BETTER TEAM WON

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 58, 6 September 1937, Page 15

BETTER TEAM WON

OFFICIALS' COMMENT SOUTH AFRICANS" DELIGHT The New Zealand team were among the.first, to congratulate the South Africans on their win and fine performancei Mr. S. S. Dean, chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union executive, said he was very pleased with the game, which was played in the best of spirite. There ' was no doubt that the better team had won on the day. J P.-J. Nel, the South African captain, said that the game was a very hard one, and that he felt his side had benefited in the second spell from the hard work carried out in the first spell. They set out to wear the opposition down, and gained the ascendancy in the second spell. He was very proud

++++++++++♦++44 » »»+♦♦» + »♦■»■ also that his record of always having captained the winning side in international matches when his wife was present remained unbroken. His wife' Was in Christchurch for the Test. "It was a magnificent game, one of the hardest we have played on the tour," he said. "I am very proud of my boys. I think we deserved to win. We are all looking forward to the Auckland Test. This game today made our New Zealand tour." Mr. Percy Day, the 'manager of the Springboks' team, regarded it as .one of the greatest games they had ever had, and said he thought they would have been very unlucky to have, been beaten when the score was 6-5 in New Zealand's favour. They had . set out to get on top, and had succeeded during the second spell. He was very pleased with the performance of his team, the backs as well as the forwards. They had thrown the ball about in a manner which was appetising to the members of the team and to the public,' which had shown its appreciation, and was certainly not oneeyed-

Talking to South Africans after the match, Mr. Day said he was the proudest man; in New Zealand today. He always felt satisfied, that the boys would uphold the traditions of South African football, and they had played an exceedingly fine game today. Their performance from beginning to end was a credit to South Africa. He then paid a tribute to the tactics which had been employed, mmtioning particularly the sporting manner in which the ball had been thrown about.

BRANDS GREATNESS

The former New Zealand representative Charlie Oliver, after the match, said: "I think it was a wonderful exhibition by the winning side today. The South Africans tired during the last ten minutes of the first spell, and early in the second spell, but after that they came back, and the way in which they did it was wonderful. They thoroughly deserved their victory. Brand's display was the finest I have ever seen given by a full-back; and you can have them here and in England as well."

"We were outplayed by a definitely