous big games on the oval this season the first test between New Zealand and France, and the “summit match” between Hawke’s Bay and Canterbury.

On Saturday, however, the expectations of a crowd of 21,000 were exceeded as the match-weary warriors—many of whom have not had a spell from Rugby for the last 18 months—produced a final fling which fittingly crowned a notable season. Fifty-one points—including eight tries —were scored, and there were only 58 line-outs and 11 penalties. It seemed almost too good to be true. North Island was the better side, and deservedly won the game to give it five successive wins in inter-island matches. In the final analysis. North’s strength triumphed over South’s spirit But for all that North was flattered by the winning margin. South was definitely not 17 points poorer. The North Island backs were generally sharper and more assured than their opposites, and the North forwards exercised greater control over the ball. The South forwards, however, played spiritedly and lost little in comparison with a near test pack; they came close to achieving parity with North in over-all possession. South’s Weakness A mid-field weakness in set play lessened South’s effectiveness, but the backs’ willingness to attack boldly in the face of North’s greater resources was commendable, and contributed much to the success of the match.

The game will be remembered chiefly for the refreshing approach by both teams. But there were some individual performances which will linger on in the memory as well. The rival half-backs, Laidlaw and S. M. Going, displayed their contrasting talents in a grand manner; Thorne’s play at centre was full of dash and decisiveness: and Wyllie’s tremendous efforts on attack and defence

stamped him as an exceptionally fine flanker, notwithstanding the company in which he was playing.

North Island’s tries were scored by Thorne (2), S. M. Going (2). O’Callaghan, and Stephens. K. T. Going converted five of them and Herewini drop-kicked two goals. For South Island, Hopkinson and Lister scored tries, Cottrell dropped a goal, and McCormick kicked two penalty goals and a conversion. Lochore’s decision to play against the wind in the first half proved to be a wise one. South struggled valiantly to hold the lead throughout the first half, but the half-time score of 9-8 in its favour van-

ished quickly when Herewini potted a goal from 40 yards in the first minute of the second spell.

In Balance The fate of the match was briefly in the balance when South scored its first try in the eighteenth minute of the second half, cutting North’s lead to 16-14. But although it won only 44 per cent of possession in this period. North scored at the rate of a point a minute in the last 18 minutes to build up a handsome, if flattering, winning margin. Players of the stature of Lochore, Tremain, Meads, and Gray did not reach the heights they have attained in test matches, but the authoritative manner in which they gained control of the ball and dispatched it to their backs was one of the chief factors in North’s win. While South fared much better than expected in the struggle for possession, the ball often came back so raggedly that even a player of Laidlaw’s calibre was hard

pressed to gather It, let alone put it to good use. For one bleak 10-minute period in the second half, Laidlaw and Kirton seemed to lose each other completely: by the time their combination was restored, S. M. Going had flitted between them for the try which sparked off North’s strong sprint to the post. In past inter-island games the South backs have partially offset northern forward supremacy with the ingenuity of their moves. On Saturday, however, it was the North Island back-line which called the tune.

S. M. Going was at his übiquitous best; Thorne rocketed through a dazed defence with his exceptional acceleration; O’Callaghan, with his nimble footwork and graceful swerve, was a constant source of danger for South. And, after shaky and uncertain beginnings, K. T. Going and Sayers gained confidence from the play of the men round them and made a worth-while contribution to North’s attacks. Laidlaw and Kirton were impressive attackers for South, but the remaining backs seemed to lack the polish and purpose of their counterparts. Several fleeting chances which slipped through the three-quarters' fingers in the first half went hard against South in the final reckoning.

Fiery Forwards Conversely, however, the South forwards took a leaf from North’s book in the crashing, driving rushes in which Meads, Tremain and Gray have been such formidable figures. Wyllie, Hopkinson and Sutherland flung themselves after the ball with such fire that when their thrusts were checked their momentum was sufficient to carry them over the ball and set up a successful ruck for South.

Robust charges of this nature played a vital part in the scoring of both South’s tries. The first was started by Laidlaw, whose superb reverse pass sent Kirton, McCormick and Avery scurrying down the blind side for 30 yards. Then the forwards took over, and Kreft smashed his way past several defenders before Hopkinson and Lister, who were at his elbow, burst across the line for Lister to score.

Kreft again headed the forward drive in the second scoring movement, which was begun by McCormick with a spectacular 40yd run through a tattered first line of defence. Sutherland shouldered his way past some covering players, and Hopkinson scored. The finest individual feat of the match was S. M. Going's first try. The quicksilver Maori half-back plucked the ball from Laidlaw’s boot as the South captain was in the act of kicking on the blind side, and sprinted 50 yards to score, beating McCormick in the process. The clash between these two brilliant half-backs was a highlight of the match. Laidlaw, cool and collected, played one of his great games, showing himself to be a heady attacker as well as a skilful passer. Going did not dispatch the ball as well as his rival, but his fast breaks confounded men whose defence has been proved at international level. Master Kicker McCormick was not always his usual sound self at fullback, and once or twice the bouncing ball on the firm turf caught him in two minds. His tackling, too, lacked its normal sting but he showed sound judgment when he joined a back-line movement. His eight points gave him a record score of 55 points for inter-island matches.

Herewini proved that he is still the master of the punt and the drop-kick, but his

penchant for ignoring the logical avenue of attack twice led North into trouble. Cottrell’s reputation as a tackler was badly dented by Sayers in the second half, but the South second five-eighths played a valuable role in cover defence. His dropped goal was a superb effort.

The North Island forwards carried out their drills with admirable precision but there was a marked absence of the fearsome short-passing bursts which have made them notable figures in the Rugby world. McLeod was the liveliest man in the open and Lochore displayed his fine qualities as a cover defender. It was Wyllie, however, who was the loose forward of the match. He did full justice to his appointment as pack leader with his crunching runs and sterling defence. Kirkpatrick and Lister were able lieutenants, but it appeared that South would have fared better had Kirkpatrick been played on the side of the scrum, with Lister at the back. Burns, a light-weight among the locks, shirked none of the hard work and played a leading part in some of the rushes. In this phase of play he had a fine example to follow in Hopkinson, who exuded strength and vitality when the play was hardest Sutherland, in addition to his other attributes, shaded the test lock, Strahan, in the line-outs. The slightly heavier North pack pushed South back in some scrums, but in spite of this Mcßae, the youthful hooker, struck swiftly and unerringly for the ball. He lost only one tight head to the experienced McLeod. Referee: Mr R. Macey (Nelson).