Coach lashes All Blacks

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33128, 19 January 1973, Page 20

Coach lashes All Blacks

<By

JOHN BROOKS. N.Z.P.A.

special correspondent)

DUBLIN. After their dismal effort against Munster, it was not surprising that the All Blacks received a tongue-lashing from their coach (Mr R. H. Duff) when they trained in frosty conditions in Cork before leaving for Dublin.

The Munster match put the team back to square one, said Mr Duff. He described the All Blacks’ play as “shocking” and the lack of tactical appreciation as “appalling.” “When mistakes are made Hike we made them at Cork there are usually two reasons,” he said after the team had arrived in Dublin. “One is that the players are fundamentally unable to do better, which in the case iof a national side like this I refute. The other reason is that players expose them- . selves to errors through presisure from the opposition. This is what happened at ! Cork.” The All Blacks did things they had been told not to do. ■ such as running the ball from their own 25 or attempting suicidal cut-backs across the field towards opposing forwards, he said. On occasions 'players had disregarded instructions from the captain (A. J. Wyllie). It was hard to fathom why this was so, said Mr Duff.

i The side had been praised by I I newspapers, especially after] | the good win against Midland] Counties West last week, but I the manner in which that win] was achieved seemed to have! .been momentarily forgotten/ "When a side has achieved! a most satisfying win by building itself into the game and through that, dictating trends by the application of |its own planned moves, it is] (sheer folly to depart from! that pattern.” he said. “What we did at Cork in effect was to move into another area and try to win without laying the foundation.” Mr Duff said he did not regard the performance as a; wholesale loss of form and; said that the side would give: a far better account of itself in the test against Ireland. GOING IMPROVES The All Black half-back, S. M. Going, should be fit for the match against Ireland (Sunday morning, N.Z. time). He was withdrawn at the last minute from the match ini (Cork with a strained thigh; muscle, “as a precaution” but has trained well with the team since.