All Blacks survive freezing conditions to scrape home, 9-6

Press, 4 December 1978, Page 22

All Blacks survive freezing conditions to scrape home, 9-6

From KEVIN McMENA-, MIN, on tour with the AU Blacks In cold that would test I the stamina of an Antarctic] survival team, the AUt Blacks kept their winning! streak alive by beating I North of England, 9-6, at] Birkenhead on Saturday.] However, they won by little ] more than the skins of their! chattering teeth. On a total assessment, North of England would have to be judged the better] side and the All Blacks should once again be thankful for the presence of Brian McKechnie. As a Southlander, McKechnie might have fell the cold less than most, but whatever the reason he provided all the points with a try, a conversion and a penalty. North’s points came from two penalty goals by its half-back, Malcolm Young. So the All Blacks yet’ again went through 80-minutes of play without conceding a try.' North of England was a much better team than the England side that the All Blacks put down at Twickenham a week earlier. The forwards, were shot into some backward slides by the power Of the All Blacks! scrummaging, but this wasi the only clear advantage the] tourists' enjoyed. Numb fingers made line-outs hard! to win and the battle here] was about even, with nei-| ther side getting much clean! possession. . . I But in the rucks and mauls, North was markedly superior. Its backrow of Peter Dixon, Roger (Jttley

.and Tony Neary gave Newll ! Zealand all manner of prob-11 items and it was hard to be-!; !Sieve that this was the same!; I Dixon and Uttley who had! | floundered about in the Eng-j £ Hand pack a week earlier. : North ran some of; ( jits possession, especially L I second-phase ball, extremely I s i well, and if New Zealand (served to win it could only . | be because of the completeness of its defence. ] Not all the first tackles (were made to count, but , ■ there was always someone > in support to halt or hinder : the advance. Leicester Rut- I ledge, by chance another ‘ Southlander, and a freezing » worker as well, stood out in 1 these rescue operations and 1 it would not be pushing ‘ coincidence .to the hilt to ‘ single him out as the best ’ New Zealand forward. ! The others all tackled well, and the last 20 ; minutes was all hard graft, ’ but apart from their scrummaging die All Black for- t wards slipped a rung or two ’ on their two previous < 'performances i Even so, Frank Oliver and ' Andy Haden were as honest f as the day was dark. Behind the pack, Mark Donaldson f was more indecisive than 1 usual, and the backs as a < whole seldom found the i open spaces that their rivals]5 (consistently enjoyed. ![ i Goal-kicking apart, New]: (Zealand had good cause toll ! be thankful for McKechnie’s ]! 'right foot and .Doug Bruce's]! .left foot. jt I On their respective sides i laf the field they cut off!I great slices of ground with]l touch-finders, especially ( towards the end when ' defensive penalties gave'i

(New Zealand some much-; i needed relief, Bruce also placed the high kick with precise judgment. The game was watched by:' ■ a capacity crowd of about: ! 12.000 all deserving of the (George Medal for their dedi-!' i cation in turning out on [such a bitterly cold day. It] was only at half-time when! the floodlights were turned i ] on that the ground gave up! its sepulchral gloom. North played with the' wind behind it in the first, half and Young used it superbly in the third minute to! arch a penalty kick from 43m through the posts.!' North had the better of the early exchanges, the pattern ] of the forward play being quickly- established, and McKechnie missed a good; opportunity to get New Zea-i land started when in the six- ‘ teenth minute, he pushed a 30m penalty kick to the left, i Another line-out penalty,! the . same area that allowed ] Young’s first goal, cost New; Zealand another three points] in the twenty-ninth minute,! Young goaling this time | from about 35m. Just beforehand Peter] Squires on the right wing, had nearly scored in the! corner. i But the scores were le-j (veiled at 6-6 two minutes! ! later when McKechnie I (scored his try and then true] Ito recent form he found the] [posts with a much harder! (kick, than the one he had] | earlier missed. : The try-scoring movement, (began with a strong surge by Graham Mourie and his] I ever-present ally, Rutledge.! (When they were halted, the: *ruck was quickly won and I

I the ball whipped along the ; line to the right wing, ■ i Stuart Wilson. Wilson was tackled just out from the corner and when the ball : rolled loose McKechnie was there to grab it and plunge over. McKechnie missed another j penalty later, as also did i Brian Williams (twice) and i Gary Seear from longer distances. But just about mid!way through the second , spell, when it seemed that New Zealand might be ! struggling to escape with a draw, McKechnie, kicked his i match-winning goal from i about 35m. j The kick followed on from; 'a powerful mid-field burst' by North, with Uttley the man at the helm. There was ia danger that the All Blacks would be out-flanked when I the ball was put down and ■ Andy Dalton turned the play iwith a ground kick. As ev-i ;eryone changed direction, Bill Osborne was obstructed. Young had a chance to i bring the scores level again | with just four minutes reI maining when Lyn .Jaffray; I was penalised for a late , tackle and the distance between Young and the posts | was no more than 35m. The' i New Zealanders in the; crowd gave full voice to ‘their relief as Young steered J the ball outside the left upr-! i ightOn such a day it was not la had effort. To get another [win, albeit an unconvincing |one. was as good as a ray I o* - two of sunlight. For New Zealand, McKechnie scored a try and {kicked a conversion and a i penalty. | , Young kicked two penalty; I goals for North of England. !