Wallaby team warned

Press, 19 August 1983, Page 32

Wallaby team warned

NZPA staff correspondent Sydney The All Black team that takes on the Wallabies at the Sydney Cricket Ground tomorrow is the best team in the world at present, said the All Black coach, Bryce Rope, yesterday.

And he warned the Australians that they would be making a big mistake if they did not expect the All Black backs to run the ball and take them on at their own game.

As the All Blacks got into a disciplined training session within an hour of their delayed arrival in Sydney yesterday afternoon, Mr Rope said his team would rate along with what he classed as the two greatest New Zealand sides in recent times — Wilson Whineray’s 1963 side and Brian Lochore’s team of 1967.

But in the same breath he paid tribute to the Wallaby backs, putting them in a class of their own, way above the Lions, while the Australian forwards, on the display they put on against the Argentines in the second test at Sydney a fortnight ago, must also be highly rated.

“This is a very well balanced All Black team which makes very few mistakes, but we’ve learnt from the Australians’ back play,” he said. “It has always been a

great ambition of mine to bring back play into the All Blacks’ game, and I thank the Australians for that.

“We’ve proved we can run the ball through the backs and I’d be very disappointed as coach of the All Blacks if we couldn’t use this backline, which I have a lot of faith in,” said Mr Rope.

. He said the side was capable of playing an open game, but it would not use the backs just for the sake of it.