ALL BLACKS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 28 July 1924, Page 5

ALL BLACKS

J 1 COMBINED TEAM BEATEN. . ] VICTORY BY 27 POINTS TO 12. ] (BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION. 1 1 PALMERSTON N., July 26. * Ideal conditions prevailed for the 1 match between the All-Blacks and a 1 combined Manawatu and Horowhenua 1 team at Palmerston. North to-day. The \ game, which was watched by a crowd 1 of about sixteen thousand, was won ; by the All Blacks by 27'points to 12. : It was a tight forward' tussle throughout, the home forwards eonfin- ■ ing themselves mostly i)o spoiling tac- i tics in efforts to stop, the national combination getting under way. Cooke was particularly • well " marked, the training slogan of the homesters, “get Cooke,” being carried out to the letter. No unbiassed witness of the game, however, could claim.that the All Blacks had much on the local team in scrummages and line-outs, the home team being equal to the visitors and \ getting its full share of the bail. The difference practically lay in the superiority of the New Zealand backs. The latter were always dangerous when ‘ they got the ball, while on the other hand the combined rearguard took very little part in active attacking * operations,' bombarding .with their forwards •in the policy of spoiling the tactics of the All Blacks. No doubt practically everyone on the ground wanted to see the* All'Blacks win. The prospects of a debacle were practically nullified by the result of the Auckland match on Wednesday, and the difference of fifteen points in the final scores certainly does not flatter the home team. The spectators wanted to see firstly the All Blacks in action, and secondly their opponents put up a reasonably good performance, and that they did this is beyond question, as is witnessed by the half-time score of 11- points to 9, iii favour of the All Blacks. In the second spell the national fifteen settled down to business, and except' for the first fifteen minutes, in which the home team were on the All Blacks’ goal line, New Zealand dominated the play and added 16 points to the combined team’s 3. The attacking was always at the option of the All Blacks, and nearly always in the home territory. The combined team drew, first blood, when, after fifteen minutes’ play, McHerron scored an unconverted try. Stewart soon afterwards crossed for the All Blacks and evened the scores with a doubtful try, Nepia’s kick' failing. Dailey set .his backs in motion, and Cooke got over,, leaving a .comparatively easy kick for Richardson, who converted. The next score came when Carroll, for the homesters, eluded the opposition and scored, the kick failing. As a result of close play Richardson next crossed the line, missing with his own kick. .At half-time the scores were: All Blacks 11 Combined team 9 In the second half Badeley was the first to open the scoring account, and his try was converted by Brown. Shortly afterwards Badeley again crossed,, eluding all the home rearguard. Brown’s attempt at conversion failed. The next score of the All Blacks came from a penalty kick by Brown, and the score was 22 to 9 in favour of the All. Blacks. ; As a . result of back combination Law, for combined, secured, the ball . rand passed; to-Mdßerrqn,, who. scored. The kick failed.. The final. score came : from a,.passing ,bout, .in which dlobilV ■.. Hard secured and ran ’right through • the opposition v and" ' Br'owii converted, - and the game ended:—. •' All Blacks .' 27 Combined team 12 Mr. W. J, O’Neill refereed.- - Richardson and Munro in the forwards and Dailey, Cooke and Steele ’ shone, but none of these individually eclipsed Law (back) and. Gothard, Carroll and McHerron (forwards) for the home team.

NOTES ON THE MATCH. This game was played on the show grounds at Palmerston before an attendance of upwards of 10.000 people. The day was an ideal one for football, there being no sun to bother the players and only a very slight breeze, which favoured neither side. The ground was in first-class order, and the conveniences for viewing the game were.of' the best. Every vantage point \yas fully occupied, including the roofs of nearby buildings, handy trees; and band rotunda, Even the goalposts on the adjacent ground carried their full quota of four. . The arrangememts , for handling thei cmwd were of the best, .and the Manawatu Union are to he congratulated'on that score. Combined Manawatu and Horowhenua appeared first at five past' one, followed immediately by the All blacks. "With Nepia as leader they gave the well known war-cry in front of the stand, and then, to the huge delight .of about 2000-schoolboys who ..were accommodated on benzine boxes and planks on the other side of the field, they repeated the performance. The teams lined out as advertised, with the exception that combined played Law in place of Mullins on the right wing and Stewart replaced West in the forwards for the Blacks.

