AVENGED!

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 1 December 1924, Page 5

AVENGED!

WALES DEFEATED. BY 19 POINTS TO NIL. ALL BLACKS’ TRIUMPH. [The triumphant tour of the All Blacks was maintained on . Saturday, when the redoubtable Wales. team was defeated by 19 points to nil. The fact that one of the strongest teams yet met by the All Blacks falied to register a point augurs. well for the big contests yet to be played.] BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. LONDON, Nov. 29. . Before an enormous crowd the All Blacks, to-day ’ avenged' the defeat of their predecessors by soundly beating Wales in a gapie in which they never gave' their opponents a chance from the beginning to the end. . They kept up a relentless pressure j under which the Welsh defence crumbled, and though oiice or twice the local men raised the hopes of. the onlookers, at the bell they had to leave the field beaten by nineteen, points to nil, and with not even a -solitary score to offset the brilliant - New -Zealanders’ fine total. The weather at the start was bright after heavy rain, and the ground was on the soft side. ' The visitors had greatly benefited by their week’s stay at Tenby Mill, where they had been diligently practising, scrum work in order to eradicate some of their weaknesses. , The. memorable scenes witnessed in the historic encounter at Cardiff in 1905. were re-enacted at Swansea today.. The greatest crowd that has: ever packed St. Helen’s ground sang with intensely patriotic fervour “Land of My Fathers, ” and ‘‘March of the. Men of Harlech’’ inn manner of which only p Welsh football enthusiast isicapable. No- .visiting team could remain altogether insensitive to the influence of the peculiar atmosphere ’invariably associated with an international:match (in Welsh ground. Gallagher’s men. exi'erieiieed 'their full share of this intense i'Oeltic emotionalism, and it is generally recognised that it affected in some measure their play that day. ;> Nevertheless, this hew team from New Zealand entered the field with unshaken determination to avenge that defeat. The rigid preparation they, had undergone met with its reward, and enabled them to achieve the greatest ambition of the tour. The gates, had to be doted long before the. -start, and the attendance is estimated at 50,0b0.’ Thb Welsh team aroused immediate enthusiasm bv ariswenig the All Blacks’ warcrv with an improvised one of their own. v The teams were : NEW ZEALAND. Full-back—-Nepia. • Three-quarters.—-J. Steel, A. E. Cooke, K. S. Svenson. Five-eighths.—N., P. McGregor, M. Nicholls. , Half-back.,—J. Mill. Wing-forward..—J. H. Barker.. Forwards. —Q. Donald, W, R. Irvine, M. Brownlie, R.. R.. Masters t C, Brownlie, L. F. Chippies, and J. Richardson. , . WALES. j T. Johnson (Cardiff), OE. Finch (Llau r elly), A. Stock (Newport), E. Jenkins (Newport), Rowe Harding© (Cambridge), J. Welter, captain (Newport), E. Williams (Neath),.W. J. Deiahay (Cardiff), S. Morris (Cross. Keys), D. MarsdenJones (London Welsh), D. Parker (Swansea), C. Pugh (Maesteg), J. Gore (Blaenavon), R. Randall (Aberavon), D. Hiddlestone, wing forward (Neath). There was some delay before the game began owing to a dispute over the ball, but finally Wales, having Lost the toss, lacked off against a slight breeze. Their forwards took up an aggressive altitude for a moment, and resolutely dribbled; into New Zealand territory, Init it was only a flash in the pan. Some fine kicking by Cooke gained' ground up the touch line, and transferred plav close to the Welsh line. Here the in.potuosity of the local forwards got them into trouble for offside play, several penalities being given ngainst them, and from one Nicholls had an easy chance at goal - and sent the ball across. To the, dismay of the .'•rowd, New Zealand had snored within fifteen minutes of kicking off. ; All Blacks 3 : Wales 0 The All Blacks maintained a- continuous pressure; and drove their hardest at Wales’ line. Nicholls, who was playing brilliantly, was nearly across once, but the Welsh men were putting up a desperate defence, and he was collared in time. On the All Blacks came again. No breathing time was" allowed, for as fast as .one dash, failed; another was started? nor could the defenders, strive as they might, clear, their quarters from this sustained pres-: sure. There was no respite, and at last a gap was found fifteen yards.from, the goal line. M. Brownlie secured the ball, and, using all his strength, the: burly Hawke’s Bay forward shook off every opponent, forced his way through and crossed the line. Nicholls converted, and with twenty-five minutes gone the score 1 was: AU Blacks .;... 8 . Wales 0

