Trick finds few fools

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 17

Trick finds few fools

The Wallabies took their < reputation for rugby in- . ventiveness a step further at I Lancaster Park on Saturday when they employed their t tap penalty variation not t seen before in New Zealand. The crowd of about 30.000 < —■ 10,000 fewer than antici- t pated — watched won- 1 deringly as the Wallabies, r with the exception of the full-back, came together in a 1 huddle after a penalty had f been awarded to them about 10m inside the All Blacks’ i half. s There was a preliminary s

skirmish before one or two I All Blacks were told —i firmly in the finish by the referee (Mr Dave Millar) —, that their presence was noli welcome. Then the Wallabies fanned out into a V-formation, the tap penalty was taken, and there were Australians running in all directions. The ball was then moved for an attack on the left flank. It all came to nothing, but it was a spectacular diversion and not without tryscoring possibilities.

H For originality, the only •| thing to match it on the day : was the superb pre-match demonstration by the New [Zealand Army Band. i This was the first time I the Australian ploy had been : tried in New Zealand, but it I had been used before in ■ Australia, said the Wallabies I coach (Mr Daryl Hat-* I berecht), after the match. Mr Jack Gleeson, the All Black coach, was not greatly . impressed. “We expected ■ them to try something like ■ this, so it came as no great surprise,” he said.