CRITICS CONFOUNDED

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 78, 29 September 1924, Page 5

CRITICS CONFOUNDED

WELSH RUGBY UNION GETS A .-. . SURPRISE. (AUSTRALIAN-NEW ZEALAND CABLE ASSOCIATION.) . LONDON, 27th September." The result of the game created a tremendous sensation among British Rugby enthusiasts. Swansea's weakness in every department of the game demonstrated the terrible depreciation in Welsh form. Local critics are everywhere confounded by the result, as the Swansea men had been1 training- together each day for a full week. The Welsh Rugby Union's1- officials are surprised and concerned at this sudden and quite unexpected display of -what can only be considered the true form of the All Blacks. The Now Zealand forwards nearly always gained possession of the ball from Jine-outE and carried most of the scrums. They also secured possession of the ball almost invariably in the scrams, the "ioose head troubles of previous games having almost entirely disappeared.' The most conspicuous players amonothe visitors were Cooke, Brown, Dallej° and Nicholls among the backs, and m! Brownlie, Donald., and White among the forwards. TJie combination both fore and ait was much too superior for the Swansea players. Despite the big total the All Blacks lost at least a dozen triesby faulty handling and injudicious kicking, and, with cleaner and smarter wprk, might have added largely to their total. One of the weakest points in the New Zealand players' game was the place-kicking, which again failed signalSwansea showed poor defensive qualities, and were evidently very nervous. Their play may easily be termed badj especially in regard to tackling, as most jf the players went too high, while the backs, when they did obtain possession of the ball, ran blindly and passed erratically.