ALL BLACKS’ RETURN

Evening Star, Issue 21811, 29 August 1934, Page 9

ALL BLACKS’ RETURN

THE TRIP A RUSH AFFAIR TEAM FOR TO-MORROW'S MATCH [Feb United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, August 29. The All Blacks were welcomed back at the wharf this morning on the arrival of the Wanganella. Iho team will not disband until after the match with Rest of New Zealand to-morrow. The players were met on arrival by Mr Dean, chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union, and officials. Ihe tourists are not dismayed at having left the Bledisloe Cup behind, recognising that Rugby in Australia has anproved, find that tilie visit with, its results will give added stimulus to the union code in Australia. . The trip was a rush affair, and this placed the team somewhat under a handicap, especially in facing the second test. Before that match the players had to bustle round, making all their preparations to leave that night for New Zealand. Then they had to take the field and leave directly afterwards on the return trip. Another unfortunate circumstance was that the team was hard hit by influenza. A further difficulty was in the interpretations of the rules by the referees in Australia, many of which the team found hard to understand Even so the merit of Australia’s performance is generally acknowledged by the team. All the players speak highly of the unbounded hospitality accorded them everywhe-e during the tour. The All Black team for to-morrow’s match will be: —

Backs—Collins, Hart ; Caughey. Bul-lock-Douglas, Oliver, Page, Kilby Forwards —Lam bourne, Hadley, Hore, Manchester, King, Barry, M'Kenzie, M'Lean. ■ ■ Emergencies Holder, Smith, Griffiths, Leeson. Mahoney, Mataira. Max and Corner have not yet fully recovered from influenza. Knight has burst a blood vessel in his leg.

AUSTRALIAN STANDARD HIGH IMPROVEMENT IN FORWARD PLAY Interviewed, Kilby, captain of the All Blacks, said: “ With the exception of the games at Orange and Newcastle the team met very strong opposition all the way through.” The standard was very high in Australia at the present time, a fact that was a revelation to the tourists. The Australians were definitely on the crest of the wave so far as the Rugby Union game was concerned. They had bad a particularly good club season, getting attendances at club games twice as big as similar games in New Zealand. The greatest thing the tourists noticed was the improvement in Australia’s forwards. Since their tour to South Africa the Australians have learnt to become excellent scrummagers. It was hard to account for New Zealand’s falling off in scrum work in the second spell of the first test. , They set about effecting an improvement, and the result was that in tlve second spell of the second test they did everything but score.

“ However, full credit must be given for the wonderful defence set up by Australia in that second spell—a defence which for twenty-five minutes never looked like crumpljng.” Kilby made special mention of Lewis, the Queensland back, and Bridle, Hodgson and Jessep, forwards, as being some of the outstanding players met on the trip. Jessep, formerly of New Zealand, proved himself to be a fine leader of the Australian forwards, and kept them to-

gother splendidly when things were going against them. Mr Geddes, manager, in an interview, said that Australian football had gone ahead by leaps and bounds. There was a big revival over there in the matter of attendances at the matches. What impressed, him more than anything else was the fine type of people behind the game over there. The standard of play was definitely high, and he too thought Australia had profited from its South Africa tour. ' ‘ , •., Commenting on the play, he said New Zealand had kept religiously to the promise made to play bright, open football, but it had been found that the Australians in the three main matches set themselves out to play the wing forward game, which New Zealand did not elect to reintroduce. Illegal hook ing on the part of the Australian hooker went heavily against New Zealand in the first test. The tourists could not follow the rulings of the referee, except in the case of Mr Barnes, who controlled both games at Brisbane. The team had had a wonderfully good time. It was a good, happy family from start to finish, and all had taken the decisions of the Selection Committee in the best of spirit.