INCIDENTS AND COMMENT

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 36, 11 August 1930, Page 4

INCIDENTS AND COMMENT

The British team has played three times at Athletic Park. On the first occasion the Wellington team shattered any hopes the tourists had of emulating the 1924 "Invincibles" and putting up an unbeaten record, on the second the Maoris surprised everybody with the opposition they provided and the praiseworthy effort they made to beat the visitors at their own attractive game, and on the third, which was on Saturday, the "All Blacks"—the name persists despite the change from the traditional jerseys—scored the win ncces-

sary to make success in the "rubber" convincing. New Zealand Lad won the second and third Tests, but despite reports of their "superiority, the margin of victory as expressed in matter- of fact points to bo handed down to future generations was ficia]i,:with the further unsatisfactory aspect of the second Test in which Britain played for the greater part of the yain^ with only fourteen men on the field. The 'hard nut that was the British team had been cracked, but whatever satisfaction may have been gained from the 'cracking, there remained a disturbing doubt as to whether the morse] would prove a soft one when it came to finishing off the work. No matter how hard, the application of pressure, the British nut had never been completely broken in the Tests.

ON WELLINGTON'S GROUND. As C. G. Porter, captain of New Zealand's elect, said in speaking to the teams at the dinner on Saturday night, the tourists had had his men thinking, and the New Zealanders knew that only by giving of their best could they score a win that would be convincing. Porter's pleasure as a New Zealand captain at that convincing win being gained on Saturday will bo shared by the thousands of supporters of his team, and will be.all the greater because of the stout opposition provided by the British players. AH those who saw the game, both local patrons and visitors, can be expected to remember the spectacle for many years to come—certainly long after the differences over the matter of quotas of seats have been, forgotten. But Wellingtonians will keep for themselves just that little extra bit of satisfaction which comes of having had New Zealand's football name cleared on the. local ground. The early morning drizzle—visitors from the North reported that it was raining heavily for the greater part of the way down—gave rise to the fear that the game would be played under similar conditions to those prevailing on that historic wet day, 17th September, 1921, when the Springboks and the All Blacks ended tip all square, particularly as there was an absence of wind to clear the atmosphere. The sky soon brightened, Jiowevei\ and by the time the'match commenced none could cavil at the conditions upon which so much depended. AN EARLY THRILL. That full advantage was going to be taken of the opportunity of playing Rugby as it is meant to be played on a firm turf, with an absence of sun and wind, and with a dry ball, was quickly made apparent after Porter had kicked off. From a ■line-out in mid-field the British backs gained possession and were in full flight in a twinkling. Reeve, on the endv of the chain, exploited a short punt, and within a minute or two of the start New Zealand were defending desperately. The forwards effected a temporary' Clearance, but the respite was' very brief, Murray feeding the"electric Spong in mid-field and the latter cutting a; big hole in the defence, a hole -which.was repaired only after the crowd had received a first-rate thrill. The New Zealand team's supporters were doubtless a little uneasy following these exchanges, bu<; trepidation . changed to jubilation,-when a. Sweeping dribbling rush by the forwards gave the Britishers their .first taste of defence. Britain repulsed.the first onslaught, but the attackers were resolute and M'Williams, swerving and dummying; like a back, went through in fine style before passing, to Porter, who scored the first try of the match. ' It is always pleasing to see one's team score first, particularly when the game has been in progress for only six minutes, but it is pleasing, too, to see worthy opponents also having their share of success, and a great cheer went up when Parker equalised with a magnificent penalty goal'a couple of minutes later. More points were awaited, however, and enthusiasm was of the keenest. It became apparent that New Zealand's search for more points was the keener. Good work by the forwards kept Britain penned down, and the liberal supply of the ball that they gave Corner was not wasted on the little half who swung his backs into motion time after time. ' . ■ ■ ATTACK AND COUNTER ATTACK. Efforts were made to pierce the defence at all points, but scores were not to be obtained easily, and relentless tackling kept the British line safe. A' reversal occurred as the result of a dribbling rush led by Beamish and Black, the advantage to the British team being carried on by tho backs, but a slip at the critical moment made the effort fruitless. A typical breakaway by Ivor Jones resulted in another sally. This also was turned and most of,the running remained With the New Zealanders, whose endeavours were rewarded when Lilburne penetrated the .efence and paved the way for a try by Strang, placing New Zealand once again three points ahead.

This finished the scoring for the first spell, but «it did not mark the end of the colourful play. Both sides were in the picture on different occasions. There was sting in the attack, but the defensive play remained strong enough to withstand the calls made upon it. The crowd was particularly well pleased to see most of the men whose names are household words reaching the heights expected of them. Matters were largely fought out by the forwards, but there is forward play and forward play, and in.this case it was not lacking in the spectacular. Britain infused greater vim, if anything, than before when the second spell started, and for a while tliey were on top. ,The forwards were playing a rattling game, and the backs, among whom Spong continued to be a shining light, were not lacking in giving support. BRILLIANT DASHES. Slowly but surely, however, the New Zealand forwards made their presence felt and 'Britain had to give ground. Then , came a glimpse of the Cooke that is world famous. The New Zealand backs had indulged in a bout of passing which ended at Hart. The ball was then lacked on and across Britain's line. There were two Britishers on hand but Cooke, coming up in a flash, raced past them and pounced on the ball,' gaining a try which gave New Zealand a clear six points' lead. If the score board looked good to New Zealand's supporters, it was soon -a good deal more attractive for those whose favours were with the visitors. The British team played up with renewed vigour, driving the attackers back and, after the forwards had done their share, the ball reached the backs. Snappy transfers sent it out to Novis, and he was too fast and elusive to be caught, showing a clean pair of heels to the opposition and touching down behind the posts. Black reduced the margin to a single point. Excitement was now at its highest pitch.

From this stage the effects of the strenuous play began to tell, and some of the players had to be attended to for minor injuries. The visitors now had their chance to pull the game out of the fire, but were unable to keep up the pi'essure. New Zealand went on to further success, adding three more tries, two of which were converted. An effort by Bassett to take the ball on the full when rushing to meet it was unsuccessful, and this enabled Cooke to make another of his scoring dashes, in which the try is gained almost before it is apparent that the opportunity is offering. The forwards produced two more tries, one, by Porter, with Cottrell in attendance, and the other by Batty. The players could not have been blamed had the pace slackened somewhat towards the finish, but to their credit it must be said that^it showed no signs of diminishing and, with every opportunity taken of opening up the game, the spectators had no hesitation in waiting to see the finish of a wonderful game in which vanquished as well as victors gave a display which justifies Rugby's premier position in New Zealand sport. ■