THE FIRST TEST

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 36, 11 August 1921, Page 8

THE FIRST TEST

INTERNATIONAL RUGBY,

SOUTH AFRICAN CHALLENGE

POINTS ABOUT COMING CLASH.

Tiiere are now assembled at Dunedan undergoing final preparation for the first of three big matches to determine the world's Ba^y championship, the fifteen chosen players of the Dominion, together with several others who are being held in case of emergency; at the same town % are the selected representative* of South Africa, making ready for the great international event; and on Saturday next the two teams will engage in the first Test. For many years New Zealand's claim to the -world's Rugby premiership has not been seriously shaken, and, although the geographical position of this country, does not permit of the frequent fcriak of strength which is desirable with all other countries in which the game w played,[the visits of British and Australian- teams, as well as the -tours abroad by the famous All Blacks and' successive" combinations, have served from time to time to justify the claim. In recent years the period of demobilisation of forces engaged in the GnxqX War offered a splendid opportunity for combat on the field of sport. Internationa!) tournaments were held,i and in not the least of these—-the inter-services Rugby ' competition for the King's Oup— New Zealand's prestige was upheld. This, seemingly, paved the way for interchange of visits between countries, and South Africa, after proposals from New Zealand, has set; the ball rolling by a long tour overseas. ■ „,. In the ■ progress of th© game, South, ' 'Africa has gained • prominence, and since that country followed the 1905 All Blacks by an almost; equally, successful tour of Great .Britain, ■ there has always been a desire.for a test of strength between the two countries. The - desire has been realised, and to-day the Springboks are found in this- country in search of the Blue Ribbon of.Rugby football. In a number of preliminaries—against the provinces—they haye given a good account o"f themselves, arid, .one which has caused $em to be looked upon as the strangest opposition to be faced by New Zealand since the British Kvas'ibnof 1904. And j*> all New-'Zealami, and., no doubt, the whole Rugby world, looks with unprecedented interest to the first T»st next Saturday. . ■ ,\VILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF ? "It so happens that the event is taking place on the same date as that when. New Zealand' defeated the British team by • points to 3 seventeen years ago. It is also worthy of note that the captain of the New Zealand team on that oc-casion—-J. W. Stead—is preparing the present team for its clash with South Africa. The question arises : Will history repeat itself? The South Africans' record foT the.tour points to the contrary, even though a reverse was en-. countered in Canterbury. There are numerous other points which may bo said to favour th<B South Africans. They have been travelling together, and playing together j- thereby, improving their combination ; they have practically two well'trained teams from which to draw; they have already met strong teams., and''will have had two excellent tries-out in a week prior to the Test (against South-land-and Otago), and they play'a gain* which is' strange to New Zealand, in that the formation o£ the team is different. On the other hand, the New Zealand fifteen trill take' the field without a previous match against another team; the players will be more or less strange to each other, except, for the acquaintance during training. ( operations; they will have had only several days of training together; and th-ey will be up against a team formation new to them. But they will be well trained for the .occasion; and they will be in possession of a sound knowledge of requirements, received from one who has had the experience of meeting somewhat similar opposition on the Rugby field. MERITS OF THE SIDES. Inter-provincial matches cannot be taken altogether as a criterion of what to expect in the Test, and if the South Africans have counted much on interpTovincial matches aa an idea of what wey will meet in the bigger,, fixtures they will, no doubt, be surprised.. Wellington's display, in particular, Vas not of,the kind that has often been shown by this province. Something approach"ing New Zealand standard came unexpectedly from Canterbury, .the play, in that game, although under adverse conditions, being of the kind which accounted for the British team's defeat on 13th August, 1904. The tickings from tbe provinces, if the preparation has been ■ satisfactory,, should make 1' for a , much' harder proposition than that set up by £he provinces themselves. Against this, however, there is still a strong belief that the full strength of the Springboks has not been disclosed. On paper the team against Canterbury seemed to be/somewhere near the mark —and it was beaten. But it is only reasonable' to suppose that a certain amount of strength is being held in reserve. Then, again, there is a fairly general impression that the New. Zealand .team is not. fully representative of Dominion football—there is little need to refer to the comments which fallowed the announcement of the team —and so it would appear, all things considered, that South Africa's best chance of success will be in first Test. Cpnctitions in JUhe matter of weather may not suit the visitors, who are said to be 1 -' best suited tc-.& hard ground. In regard to physical strength there will not be a great deal'of "difference, and, if anything/ New Zealand may have a slight advantage of •weight in the forwards. One point the South Africans will have to guard against is infringement of .the iule.3. In several matches they have shown a tendency to play .offside, to play the ball wh<sn oft the ground, and to lie on the leather in going down to rushes. A repetition of such offences in the Test may throw away.,,many .points./;" •• ■;' " "■ ' ■; 7i,-NEW'-2SAtAJN'DfS TRAINING. - The method of training the New Zealand team has been commented on by many followers of the game, some of whom'hold'that the team should have been matched against . another fifteen during the week prior to the big match, for purposes ,of better combination. Others, however, regard the present prrangement—a week together without a match—as quite and this •view,is, no. doubt, held by the New Zea- , tod Rugby Union, as a proposal to play a preliminary match was not entertained. Moreover, it is thought that »' i match:,'b'elor,ehan'd might tend to weaken the team through injury to players, as will -often occur in matches. •It is interesting. to.-recall what was s»iu 'after "the" 'British: New Zealand match m 1904, when the New Zealand back division did not give all that was expected of it. "Want of combination "because of not being able to have a game together—and a.little over-anxious-ness," explained the Now Zealand captain, Stead, to a Post reporter. The following comment was also made: — "There is no doubt that if the team had been congregated in Wellington a fortnight prior to the match, and played practice games with other teams, those

tries (which were said to have been thrown away) would have been got. . . . Tt the backs had worked in unison two or three, times before the match they would have been less liable to speculate wildly as to orte-another's whereabouts, and, even if inaccurate passes had been sent' early in the game, the fact of the backs being in close touch with one another would have minimised the sad effect of such passes. . . . No team with combination, however nervous, could have had so many misadventures." " The experience of that day can hardly be forgotten by J. W. Stead, and , his methods in training the present team are most likely being specially applied to the backs to tune; them to meet a team not unlike that of 190*. But they haye had no match! The result may point to the necessity of acting on the advice given by the captain of seventeen years ago.