UNBEATEN!

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 15 December 1924, Page 5

UNBEATEN!

ANOTHER TRIUMPH. FOR ALL BLACKS. UNITED SERVICES DEFEATED. . 81 CABLE -PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYEIG-HT LONDON, Dec. 13. \\ ith comparative ease the All Blacks defeated United Services today bv 25 points to 3. The King, who was present at the match, received a wonderful welcome from his 20,000 subjects at Twickenham. Both teams, together with the members of the New Zealand official party, were presented to His Majesty on the ground. The attendance was below expectations, as was' also the resistance of the United Service team. Bitterly cold weather no doubt affected the atendance. The New Zealand team was as follows : Full-back.—Nepia. lhree-quarters.—Steele, Lucas, Svenson. b ive-tighths.—Cooke, McGregor. > Half.—Mill. Wing forward.—Porter. borwards. —Irvine, Donald, Masters, Richardson, M. Brownlie, West and White. ' United Services kicked off againsr. a bleak wind. Good work by their forwards gave them an early footing in the All Blacks’ twenty-five, but they were driven back by lengthy line-kicks. From a scrum in midfield the New ZeaIcind backs initiated a splendidly engineered passing movement, anci within five minutes Steele had crossed unopposed to score under the posts. White converted. All Blacks 5 United Services 0

The New Zealanders pressed hard and continuously, and United Services were compelled to force six times within twenty minutes. A clever move by McGregor and Cooke provided a clear opening for Lucas, who scored well out. White’s kick struck the cross-bar and bounded infield. All Blacks • g United Services .. 0

The game had barely been resumed, when the New Zealanders were penalised just inside the centre-line, and Forrest kicked a magnificent goal, registering United Services only score. All Blacks 8 United Sendees 3

Encouraged by this success, United Services took up the attack, in which they demonstrated for the first time some measure of combined effort. The All Blacks’ defence, however, was always sound, and their opponents seldom looked like penetrating it. Ji half-time the score was— All Blacks- 8 United Services ...- 3 In the second half United Services resumed play one man short, LoristonGlarke (Navy) having had to retire just before the interval owing to an injury. The spell , opened sensationally. Brownlie fielded the kick-off In his stride and passed to Richardson,' who sent out a long pass to McGregor. The ball went to- Cooke, who carried on the movement till liei transferred iu a good position to Lucas, who scored near the corner. The whole of this magnificent movement had been completed before the majority of the United Services team had had time to collect. their thoughts. White failed to convert. All Blacks 11 United Services 3 During the next ten minutes play was slightly in the Servicemen’s favour, but after that the All Blacks’ allround superiority asserted itself, and the score began to mount rapidly. First Masters fielded a weak kick near the United Services’ line and hurled himself across in the corner. Nepia missed the kick. All Blacks 14 United Services 3 Then Richardson sent out a splendid long pass to McGregor, and the ball went through the hands of Lucas to Steele, who scored a try in the corner Nepia kicked a magnificent goal. All Blacks ....: 19 United Services 3

The New Zealanders became more brilliant as the game progressed, and the crowd spontaneously acknowledged the wonderful exposition. Mill next set his fast-moving sure-handling backs in motion, and the ball reached Svenson, who cleverly passed in to Lucas, who scored. Nepia failed with the kick. All Blacks ...................... 22 United Services .. .3 Soon afterwards Svenson made a sparkling run through the opposition and passed to Lucas. The bail then reached Richardson, who. dived over in the corner.. Nepia failed with the kick, and the game ended :—■ All Blacks 25 United Services 3

Except that the Servicemen gained possession of the ball from (50 per cent, of the scrummages, the visitors were vastly suxierior iu every department. Their display was one of the finest of the tour, quite dissipating any suggestion of staleness. The passing reached a high standard. The excellent and unerring tackling and tile backing up of the All Blacks were other noteworthy features.

Richardson was the lincst forward on the grond. and was ably supported by Masters, Brwnlie and White. Nepia played with his usual brilliancy and consistency. Cooke’s übiquity and apportunism found full scope, and all the others added to their reputations. Seventeen penalies were given against the All Blacks, many of which were difficult to follow. The four penalties given against the Servicemen were greeted with ironical applause by little groups of Dominion supporters scattered in the crowd. WARNING TO ENGLAND. ALL BLACKS’ TACTICS. Received Dec. 15, 10.45 a.m. LONDON, Dec. 14. Lord Lansdowne. writing to the Observer, expressed the opinion that there could not be a better full-back in the English team than Raymond, who would also be an excellent left-winger. TTe adds that it is essential that the Englishmen should be trained to the minute to prevent the All Blacks carrying out their repeated tactics and scoring most heavily in the second half. —Sun Cable. SERVICEMEN’S STRONG TEAM. LONDON, Dec. 12. To-morrow’s match between the All Blacks and the United Services is expected to provide a serious obstacle to the visitors’ unbeaten run.

No effort has ben spared to. secure the best possible team, and it is one that has played together in four matches. It is splendidly fit, and in-