A.t this, stage Welter, the Welsh captain, temporarily retired hurt’, and most unfortunately rain ' came -on again. The wet ball, however, did hot seem to affect the All Black ® so .adversely as it had done in previous matches. It was evident that they were keyed up to a pitch that nothing could damp. Their forwards, about whose capacity to stand up to the Welshmen doubts had been expressed by various critics, were playing with such extraordinary dash and determination that they completely dominated the game. Once more they drove up to the Welsh line. There was a helter-skelter scramble with the slippery ball, which was jumping here and there among the players’ feet, and then Irvine, from a welter of mingled jerseys, was seen emerging with it in his arms, and. he fell across the line. Nicholls only just failed to land a goal from this try, .and the first half ended: All Blacks 11 Wales 0 Thus far the All Blacks bad completely outplayed their opponents. They carried most of the scruims, they got more of the ball from the line-outs, and they had maintained a continuous pressure which never slackened. The hard game had the effect of trying the tempers of several men on both sides, and the referee considered it necessary to administer some mild warnings. After the interval Welter reappeared, but was still limping badly. Upon resuming play, the Welsh forwards, who had had time to regain their breath in the interval, began well. As,in- the first half, they raised the hopes of their supporters, who now were very crestfallen indeed, by rushing the bail to the other end and setting up an

attack ou the New Zealand line, which! lasted tor quite a time. The defence was strongly tried, hut was equal to the occasion, and remained unbroken. Nepia., with some magnifibeitt kicks into touch, repeatedly drove the invaders hack, and presently they had shot their bolt. Cooke, Steel and Parker then joined in a magnificent passing rush, which ended in the first-nam-ed crossing the line, hut the try was disallowed. Both full-backs, Nepia and Johnson, here came into the limelight with some splendid fielding: and kicking, which aroused the enthusiasm of the spectators once more. The Welshmen succeeded in pushing their opponents back and the game wa<> again in the New Zealanders’ quarters. Spoiling tactics on both sides prevented much open play until Steel gathered in the ball at centre and started one of his powerful runs. On the verge of crossing the line lie was pushed into touch when a try looked certain. This was the prelude to a glorious passing rush by the All Rlaeks, which brought about a. scrum in the corner. Here Mill cleverly worked the blind side, passed with judgment to Sven son. and the latter got over. Nieholls’ kick failed. All Blacks 14 Wales 0 33of.it sides were now playing at high speed, the pace at times being tremendous, and the Welshmen were showing much improved combination amongst the backs. Rowe Hardinge got one chance and ran through everyone till he reached Nepia, but the Maori was equal to the occasion and grassed his man with certainty. The light wars now beginning to fail, and the final .stages of the game were fought out in the gathering gloom. Just on the call of time Irvine got the ball at his_ feet, and after a. brilliant piece of dribbling scored again, with a try right under the posts. Nieholls had no difficulty in converting, and the game then elided with the score: Ail Blacks 19 Wales o ALL BLACKS. SPEED THE' FACTOR, LONDON, Nov. 29. One of the paramount factors in the success of the All Blacks against- Wales was their pronounced superiority in speed.. .Rowe Hardinge alone among the Welsh 'backs was comparable with them. The game, critically viewed ,was of a surpassingly .scraggy nature, neither side exhibiting combination equal to- the best they have, shown, in other games. Both packs indulged liberally in much unnecessary mauling, playing the man. The game was extremely hard to control and the referee was rather indulgent as regards roughness and illegalities, combined with, a stringent allowance for marks for rebounds. The game altogether lacked the .sparkling, regular I and methodical display of the previous match at Swansea. The Welsh offside propensities were a continual feature. Wales were penalised nine times and the All Blades five. The game was the poorest reflex of the previous match in Gallagher’-® time. Although possessing _ its ruggedness, it was not an inspiring spectacle, generally consisting -largely of spoiling tactics. by both sides. The best feature was the Welshmen’s determined tackling. The contest undoubtedly proves that the Welsh deterioration is most marked in the pov-| erty sof 'tactical variety of attack among the rearguard, while the Welsh forwards failed utterly to equal local expectations. The All Blacks methods throughout were excellent, denoting confidence and resource. Brownlie, Richai’dson, Irvine and Guppies were most prominent among the visiting forward®, _ and Nieholls, Nepia, Cooke.arid Mill -shone among the backs. Wales gained possession most from the scrum. The result came- as a great shock to Welsh Rugby prestige. In all departments they were, completely outclassed, -and most markedly so in the back division. ALL BLACKS FAVOURED. I , LONDON, Nov. 28. | Colonel Philip Trevor, writing in die Daily Telegraph, says: “If there is any real meaning in the tern; ‘established form,’ I certainly do not think the New Zealanders are likely to. be beaten by Wales to-morrow. The Welsh, hopes are -high more because of the New Zealanders.’ sins of omissions against Newport and Cardiff than owing to Wales’ strength. The Welsh selectors make no secret of the fact that they have found themselves short of material.’’ _ Colonel Trevor criticises Wales’ decision to play two stand-off halves. Experience has shown that the best way to wor/y the New Zealanders is to confront them with a solid pack of scrum-mager-s instead of trying this doubtful experiment. He expresses the opinion that the finer the. weather the better will be the chancbs of the New Zealanders, who are 60 to 70 per cent-, less effective in the mud than on dry turf. Most of the other critics express die opinion that the New Zealanders will win. v. MATCHES IN FRANCE. NEXT MONTH’S PROGRAMME. (Received Dec. 1, 11.45 a.m.) * PARIS, Nov. 30. The French Rugby Federation is bearing the expenses of the visit of the All Blacks, and is authorising the team to proceed to France by air. At present it is arranged that the All Blacks depart from Croydon for Paris in four aeroplanes on January 5. They will visit the battlefields and place wreaths in New Zealand cemeteries on January S. They will play a match at Paris on January 11, and thereafter tour the Pyrenees. There will he a match against All France at Toulouse on J anuary 18, and the team will leave Paris on the 19th, en route to Liverpool, where they embark for Canada on January 24. ” NOTES ON THE CAME. (By “Spectator.”) The detailed report of the match seems to point out that the Welshmen intended to rely on their forwards, especially as the day was somewhat unfavourable for fast back play. From the outset they made the pace hot and hoping, perhaps, to run die All Blacks off their legs. If this was their intention it signally failed. If the Welsh team was trained and :n good condition, their opponents were Loner. One wonders if they hoped also, that the singing of the National Anthem and other national songs and chanting a special war cry would unnerve their as it is reported to- have dc,ne in 1905. If so it was again a signal failure. Our men were evidently out to play their hardest and to leave nothing to chance. It is quite evident that the special training in scrum work had a fine result, for a considerable