Taking the game right tnrough, the ■All Blacks did npt show anything extra in combined work that one would expect, but the individual play was of a very high order., The combined team played really well, and it was at once apparent that they were not playing together for the first time. The forwards particularly played' well up to representative standard, particularly Carroll, McHerron, Sly a’nd Moynrha-n. In the backs the half, JUarle,' played a great game. First five-eighths was slow, but second five-eighths was quite good, his tricky running being a. treat to watch. AH the backs played a good defensive game. Coining to the Blacks, there were very few passing rushes among the hacks, and in every case there was no cutting in by the inside backs, consequently the wingers got no chance, being crowded on the line. . With the opposition playing do-e up and tackling well these movements proved resultless, and only on one occasion did Bade Icy kick over the, opposition hacks, and then into the hands of the full-back. Nepia was not convincing at full, though ..he made no .serious blunders. Rnbilliard, on the left wing, was quite good, and scored single-handed a great try after heating Bailey, who was shepherding him at the time, and two other hacks. His defeiuc* was sound and more will he heard of him on the tour. Brown, at centre was always there, and did all that was re‘piired of him. Steele, on the right wing, had no cruising room, and consequently did not shine to advantage. Cooke evidently is capable of better work if necessary. Badeley scored I wo tries, one of them being a fine lone-handed effort, otherwise he did not convince. Dailey seemed to stand too close to the scrum, a? on two occasions the ball came out

with some force and bounced off His ■ ■ shins into the scrum again. Of the forwards it is hard to individualise, as they were a fine pack, whether in the tight, loose 1 or line-out. Richardson and Guppies perhaps were the best , but- it ’is hard' to pick any out from an even lot. Parker as rover was everywhere, and’ apparently has a lot of pace. At- last they have found a plqce-kicker in Brown, whom Taranaki always knew as, a brilliant kicker. He put- the hall, over three times out of five attempts. - Prior' to this the-kick-ing of . the Blacks at goal, was atrocious; They -had the majority of free kicks but landed none of them. And so the game ended with the score 27 to 12 in the Blacks’-favour and with the combined "team’s forwards sticking to their job to the finish. ALL BLACKS v. AUCKLAND. .- NOTES ON , THE GAME. . • -(Christchurch Star.) - AUCKLAND. July 23. The All Blacks suffered iblieir seepnd defeat to-day at the,'*hands; of not the best team Auckland ’ could produce. It was a great pity as far as the players were concerned. --It;was all very well ‘ for the New Zealand Union arranging the. game, from the-financial point of but it should f study . the players. Aucklanders to-night are .proclaiming that .the All Blacks are a poor team, which is absolutely unfair to the players. ‘ They arrived, at eleven o'clock the night before after a fairly rou° r h passage. Ofi Monday, day and night, the Manuka rolled badly with disastrous effects to the players, some of whom never attended the table during the passage. To ask them to play the following day was nothing short of a crime. The inevitable result was that the players were quite unable to find their feet.. Perhaps, now .Auckland . people.’.' at least are able - to under stand why the jSew ; Z’e'alanders 'lost, the - first test match .with Australia: After four ashore, there, "‘they, felt groggy 9an , well ,be how they felt to-day. . It is.a-,great pity, 'as l? any * n l ™ kla ! n<^ers are now saying that the All Blaeks..,are a-ppor. side.- ;One redeeming feature is that the win may do good here to help to counter the opposition /game* , qa was a ‘ l ; i enormous Vcrowd of. 30,000 pieseut. The onlookers swarmed over the. ground at half time, and the restarting,of the play was held up for ten minutes while the police and offi- ■' eials cleared the field. ADDITIONAL MAN SUGGESTED. UNDER CONSIDERATION.. , r T j WELLINGTON, .July 28. . Mr Little, manager for' the team-; in Australia,_has. formally - recommended the New Zealand Rugby, Union’ to add another man to,'the All Blacks,.and a meeting is to he held to-day to consider IP- Only-29 ; are* authorised by the English Umqn,< and the 1 extra exneuses may have tOj.be bonie' by New Z*ealand It is understood ' that, an extra'’ half-back IS the ljosition:. in viejv. slid: if so the candidates , .will probably lie Wright (AuckandM R. % Nicholls . (Wellington), and St. George (Canterbury). THE OLD RULES. . v* ■ ' The old rules were enforced for the match in. order’ that the of the tern leaf- might' become acquainted with the 1 rules.hinder which they will I have to play at Home. . Something seemed to lie lacking about the game , times, and no doubt this tendency ot-slowipg down the pace might-be. atfa* tHc-..fact-* that* the -amended P VHjeSj were; not-adhered Ltp. '• ri A con- ' lei able..anjount- of ground-.was gained by- line-kibking,’ and Nepih, appeared to trade upon li‘is‘.snrenes.<i in this direction, although lie occasionally opened up the play b.v setting the'ba'pks gciiig. The old' rules should"be. a benefit to the - Blacks.'rather than a detriment,'as many > .anticipate. ; .