THE ALL BLACKS

Evening Star, Issue 22277, 2 March 1936, Page 3

THE ALL BLACKS

1935 STATISTICS (By " Wells"). Although the record of the 1935 All Blacks may compare unfavourably with the records of the two previous teams, it is one of which any touring side might well be proud, particularly when it is recognised that the standard of Rugby football m England has shown an ail-round improvement during the last few years. The 1935 team's record reads:— Matches played, 28; won, 24; drawn, 1; lost, 3. Points scored: For, 431; against, 180. The original All Blacks (1905) lost only one of the 33 matches played, the famous game with Wales, at Cardiff, in December, being decided against them. Although this was an , outstanding achievement, it is a fact that four teams—Newport, Cardiff, Scotland, and Swansea—prevented the New Zealandcrs from crossing their line.. The strain of the 1905 tour was apparently realised by the second All Blacks team, and for the tour of four months abroad the fixture list was reduced to 30, 28 matches being played in Great Britain, the other two being against France and Paris. In the 33 games played by the 1905 All Blacks, a total of 868 points was scored, as against 47. and the second All Blacks team notched 721 points to 112, but consideration has to be given to the fact that the number of matches had been reduced by three. Besides the number of matches, the name, strength, and general significance of the fixtures were different for the second and third All Black teams. For instance, five international matches (including France) were set down for the original All Blacks, also 10 English counties, 12 English clubs, one Wolsh county, three Welsh clubs, one Scottisn combined side, and one Irish province. The second New Zealand team met four international sides, _ including France, and the rest of the itinerary was made up of 14 English counties, three English clubs, London (twice). Combined Services, four Welsh clubs, Ulster, and Paris.

A considerable alteration was made in the, programme for last year's team There were only four international matches—France, inevitably, hud to he left out—and 10 matches against pairs, or groups of English counties; the usual games with Oxford-and Cambridge and the Combined Services, three matches with groups of clubs in Scotland, two games against Welsh: clubs, one against the group and four against Welsh clubs and Ulster, or Northern Ireland. The New Zealanders, in their 28 matches scored 52 tries, 36 goals, 1(1 penalty goals, 11 dropped goals, and 1 goal from a mark, as against 18 tries, 17 goals, 11 penalty goals, and 2 dropped goals. Penalty goals were the means of winning three matches, all in Scotland—at Harwick, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. At Aberdeen the North of Scotland actually scored two tries to one, but the excellent kicking of Gilbert enabled the All Black's to win by 12 points to 6". In the game at Newport, in which the Welsh Club was equal with, a goal to a try, the All Blacks ran up their total of 17 points by the addition of two dropped goals, one penalty goal, and one goal from a mark; and in the return match with London Counties 18 of the New Zealanders' 24 points were scored with three dropped goals and two penalty goals. Again, at Devonport, Gilbert kicked 17 of the 35 points in the opening match of the tour. In the four international matches New Zealand scored 47 points to 43, one of the engagements being lost by a point and another by 13. The score of 17 points to 9 against Ireland was largely assisted by two penalty goals. Each of the 10 matches with pairs or groups of English counties was won by the Np.w Zealanders, who scored a total of 177 points to 45. In the matches with Oxford and Cambridge the total of 45 points to 14 was deceptive, tho former having been beaten by only a point and the latter by 20 points. Although only three matches were lost by the All Blacks, three sides— Oxford, the Combined Services, and the side representing the Glasgow and Edinburgh clubs—ran the New Zealanders to a point, and Ulster was the only side to force a draw at three points all. In Scotland, excluding the international game, New Zealand scored no more than 32 points to 22 in three matches. Excepting the match with Wales, the New Zealanders did remarkably well in that country as compared with Scotland. In the three games with pairs or groups of clubs the All Blacks scored 75 points to 19. In zhs matches with the four big Welsh clubs, which included the defeat at Swansea by 1 11 points to 3, 56 points were scored against 29. The highest scorer for the tour was G. Gilbert, the full-back, who converted 30 tries, dropped three goals, and kicked 16 penalty goals. This record of 120 points exceeds that of Mark Nicholls, who, in the 1924-25 tour, scored 103 points, which consisted of 35 conversions, 3 dropped goals, 6 penalty goals, and 1 trv. It has to be considered, however, that Nicholls was a five-eighth, who thought more of making openings than scoring himself. George Nepia, the full-back in the same tour, converted 29 tries and kicked four penalty goals. But it was W. J. Wallace and J. Hunter who, in 1905, made Rugby history; and no one is ever likely to equal their feats. Wallace, equally proficient at full-back, centre, or on' the wing, scored no fewer than 227 points, 66 of which came from tries. That most brilliant of all five-eighths. Hunter, scored 123 points from 41 tries. Individual performances mav be summarised as follows:—Caughey, second five-eighth, was second to Gilbert in the matter of scoring points ; he scored 46—one dropped goal and 14 tries. Mitchell scored 12 tries; Hart 11, Oliver 8 (he also placed three goals in one match); Ball 7; M'Kenzie 5; Brown, King, and Sadler 4; Pepper 3; Manchester, Reid, Vorrath. Adkins, and Wynyard 2; Corner, Hore, Griffiths, Solomon, Hadley, and M'Lean scored one each. Tindill, a partner of Caughey at fiveeighth, did not score a 'try, but dropped five goals—two against Newport, one against Mid-District, and two against London Counties. In 1924-25 the chief try-scorers were: A. Hart (20), A. E. Cooke (19), Svenson (18), Steel (17). Parker (15), A. M. Brownhe (10), Mills and C. Brownlie (9). and Richardson (8). In all but two matches of the tour Gilbert was on the field; King plaved in 24 matches—he dislocated his shoulder in his last appearance—Mitchell and Lamhourn 22; Caughey and Manchester 20; Hart. Oliver (in spite of several injuries), Reid (the solid Maori for ward} 19; Griffiths, Ball, Pepper 16; Hadley (injured in first .match, and on the bank for the next nine). Horc,

M'Lean, M'Kcnzie, and Sadler lu; Tindill and Corner 13: Vorrath 11; Adkins 9; Dalton and Wynyard 8; Brown, Solomon, and Collins 7; and Best 5. In all four international matches the following took the field:—Gilbert, Mitchell. Mahoney, King, Beid, Manchester. Hadlev, Lam bourn, Oliver. Sadler, Griffiths, M.'Lean, Ca nghey, and Hart played in three international matches. Dalton, Ball, Hore (who was injured at Murrayfield) appeared in two; and M'.Kenzie, Tindill, and Corner in one each. As the scoring of tries is the best indication of territorial superiority, it is interesting to note that tlie All Blacks crossed the line as follows:—■ Seven times at Abertillery and Cambridge. Six times at Devonport and Aberdare Five times at Bristol and Birkenhead. Four times at Llanelly, Cardiff, Boscombe, Leicester, and against Scotland at Murrayfield. Three times at Coventry, Bradford, Twickenham, at Dublin (against Ireland), and at Aberavon. Twice at Gosforth, Hawick. Aidershot. Oxford, Wales (at Cardiff), and at Twickenham against London Counties. Once at Swansea (the first defeat), Glasgow, Newport, Aberdeen, and Belfast (the only draw). No try or other points were scored against England.