KIWIS DEFEATED BY SCOTLAND

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21925, 21 January 1946, Page 2

KIWIS DEFEATED BY SCOTLAND

FORWARDS OUTCLASSED IN LOOSE

NEW ZEALAND BACKS LACK ENTERPRISE

(10.30 a.m.) EDINBURGH, Jan. 20. Before the biggest crowd of the tour, approximately 50,000, the N.Z.E.F. Rugby team suffered its first defeat at Murrayfield, being well and truly beaten by Scotland by 11 points to six, in a fast and exciting game. The Scots beat the Kiwis at their own game, playing enterprising and aggressive football throughout, throwing the ball about and freely snapping up opportunities from the Kiwi mistakes, which were much more frequent than usual in recent matches. In the only match in which the Kiwis obtained a clear majority in possession from the scrums, the backs failed to play with enterprise. Apart from good work in the tight, the forwards were sluggish and the Scottish pack was superior in the loose. The Scottish win was more notable because the New Zealand line was not crossed in previous internationals, and three tries were as many as had been scored against the Kiwis in the previous nine games.

The teams were.— New Zealand. —Cook, Sherratt, Smith. Argus. Allen, Kearney, Saxton (captain), McPhail, Haigh, Simpson. Arnold, Woolley, Young, Blake, and Finlay.

Saxton who received a knock in the first minute of the match, was slow and uncertain in passing, and though Kearney was taking the ball beautifully, lie was standing too far away and having to take many passes flatfooted.

Scotland.—Geddes (captain), Anderson, Munro. Bruce, Smith, Lumsden, Black, Henderson, Lyall, Aitken, Watt, Kirk. Eiliott, Deas and Orr.

The forwards were showing nothing like the dash they showed against Wales and. on the play, three points did not look like a safe lead. Early in the second half the Kiwi backs went away, but the Scottish forwards pressed with fierce rucking, and several scrums followed almost on the Kiwi line. Lumsdcn’s Sensational Rush

In the Kiwi team Woolley replaced Rhind who has influenza.

Scotland kicked off and took play deep into the Kiwi quarter. A good Kiwi movement came from a scrum, Sherratt being beautifully dropped by Geddes. but getting the ball to Kearney, to Young, who was downed, and the ball was kicked through to Cook, 'who was wide with a drop-kick at goal. Forwards Without Fire After a scrum in Scottish territory, Allen took a bad pass from Saxton and broke away before sending to Kearney, to Smith, who beat two men and then was caught in possession. The Kiwi forwards were playing without fire, and the fast-breaking Scottish packmen were worrying Saxton, who was sending out many bad passes. Cook was short with a penalty 45 yards out, but Elliott knocked on under his own posts when fielding. Saxton broke clean away from the last of two scrums, but was penalised. Argus was sent on another run and, when dropped. Munro snapped up the ball but the kick was charged down and Arnold kicked through and caught the defender in possesion, the forwards sweeping play on and Woolley scoring. Cook missed from wide out. From scrambling play Munro broke away. Argus raced oacK, grassed mm, and fast backing up by the Scottish forwards almost enabled them to hustle the ball over the Kiwi line. Scotland was pressing, but eventually Woolley drove play back with a fine solo run. Saxton worked the blind side twice without success, but Elliott, Kirk and Henderson smashed through to Kiwi territory with a great loose rush. Good tackling stopped the Kiwi backs and, from a penalty three yards inside the Kiwi half, Geddes was just short with a great kick. Kiwis Lead at Half-time Cook later fielded a long kick, beat two men in a long diagonal run, and lined the Scottish twenty-five. After the Scots regained ground, Finlay, Arnold, Simpson and Woolley showed ud in loose play, and Kearney beautifully collected a very bad pass from Saxton, kicked through Geddes, forcing Argus in close attendance. Half-time then came with New Zealand leading three points to nil. Though the New Zealanders had done most of the attacking, their work lacked the clean-cut precision /if recent matches and the team did not seem settled down.

From the drop-out after New Zealand forced, Lumsden made a sensational rush down the centre and lined in the Kiwi quarter. A minute later the Scots went away in a beautiful passing rush Bruce going through and sending Anderson over for a fine try. Geddes missed. From the drop-out Anderson hurled a long pass to Aitken. who started a passing rush which ended in a line kick, and then the Scottish backs raced away again and Munro swerved inside brilliantly and scored a great .try. Smith converting. So far the second half had been Scotland’s all the way, but the Kiwis now began to play with much more dash and gave the Scottish fullback, Geddes, plenty to do. After several Kiwi rushes, Allen kicked through, Argus catching Geddes in possession five yards from the line, but a penalty in the resultant scrum enabled Scotland to clear Many Kiwi back attacks were stopped only by excellent Scottish tackling. Cook kicked a penalty and, after the kick-off, the Kiwis tried long throwing, but it was the Scottish who went away in a passing movement which took good tackling to stop just 10 yards short of the Kiwi line. Drop Kick Goes Wide

From a scrum the Scots tried a passing rush and Bruce took a snap dropkick at goal, the ball going wide, but Anderson raced up and dived on it Smith missing the conversion.

Play ended when the kick-off wa knocked on.

On the day the Kiwis were clearly beaten by a better side. Excellent handling by the Scottish backs in the second half showed that the conditions had nothing to do with the lack of penetration of the Kiwi backs in the first half.

The ground was heavy, but otherwise the conditions were good.

Though it is difficult to account for reversal in form shown in the Combined Services match, the fact is that the Kiwis failed to rise to the occasion this time, and they only played their usual aggressive football in the quarter of an hour following Scotland’s taking the lead. The young Scottish team, on the other haiid, played all out to win, made few mistakes, and put up a truly fine exhibition of clever Rugby.