LIONS COACH PLOTS VICTORY Fanatical Llanelli team blunts All Blacks

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33063, 2 November 1972, Page 26

LIONS COACH PLOTS VICTORY Fanatical Llanelli team blunts All Blacks

(From

J. K. BROOKS,

N.Z.P.A. special correspondent)

LLANELLI.

Discipline, organisation and “hwyl” were the three main ingredients in the Llanelli mixture which the All Blacks found indigestible in their second tour match, at Stradey Park yesterday.

The organisation came from Mr C. R. James, the famed coach of the 1971 Lions, who had plotted his side’s victory since last August.

The discipline came from the scarlet* jerseyed Llanelli players, splendidly led by the veteran Lions lock, VV. D. Thomas, who followed the James plan devotedly.

And “hwyl,” that mystical quality stemming from almost fanatical Welsh fervour, was supplied by 23,000 spectators who were as keyed up as the players and Just as jubilant when the game ended, with Llanelli victor by 9-3.

It was Llanelli’s first win against a New Zealand side and it was wholly deserved. Llanelli was the better team on the day, its forwards playing with wholehearted application and hacks carrying out their duties swiftly and The Ali Blacks played as well as they could and won respect because of their unremitting efforts. But they became too involved in a forward struggle with the tough, determined Llanelli pack, and their back play, which might have proved a salvation, was insufficiently developed.

Whereas at Gloucester on Saturday the All Black forwards were rarely off their

feet, and when checked were able to tum in the tackle and feed their supports, yesterday the Llanelli players knocked the New Zealand loose men to the ground, thereby stifling loose driving. Harder than test The home side’s strenuous effort in the rucks prevented the development of secondphase attacks. A lot of ball was tied up in the tight, and. in addition, the awarding of 35 penalties by the referee, Mr M. H. Titcombe, of Bristol, contributed to a constant disruption of play. “I hope the All Blacks do not blame me for their defeat,” Mr Titcombe said afterwards. *1 am not from Wales, I am from England, and try to referee right down the middle. "Both sides were infringing and I had to penalise them. In many ways this was harder to referee than a test match.” Disappointed coach Mr Titcombe penalised the All Blacks 19 times, to Llanelli’s 16, and many penalties against New Zealand were awarded at the lineout. The All Blacks coach, Mr R. H. Duff, was somewhat despondent after the game.

“I had spent a lot of time drilling forwards in technique and thought we would pass the test,” he said. “We are naturally disappointed, but we will be back in good fettle for the Cardiff match on Saturday.” Llanelli’s points came from a try by R. T. E. Bergiers, a conversion by P. Bennett and a penalty goal by A. Hill. J. F. Karam kicked a penalty for New Zealand.

The match was played in overcast weather on a wellgrassed field, but conditions were so murky in the second half that often it was hard to distinguish the All Blacks from the gloom. Kick charged down But the crowd was in buoyant mood, and their spontaneous singing of Welsh songs, cheering and whistling spurred on the Llanelli players, especially when the All Blacks threw everything into attack in the final 10 minutes. The All Blacks had only themselves to blame for losing the initiative in the early stages. A penalty kick by Bennett ballooned off the crossbar; S. L. Colling caught the ball, ran six yards and kicked for touch. But he had run a yard too far. Bergiers charged down the ball and scored an easy try. The All Blacks narrowed the margin to three points after 25 minutes, but the Llanelli left wing, Hill, sealed the fate of the game with a 55-yard penalty 10 minutes from the end. New Zealand would have been in greater trouble had it not been for the excellent play of the 20-year-old fullback, Karam. His fielding and catching under intense pressure was first class; he confidently ran the ball from defensive positions, and made the extra man in rare backline attacks. It was a most encouraging performance from a player comparatively inexperienced in top football. Soon pinned down The All Blacks tried hard to promote forward rushes through the efforts of I. A. Kirkpatrick, A. R. Sutherland, and A. I. Scown, but without exception the inspired defence of the home forwards, with T. David prominent, put the New Zealanders on the ground before momentum could be developed. New Zealand errors also led to Llanelli having most put-ins to scrums, and although the All Blacks won a narrow advantage in the rucks, there was insufficient clean ball from this source for Colling and R. E. Burgess to put New Zealand in an advantageous position. A bunched line-out formation was adopted by Llanelli and good jumping by Thomas and his fellow Lion, D. T. Quinnell, gave the home side a narrow but significant advantage in this phase of play. Norton injured Quinnell upset the All Blacks by shifting position from three to seven, depending on who was throwing in. P. L. Whiting and A. M. Haden had some success in the New Zealand line-outs, and K. Murdoch and G. L. Whiting did much donkeywork in the rucks and mauls. R. A. Urlich, who was a late replacement for the in-

jured R. W. Norton, hooked well in a game of no tight heads, and was quick off the front of the line-out, but both he and Murdoch were badly obstructed when leading promising attacks — and this was one time when the referee kept his whistle in his pocket. The game started explosively, both packs hurling themselves into the fray to the accompaniment of the referee’s shrill blasts on his whistle. Ten penalties were awarded in the first 12 minutes, and skirmishes led to Mr Titcombe cautioning Quinell, P. L. Whiting and Murdoch at various stages, while the vociferous crowd maintained chants of “Scarlet scarlet” (for Llanelli) and “Off off” (for All Black offenders).

The incredible intensity of the crowd’s approach was mirrored in the display of the Llanelli players. Five of them were stretched out on the turf at various stages in stopping the All Black advance but they were pulled groggily to their feet by fellow players and played on doggedly. Of such stuff are winning Rugby teams made.

New Zealand would have been better advised to let its backs off the leash more in a bid to stretch the Llanelli defence, but the uncertainty of winning possession and the devoted defence of all the home players hampered the All Black backs. Off without run As a result, the threequarters were rarely brought into play. B. G. Williams did not get a run, and left the field after 2 minutes in the second half because of a kick above the knee. He is expected to be recovered in three days. D. A. Hales made two good runs and M. Sayers showed the right approach midfield, but only when Karam lent assistance did the back-line look capable of getting results. Llanelli’s stream of ball from the scrums and the steady passing of R. Hopkins gave Bennett a grand opportunity to keep New Zealand moving backwards — and the All Blacks did not look convincing in these circumstances. Lessons learned New Zealand will have learnt much from this game. The Welsh packs are to be treated with caution and the influence of Welsh crowds cannot be underestimated. And, most of all, coaches like Carwyn James have to be respected, and not only when they are guiding the fortunes of international teams.