Can All Blacks win sufficient possession to control test?

Press, 14 August 1976, Page 52

Can All Blacks win sufficient possession to control test?

From T. P. McLEAN Bloemfontein When Charlie Saxton's Kiwis returned home after World War 11, they said that everything in good rugby depended on possession, position, and pace.

The same requirements confront the All Blacks who early tomorrow will play the Springboks in the crucial second test, at Bloemfontein. If they can be assured of possession, position, and pace the All Blacks can square the series; and if they can maintain this assurance, they can win the series. The All Blacks are in general long enough in football’s tooth to know all about position, and I contend thev will be found superior in pace. But can they win sufficient possession to control the match? That is the real question. The chances are that they cannot. In Williams, du Plessis, van Heerden, and the new player Stofberg, the Springboks have four men as tall as, if not taller than the four Lions, Mcßride, Brown. Davies, and Uttley who y domination of the line-outs won immortality by leading the British through an unbeaten tour of South Africa. Regrettably, the All Blacks can field only one extremely tall man, in Whiting, and their other two reasonably tall men , Macdonald and Kirkpatrick, have never won esteem as kings of the lineout. If. as may be surmised, the Springboks decide that the winning of the match will d> - pend upon line-out contest, then their likely superiority is certain to be capitalised n by their extensit use of their great kicking fly-half, Gerald Bosch, to plant the ball further down the touchline and, as opportunity arises, to score points from drop-kicks and penalty goals. TTie spirited All Blacks are certain to use their advantage in pace, which among the forwards promises to be quite considerable, and they could well use a strong attitude of mind to cause tremors among a Springbok back-line which has an experimental look about it But. if the All Blacks cannot establish parity in possession, or at very worst a 4555 percentage of possessing,

then all the tremors they might cause among the Springbok backs are not going to turn the match their way. Perhaps the All Blacks’ greatest hope lies in so entangling the Springbok "hinge” of Paul Bayvel, at scrumhalf, and Bosch that much of the possession won by Williams and company will become a liability. "Ours is not a great team,” says the coach, Mr J. J. Stewart — and on form so far this tour, this is a just estimate of the All Blacks. But even at their worst, these All Blacks, through their pace, have displayed a latent quality which, properly exploited, could turn to greatness. They dare not tomorrow mull catches and muff passes. But their pace is their great advantage — and if they can use it with sufficient ball in hand, they • can win. At the news that Granti Batty and Bruce Johnstone: had to withdraw from i Thursday’s training, many ' writers forecast little hope ■ for New Zealand tomorrow. . “It would seem,” said i Michael Shafto, of the large English group of papers ' run by the Argus company, i “that all the Springboks: need to do is cock the hammer, take aim, and pull the trigger. "Even now,” Shafto said, “It will not be any cakewalk. But looked at coldly, the plight of the All Blacks is about as serious as it can get.” Johnstone said yesterday, firmly, that he would play. The injury, to the insertions to his right hamstring muscle just above the knee, was first suffered when he > had to leave the field when Auckland was playing Sydney months ago. The injury - has recurred, and caused him at one stage to take five weeks rest. He was put on the sideline for a fortnight by the All Blacks, but when he turned out against South African Universities and scored a fine try, he played in pain throughout the match. Once he took an injection.

“Not again,” he said. “Pain or not, I’ll play — and do my damndest.” Batty’s injury is to the flat muscle under the rib cage in his back. "I have suffered the same injury myself,” said the team’s medical man, Lawrie Knight. "One is conscious of the pain. The injury cannot be improved by playing a contact sport. “If it is decided ‘Batts’ should play, I think he should have a pain-killing injection,” Knight said. The All Blacks, understandably, are deeply worried by these injuries, although they take comfort from Johnstone’s attitude. Mr Stewart has forecast the possibility that if Batty cannot take the field, Bill Osborne will play at centre and Bruce Robertson on the wing. The teams are:— New Zealand.— Kit Fawcett; Bryan Williams, Bruce Robertson. Grant Batty; Joe Morgan, Doug Bruce; Sid Going; Andy Leslie (captain); Kevin Eveleigh, Peter Whiting, Hamish Macdonald, lan Kirkpatrick; Bill Bush, Tane Norton, Brad Johnstone. Reserves: Backs, Lyn Davis, Bill Osborne, Duncan Robertson; forwards, Graeme Crossman, Frank Oliver, Lawrie Knight. South Africa— Dawie Snyrnan; Gertie Germishuys, Johan Oostuizen, lan Robertson; Chris Pope, Gerald Bosch; Paul Bayvel; Morne du Plessis (captain); Boland Coetzee, Jon Williams, Moaner van Heerden, Theuns Stofberg; Rampie Stander, Robert Cockrell, Derek van den Berg. Reserves: Backs, Peter Wbipp, de Wet Ras, Barry Wolmarans; forwards, Piston van Wvk, Kevin de Klerk, Daan du Plessis. The referee will be Mr Gert Bezuidenhout (Transvaal).