PLAY DESCRIBED

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 39, 15 August 1921, Page 3

PLAY DESCRIBED

A SPLENDID GAME

TREMENDOUS ENTHUSIASM.

(IT TILISRAPI.—PRISI ASSOCIATION.)

DUNEDIN, 13th August. The meeting in the first Test match of South. Africa and New Zealand, two of the leading Rugby football nations of the world, had been eagerly looked forward 'to for weeks past by enthusiasts ' in. all parts of the Dominion, and when the All Blacks and All Greens filed on to the ground to-day it was virtually to contest tho football supremacy of, th» world, The game was the first Test match played at Dunedin since 1908, when New Zealand met and defeated Harding's Anglo-Welsh combination, and the extraordinary degree of interest shown in to-day's Test recalled that - memorable occasion. The crowd was treated to a Splendid game, which was fast and open throughout, and very closely contested, with the exception of the last quarter of an hour, when the All Blacks' ascendancy became more marked. The weather, which had been broken and showery on, Thursday and Friday, cleared overhead to-day, and by the time the match commenced conditions w,ere beautifully fine, and there was an almost' entire absence, of wind. : The ground was a trifle dead, but was in surprisingly good order. The crowd was one of the largest ever seen at a football match in Dunedin, i numbering on an estimate close on 25,000 persons. The Springboks commanded a distinct advantage in the matter of weight, the forwards averaging 14st lib, compared with 13st alii, and the batka 12st 41b,, compared with list 81b. The teams were as follow :— SPRINGBOKS. , Full-back: \ G. P. Morkel. Three-quarters: >. Van Heerden, Clarkscn, Meyer,, Henry, Morkel. Half-backs: , J. P. Michau, Townsend. Forwards: Boy Morkel (captain), Kruger, Walker, Mellish, Harry Morkel, Mostert, Scholtz, J. Michau. NEW ZEALAND. ■;..• Full-back: Kingston, Three-quartere: ', X Steel, G. G. Aitken (captain), P. Storey. Five-eighths: C. Badeley and M. NichoU*. Half-back: H. E. Nicholls. •, Forwards: W. Duncan, E. Hughes, JJ Richardson, J. Moffit. E. BeHisi R. Fogarty, A. White, J. G. Donald (winger). Punctually to time the teams appeared and were greeted with tremendous enthusiasm. After exchanging cheers,' the 'South Africans, grouped in front of the grandstand gave'their peculiar war-cry. New Zealand kicked off from the eastern end of the ground, with a slight adVantage from a light but variable "breeze. From the first line-out the All Blacks broke away with a loose rush, but G. P. Morkel sent them back inside the half-way. In the forward struggle the Greens' weight told its tale until the Blacks obtained a free-kick, and play settled down half-way. From the first scrum New Zealand got the ball, and it was handled by both Nicholls and Aitken, who found the line.. Townsend got the ball from the next scrum and kicked down exactly to half-way, gaining further ground with another useful kick. A free-kick -to the Greens was sent out by G. P. Morkel ( at New Zealand's twenty-five, but Donald and Aitken were responsible for removing it again to half-way, Bellis being temporarily injured. Meyer, Clarkson, and Van Heerden attacked in turn, and the lastnamed kicked to the Blacks' line, where the Greens were given a penalty from near the side line about the twenty-five flag, but G. P. Meyer's kick failed, and Mark Nicholls relieved. The Green backs again tried passing, but Storey tackled Clarkson strongly, when the South African three-quarter' was going for the line. From: a penalty to the Greens, r'Boy" Morkel kicked over the line, the Blackg forcing. Donald shortly after started a loose rush from a scrum, but Van Heerden saved, and the Blacks were awarded their &isi free kick, which Michau returned inside the half-way. FAST AND OPEN. The Greens continued to do most of the attacking. The All Blacks were defending strongly, and the game was very fast and open. From a scrum inside the Blacks' territory the Greens got the ball, and Townsend sent it out on to Michau, who dropped the pass, H. E, Nicholls obtaining possession and kicking out inside the Greens' twenty-five. From a scrum near the line the Blacks got the ball, but it was kicked out of H. E. Nicholls's hands and pressure was relieved. Scholtz led the Green forwards in a loose rush until the ball was kicked to Steel, who relieved with a nice lino kick. s . The passing of both sides was breaking down. Townsend was penalised inside his own half-way,' for picking tha ball out of the scrum, but Mark Nicholls's kick, though well directed, fell a trifle short. Badeley marked and kicked to Van Heerden, whose return kick gained no ground. Moffit passed back to Badeley from the line-out, and the latter transferred to Storey, who 'was well tackled when streaking for the line. Fumbling by Steel enabled > the Greens to relieve the pressure.,, A mark by G. P. Morkel was splendidly returned by Aitken, whose kick gained \ fully 50 yards. Clarkson next kicked .down the field, and Townsend, Kruger, and Van Heerden indulged /in a short passing rush, but Storey kicked out at New Zealand's twenty-five, where fumbling by Black backs threatened the gravest danger, a timely kick by a forward saving a dangerous situation.

