Unbeaten tour chances 'border on impossible’

Press, 2 May 1985, Page 40

Unbeaten tour chances 'border on impossible’

PA Masterton The chances of the All Blacks going through South Africa unbeaten bordered on the impossible, the coach, Mr Brian Lochore, said yesterday.

“That’ll be the aim of course but we’re going to be in for a tough time,” he said, commenting on the 16match itinerary released on Tuesday evening. Mr Lochore said the shortening of the tour from the traditional 24 matches lessened the likelihood of the All Blacks meeting weak opposition. “It’s really a case of the midweek games being no easier than those on the Saturdays,” he said. “And that means to keep winning we’ll have to produce a peak effort every time.” The hardest parts of the tour, according to Mr Lochore, might be at the start and at the time of the first test. He said the second match against Orange Free State would be one of the biggest hurdles to cross. Free State was one of the strongest teams in South Africa and many of the All Blacks playing in the match would be having their first taste of playing conditions in the republic. “That’s going to be a big hurdle to cross,” he said. The first of the three test matches is at Cape Town on August 17 and is followed by two other crunch games, against Springbok B and Northern Transvaal. “Having three top games like that in a row will keep us honest,” Mr Lochore said. “If we can win all of them then we’ll have made a big step in the right direction.” The All Black coach is adamant that any player who undertakes the South African tour in less than top physical shape will be out of his depth. He warned that fitness would be a top prior-

ity when the touring team was being named, as well as ability to perform under sustained pressure. “It’s not the sort of tour where you can afford to have any passengers in the side,” he said. “Physically and mentally it’s going to be very demanding and we want players who will measure up on both those counts.” Meanwhile, the top quality opposition the All Blacks will meet in South Africa will place the players under “a terrible lot of pressure,” the former All Black captain, Mr Andy Leslie, said yesterday in Wellington. Mr Leslie, who led the All Blacks on their last tour of South Africa in 1976 when they played eight more matches, said the itinerary could also, however, have a beneficial side.

“It will make competition for the test spots pretty intense and as far as the test side is concerned that is

no bad thing,” he said. Mr Leslie said if there was one change he would like to have seen, it would have been more games played on the veldt at high altitude directly before the first test at Cape Town.

He recalled that one of the 1976 side’s best tour performances had been against Natal at Durban after a series of matches away from the coast.

“I don’t know whether it was my imagination or what but after coming down from the veldt you seemed to be able to run all day,” he said.

New Zealand will play the tests under neutral referees for the first time in South Africa. In 1976 Mr Leslie’s team suffered badly from rule interpretations by the South African referees.

The team had other problems including the absence of a reliable goal kicker, but most observers believe they should at least have squared the series instead of losing 3-1.

“Since neutral referees have been controlling tests there has been no real controversy about any of them. “If they continue like that, we can expect an incident-free series.” He had a word of advice for the selectors who have ommitted Allan Hewson from the inter-island and trial games, in the context of his team’s kicking woes. “Hewson is the best goal kicker in New Zealand and he will thrive on the long kicking game the South Africans play. The message is clear, he has played in South Africa and should be in the team.”