All Blacks win but scrum fears realised

Press, 14 October 1985, Page 48

All Blacks win but scrum fears realised

NZPA staff correspondent Buenos Aires The All Blacks opened their seven-match tour of Argentina, amid a fierce electrical storm, with a 22-9 win over the country’s champion club side, Club Atletico San Isidro, on Saturday.

Thunder and lightning raged above the imposing Ferrocarril soccer stadium as Mark Shaw’s two tries, and the hit and miss kicking of Kieran Crowley, carried New Zealand to victory. But it was not a convincing win, and the sight of an All Black scrum on the back-pedal realised the worst fears of the tourists as they re-adapted to international laws.

A referee who relentlessly penalised the All Blacks in second phase play, making rucking impossible, and who took issue with Bruce Hemara’s hooking technique, compounded the touring team’s problems. Although the coach, Mr Brian Lochore, rated the team’s performance six out of 10, it was less commanding than intended. Club Atletico San Isidro’s best qualities were its forward pack, which scrummaged dourly, its kicking five-eighths, Marcelo LopezImizcoz, and its unusually but effectively, marshalled defence. At the first scrum the All Black pack retreated from CASI’s initial heave. At the second it crabbed sideways under obvious pressure. Through concentration, it had settled the scrum by the end of the match, but seemed unlikely at any stage to establish scrum domination.

Its line-out play was more composed, and it held a 26-9 advantage at game end.

Albert Anderson, who was New Zealand’s best line-out forward, followed by Wayne Shelford and Brian McGrattan, rarely escaped Branco’s attention, and secured his share of ball in spite of nudging and jersey pulling which seemed to be accepted gamesmanship. Tempers were strained by those tactics, and by the offside play of the CASI forwards, who joined rucks and mauls from both sides and backs who crept incessantly over the advantage line.

The referee, Mr Jorge Sklar’s refusal to recognise the advantage law, and his insistence that the All

Black’s use of midfield backs and loose forwards to establish the second phase contravened the tackled ball law, tested their self restraint. The half-back, Dave Loveridge, registered obvious displeasure with Mr Sklar’s control of scrums, and his perception that Hemara was striking before the ball was put in. His interpretation of the tackled ball law caused most concern. New Zealand had practiced a technique by which players made the second phase by securing and turning the ball up for the arriving forwards. The technique would have produced quick clearance of ball from rucks and mauls had Mr Sklar not insisted that the tackled ball law was infringed. Rucks seldom went full course, and the All Blacks were deprived of their most significant attacking weapon. When their scrum settled down, they were able to obtain possession more cleanly from that base, but its effectiveness was limited by CASI’s close marking. Line-outs were more productive, with the ball chanelled to McGrattan to drive, to Shelford for the tap-down and Anderson for control at No. 4. Mr Lochore’s intention for the All Black backs to run the ball was frustrated by the conditions on the night. Steady rain fell throughout the match, making handling difficult, and compounding a general lack of combination in the New Zealand backline.

Crowley also suffered because of his unfamiliarity with the Argentinian balls, and he kicked only four goals from nine, attempts. A stiff breeze made his task more difficult but, in spite of the light balls’ tendency to bobble in the wind, he produced some prodigious touch-finders. Defence was a rare tnmg for the All Blacks. Almost all of the first half was spent on attack, but they conceded one try when Crowley misjudged a high

ball in the in-goal area and Lopez-Imizcoz, following up his own kick, dived on the loose ball. Lopez kicked the conversion of his try, and a penalty and the nine points conceded by the All Blacks were more than they would have been comfortable with. But they took some consolation. First game blues occur on any tour and are accepted and quickly forgotten. The improvement in the form of the All Black pack in the second spell also suggests their reversion to international rules will be smooth. “I think the game went pretty close to what we expected,” Mr Lochore said. 6 We understood CASI had a very strong forward pack, and it showed that. I would have liked to use the backs more but CASI’s defence was very good and under the conditions it was difficult to move the ball.”

The captain, Jock Hobbs, added: “To a large degree they took us by surprise. “We expected conditions to be hot, but though it was a hot, calm day yesterday (Friday) the weather broke about lunchtime today (Saturday) and it became windy and wet, and that was another factor.

“CASI had a strong scrum, and it took a lot of concentration just to hold their forwards.

“We are having to adapt to international rules and our scrummaging is something we have to concentrate on."

The local coach, Mr LuisMeria Varela, who said he had studied 10 video tapes of All Black matches before Saturday, said the New Zealanders had prevented his team from playing its own game. He said he never dared to think his team would beat the All Blacks, but he hoped they might have been truer to the style which made them Argentina’s club champions this season. Scorers:— New Zealand 22 (Mark Shaw 2, John Kirwan tries; Kieran Crowley two penalties, two conversions). Club Atletico San Isidro 9, (Marcelo Lopez-Imizcoz try, conversion, penalty).Half-time N.Z. 13-0.