ALL BLACKS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 17 October 1924, Page 5

ALL BLACKS

SPLENDID TEAM WORK. FORWARDS SHINE IN THE LOOSE. DURHAM QUITE OUTCLASSED. BY CABLE—PRESS, ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. xt „ , LONDON, Oct. 15. .J® New Zealanders gave a splendidexhibition at Sunderland. Their speed, team work, backing up, arid covering HP of the defence were marked I features . • The forwards were nqt efficient m the tight as in the loose plav, where they were particulariy 1 ' good. After the interval Durham were quite outclassed. DURHAM MATCH. COMMENTS ON THE RESULT. (By. “Spectator.”) . ' A great deal of attention seems: to . he given to a comparison of the points v 5 scored in the match with the * same county, town or country, by the team of 1905, and correspondents industriously tot up tlie figures and place them alongside the present . team’s figures. They are perhaps not without interest, but actually have little value, and are no indication at all of the relative strength of the two teams. Tn 1905 the All Blacks met Durham" aveek earlier in the-year .than was arranged this year. The result in 1905 was 16—3; on Wednesday the tfeaiiL had a runaway victory by nearly. 40 points. And this in face of-the indications based on last year’s results and a general feeling that Rugby was stronger in the north than in anvf other part of ■ England. Conditions have so changed that it ik futile to make such comparisons. Even . when matches are played in the same season results as between various teams * are no. criterion of relative 'strength, , and this .has been proved on. numberI less occasions. WbafT would be of value , uould be to be able to see definitely I from the cabled: reports how the team was combining, backs 'and forwards, and. whether the passing . r wa,s. - good; clean and nippy. Yesterday’s report, ■though shorter, is 6f more value than - most so far received.- The praise of the general run of the play is so. marked as to make one wonder that a team could have such a reversal of form as compared with the -report :of . - the Cheshire matcli. The : teain,, work and cimbination generally would appear- to have been of a class they have failed to produce thus far in .the tour. It is very satisfactory reading. The score shows that much of the work was too good for the English teain. So far the forwards have shown a marked ability to score, and in one match they actiiallv secured, most tries. But' one would like to know whether they came trom combined passing or dribbling rushes, or 1 merely from just pushing .. over , t^ie Lne in, the^ruck,;-vT>e, 1903 , • 'tearii tveie f! I the ‘ All Backs’ ’ from the : gteaU pqss-. : ing facility of the vanguard. It would he interesting to know whether the same remark could be applied to the present team. An interesting: item to ; Hhwera enthusiasts specially is the securing of a try by West, and to Taranaki generally is the repetition by Hart of the ; play that gained him kudos in the trial matches and a place in the team. Be,fore the last two matches, in which he has played he appeared to be unable to reproduce that form. Another in-■ \ teresting item is the-continued, success of Mill behind the scrum. Badeley has also redeemed his last failure. ." The combined work of the forwards and their dashing offensive work, eriabling ’ ' play to‘ be opened up. all the time, ,is an item of news which also- is good reading. .. r.,• ~. '. '• a, //' • THE YORKSHIRE MATCH. . The Tykes are lisually a- stubborn lot, hard to defeat in any sport/ and were one of the strongest teams last year. The previous team. ran over them—lo tries, five converted—and today we should look forward with confidence to the result. It is' impossible to forecast with any certainty, and so - - far in many cases ‘‘pricking the card’’ has been falsified. ‘Unless Yorkshire are much stronger than the'- other northern county teams, and ~if pur hoys show anything like the consistent form they are apparently ' playing themselves into, the result should be/a good win. The cabled news will be awaited with as keen interest, as lias been all along shown.