All Blacks educated

Press, 14 October 1976, Page 40

All Blacks educated

By

RON PALENSKL NZPA

staff correspondent

Montevideo

The ways of South American rugby are strange. That was the conclusion of the AH BUcks after they beat Uruguay, 64-3. in their tour debut at Montevideo yesterday.

Pomp and ceremony delayed the late-afternoon start by half an hour, Uruguay introduced new players at half-time, spectators surged onto the field at half-time, and a pUyer sent off later returned to the field — all practices either outlawed or frowned upon by rugby’s lawmakers, the International Rugby Board.

“They certainly do things different here,’’ the All Biack captain, Graham Mourie, ■aid.

The All Blacks also had their first close-up look at the violence Latin rugby has become notorious for since Argentina's Pumas first began widening their rugby contacts.

An attempted kick at the head of the AU Black prop, John Spiers, started an all-in brawl which, although it

lasted only about 30 seconds, was intense and ugly. The grappling players spilled out over the touchline, involving spectators, and the referee had the assistance of two armed soldiers in trying to restore order. It was several minutes before play was resumed. When the brawl had stopped, the All Blacks went into a huddle and from it emerged Mourie and John Callesen — Spiers’ initial defender — and they moved among the Uruguayan players shaking their hands.

The referee. Dr Carlos Colombo, of Buenos Aires, also had a discussion, through an interpreter, with Mourie and the Uruguay captain, Jorge Zerbino. The kicker, lock Antonio Echeverria, was

sent off, but after about 10 minutes on the touch-line, he rejoined the game. During the fighting, the crowd of about 2000 was on its feet, chanting: "Uruguay, Uruguay. Uruguay.” That was about the most noise the crowd made all afternoon, as the All Blacks moved almost at will against the inexperienced Uruguayans.

The New Zealanders scored 11 tries in a sparkling manner which led the coach (Mr Jack Gleeson) to say afterwards: “That was the way we wanted to play.”

The forwards had complete control, giving their backs an abundance of good ball.

Scott Cartwright, the fleetfooted Canterbury wing, made a flying start to the tour with three tries, one of which came at the end of a move involving most of the AH Blacks and most of the field.

The full-back, Richard Wilson, rejected by Canterbury’s senior side selectors, had no trouble adapting to the different South American balls and banged over three penalties fron 40, 50 and 45 metres from his first four kicks.

Apart from Cartwright’s three tries, John Brake scored two, and Paul Sapsford, Eddie Stokes, Doug Rollerson, Stu Cron, Vance Stewart and Peter Sloane each scored one. Wilson converted four of the tries and kicked four penalties.

For Uruguay, Pablo de Iturria drop-kicked a goal.-