ALL BLACKS’ WIN

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 3 October 1924, Page 7

ALL BLACKS’ WIN

EXTRA EDITION.

A STERN STRUGGLE. NEWPORT LEAD AT HALF-TIME. NICHOLLS’ FINE KICKING. DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAY. UARI.*—fURBS ASaOClAiJOfl—COPYiilGii'i. (Received Oct. 3, 2.10 p.ni.) T - n , LONDON, Oct. 3. ihe Alt Blacks played tneir second game in Wales against ‘Newport to-day aiul had a different experience to their i\ in at Swansea, only coming oft victorious after a tough struggle by lb points to 10. ■ •f-/ 1 ?. * S6W Zealand team were : — bull-Dack—Nepia. 0 ,1 hiee-qu alters —Svenson, Brown and Steel. I'lve-eighths—Nicholis and Cooke. Halt-back—Mill. ‘ Forwards Porter, Irvine, Masters, Donald, Brownlie (2), West and White. Ine match amused the keenest interest, and a crowd of 35,000 assembled an hour before the start. The weather uas dull. Newport won the toss, and early in the game .initiated a splendid cohesive movement, showing grim determination. . I'h o crowd was hugely delighted and a ” < ?, tff© local players’ fine exhibition. The Welshmen easily sepossession of the ball from most of the scrums, and were almost continuously hammering at the New Zealand line. .. -1 he visitors’ kicking, with the exception of Nepia, failed in direction and force. After several attacks were repulsed, Newport drew first blood by crossing the All Blacks’ line, and amid tumultuous applause Friend gained the try and Wether converted. Newport o All Blacks 0 . Close upon half-time the All Blacks came up with a fine rush, started by iVicholls and carried on by Cooke, who gave Brown an easy chance,to run through unopposed. The Taranaki man, however, mulled the pass, as so many have been, and knocked the ball c-n. Play continued to be fast, open and spectacular, but at half-time there was no further score recorded. Half-time score— Newport .. ........ ............... 5 AH Blacks ............. 0 Immediately after the resumption Cooke, after kicking a bail in midfield, was seemingly foully charged by Jones, the Big powerful centre three-quarter. Cooke appeared badly hurt and was carried off, but returned later amidst cheering. Newport continued to gain the hall from the scrums, and their backs kept up the attack, hut Nepia, who was called upon, to do a lob of work-, proved equal to the task. The All Blacks then had a lock in, and forcing Newport back, Mill got over, Nicholls converting. Newport o All Black ................. 5 A penalty was given against the Welshmen, and Nicholls kicked a splendid goal from the touchline. All Blacks 8 Newport 5 Newport charged back, and following up in a loose rush, Andrews scored for them in si fine position, from whicli Baker easily obtained a goal. Newport 10 All Blacks 8 The New. Zealanders,'" however, were not done .with, and they played up strongly, and _ Svenson getting over, Nicholls. again converted, the All Blacks thus winning a great game. . All Blacks 13 ' Newport 10 • The Newport, forwards gave a splendid display, and outpointed their opponents' in the front line, but outside the scrums the New Zealanders were faster and cleverer. Stock, for Newport, just failed to drop a goal'soon after the start, and then Waite narrowly missed scoring. . Nicholls made a splendid dash, but failed to get through, and just before the interval Porter nearly got over the Newport line. Final score— All Blacks 13 Newport 10 Withun a few minutes of time Svenson made a wonderful run, evading all in his way, and ended by dashing over the line. Nicholls converted with another fine kick almost from the touchline, making the final score 13 —10. The Welsh club made the greatest showing against the All Blacks yetwitnessed in finish, variety, skill and initiative exhibited. Their form was very much above the usual. The New Zealanders won golden opinions by their wonderful display, pluck' and tenacity. They practically pulled the game out of the fire in the last few minutes, and aroused tremendous enthusiasm among the spectators. The game is considered the best seen for many years. The place-kicking, which had been poor so far, was a feature of the game bn this occasion, and it was really Nicholls’ kicking that saved the match for the All Blacks. The crowd made a demonstration against the referee for not ordering Jones off the field, but this was the only untoward incident in an otherwise splendid and' thrilling exhibition of _..ugby football on both sides. NOTES ON THE GAME. (By Half-back.) The result, a narrow win of three points, and. that only towards the end of the match, recalls vividly one or two of the 1905 team’s close calls. Scotland was just such another contest, and the Newport game was not unlike it. By it coincidence the difference was the same, and that was as a fact the only try scored, and by Harper. Cardiff was another, and it was recorded in the cables of that day as “a close shave,’ Thomas scoring for Cardiff just on time, which try, if converted, would have made a draw. That emphasises the closeness of the contest. Still more near was the call against Swansea, when the local men led till near the end of the game, and only a. brilliant goal by Wallace saved the match. It is rather disconcerting to note that the Newport forwards hooked the ball most of the time, and were continually on the attack and in New Zealand quarters. .Brown and West were both playing, whicli, seems to show that they are considered worth their place in the team when the best is required. J.t is hard to read that Brown missed .such an easy chance to score, probably through over-eagerness. Nicholls’ kicking was a feature, and cue that won the game. Nepia is proving equal to the demands of a hard-fought game, and that is very reassuring. Altogether the results and the report are valuable, for they show muck of our team’s weakness and some of their strength.