U.K. press castigates Fitzgerald, Hewson

Press, 7 June 1983, Page 14

U.K. press castigates Fitzgerald, Hewson

NZPA London The Lions’ general mediocrity and lack of attack combined with an undetected forward pass, which was instrumental in giving the All Blacks their only try, have been advanced as the reasons they lost their first test on Saturday.

The British press said the 16-12 Lions defeat could have been different had the French referee, Mr Francis Palmade, seen the “blatant” forward pass by Steve Pokere, which led to Mark Shaw’s try in the second half.

If that try had been disallowed Ollie Campbell’s onform place-kicking would have won the game for the tourists.

But this point aside the Lions’ had only themselves

to blame in what was called a “mess of a match” by John Reason, of the "Telegraph.”

“The Lions’ problems were caused by tension and the fact that some of the team are simply not testclass players,” Stephen Jones, of the “Sunday Times,” wrote.

“They could have won, perhaps, should have won. They were probably the slightly better team: Their bravery was utterly beyond question, and they won more of the ball,” Jones wrote.

But as an attacking force the Lions’ backs did not exist, he continued. “Campbell was a jewel and Laidlaw, replacing Holmes, was sharp and effective.

"Outside them there was a lack of inspiration breathtakingly total. In one sense,

the Lions may have won too much ball. They picked the team in the expectation that they would spend much of the game defending, and were therefore considerably embarrassed when a steady stream of possession called for more constructive action.

“Steamrollers are effective in flattening everything, but they never win grand prix races,” Jones wrote.

He called the match “cagey and tense, mistakeridden and mediocre.”

On the All Black’s performance he said that only Pokere and Loveridge had “elevated moments” while Knight, Taylor and Dunn “took the pressure in their stride.” “The All Blacks are not vintage,” he said.

“The Lions’ forwards

helped expose a few myths about the supposed strength of the New Zealand pack.”

Clem Thomas, of the “Observer,” said it was a game in which there were no contentious issues in spite of the accusations of violence which had been exchanged in the week prior to the test.

“That the game restored one’s faith in the ethics of rugby union football, was in no small part due to the exceptionally positive refereeing of the neutral Frenchman, Francis Palmade. He took early and decisive action against an All Black for raking and a Lion for booting. “Above all, he did what no New Zealand referee does, point the finger at the culprit, leaving him in no doubt as to his future conduct," Thomas wrote. The two players who

came in for the most criticism in the British press were the Lions’ captain, Ciaran Fitzgerald, and the All Blacks’ fullback, Allan Hewson.

M. Palmade was very tolerant of Fitzgerald’s persistent infringement of crooked throwing-in to the lineout, Reason wrote. “Fortunately for Fitzgerald, M. Palmade contended himself with a wagging finger and subsequently was very tolerant indeed of the continuing inaccuracy. Perhaps the referee had the sun in his eyes. Sending off a Lions’ captain would not have been a happy precedent." Allan Hewson’s game, Rason said, “almost defied belief.” “He was not so much uncertain under the high ball as out of sight. Indeed, his positioning was such

that he would have needed a loud bailer to make himself heard as he shouted ‘Yours’ to the unfortunates doing his job as they squinted into the bright, sharp sun, and circled underneath the remorseless up-and-unders kicked by Ollie Campbell.”

He said that the All Blacks on Saturday were lacking in substance. Bat although the All Blacks did not offer the Lions the challenge expected, regardless of the test result, the British press fears that the tourists are now “mortally wounded.”

The first test was always critical for no Lions team had ever lost a first test and gone on to win the series, and “history has seen many better Lions than these. The Lions now have to climb Everest,” Jones wrote.