All Black pack again saves day as chances lost

Press, 4 November 1983, Page 26

All Black pack again saves day as chances lost

By

DON CAMERON

in Gateshead

With rugby that varied between the glorious and the gorblimey, the All Blacks made very hard work of beating a brave Northern Division side, 2721, on a cold, grey day at Gateshead early yesterday morning.

The first quarter of the match was an ordeal for the All Blacks. Steve Bainbridge, the lofty Lion, won so many lineouts for Northern, the All Black scrum was being knocked about and there was more than a hint that this bold Northern side would repeat its triumph of four years ago. After -25 minutes Northern was 9-3 ahead and in the next five minutes smashed away at the All Black line, twice hurtling

the All Blacks’ scrum backward. But in its rather frenzied haste, it twice missed the try that seemed inevitable — and which might have taken complete control of the game. The All Blacks struggled clear with a penalty kick and when the ball went loose 40m out, Wayne Smith shot through the defence, found Jock Hobbs and as Hobbs went down just short of the line in a marvellous covering tackle from John Carleton, Hobbs managed to leave the ball free and Andrew Donald picked up at full pace and scored.

With Robbie Deans’ conversion, the All Blacks were 9-all and in the remaining five minutes of the first half there were signs that the All Blacks’ scrum was settling and the lineout prospering through Albert Anderson and Brian McGrattan in the front and Murray Mexted at the rear. More importantly, the bustling Northern forwards had lost their zest. Bainbridge by then seemed to have feet of lead. For the next 22 minutes the All Blacks built on these .advantages. Deans made it 12-9 with a penalty goal and then the All Blacks carelessly cast away more tries. Craig Green made a slashing break, and gave Deans a 20m canter to the line. But Deans lost the ball in a tackle as he dived for the try, with Stuart Wilson unmarked outside, waiting for his 50th touchdown for the All Blacks. Another Green break put Bernie Fraser clear. He curled round the fullback, and the referee signalled a

try in the corner. But the touch judge said that Fraser had gone into touch.

The All Blacks slashed away on the Northern line but the scoring pass was not on. Smith floated a lovely chip kick ahead but Fraser knocked it forward at the line.

At last, after 20 minutes of rugby both brilliant and bizarre, the try eventually came, Mark Shaw plunging over from a wheeled scrum. Deans converted, and then knocked over a penalty goal. The All Blacks were 21-9 and should have romped away. Instead, the Northern team stormed back because of erratic tackling. Andy Simpson, the hooker, played like a five-eighths as he scored on the short side from a ruck. Allan Old found the posts for the fourth time and. Northern was almost in contact at 1521.

From a kick-off and resulting run, Donald, as he did so often and so superbly, lofted a high punt down the line and Carleton was scragged as he made the catch. McGrattan picked up the loose ball, the whole pack knitted around him and then came the utterly marvellous sight of the eight All Black forwards covering the last 15m in a tight burtch, before depositing McGrattap over the line for the try.

At 27-15 with 10 minutes to play, the All Blacks were poised for a clearcut win. But North came back in a spirited late rally. The All Blacks conceded penalty after penalty, North ran tap kick after tap kick and eventually Steve Smith made the break, Paul Simpson scored between the posts and Old converted. In the end, the penalty count was 9-21 against the All Blacks and this lack of discipline stole some of the polish off their play earlier in the second half. But , there were still encouraging signs in the overall new zeal and performance and especially in the play of Mexted and McGrattan in the pack, Donald at halfback and Green in midfield.

Mexted gave a powering Srformance. He was indeed id by the look of it also in word) the pack leader and drew a dramatic response, from his men immediately before and for a long time after half-time. McGrattan won some important lineouts in front, did his share of the tight work and still had the energy to burst about in the loose. The All Black forwards seldom produced the rolling rushes which demolished South of Scotland last weekend. Northern stopped some boiling mauls by deliberately going to ground and making the pile collapse. They also hovered behind the All Black ball carrier and snaffled the ball when it was flipped back. However, by the second half most of the Northern forwards had slowed down, and McGrattan frequently led some powerful charges. Donald was admirably steady in the anxious times of the first half and when he discovered that David Naughton, the Northern fullback, got the jitters under a high kick, Donald made Naughton’s life a misery as he powered high kicks over the forwards down near the touchline. Scores;

New Zealand 27 (Donald, Shaw, McGrattan, tries; Deans, 3 con, 3 pen); Northern Division 21 (A. Simpson, 'P. Simpson, tries; Old, 2 con, 2 pen, dropped goal).