MAORIS’ TOUR

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 February 1927, Page 11

MAORIS’ TOUR

BACK TO WALES.

(By

“Moko-Moko,”

1926 “All Black”).

(Special to "Star.”) The gallant little principality worships Rugby, and we were glad to get back among these enthusiastic, if dour followers of the national game of Wales and New Zealand. The good folk of Cardiff, whom we had met on November 6 wished to try conclusions with us once more, our victory of eighteen points to eight not being satisfactory to them. We had a great reception. The match was played on the “big day” of Cardiff athletics, when all the amateur sporting bodies hold their annual dinner In Wales, everybody will talk football and will talk it by the hour. Reminiscences are the heart and souls of these true lovers of Rugby, and oldish men will tell you of the Original Maoris, the Original All Blacks, the Army Team, and -will recall every game just as if it happened the day before. And time adds flavour while the deeds of their darlings lose nothing in the years. . We were pretty tired after playing Paris on Sunday and travelling all Monday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. In spite of that our luck was in. We managed to win the double by defeating Cardiff a second time. A detailed account of a game which had a try per spell could not be interesting, though it was a game of games. The 25,000 spectators were a fine sporting lot and used their voices in singing and shouting and cheering all through the strenuous ganie. With a slight breeze behind them in the first half, Cardiff were somewhat in the ascendant for territorial advantage. Their try came from a broken passing rush from which they suddenly Sent the ball back and in to the other side, Falwasser being caught out of position; Llew Williams received the ball from John Roberts and crossed just at the corner flag. No goal resulting, although Male’s kick was a fine effort. Cardiff 3. The Maori defence was sound after this reverse and the tackling was clean and hard, the first spell ending with the home side very confident. . We had many handlings, but thentackling was tip-top, and until the last ten minutes, the game looked as if Cardiff were going to have a narrow win. Our forwards worked up to Cardiff’s 25, and a passing rush brought a set-scrum from which we got the ball “pronto,” and half-back Kingi feinted to Bell on the blind side. Bell was flattened out by three men; but Kingi had flashed around to the open and was over the line before you could say “Jack Robinson!” We were threeall and level. Then Potaka kicked a goal of goals, and the score was Maoris s—Cardiff5 —Cardiff 3. We kept the game safe after that. “Old Stager,” the Cardiff “Echo” writer, well known to the 1924-5 men, wrote: —

The tactics of each side were true to the tradition—true to the traditions and the principles of Rugby. Mere spoiling was ruled out. The tackling was marked by thoroughness. The Maoris’ pivotal men —and their half backs and five-eights, and especially Bell —were splendid. They divert ed the ball to the clever and alert Falwasser, whose speed and his capacity for deceptive inward swerves make him of great potential value. Indeed, the Maoris favour the European method of attacking with their wings, and do not follow the New Zealand orthodox attack down the middle of the, field. . , Weaklings, or men with any physical defects could not have stood the pace of the whole-hearted tacklings. Physical fitness was quite as necessary as football ability. It was an inspiring match, and the £lOl7 paid for admission and seats was well earned. The Maoris’ forwards have improved cut of all recognition since they were list in Wales, and that improvement was one of the main features in making the game a better one. Falwasser made many splendid runs, but he could not just manage to score.