Fast play up and down field followed, but as yet it was hardly international football. The forwards were evenly matched, and the backs on both sides were watching each other very closely. A nice centring kick by Steel gave the Blacks a chance, but the Green defence

was sound, and a free kick helped them further to relieve the tension. Badeley continued to gain ground with useful line kicks, but Townsend and Clarkson went through with a nice piece of passing, which ended by Van Heerden failing to hold the ball, and enabling Aitken to clear nicely." An exciting period of play followed, the Black forwards rushing the ball well into the Green territoi'y only .to be sent right back by a long kick by Van Heerden. From a scrum near the New Zealand line the Green forwards worked tho ball within 12 or IS yards of the 1 line, and Michau, obtaining a pass from Townsend, tried to break through in front of the goal, but was ffiell collared. A moment later j a Green forward broke away on the blind side and passed to Van Heerden, who put in a strong run, and, though tackled, fell over the line and scored a good try. G. P. Morkel kicked a fino goal from a difficult angle, and the spell ended with the score —; SPRINGBOKS a ALL BLACKS 0 i SECOND SPELL: The All Blacks opened the second spell with the sun at their backs. An exchange of kicks, ended in. New Zealand forcing down as the result of an illjudged kick by Gerhard Morkel. Steel returned a kick by Michau to the Green twenty-five, and at once the Blacks were attacking, but bad passing broke down the attack, and play settled at the halfway. Michau kicked out at the corner on the New Zealand line, and the Greens maintained a vigorous pressure until the Blacks found much-needed relief in a force down. Meyer and H. Morkel showed out in a nice piece of passing, but the Black backs retaliated, and play returned to the Greens' twenty-five, where the bounce beat Gerhard Morkel and a couple of other Green backs, and Bellis, by fast following up, scored amidst a scene of the greatest enthusiasm, which. was redoubled when Mark Nicholls goaled. SPRINGBOKS "..:.. 5 ALL BLACKS 5 A knock-on by Storey caused a scrum in the Black twenty five, and from a. speculator Michau and the New Zealand backs had a great race for the ball over the touch-line, but the leather went into the dead-ball area, i GOOD OPPORTUNITY LOST. Steel received a long pass, bnt knockedon when he had a good opportunity of scoring, and a scrum took place about half-way. A Green passing rush broke down, and Moffit went through to collar Clarkson, who sent the ball along tho ground to Gerhard Morkel, who got the line with one of his powerful kicks. Badeley stopped a Green rush in i good, style, but too hard kicking enabled Gerhard Morkel again to find the line. The next incident of the game was sensational. Steel took the ball high from a cross-kick just inside the Blacks' ground, and, after throwing off one man," set out for the line like a flash. He entirely outpaced Meyer, and Gerhard Morkel could not get across in time, 1 thus enabling Steel to race round behind the posts, and score one of the most brilliant tries.ever seen at Carisbrook'. M. Nicholls converted, and the Blacks led;\ ALL BLACKS .....1 10 SPRINGBOKS S The Greens returned to the assault, and Townseud sent out the ball from the scrum, but the pass went astray, and Hughes came 1 through. The South Africans were now battling hard, and shifted play to the New Zealand line, where a great scrumming tussle took place on the Blacks' line, and where one or two free kicks to Greens missed by the narrowest margins. Van Heerden made a great run' from half-way, but when a try appeared certain gave a shocking pass to Clarkson, and a sigh of relief was audible all over the ground. A nice line-kick by Badeley saw New Zealand again attacking, and White improved the position still further. A scrum and a i line-out following right on the Greens' line. Nicholls sent 'out a pass j to Badeley, who cut in, bnt was collared.