Battered All Blacks survive French fire

Press, 10 November 1986, Page 40

Battered All Blacks survive French fire

By

PETER O’HARA,

, of NZPA, in Toulouse

The reconstruction of All Black rugby made dramatic progress at Toulouse yesterday, where teamwork was tested and proven under the fire of a formidable French assault.

New Zealand won the first of two tests in France, 19-7, through the fortitude of a team which overcame a ■ 6-7 deficit and severe pressure in the second half.

The victory was a tribute to the captaincy of Jock Hobbs, who lifted the tempo and maintained a "bold” All Black effort, as well as contributing his own exemplary loose forward game.

Brian Lochore, who coached New Zealand to a 1-2 series loss against Australia two months ago, said his young players had “worked very hard on this tour to rebuild and reorganise... get back on the road.” The test win was “a culmination of all their efforts at training and the games leading up to the first test.”

Injury time ran to five minutes in the first half and nearly 10 minutes in the second in a match described by Hobbs as one of the harder physically of his career.

The All Blacks were battered afterwards and the fullback, Kieran Crowley, who scored 12 points, said he had been groggy from taking on the giant French No. 8 Alain Carminatti in the ninth minute. Gashes were suffered by the lock, Murray Pierce, and hooker, Sean Fitzpatrick, whose white collar went red as blood oozed from the back of his head after he crunched into the 20-year-old rock-llke Carminatti with Crowley and Hobbs. The Frenchman stayed upright.

The All Blacks underwent the most crucial trial of their unbeaten tour in the first 25 minutes of the second half after the French scored their try from a flowing attack. The French flanker, Laurent Rodriguez, led a charge deep into the All Black half and when the ball was freed to the right it went from the halfback, Pierre Berbizier, to the rangy loose forward, Eric Champ, standing wide. The All Blacks were outflanked as Champ fed the backline and Eric Bonneval transferred to his fellow centre, Philippe Sella, for the try. France’s one-point advantage was the first time the All. Blacks had been behind on a tour in which they have won the first six of eight matches. It was smartly rectified as Crowley kicked a penalty goal within three minjutes.

But the next 20 minutes saw the French threat intensify and the calibre

of the touring side emerge. “We had to be bold after they scored their try,” Hobbs said.

The All Blacks extinguished France’s attacks and began to force the pace with concerted forward drives and speed in the backline. The French had tried the same tactic, moving the ball swiftly through quick tap penalties. Sella dashed into the clear from one but he was hacked down by the centre Joe Stanley.

Back came France with another quick tap and the goal-kicking wing, Philippe Berot, sped down the touchline before being blocked by Crowley.

Hobbs himself was across to nail the fullback Serge Blanco when he accepted a long switch pass from the first fiveeighths Jean-Patrick Lescarboura and galloped into New Zealand territory. The All Blacks made their replies with interest as first the No. 8, Wayne Shelford, and then the wing, John Kirwan, were supplied with chances to breach the line. But Shelford mishandled and Kirwan, put in the open by David Kirk after the Auckland half-back had taken the gap around a scrum, was caught at the corner by a flying Bonneval.

Shelford pounced on his next chance to cross the French line.

As the All Black pack began to assert its control, the North Harbour captain scored in his test debut He wrenched the ball from the French halfback, Berbizier, at a scrum on the line and turned to crash over.

Crowley should have put the All Blacks further ahead than 13-7 25 minutes into the second half but he missed the conversion from close to the posts.

However the fullback added two penalty goals to an earlier one and he had begun the scoring with a dropped goal from half-way. The kick was slammed between the posts after Crowley fielded a ’ miscued clearance by the French fullback, Serge Blanco. The Taranaki man had also been safe on defence and an asset in the line even though he had brushed with Carminatti.

The victory for New Zealand was achieved despite the French ability at the lineout, scrum and in their running backs.

Carminatti, who left the field at the start of the second half, and Champ

gave them superiority at the back of the lineout. The New Zealand loose forwards, Shelford and Mike Brewer, combined tellingly around the base of the scrum in passing rushes but they were outjumped. The locks, Pierce and Gary Whetton, gave the All Blacks an over-all advantage of 16-13 at the lineout, though. Whetton was used successfully as a half-back at shortened lineouts when the All Blacks varied their tactics. He twice bounded into the middle and made ground with the ball.

The scrum is the troublesome phase of the tour, with New Zealand holding back and settling its front row round the tighthead prop, John Drake, before going down. The French national side charged in quickly yesterday as have other opponents of the All Blacks, and a frustrated South African referee, Steve Strydom, penalised the New Zealand front row for not getting their heads into position.

But the All Black scrum, based on the allAuckland front row of Drake, Fitzpatrick and Steve McDowell — a more athletic trio than their opponents — showed they would not be dominated at a phase of traditional French strength.

Nor will the French backs dominate, if the first five-eighths, Frano Botica, continues to cut loose.

Botica’s sidestepping and acceleration cut through the French line, while his opposite number Lescarboura had another dismal day against New Zealand. Lescarboura left the field just before the final whistle. His face was bloodied in an incident for which Botica was called out by Mr Strydom and later he was flattened by a Stanley fend as the Auckland centre burst through. Outside Botica, Arthur Stone was subdued by a heavy knock in a match which Hobbs described as “torrid.”

The French centres displayed more pace and a defence that thwarted a New Zealand backline still struggling to polish up a combination in midfield. Bonneval and Sella may be a threat if they get more opportunities at the second test in Nantes next week-end. Scorers. —

New Zealand 19: Wayne Shelford a try, Arthur Stone a dropped goal, Kieran Crowley three penalties and a dropped goal. France 7: Philippe Sella a try, Philippe Berot a penalty.