Cavaliers taste bitter tears of ‘test’ defeat

Press, 2 June 1986, Page 24

Cavaliers taste bitter tears of ‘test’ defeat

From

DON CAMERON

in Johannesburg

It never seems to rain in the South African winter, but the firm turf of Ellis Park must have just about been awash with tears of anguish as the Cavaliers lost, 10-24, yesterday morning and the Springboks cantered off with the series, 3-1.

Most of the bitter tears would have fallen on the little Welsh referee, Ken Rowlands, who was involved in all four matches. He caned the Cavaliers with penalties, 19-8, in all, and with a kicker like Naas Botha, who knocked over five penalty goals from seven attempts, in the Springbok side, that is a script for disaster. There were other times when Mr Rowlands let the Springbok defence up too early from rucks and it may only have been an awkward habit that Cavaliers’ attacks deep into Springbok territory were so often bluntened by a penalty award to the Springboks. At least Mr Rowlands did defuse what was a potentially explosive game when, in the seventh minute, he saw Gary Knight and Gert Smal punching each other and dismissed both to the sideline for a five-minute rest.

But if the Cavaliers could look agonisingly upon Mr Rowlands with some cause, they could also look at some of their own play with equal remorse.

From the moment they started the game with a haka, which had the full-

house crowd in raptures,

the Cavaliers played with

a desperate frenzy. At times, however, this fierce urgency badly af-

fected the rhythm of the

Cavaliers’ backs. Especially in the first half, and occasionally in the second, the fierce and fiery play of the forwards often put the Cavaliers’ backs in a position of power. They often had the Springbok defence stranded, and outnumbered and with a little bit of cool-headed organisation must have scored a try or two. But each man seemed obsessed, in the heat of the moment, with the idea that he was the man to make the decisive cut, and usually back infield. The Springboks may have their failures, but tackling is not one of them. They scurried and scampered and somehow managed to cut down the Cavaliers’ backs who were so easily persuaded into the infield trap. Smal, Wahl Bartmann and Janni Breedt are not speedsters. They would have had trouble tipping a wing out at the corner

flag, but they happily knocked over the backs who decided to come back within their range. As they stood and watched this remorseless kicking machine named

Botha kick penalty goals from 25, 50i/ 2 , 49, 32 and 49 metres, the Cavaliers

may have pondered their

own lack of discipline,

and the fact that Grant Fox was on the reserve bench and Robbie Deans

could manage only two

goals from six attempts. The Cavaliers may have been angry with Mr Rowlands’s penalty awards, but they did not improve anything by witlessly backchatting him. On one occasion, when Hika Reid was plainly not inquiring after Mr Rowland’s health, this cost the Cavaliers three ten-metre walks. In another case Botha hastily cleared the ball from deep in his own in-goal when Mr Rowlands decided Botha had been late-tackled. Two complaints brought two more ten-metre marches. The critical time for the Cavaliers came in the first half, and with rather stronger goal-kicking they might have dominated the game from there, rather than have only a 10-6 lead at half-time. But this time the Springboks, while never completely settled in their backline, offered rather more enterprise. And they tackled, how they tackled,

forcing the frantic New Zealanders into mistakes, and even made a fair fist of keeping Reid, Murray Mexted and Alan Whetton from going completely on the rampage in mid-field. Scorers:

Springboks 24: Garth Wright a try; Michael du Plessis a dropped goal; Naas Botha 5 penalties, conversion.

Cavaliers 10: Andrew Donald a try; Robbie Deans 2 penalties.