Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1924. ALL BLACKS’ WIN.

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 September 1924, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1924. ALL BLACKS’ WIN.

Disappointment was felt in some quarters when it was learned that the All Blacks had won their first match by eleven points to nil, as against the victory in 1905 against Devon by 55 to 4. Such attitude is not fair to the present team, as the opposition they encountered was probably .much stronger. In 1905, the New Zealanders’ arrival aroused, little excitement, their prowess being unsuspected. No effort was made to collect the strongest team to represent Devon against them, and English Rugbyites got the shock of their lives at the way their compatriots were mastered. The visit of the present All Blacks has been prepared against in quite different fashion, and no risks were taken. There will be no cause for stay-at-homes to growl if the All Blacks do as well in their succeeding matches. If they put up no record score against the Devonians, as did their predecessors, they did something the lattei' failed to do, and that was preventing the other side scoring. It was admitted before the (earn sailed that it would find the English Rugby Clubs stronger than in 1905, and it is not to be expected that even if as many victories arc won, the margins ol

points in the various games will be as great as in 1905. Like other athletes, the All Blacks could not have been at their best in their first match, and before their detractors make merry, it would be wise to wait for the result of the later matches. We are not among those who talk as if it would be blasphemy to say anything against the All Blacks,' but they should be given a fair deal by ,their own countrymen. This was not always forthcoming before they sailed, owing perhaps to anger through certain district favourites not being selected. The time for that partisanship has gone, and any disposition to “jump” on the chosen should be suppressed. Our morning contemporary fob some reason best known to itself, thought it advisable to feature deprecatory comments about Saturday’s play, but then the “Argus” is too often lacking in ardour for home concerns. Rugby enthusiasts must realise from the beginning of the tour that the All Blacks are unlikely to repeat the 1905 triumphs, and so long as they win the majority of their matches, those who selected them should not be subject to harsh censure, nor should the players be treated with, supercilious patronage. They meet Cornwall on Wednesday, and doubtless they will have profited by j Saturday,’s try-out. In 1905, the All Blacks won by 41 to nil, but a similar rout must not be again expected. A word of congratulation may be extended to the Post Office authorities for the prompt manner in which Saturday’s result was published near and far. A football match may not be a very important affair for a nation to get excited over, but there is genuine interest throughout the Dominion over the tour, and such public interest should be catered for. Incidentally, it cannot be said that the cable-service was over-generous 'regarding the match. The report is somewhat sparse in detail, in striking contrast to the full descriptions of the Davis Cup matches, in whiph New Zealand was not so interested. The system under which Australia and New Zealand share the press cable service seems to give the Commonwealth too great favour. When an Australian is engaged in any sporting, contest, or political or business affair, the cabled messages are often unnecessarily fulsome and detailed, whereas Dominion men get comparatively little publicity. This is the sort of preferential treatment that encourages the idea New Zealand is a mere appendage of Australia, and the sooner greater justice is done to this country the better.