Foundation of Welsh tour success laid in Australia

Press, 8 November 1980, Page 16

Foundation of Welsh tour success laid in Australia

By

KEVIN McMENAMIN

The All Blacks can now go into summer quarters with their, good name restored. There are still some scores — four, in fact, in. the last three years —to settle with Australia, but the five wins in Wales could not have been achieved by anything but a very good side. The manner of the victories, too, was encouraging and it could well be that New Zealand rugby has entered a new phase of development. The team that beat Wales, 23-3, in the Centennial test at Cardiff last week-end was not built overnight, and the All Black manager, Mr Ray Harper, believes it started to take shape on the less successful Australian tour earlier this year. “We took a number of young and untried players to Australia and the best of them were retained for Wales. By the time we got to Wales we had a nice balance of younger and older players and a solid core of experience,” said Mr Harper. The unbeaten Welsh tour must also put the All Black coach, Eric Watson, in a new light. It may seem that the All Blacks developed a new style of play in Wales, but Mr Watson contends that the only difference between' the Australian and Welsh campaigns was that in Wales he was able to achieve his objectives. Mr. Watson calls the style of rugby the All Blacks played in Wales “total commitment rugby,” which, to some extent, appears to be an up-dated version of the “15-man game” that Fred Allen used so successfully with the All Black sides he coached in the late 19605. The basics are the same: A fluid style of rugby with short passing among the forwards as important as a running back-line in taking the play to the opposition. Perhaps the single most important ingredient is the support each player, regardless of his position, gives to another.

Why then, it must be asked, did it work so well in Wales, but not in Australia? The fact that .Australia had a faster, fitter and more skilful side than Wales undoubtedly has a lot to do with it, but there are other reasons.

The new players in Wales, and none more than the captain, Graham Mourie, made a big difference. Mourie’s leadership, alone, was tremendously uplifting; but as a player he excels in sustaining, and reviving, movements. Because of this Mourie, more than any other single player, was able to make “total commitment rugby” work. There were other advantages too, that the All Blacks had in Wales that they did not have in Aus-

tralia. The return of Bill Osborne made an enormous difference to the mid-field play and it was of inestimitable help that the side should go through the tour without a serious injury.

Much credit for this amazing run must be given to the team’s physiotherapist, Malcolm Hood. He also made another major contribution, for not only were the All Blacks superbly fit but they had an athletic excellence that is unusual in rugby players.

This excellence, and it was especially noticeable . in the Swansea-game and the test, was the result of programmes Mr Hood designed for the players long before the side left New Zealand. In fact, much of the ground work was done in Australia. If the All Blacks developed into a very good side going forward, they were no less adept when it came to defending their own line. Their effort in conceding only one try in

Wales, while scoring 16. speaks for itself, and if the two games in North America on the way to Wales are included the count is 32 tries for and just two against. It has been a topsy-tur-vey year for the All Blacks and, perhaps, noone has ' suffered more than Mr Watson, who, if still not universally loved can, at least, return to New Zealand and his summer sport of bowls without the fear of attacks from carping critics. It is difficult, even after such a stunningly successful tour, to* rate Mr Wat-* son as a coach, but to some extent his selection and playing policies have been vindicated. He may need at least another season in the job to claim a place among the top All Black coaches. Of the 25 All Blacks who made the visit to Wales, none fell short of the required standard, which is in itself unusual. However, it could well be that Mr Watson agreed to

Frank Oliver's selection primarily to placate public opinion. Once on tour it seemed that Oliver was only along for the ride. If the proposed Springbok tour to New Zealand next year eventuates then the All Blacks should have a team well equipped for the task, even if the search must go on for a full-back of true international class, preferably one who can also kick goals. Recent history might suggest that it would be easier to find oil: off the Canterbury Coast.

The tour was notable more for the development of a very strong fifteen, the test side, than the rise of new playing stars. However, one who might fall in the latter category is the first five-eighths, Nick Allen.

Allen was just ab.out the perfect five-eighths, able to set the trend of a game for those alongside him. It was also very pleasing that Dave Loveridge, free of the captaincy shackles that slowed him down in

Australia, should regain his best form. Gary Knight was a forward who extended his reputation beyond that of just a muscle man. while Graeme Higginson and Geoff Hines both made solid progress. But, perhaps, the forward, who made the biggest impact after Mourie was Marie Shaw. Going either forward or back, Shaw was an outstanding flanker. Osborne, who had the distinction of playing in all the seven 'tour games, Bruce Robertson and Stuart Wilson, after some initial handling problems, were all as good as ever, and Bemie Fraser fully justified the faith shown in him.

It might be dangerous to get too carried away with all the praise that British newspapers have heaped on the All Blacks since last week-end. Apart from Llanelli, the Welsh sides they met, and this includes the test team, were disappointing. Still, the All Blacks could not do more than win all their games, and that they won most of them so handsomely was a reflection of both their skill and their dedication. The so called “mission impossible" turned out to be a “mission magnificently accomplished.” It now remains to be seen if this Welsh tour marks the start of not only better and brighter rugby from the All Blacks, but also a period of re* peated successes. It would be . nice if the two could go hand in hand