Kiwis spend day on defence

Press, 26 June 1978, Page 28

Kiwis spend day on defence

From

BRIAN DOHERTY,

NZPA correspondent

Sydney Australia beat New Zealand, 24-2 in the first rugby league test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday and, with the amount of ball it had, it should have won by more. , , That it scored only four tries was a tribute to the Kiwi defence. The New Zealand coach Mr Ron Ackland, described it afterwards as the best defensive display of the tour so far. The Kangaroos preferred to “play it tight” and this was easy meat for the Kiwi defence, particularly the back three of Murray Eade, Ray Baxendale and Tony Coll. Eade was replaced 23min from time with a suspected broken left forearm. New Zealand was behind all game. The hooker, Glenn Taylor, won the first scrum and then lost the next five and finished the half down, 3-9. The final margin was 15-7 to George Peponis. In the penalties, the story was the same. New Zealand .had to wait 18min for its first penalty and by then the Kangaroos were up 9-0. The final penalty count favoured Australia, 9-8. In addition, New Zealand had to battle against a champion goal-kicker, the centre, Mick Cronin. He came into the game with a string of 19 straight goals and stretched this to a record 25, breaking a 59-year-old mark set by another Australian against New Zealand, Arthur Oxford. Two of his goals were from near the sideline. Afterwards the Kiwis felt that the two of the tries were the crushers, Steve Rogers' 13min into the game and Peponis’ just after halftime. Until Rogers scored, the Kiwis were working their way back into the game and gaining confidence. Then Rogers sped past six defenders in a devastating solo burst covering 50m. That put Australia ahead, 9-0, but a penalty lOmin later by Chris Jordan kept the Kiwis in the game. But just as quickly Peponis plucked the game away from the Kiwis. Graham Oiling, a big prop who was the most penetrative of the Australian forwards,

broke to within 3m of the New Zealand line. Peponis dived through and although . three defenders had him, it was a try. That and Cronin’s con, version ended the game. New Zealand’s greatest fault was its inability to control the ball for six tackles. With possession being so scarce, they should have treated the ball with loving care. Instead they fell into their old ways and fired it away carelessly, especially when close to the line. New Zealand’s main attacking threat was Olsen Filipaina, and he managed to get clear only once and then ruined the break by throwing a wild pass somewhere near Dane O’Hara. New Zealand’s day was one of defence, and here it left the Australians with something to think about. They gave the crack Australian centres, Rogers and Cronin, little room and the breaks that did come did so because of bad position play by New Zealand and not through missed tackles. 1 The Kiwis will have to find a new full-back for the next test. Jordan, with all the heart in the world, could not handle the “bombs” and did not have the speed to cover the breaks. The Kiwis also need to work on their scrummaging. The hooker, Taylor said he was often unable to get his feet close to the ball, even when he had the loose head. The test match lacked the fiery opening the Sydney press forecast. The closest any player came to receiving a warning was Taylor, who was penalised for kneeing an Australian. For Australia, tries were 1 scored by Rogers, Peponis, Terry Fahey and Boustead. ' Cronin converted them all and kicked two penalties. For New Zealand, Jordan kicked a penalty. The crowd was a disappointing 16,577, although the weather was fine and the ground firm.