Record league win pleases Tony Gordon

Press, 5 December 1989, Page 56

Record league win pleases Tony Gordon

NZPA Carcassonne The New Zealand rugby league team's record 34-0 win over France yesterday should silence the “Monday morning coaches,” the Kiwi coach, Tony Gordon, said.

The Kiwis finished their 10week tour of Britain and France with an emphatic victory in which everything went right.

France had few chances with the tourists in a rampaging mood.

It was the biggest score and highest winning margin by a Kiwi team against France.

An elated Mr Gordon said the result was based on concentration and discipline. “I hope that win sends a message to the Monday morning coaches who are always criticising us.” Mr Gordon said it was easy for former Kiwi players and other followers of the game to criticise the team all the way from New Zealand. “Performances like this second test speak for themselves,” he said. “We worked really hard on our defence and built the victory on that.

“When we were starting to score the points the game plan was forgotten. But when the message went out we went back to our pattern. “To win a test match by that

much and not to concede any points shows it was a good display.

“The French team was made to pay for the bad way we’ve been treated here. Paying back the French team was the theme of the game.”

The Kiwis ran in seven tries in a match they totally controlled. The unenterprising French were exposed in all departments of the game. They were no match in speed, strength or handling skills. When the Kiwis spun the ball the hosts were constantly found wanting on the flanks. Wellington’s Mike Kuiti, in his debut test, was one of the best players, creating openings when he ran in the backline.

He scored a second-half try and set up three. The converted wing, Dave Watson, another new cap, scored a hat-trick of tries to bring his tour tally to 17. The Kiwi captain, Hugh McGahan, and the second-rower, Sam Stewart, finished off superb tours with more of their consistent running and tackling. Playing into the wind in the first half the New Zealanders started the game with controlled football.

Methodical running and tackling saw them post two unconverted tries — a ninth minute

effort to the fullback, Tony Kemp, and a thirty-sixth minute touchdown to the centre, Darrell Williams — to lead 8-0 at halftime.

Tries in the first 15 minutes of the second half to Watson, Kuiti and Dean Bell killed off any chance of a French revival.

What fire they did have was lost in the face of a constant Kiwi barrage.

New Zealand won its first World Cup points by beating France yesterday. New Zealand had lost the World Cup matches in the home series to Australia in July and the series against Britain earlier on tour.

The second of the two tests against Papua New Guinea and the third test against Britain in New Zealand next year also have points up for grabs.

In 1991 the Kiwis are due to tour Australia and host France and there will be World Cup points involved there. With a game against Papua New Guinea in New Zealand to be played some time, each of the rugby league nations will have encountered each other at home and away over four years to work out two finalists. New Zealand 34 (Dave Watson 3, Tony Kemp, Darrell Williams, Mike Kuiti, Dean Bell tries; Kurt Sherlock 3 conversions) France 0. Attendance: 2720.