THE ALL BLACKS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 132, 27 February 1908, Page 5

THE ALL BLACKS.

SECOND INTERNATIONAL MATCH

DEFEATED BY A GOAL. ■ • . .(By A. .Hv Baskervillo.) _England;(3 goals,: 4 tries) ... ... 18 .__ i ■ New.Zealand (2 goals, 4 tries) . ... .16 • Blackpool, January 16. ■ Tho. second international match-engaged for the -New. Zcalanders .was contested, at ■•Wigan last Saturday,.-before.about 12,000 spectators. ■ It. is ; : a y strange. - .tiling tliat... representative matches in' tho"Northcl-n Union area (except Wales) do not draw. • tho attendances that good club matches do. : : However, the lack of local.' interest wa's .not. solely responsible for; the small'-attendance.. A tew days' heavy' frost -..made j' it as to whether £he-. ground-would boifit to plav on, and the doubt in tins direction - kept away people who had to travel ,sbin&»distancb. . It' transpired: that tlie -grouiid. had; b'e'en clothed in hay for- the week/.and'..this;; wheiv.cleared off, left it m'. perfect condition"lt (was a good thing that ■ this precaution had been .taken, because a few: yards,'.back'_from the ' touch arid. goal lilies ;tho' ground; was fro'zenjas hard as iron. .Apart from.. the c'old^'snap prevailing, the weather condition'suvcro perfect. ' ■ '.Tho: following, 'took'-'the.' field against .England :-rTurtill, ' Messenger, Smith, Rowo, Wrigley,. Todd,'- IfcWynyard, :Wright, Pearce, Byrne,'Tyler; Cross, and Johnston. . Thbso representing England wereH. Taylor,(Hull), Ecclesl(Halifax); Lomas"(Salford), Hogg,';. (liioughtbn : ' Rangers), • Leytham ■ ■ (Wigan); ' Wallace (Hull),' Flynn (Broughton Rangers), ' - Ferguson ' and ' Smith .... (Oldham), Padbury' ', (Riin'corn), ' Wilson (Hunslet), Bcotham .(Broughton Rangers),.and Robinson (Halifax). ■ : - ' ■ , ' EIGHT POINTS IN TWELVE MINUTES.!

