RUGBY FOOTBALL

Grey River Argus, 13 October 1949, Page 6

RUGBY FOOTBALL

ALL BLACKS ARRIVE AT SYDNEY SYDNEY, Oct 12 The All Blacks arrived here today on the Dominion Monarch. Mr A. St. C. Belcher (chairman) and Mr F. Sutherland of the New Zealand Rugby Union, who have been attending the Rugby conference in Sydney, welcomed the All Blacks and are travelling home with them. The All Black’s captain Fred Allen, advised Australia to build up a scrummage and rucking strength in preparation for its tour of South Africa in 1952. The South Africans played magnificent football, throughout the tour. “They are fine tuckers and scrummages,” he said. “The Sringboks are powerful in both backs and th« forwards, but they prefer to keep the ball in the forwards. In one test match one of their wingers went right through the game without touching the bah. “The Springbok test teams were made up of big young fast men, who were trained to the minute for rough matches. We were beaten fairly and squarely in the tests and we offer no alibis. They had the lucky breaks at the right times and that made the difference.”