ON-AGAIN-OFFAGAIN DEFENCE

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32450, 10 November 1970, Page 34

ON-AGAIN-OFF-AGAIN DEFENCE

(From

ALAN GRAHAM.

N.Z.P.A. staff correspondent)

BRADFORD. While never in danger of defeat, the 1970 Kiwis were less than fully satisfied with their 28-17 win over Bradford Northern.

On attack they looked as good as ever, but on defence there was a return to the on-again-off-again type of play they showed in their first two matches of the World Cup against Australia and France. Leading by 10 points at half-time (15-5), even though they had played into a very strong wind, the Kiwis should have romped away in the second half. Instead, they scored only one more point than Bradford in this half, and allowed the home team considerable room in which to charge the Kiwi goal-line. It took some pretty desperate tackling, notably by L. Graham, right on the goal-line, to stop Bradford scoring more than their two tries in the second spell. The Kiwi lapses in the second half were hard to explain, because the best tackler in the team, A P. Kriletich, came on at half-time, pushing E. Heatley, who had not really been successful at loose forward, back into the second row, with G. M. J. Smith going into D. J. Gailey’s place in the front row.

But-New Zealand had some excellent moments on attack, and Graham surprised everyone by roaring up unexpectedly to score two tries. M. P. Brereton played his usual reliable game on the left wing, and the centre, B. R. Lowther, ran him in' for another try—his fifth of the tour.

The scrum-half, G. R. Cooksley, was fairly lively, and four times chased Mg men from behind and brought them down with great tackles. The hooker, W J. E. Burgoyne, won the scrums, 12-11.

In the loose, J. Greengrass had another good

game. He had trouble getting down in the scrums, however, which didn’t help Burgoyne’s hooking. The Kiwis now go on to meet Salford, a much stronger club than Barrow or Bradford, under floodlights pn Wednesday night, before playing two matches in France.