First All Black match to be ended by riot

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 26

First All Black match to be ended by riot

NZPA Lautoka New Zealand’s 14-6 victory over Nadroga, at Lautoka yesterday, is believed to be the first All Black match prematurely ended by a crowd riot. ’

It was perhaps a little fortunate for the New Zealanders that the match will be remembered for the sensational ending rather than the style of play they were able to produce.

For had not some members of the home side, decided to indulge in somewhat dubious tactics, Nadroga might well have won the match. Many in the Nadroga side were charged with a great favour to. beat the All Blacks and the over-zeal-ousness of players and spectators alike brought about the unfortunate heed. The strength of the Nardoga side was very obviously in the mid-field where the second five eighth, Warne Gavidi, and the centre, Kini Vosailagi, had a slight edge over their respective opposites, Murray Taylor and Lachlan Cameron.

The pair produced some innovative Fijian-style running, Gavidi scoring the . best try of the game in the- seventeenth minute of the second spell. It came after a long freepassing build-up in which the prop, Pecili Kina, the flanker, Rupeni Quaraniqio, the No. 8, Meli Kurisaru, and the full-back, Nepawa Nepava, all participated, j

The All Blacks did not have the control they should have been able to exhibit in the match. If they had gained control, probably none of the problems would have arisen. With the All Black lock, Andy Haden, achieving almost total control of the line-outs it was unfortunate that the backline could not convert the possession superiority to points. The flanker, Geoff Hines, was in menacing form and

he too had a good game off the back of the line-out. While most of the New Zealand forwards ' did their job, the same could not be said for the All Black backline which, as it did in last Saturday’s losing third test at Sydney, made far ’ too many mistakes. The Fijians seized on dropped balls and poorly directed passes with real en= thusiasm and the crowd of 12,000 sensed — especially after Gavidi had scored his second-half try — that an upset was on. The feature of the Fijian game was the free running of the backs and forwards alike and this had the New Zealanders in all sorts of defensive trouble. The All Black full-back, Richard Wilson, kept the Nadroga side in the game by kicking one penalty from six attempts.

The Nadroga players were obviously irritate.’, by the fact that the New Zealandborn referee, Rod Jepseri, awarded 18 penalties against them and only five against New Zealand.

All the intensity of the situation built up to the fight involving the New Zealand *orwards, Gary Knight and Graeme Higginson and the Nadroga players Ilisoni Tabaoa, Pevita Makutu and Kira. The Lautoka-bom AU Black wing, Bernie Fraser, was given the honour of leading the New Zealanders on to the field, and gave his countrymen something to be enthusiastic about by scoring the All Blacks’ two tries. New Zealand: Bernie Fraser two tries, Richard Wilson a penalty, Murray Taylor a dropped goal. Nadroga: Warne Gavidi, a try and a conversion.