OPENING MATCH TOMORROW All Blacks train at Cheltenham

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33058, 27 October 1972, Page 24

OPENING MATCH TOMORROW All Blacks train at Cheltenham

(From

J. K. BROOKS,

N.Z.P.A. special correspondent)

LONDON.

The All Blacks travelled west to Cheltenham Spa yesterday to complete their preparations for their opening match in Britain on Saturday.

In the space of eight days, they will be confronted by three of the strongest sides they will meet outside the tests— Western Counties, Llanelli, and Cardiff.

Amazement has been expressed in some quarters in London that the New Zealand Rugby Union has exposed the All Blacks to such an incredibly hard start to the British section of their tour.

It is, some say, equivalent to a Lions team playing Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago at the start of a New Zealand tour.

Each of the All Blacks’ first three matches will be so demanding that the selection committee is likely to adhere to a nucleus of experienced players during this period. The side chosen for the first match, against Western Counties, appears to be very nearly the best the All Blacks can hope to put on the field. Injuries have threatened to upset the composition of the team, but A. R. Sutherland is working the bruise out of his thigh and B. J. Robertson has high hopes of easing a strained thigh muscle. Morris in doubt The only player really in doubt at this stage is the full-back, T. J. Morris, whose left leg is stiff and sore. If his calf-muscle injury does not respond to treatment, his place will be taken by J. F. Karam. The Western Counties team emphasises the new approach to Rugby in Britain. The old arrangement of

choosing a combined side to the satisfaction of all interested parties in the area has gone by the board. With the object of winning, the Western Counties selectors have chosen the Gloucestershire side en bloc—and Gloucestershire is the English county champion. This has meant the absence of even a token representation from Somerset—but, in the interests of solidarity, Somerset has made no issue of the matter. The Counties team will be led by J. V. Pullin, the English captain and Lions hooker —and this dour West Country farmer is certain to demand a grinding-down game of his forwards. Llanelli match Then comes Llanelli, coached by the man who guided the Lions’ fortunes in New Zealand last year, Mr C. R. James. He has two of his charges of that tour, W. D. Thomas and D. L. Quinnell, in the team and with three or four other Welsh internationals on call, Llanelli is certain to test the All Blacks in all phases of play. This match will be as much a trial of strength for the New Zealand coach (Mr R. H. Duff) as it will be for the players. Mr Duff will be matching his knowledge and expertise against a man acclaimed throughout New Zealand last year for the manner in which he moulded the Lions into a great side. Cardiff, the club which

conquered the 1953 All Blacks, no longer has the services of its match-winner supreme, B. John. But it does have his admirable partner, G. O. Edwards, who will direct the play from a comfortable position behind a pack of hard-bitten forwards.

For the All Blacks, there will be the added ordeal of playing in front of up to 60,000 Welsh Rugby fans. At the end of these three matches, the British Rugby public, and the New Zealanders themselves, will have learnt a good deal about the capabilities of I. A. Kirkpatrick and his men. They will know whether a plan based on the running of S. M. Going and the loose forwards will be the chief form of attack or whether the backs will be good enough to play a notable part. They will learn, too, whether the team has strength in depth and whether it has the character and resilience to make a success of a demanding tour.