ANOTHER WIN

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 3 December 1924, Page 9

ANOTHER WIN

EXTRA EDITION.

LLANELLY’S DEFEAT

THE GAME DESCRIBED

A FIERCE CONTEST,

BY CABLE— PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT

Received Dec. 3, 1.45 p.m. / LONDON, Dec. 2. Extraordinary local enthusiasm was showii over the All Blacks last appearance in Wales to-day, when they faced Llanelly. Tae club ground was packed to its utmost capacity, over 20,000 people being present. The sun shone out and there was no wind, but the ground was not in good condition, ' and was very heavy. The local side included eight Welsh internationals, and they played eight forwards. New Zealand had made only one alteration in the forwards who defeated Wales, but the backs were considerably changed, and a further, alteration was that Paewai replaced McGregor. At the outset Llanelly forwards attacked vigorously, and they had the advantage .until .. a .brilliant passing rush by the All Blacks, in which Cooke was prominent, almost enabled Richardson to score. The game was fiercely contested, and the forwards were inclined to roughness. One Welshman Aas cautioned by the (referee. The New Zealand backs initiated several delightful passing movements, and finally Co6ke kicked’ across the field' to Hart; who took the ball at top speed, outpaced all the opposition, and scored easily under the posts. Nepia had no trouble in converting. Nothing daunted, the local forwards, who although considerably ‘ lighter, had a full share of the game, returned to the attack, but they could not pierce the All Blacks’ defence. A good: run begun by Irvine and continued by Dailey transferred the battle to Llanelly quarters. Loose play followed, and from a scramble near the corner Sven son succeeded iii crossing, bht Nepia’s kick failed. Llanelly continued * their aggressive tactics, and Finch, with a thrilling run, almost scored. A penalty was given against the All Blacks, and Jenkins put the ball over the bar, but C> Brownlee had managed to touch it in transit, and the goal had to be disallowed. This was bad luck for the Welshmen, but they kept up a persistent attack, .and were rewarded just before the. interval. A fine piece of passing carried tlie ball .along, and Finch completed the movement by scoring in the corner. There was tremendous jubilation among the spectators, although Jenkins’ kick failed to improve' tlie score, and" then they got another thrill of a reverse order when the New Zealanders set up a tvoical short Passing' rush. The ball passed through lio fbwer than nine hands, but in the end Svenson was thrust out of bounds at the coiner flag. PLAY DETERIORATES. In the second half play settled' down in midfield, and was of an uninteresting scrambling nature. The All Blacks suffered several anxious moments, and Nepia was compelled to force twice in rapid succession. Tlid standard of play deteriorated considerably, Llanelly indulging in olfside tactics, • which the referee regarded leniently. New Zealand got on one great, passing bout, wherein eight participated. At the finish Cooke passed in to MeCleary, but he lost possession and missed a certain score. Llanelly continued to wage a desperate fight, giving the All Blacks little respite. Twice their forwards dribbled the ball across, but were forestalled by f'orcedowns: In the closing stages Finch almost scored. Play was anything butscientific of inspiring, and was mostly confined to the forwards, in which Llanelly held the advantage. . The All. Blacks, however, were continually hampered by off-side play, which the referee never penalised. There was no score in this half, and the game ended— New ‘Zealand 8 Llanelly .. 3 REFEREE’S ATTITUDE. The referee allowed much latitude to the local players, who were penalised only 11 times, compared with New Zealand’s 17. The game resolved itself into a physical duel, and there' were several minor injuries. Two Llannellv forwards should have been ordered off * for totally disregarding previous cautions. The ground became terribly boggy before the finish, and the surroundings generally were not conducive to the visiting side’s success. The excellent defence alone saved the NP\v Zealanders, as Llanelly showed'- stronger opposition than any other 6ide encountered in Wales except Newport.