MORE CONVINCING

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 124, 21 November 1935, Page 31

MORE CONVINCING

ALL BLACKS' EOEM RETURN VISIT TO WALES FEATURES OF PLAY (From "The Post's" Special Correspondent.) LONDON, November 1. Kealising that they have the honour of their predecessors of 1905 and 1924 to uphold the All Blacks are now playing the type of Rugby which is always expected of a touring team from New Zealand. With the Newport game, which the All Blacks won so convincingly by 17 points to 5, half the tour had been covered and it can be safely said that in the second half the tourists will give a far better account of themselves than they did in the first. This view seems to be shared by most of the London Rugby writers. J. P. Jordan, of the "Daily Mail," had this to say: "Personally, I fancy the All Blacks' form in. the second half of their programme will be 50 per cent, better than in the first. In that case they may emulate the South Africans of 1912 and 1931 by beating the .four home countries, a happening that I certainly would not care to lay odds against." OUTLOOK FOR TESTS. In the first of the four Internationals —against Scotland, at Murrayfield—it will be interesting to see whether the All Blacks have justified the confidence that their last three showings have inspired the critics to have in them. Incidentally, the ground upon which this match will be played is the largest Rugby ground in the British Isles, having been specially enlarged in view of the All Blacks' visit. Over 90,000 people can now be accommodated at Murrayfield, Edinburgh.

When the All Blacks first went up to Scotland on this tour to play the South of Scotland and Glasgow and Edinburgh they had not found their feet and the Scots were unanimous that any Scottish fifteen would have no trouble in beating them. The probability now is that they, like so many of the critics over here, have rather modified their views. Again quoting J. P. Jordan: "Of the present side C. IJ. Oliver, at centre, and T. H. C. Caugheyi at five-eighth, represent 1 Drains and bnniaiice and are sure to be very much in evidence in the Internationals. B. S. Sadler, too, is a scrum-half who is well up to the best New Zealand form. Nepia's physique and personality, not to mention his prowess, made him a never-to-be-for-gotten full-back in 1924. He is the type of player who is produced once in a generation,' but a full-back can still be of International class without being a Nepia. Where this present team resemble the other two is in the way they pounce on their opponents' mistakes and score points from them. Intensive backing up is another telling weapon in their armoury." SADLER EXCELS. Two points are especially interesting in those comments. First, the reference to Sadler and, second, the matter of the All Blacks making the most of their opponents' errors. Sadler, after his grand display against Llanelly, when the Welsh forwards did their best to tear him into small pieces, followed up with another great showing on the following Saturday against Cardiff. Here again he displayed his two great attributes—elusiveness and pluckihess. "Add to this- the fact-that he gave absolutely fau'tless service from the scrum and it is clear just why the critics in Great Britain are beginning to become enthusiastic over this youngster as are bis many ardent admirers in Wellington. Sadler is quite the man off the field now—plus fours and the latest sporting brown "pork-pie" type of hat which, is all the rage over here at the present time. And, whenever you see Sadler you can be pretty sure that Ball is hot very far away. These two Wellingtonians are inseparables. NEW LEASE OF LIFE. In mentioning that the All Blacks make the most of errors on the part of their opponents, J. P. Jordan is but repeating what the critics over here have been saying ever since the New Zealanders started to show real form. In fact, when they first began to give their best it seemed that the local writers were rather loath to give them | full credit, saying that it was only the mistakes of their opponents that allowed the All Blacks to win. That is by no means true. Now that the All i Blacks have taken a new lease of life ' they are winning their matches convincingly (writing of the Llanelly, Cardiff, and Newport games). At the present time the All Blacks are going their winning way with confidence and the fact that they are taking full advantage of their opponents' lapses only goes to show that they are moulding into a really good side.

j In the Cardiff game the All Blacks profited greatly from the mistakes of (their opponents. In the first half especially, whenever Cardiff decided to have a back passing movement it always meant that New Zealand were | to be presented with a scoring chance. The Cardiff backs, until later in the second half, could not pass with precision and Oliver in particular was snapping up their dropped passes with glee. Several New Zealand tries resulted from this, but by no stretch of imagination can it be said that it was through those errors that the All Blacks won. They were by far the better team. HISTORIC GROUND. The game was played on the historic Cardiff Arms Park, scene of the famous match between New Zealand and Wales in 1905. It is an excellent ground and one upon which the New Zealanders will again be called upon to see what they can do—on December 21, when they meet Wales. As far as the actual turf is concerned, Cardiff Arms Park cannot compare with either Old Anniesland, Glasgow, or the Aldershot Ground. Those were billiard rable-like. In the matter of accommodation, however, the Cardiff ground was by far the best before reaching Twickenham. At Cardiff Arms Park the All Blacks played for the first time before a double-decker stand. The fact that the upper part of this stand contained only a handful of people for the game is no condemnation of the New Zealanders as drawcards. The ground holds well over 30.000 without the upper deck of the north stand, which runs the entire length of the field, and except for "upstairs" the ground was packed to canacity. Welsh enthusiasts assured the New Zealanders that when the Welsh international will be played it will take a dozen Sherlock Holmes to find a vacant seat in any part of the ground. Like the ground at Newcastle, Cardiff Arms Park, when not doing service as a Bugby ground, is used as a greyhound racing track, meetings being held three nights a week. BALL AT HIS BEST. The Cardiff game was by fur the most thrilling game that the All Blacks have so far played on their .tour, and a featm-e throughout the game was the way in which the New Zealand backs threw the ball about—sending it out to the wing for him to send it in again,

and so make it travel back over the same line of backs whose hands it had just passed through—was no trouble to them.

Ball played an outstanding game—by far the best he has played on the tour; in fact, he is now right on form, and followed this great display by another equally as good against Newport. He is starting to question Mitchell's right to being regarded as next best to Hart as far as the All Blacks' wing threequarters are concerned.

Ball's try in the Newport game was the result of one of the most brilliant back movements of the tour. The movement started in the New Zealand twenty-five, and the ball changed hands about a dozen times before Ball eventually finished things off with a try that brought forth tremendous enthusiasm from the crowd. To bring about this try the New Zealand backs threw the ball about among themselves with what seemed to be absolute abandon, but always the ball was taken cleanly and always was there some one in support to receive the ball when another defender appeared on the scene. IMPRESSIVE SHOWING. The Newport game was played on a sodden ground—rain had been falling all the morning and for days previously. The greasy ball, however, did not seem to affect the All Black backs, who turned on brilliant Rugby. This Newport game demonstrated clearly that the All Blacks have definitely found their feet, for to be able to turn on such thrilling football as they did under those far from ideal conditions they must be a team well up to standard.

Early in the tour it seemed that Tindill would never produce the form that had been expected of him when the All Blacks left New Zealand, but in the match against Newport he was one of the most outstanding players on the field. His defence was very solid, but it was on attack that he really shone, playing a particularly "heady" game. His two "pots" were both beautiful efforts. This good showing by Tindill is very promising. So, too, is the return to form of Corner, who, up until fhe Newport match had done absolutely nothing of note behind the All Black scrum. Sadler had left him very much in the shade, but at Newport Corner gave glimpses of his 1930 form. The improved performances by Corner and Tindill are very gratifying, and it is to be hoped that one or. two of the other members of the touring side follow their example. There are still several All Blacks in the touring team who have yet to show the form that gained them inclusion in the side.