' England kickfcd. off . after losing the toss','; '] • and-very soon- invaded. New; Zealand's' teitir. 1 it -. tory. ( A freo kick, enabled .the .homo team. ■' to work to i our line. ■ A .scrambld'onsiied' , ■ there; from ; which.tho •:ball, : .was'':passcd 2 tflii ! ] wide to Ecclcs, of Halifax. . He dashedSlohg. j the touch* .lino, 3 arid, : though tackled 'veil', tell', j over :tho lino 'at'.tho corner flag. f lhb ;ti'yl f was.not'converted. ■ ,' ;;A. few minuteslater Messenger ■ stfi|red ? n;'; mark in' a fair .position, but • failed '.to '-reach' . the goal, with'|-liis •kick. England :i with : ;a■•rush: to'-'our'lino.'"• Temporary' relief •• : was seoure'd'by , 'a'fr'ce kick, and 7 !j Byrne 'cleared I ,danger, .from 1 , lino't'o 'halfwaj'l'with: a grand co'mbi'neff nH!)'; ; ~ ble: England; attacked, a'nd;.'by ' :/pretty;6ut and^iri I :passing i t twebn : our .- ' posts. T This, | ; made' theirsccfro' B.' poin{s''aftcr^qnly :, twq|ve mimites , -' , plaj'l' . ; 'Padbur3 r try.- : ■ , ''. ''..'..'.V' V- ' ■ Now . Zealand 1 Crushed to - twenty- ,' .• five,- Smith scoured tho ball-antbhiade-a fine 1 run and opening' before passiiig't6 ! Tdd(l.' The < : latter served'Rowe, who >i drcw ll sCTral. , op- ] . ponents'and thpn-- passed- in !, .fifeld'{'6 "ft. -Wyn- 1 ; yard. lie eluded the rcmiiininfe-.Qbfeuce, and 1 ~' scored a : try,"which' wa's r ;conveij^d' 1 .6y. Mcs- 1 senger. Bv a'fine lino kiik'Turtill put tho j blacks in a ; good : positioli r }i : ad : : . yantagb-'was.'l^'st'.;through': pynaity kicks bo-: ; ing-three times awarded -to tlic i home team. . Two .of tliP«o wero nca'rlv put over- tho bar. 1 -R. AVynyard ■ wa,'s very conspicuous just before ■ half-time! sounded j staving?off''an attack :by ; -a fino tackle.. J?be .interval,-arrived-with the scores stilk- •' • : ' ■ England' v,... , |! ;••'.•» .. 8 •• New Zealand > v ' 5 : - SCORING POINt FOR POINT. ; Sooii after!tfio' Todd and Rowe, by . nippy;'passing,- removed— plav to ' England's territory. .Messengqr laifd Smith,.by a mag--series of .passps in and out. reached the ■ homo line!. : rrotn , .i scrum there Messenger ..secured the?- ball and; mado a line. . AVynyardj- vi-hp '; scored!: his'.sectMd^trj''after; a. finei run'.' ;Mes- i ,- senger's convert, left 1 -the scores 8, . ''point'svall.y^;''; 6 )!?/ ': ■ : : " Excitcment;-';r J an' high as -England rushed- : '(again';to pii'f^'h^.'^'-Wrigley-'warded off the danger with a clever.- line' kick, .: bnC; -tiioV persisted/ ' and; by - fine passing tho Kigali three-quarter (Lcytham) -was' pldced, in; a good' position. ,and ';{scoirid;;.' Si? *try," J ;.*aniudst'. great'' , , a^plau's3 ?, f, fiia; local; ; admirers.-;;. England nearly sH6r(/d' i ag?,in a'few minutes later,' when ' ; thpy■ 'reSdh'ed .lin'e by . fine' passing,' but, corner flag instead,of-iscoring. 'V ' . Messenger and Smith .'raced half' the .length of-the jtrciund/.'ilassing the ball to and .from ■ ; 'each".other'-in-i a/way., which' bewildered tlio let^jthem--reach their goal'-linoY;. - A- sci-iftiib'e took-, place, near., the goal. 'sWrig"and,: passed; out wide to^pwe';- , who jlivwl 'thrqugh .a knot' of defenders'.and a. brilliant tryi.well. out; : AVrigloy took ■ ttfe'kick;' but concert.. Tho . scores! ;-nrnV I ,'stood levo), agaiiiv 11 points each. . - , 'I'Tlie- New' Zqalander's were' putting",iri,s6me. • 'work! ,and,-'deserved m6ro- y points—onco . nil en Todd cut right through the; defence • nn'tl; : the : last defen- - .siyS. unit! and ..again '■ when Messenger., tailed-, /to 'put over a-.free Wck awarded us 'in front jof the home , goal. The luck went with tho ' homo! they were- morn, successful witlj -'a free' ijick.- Leytham adding .a', brace of pointsrwith a goal. . I. PRESENTED WITH A TRY. ; (England., followed up their; regaining of tho lead' with' a .'forward rush to the. New Zealand goid line. The ball rolled..towards:it, , and Wrigloy had ample'tiifie to touch down under ■ ordinary circumstances, but the .ball hit -a goal .fibst and'-bounded to; one - side; ... Loroas,. of Salford, was handy, and :was simply.-'presented'with;a"try, which lie con- ' verted hiins^ff.-. '■ ' ; '.'' ' : Froni' on; the .Nev;:-ZealanderS : had the ijppgr :,riand.-:-''A- fine-, passing bout sawMessenger- Johnstdn made" a for Tyler to simply -run ovqr .!and 'down,', but ho ', fumbled the pass. .- This Jooked all over -a try. /.-'Eventually Rj AVynyard secured : from a scrum/near the: He made a little kick over his oppone^''heads, and, re-s&uring, ' ran . tq..thc-hpme full-back. At'the.twenty-fivo yards', lino:'ho.passed' to Byrne, who'sprinted . and scored between the.;post's. .'i.Tjirtill took the kick and' landed a goal. This left the scores —. - - ' England v ' !.., ; :;.! : 18. .''"'V.New". 1 Zealand '... 16 . '- And- thus it.jromained until the sound, of time, in .spite of^3;,strenuous- final effort to- wipe out, the;' deficiency.-, ■ From a New Zealand point of vieiy the gamo, was one of r misscu chances. lostrthrough sheer back : lu'ck ; ; this " the, 'Daily • Despatch" stated ;.to an easily explainable - lack of combination and' understanding, rc- . tmatchcs> : .'are more ' often than . not .'.disappointing, but' this complaint could' ' not -bo ' urged against -the match .at "Wi.ean between I'Jngland and New Zealand. . Tho gamo.had imperfections,-but they were tnorp ' than,compensated for, by-the many thrilling moments..-and- same; of .the brilliant rounds . . of passing-lamong the. All Biack's.; Tho vast majority of, o thqsc,;,wlio saw the match came away pleas'pd that England 'had won;. but . convinced' tliat' the real honours of .the game ■ belonged to'the colonials. In other 'words, tlipy'felt tJift the-English -side were. indbed fprtunato to. be. able.to acclaim themselves victors." ; ;; .INDIVIDUAL PLAY; .;.

. The tncblness of 11. Wynvard was an outstanding- .feature, of .tlie . game.; ' Both ; his tries ; were: meritorious ones. He kept - his opponents very busy behind the scrumi . : Smith played a fine game. This was his first, appearance since his injury m tho; York match, nearly .'-a,-, month ago. His. tackling ■ was very.effective. Todd and i Messenger also ■ kept their.. op-ponents-'busy,- Jand- both. should have scored with! ordinary luck on different occasions/-. .•liowe/also- did, Remarkably well.' His.i fine sprint and "•phenomenal dive for- the; line, to secure : his..'try a great' deal - of' enthusiasm among. tlio crowd. ■ • ! ISngland'excelled in tho forward division. Their fine loose dribbling rushes'were very hard to stem. The. Now Zealand forwards wore equal to them'.in the pack though, and secured a fair share of the ball. . Cross, Johnston and. Pcarco wero always to the fore. ' ... • •' ■ After the-match at Wigan the Now Zealanders- qiovnd to Blackpool, the famous Lancashire '.watering' place on tho West Coast. The value of this place as a health resort may bo seeri'from the fact; that last week five Association • teams wero there preparing # ir-the first}round of their" Cup ties. '