SEVEN TRIES TO ONE Lions win, 27-6, in the mud

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32659, 15 July 1971, Page 22

SEVEN TRIES TO ONE Lions win, 27-6, in the mud

(From EARLE READ, N.Z.P.A. staff correspondent)

The Lions came through their baptism in New Zealand mud at Masterton yesterday with a convincing win, 27-6, over Wairarapa-Bush, scoring seven tries to one.

It was not a match which will go down among the most distinguished of the tour. The field was sticky, and provided a treacherous foothold between half-way and the twenty-fives. Yet the Lions, through the determined running of their wings, A. Biggar and J. Spencer, and through flashes of artistry by B. John, gave the crowd of 10,000 a few moments to remember them by.

After a muddling first half, the Lions led, 6-3. In the second half, the backs scored five more tries, showing that on a dry ground WairarapaBush might well have been overrun. The match featured two tries which rather caught the crowd by surprise. Rea the centre, was awarded a try after he appeared to kncck-on and lose the ball in goal. Then Edwards was awarded a try, dotting down round a ruck in a mare of players. The first was hooted by the crowd, the second received in stony silence, as Edwards was obscured from the view of most people. But there were other Lions’ tries which earned warm aplause—a solo effort by John, dummying on the blind side, and determined dashes for the comer by Biggar and Spencer. The teams were:— BRITISH ISLES: R. Hiller (captain); S. Spencer, A. J. Lewis, C. W. W. Rea, A. G. Biggar; B. John, G. O. Edwards; D. L. Quinnell; J. F. Slattery, G. L. Brown, T. G. Evans, R. J. Arneil, M. G. Roberts, F. A. Laidlaw, C. B. Stevens. WAIRARAPA-BUSH: V. M. Martell; K. E. O’Shea. B. G. Martin. M. Barnes; N. A. Purvis, R. T. Couch; L. H. Karatau (captain); G. N. Gray; B. J. Lochore, D. P. Oliver, P. J. Ryan W. K. Crawley; G. E. Falconer. W. N. Rowlands. KICKS MISSED The Lions’ margin would have been much greater if either John or Hiller could have kicked conversions in the Memorial Park mud; between them, they missed four such attempts, and alsoj failed with one attempted i goal from a penalty. Wairarapa - Bush, boosted by the presence of the former All Black captain, Lochore, and trailing by only three points at half-time, looked likely to give the Lions a hard struggle. Its forwards had won a good share of the ball from line-outs and rucks. But the home side faded in the second half, and failed to make the vital midfield tackles which might have stopped the Lions scoring. That three of the Lions’ tries went to the wings, two to Biggar, and one to Spencer, was a tribute to their handling of the greasy ball. Spencer ran more determinedly than on any other time on tour, and might have scored twice more but for

the cover-defence of the flankers; Gray and Ryan for Wairarapa-Bush. Lochore and his co-lock, Oliver, gave the home side a fair supply of line-out ball, while Gray and Ryan, breaking from scrum and lineout, pushed both Edwards and John off the ball. But the fragility of the defence was shown when John darted

I over for a blindside try just before half-time, and was well exposed by Biggar and Spencer in the second half. SUPERIOR SPEED The Lions’ win was built round superior speed in the backs. There were times when, with the kick through from midfield or from John, a try was offering for the Lions but lost through a bad bounce and through the Wai-rarapa-Bush midfield players Martin and Purvis trapping the ball and clearing it. Wairarapa-Bush had a rock like full-back in Marfell, who took some high kicks superbly in the first half. It was bad luck for the home Team when he took a severe tackle by the new Lion, ArIneil. in the second half, and

had to leave the field before the match Was over. Once the initial attention to Edwards and John was eased, the Lions’ backs handled with fine skill considering the state of the ground and the ball. John was caught in possession several times, but redeemed himself with two grand breaks, from which he scored each time. Rea and A. Lewis, when concentrating upon feeding the ball, were a useful pair of centres, and Biggar on the left wing, endorsed his good form of recent matches. UNUSUAL INCIDENT Hiller at full-back, left most of the goal-kicking to John, but as the. latter failed with several, came back for another try late in the match. Hiller figured in a quite unusual incident on the touchline when he apparently decided that a tackle by the Wairarapa-Bush second fiveeighths, Purvis, upon John was late, and he asked that Purvis make an apology to John. Purvis, after several attempts, managed to pull his way free of Hiller’s clutch. The Wairarapa-Bush forwards made some telling forays from the line-out, controlling the ball at their feet through the mud. Gray and Ryan were tigerish both when attacking with the ball at toe or in the hand, and Gray was invaluable on coverdefence. For the British Isles, tries were scored by John (two), Biggar (two), Spencer, Rea, and Edwards. John kicked two conversions and Hiller, one. For Wairarapa-Bush, a try was scored by Couch, and a goal from a penalty kicked by Marfell.