Welsh tour a ‘breakthrough’

Press, 29 November 1982, Page 42

Welsh tour a ‘breakthrough’

PA Auckland The Maori rugbj' team's six weeks in Wales and Spain opened the way for more tours, said the side’s manager, Waka Nathan, when the side arrived in Auckland yesterday. “There were considerable benefits from the tour, and perhaps the most important was that we made a breakthrough with our impact on British rugby,” said Mr Nathan.

“Officials of the five nations were considerably impressed by the Maoris,” he said.

“While everything must be done with the blessing of the New Zealand union, I would not be surprised if the Maoris received an invitation to tour in the next five or six years, which is bettejr than having 56 years between tours to Britain.”

The Welsh, said Mr Nathan, had been delighted with the play and the drawing power of the Maoris. “I asked them what the tour profit would be. They could not tell me, as they did not have all the figures, but Wales would have made a

handy profit." Mr Nathan’s one ’ regret was that the Maoris did not have two settling down games before Wales.

“Two games on the way would have settled the team down and given them time to build up a tour atmosphere. As it was, we were pitched straight into Wales and on a short tour there is not the time to build up a team atmosphere." The coach, Percy Erceg, said that the refereeing, particularly in the second and third matches, had been so inconsistent that the players became unsettled, and never really recovered. “We talked to Alun Richards, one of their top referees before the tour, and found his interpretations were very much the same as ours. But we struck inexperienced referees in the second and third games, who ruled differently, and the players became, very worried and upset. “Because of this unsettling effect, we were never able to build up the momentum of the pattern we wanted to play.”