improvement was effected in wiiat has always been reported to be the weak . spot of the team. Apparently the first spell our men answered the Welsh challenge toj the forwards by equally resolute aud determined play in the van. IE was hard going, so hard according to the report that players on both sides were cautioned. This was probably due, to the extreme keenness of both sides toi win. All tries but one were secured by the forwards, showing how our first line completely dominated their opponents. Despite this fact, play was opened up on several occasions in the first part of the game, and Nicholls nearly scored. In the second spell the backs came into action and, despite the wet ground and greasy ball, put in a lot of fine work. It says much for the Welsh defence that only one try was secured by the backs. Evidently their tackling and general defence was very fine, and right to the end of the game they played with stern determination, feeling that the honour of Welsh Rugby was at stake. This, combined with conditions unfavourable for back play, prevented the consummation of the All Black scoring tactics. The only try by the backs was the result of an effort by Mill, putting into effect tbe blind side movement for which lie is so well known, and giving Svensoa a chance to get over the line. One can picture a match with the Welshmen fighting hard against odds and defeat staring them in the face. Just on the call of time their backs made a great effort, and Rowe Hardiiig made a magnificent run clean through, to the full back ; but Nepia was equal to the task, and the last chance was gone. One more try for the New Zealand forward rush, and iii the gathering gloom the whistle went and the defeat of 1905 was avenged. It was a great win and raises the reputation of the 1924 team higher than ever. They are getting towards the end of the tour, and in view of the macthes with All England and France they must see that the men keep fit right to the end, so that, if possible, they may maintain an .unbroken record.

SELECT'QiI’S VIEWS. ' MASTEIRTON, Nbv. 30. lii ail interview when the result of the All Blacks-Wales match was announced, Mr. 13. McKenzie (chairman of the All Blacks’ selection committee), who yesterday predicted a good win for the All Blacks, said he told a meeting of the New Zealand .Rugby Union before the players departed that criticism levelled at the' team Would be answered oil the playing fields at Home. It had been done, • ail'd he felt sure that all critics- would now have been silenced. LIGHT CASUALTIES. WELLINGTON, Nov. 29. The New Zealand. Rugby Union has received cable advice from Mr.'Dean (manager of the AH Blacks) stating that Harvey underwent a slight tion last •Sunday, and is how progressing favourably. Stewart is suffering from a slight attack of plehrisy.' Munrd ha® knee trouble and AVhite has torn a ligament in his .shoulder. AH are doing well, and the other members of the team are well. INDIVIDUAL SCORES. Fallowing is a summarised record of scores: — Goals' from Other Potted . Player : Tries Tries Goals Goals Tl. Nicholls, M. ,2 29 5 2 87 Hart, A. H, 1 ; 6 1 Nepia, G. CoOke, A. E. 14 Parker, H. i 2 .Mill, J. 9 3 Svensen, K.S. 11 Steel, J, 8 AVhite, A. 3 5 Richardson, J. 6 Brownlie, M. 6 Brown, H. W. 4 2 Irvine, AY. R. 5 : Lucas, AY. 4 —• Donald, j. 3 Porter, C. G. 3 McGregor, N. P. 2 Stewai’t, R. L. 2—■ Masters, R. R. 2 Guppies, L. F. 1 Brownlie, C. j. 1 AVest, A. H. 1 Robilliard, A. C. 1

The name of the scorer of one try in the Yorkshire match lias not yet come to hand.