All Blacks leave to begin Rugby tour

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33049, 17 October 1972, Page 18

All Blacks leave to begin Rugby tour

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND.

The 1972 All Blacks flew from Auckland Airport late last night, but only after a meticulous search of their aircraft and luggage by police.

A 12-strong pohce team from Otahuhu moved into the airport earlier in the evening and made a thorough search of the jet taking the team to Honolulu. Then, as other people on the flight arrived, policemen went through their luggage in a special sorting room. Inspector B. E. Wells, who led the police contingent, described the search as a precautionary measure. There was nothing, he said, to suggest that anything was amiss.

“We have done this solely for time saving,” he said. “It is far better now to make sure that the luggage and the plane are secure, than to have the flight returned to Auckland for a full-scale search later on.” Police are believed to have had reports that the All Blacks were to be “farewelled” by demonstrators. ONE PROTESTER But only one protester turned up. And he—an aging Maori man, wearing an antiarparteid billboard declared: "I am not a demonstrator at all. I am a constructive suggester.” The All Blacks were greeted with hearty cheering from about 200 people as they threaded their way into the overseas terminal. Autographs were signed, and wives and girlfriends, relatives, and friends said farewell before the team moved into the Customs restricted area about 10.30 p.m. The whole development of the All Black team would be toward winning the tests, and if it won the games in between, so much the better, said the All Black manager (Mr E. L. Todd) before the team left for North America and Europe last night. “That is the natural thing,” said Mr Todd. “The tests will be our big aim, especially the Welsh test.” PREDICTION Mr Todd would not predict the outcome of the tour or the test series, as the Lion’s manager (Dr I. W. C. Smith) did last year. “I am not one to make

predictions about the results of Rugby games,” he said, “but I have one prediction to make about this team: “I feel that a great deal of good for New Zealand Rugby will come out of this tour.” “I feel that All Black Rugby is still at a very high level, and that this team will show that “Even after being with the players for only a day or two I have been delighted at their keeness and eagerness. They are tremendously keen to do well and they seem very dedicated to the task.” New combinations would be tried early in the tour, Mr Todd said, and if these came off then the whole basis of selection might change. COACH'S PLAN The team’s assistant manager and coach (Mr R. Duff) has a plan for stopping staleness during the four-month tour of Britain and France. The team will play a match against British Columbia in Vancouver on Thursday and meet New York on Saturday before Hying to London for the tour proper Mr Duff said he was fully aware that four months of Rugby was going to be hard on the players. "I know that training can become a boring affair as time goes by,” he said. "For a start we will be concentrating on fitness—staying with the basic essentials of the game—but later

1 hope to introduce variations, particular;} at training “Lindsay MeCaughan. the physical education officer at University of Canterbury, has prepared a pamphlet tor me which includes many suggestions to break the monotony of training ” Mr Duff said he agreed “to a degree" with the comment by Ute captain, I A. Kirkpatrick, at the official N 2.R.U. farewell that the AU Blacks had their backs to the wall. Kirkpatrick had said that because the AU Blacks had “their backs to the wall” they would be all the more determined to prove they could stUl play winning Rugby. “It is true we were beaten by the Lions last season." Mr Duff said “But the margin, to my mind, was narrow We have got the material In thia team to play’ football of a high standard I m quietly confident future events will prove my contention.” TRAINING RUN The All Blacks had their first training run of the tour at King's College, where both KirkSatrick and the lock, H. Maconald, were educated. Both were presented with a King's tie and a book at assembly, and they in turn presented individual sports trophies won by pupils in the past winter season. After the training run, which was fairly vigorous, the All Blacks had their official team photograph taken, and were completing Anal tour details at their hotel.