Beleaguered All Black side under pressure to win all-important test

Press, 12 July 1980, Page 56

Beleaguered All Black side under pressure to win all-important test

NZPA Sydney New Zealand will face an extremely difficult task when it attempts to win the series against Australia in the third and deciding test at the Sydney Cricket Ground this afternoon.

But the All Blacks proved in the test against England at Twickenham last November that they have the ability to lift their game when confronted by adversity. Just as Graham Mourie’s side was defeated by Northern Division on the Saturday before the England test the psychological pre-test pressure affecting Dave Loveridge’s team includes the vivid memory of a 3-9 loss against Queensland last Sunday, and injury problems. Loveridge will lead his proud and somewhat battered team out on to the S.C.G. for a match which has generated tremendous public interest on both sides of the Tasman. Australian Rugby Union officials are conservatively expecting a crowd of about

40,000 — all intent on seeing which way the balance of the series will fall. The pre-match drama continued yesterday when it was announced that the All Black hooker, Hika Reid, and the Wallaby wing, Michael Martin, would not play in the test because of injuries.

The All Black coach, Eric Watson, suffered a bitter blow when Reid and the Auckland mid-field back, Gary Cunningham, two of the outstanding contributors to the second test victory at Ballymore, were invalided out of the game. Undoubtedly Cunningham’s dynamic tackling in the mid-field and Reid’s counter-attacking ability will be sorely missed, but the All Blacks have generated a tremendous will to win the game.

“We have to win this test to make a success of the series and save the tour. It’s as simple as that,” said Loveridge.

The battle between the two packs promises to be an extremely intense one. It would be a great pity if forwards from both sides indulged in the use of similar sordid tactics which to a certain extent marred the first and second tests. . If the All Blacks are to win the game the forwards must achieve the same type of dominance which they enjoyed against Tony Shaw’s pack in the second test at

Ballymore on June 28. The Wallaby coach, Bob Templeton, has accorded Andy Haden the respect of stating publicly before the match that the Wallabies have devised special moves to counter the Aucklander’s jumping ability.

‘‘We have worked hard on our line-outs all week and I believe several problems have been solved. Plans to counter New Zealand’s big men, especially Haden, have been made but naturally . I am not prepared to divulge them at this stage. “The boys will be employing new tactics and I feel confident they will get sufficient ball to win,” he said.

While New Zealand will obviously try to win the match through the power of its forward pack the strength of the Australian side lies in the ability of a freerunning backline to pull off potential try-scoring movements from both set and broken play. Much will be expected of the tackling ability of the two new test players, Nicky Allen, at first five-eighth, and Lachlan Cameron, at second

five-eighth, if their talented and respective opponents, Mark Ella and Michael Hawker, are to be contained. Mr Watson conceded yesterday, that because of injury and associated player unavailability problems, the All Blacks go into this tense final match as the underdogs, but in some ways this must be a comforting prospect as the correct motivation of his players will be made all the easier. If the All Blacks do win the match they will not have a long time to savour their victory in Australia as the party flies out for Fiji early tomorrow morning. The doubts at present expressed by confident Austra- . lian rugby people that the All Black party will not be accompanied by the Bledisloe Cup are not altogether without foundation. It has, however, been proved often enough in the c past that the underestimation £ of an All Black side can be an embarrassing experience. t The match, which begins at i 5 p.m. (N.Z. time) will be v televised live on TVI. t