Scots face test defeat ALL BLACKS POISED FOR HANDSOME WIN

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33869, 14 June 1975, Page 48

Scots face test defeat ALL BLACKS POISED FOR HANDSOME WIN

( By

J. K. BROOKS)

AUCKLAND.

In the last four weeks members of the Scotland Rugby team have set new standards of behaviour and courtesy for a touring football side and it will be impossible for anyone who has been associated with these friendly fellows not to grieve for them if they are beaten by New Zealand in the international at Eden Park this afternoon.

I ntortunatelv for the Scots defeat seems to be the fate which is in store for

them. The white - jerseyed New Zealand side should [be clearly superior in rucking and driving, and the elusiveness of Sid Going and Grant Batty; !and the zestful running l of their fellow backs ishould convert this! superiority into a hand-: some points margin. Fhe side would have to play as wretchedly as it did in its last home international — against England ' on the same ground two years ago — for Scotland to • urn the tables. I here is no feat ot a substandard New Zealand performance. however. Continuity ot players, coach, and tactics from the triumphant tour of Ireland last November has been achieved, and the team seems set for an; explosive performance. There has been little indication in Scotland’s six tour [ games that the team has the : necessary resources for a test victory. It is certainly adept at scrummaging anil in winning line-out posses l i sion, but it has displayed deficiencies in ball maintenance, fielding the ball on the ground, and developing play from break-downs At times, j too, the back play has approached a stage of fossilisation. But the Scots possess two! gifted goal-kickers in Doug: Morgan and Andy Irvine —I in aggregate thev have kick-1

:ed 29 goals from 41 at-] itempts on tour — and New] iZealand is not so markedly! ! superior that it can afford to' igive away penalties in its' !eagerness to score tries. j The rival coaches were! I guarded in their eve-of-testi comments yesterday. Mr J. [J. Stewart expressed a I wholesome respect for the : Scots and said the touring i team played far more enterprising Rugby than any side all the All Blacks faced in Britain and Ireland last November Same style It was the New Zealand ■ side's aim to carry on in the i same style it displayed against Ireland, Wales, and ; the Barbarians on that tnem- | orable tour, he said. But Mr : Stewart, who is not given to ' making optimistic pre- ! dictions, said he expected , his team’s task to be “difficult” because it had been some time since the players had been together. The Scottish coach (Mr Bill Dickinson) said his side badly wanted a win, but he] was not prepared to predict! victory.

This year Scotland had beaten Wales and Ireland, the two sides which lost to the All Blacks seven months ago, and this gave the visitors some indication of their prospects, Mr Dickinson said.

The Scots yesterday decided not to risk playing the No 8, George Mackie, because of his knee injury.

They brought in Bill Watson as a flanker and switched David Leslie to his usual position at the back of the

scrum. Alan Tomes, a lock, was added to the reserves. Joe Karam the New Zealand full-Lack. was passed fit last night to play, according to the Press Association. If is likely that Greg Rowlands, the stand-by fullback will take the place of one of the original reserves as a! precautionary measure. I rained well ; The New Zealand side has trained well, and Mr Stewart has paid particular heed to< the stability of the: scrummaging. Sig-] nificantly, he has also had; Going hard at work on! sharpening his passing. Bill Bush, the tight-head i prop, and Bryan Williams,! the right wing, are two! players who appear ready to]

give outstanding performances today. But Williams’s chances will depend to an extent on whether the young centre Bill Osborne can catch and pass better than he has on the training field. Cornerstone*) lan McLauchlan and Sandy Carmichael will be the cornerstones of a solid Scottish forward effort, and New Zealand wil] have to keep a wary eye on Alastair McHarg, the most unorthodox lock in test Rugby. Scotland’s chances, however, depend largely on the backs — they must show a greater eagerness for developing attacks. Yet by choosing the brilliant attacking full-back Irvine to play on the right wing and including the virtually untried Graham Birkett in the centres they appear to have lessened their potential. Rain fell yesterday morning in Auckland and the test forecast is for unsettled weather. This might be another factor to New Zealand’s advantage. Test record Sandy Carmichael, veteran Scottish tight-head prop, wil] equal his country’s record for most international appearances when he plaj; today. It will be his fortieth test, and it will place him beside Hughie McLeod and Doug Rollo in the record book. Both McLeod and Rollo were also props. The 31-year-old Carmichael first played for Scotland in the match aaainst the 1967 All Blacks, i