TOUR OF TRIUMPH.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 5 January 1925, Page 5

TOUR OF TRIUMPH.

THE INVINCIBLE ALL BLACKS.

ENGLAND DEFEATED BY 17 TO 11.

LONG SERIES OF VICTORIES.

BRITISH PUBLIC’S TRIBUTE. Bsf CABLE —I’&LSS ASSOCIATION —COPTBIGHT. Received Jan. 5, 10.35 a.m. LONDON, January 4. The All Blacks concluded the tour of England, winning all of the twentyeight engagements, surpassing the performance of the famous All Blacks ol 1905, who lost on© match out of thirytwo. Altogether the 1924 All Blacks scored 654 points against 98. Congratulations have ungrudgingly been showered upon the visitors on the successful conclusion of a triumphal tour. It is declared that they realise that the highest tradition of athletics and the educational effects of the visit are likely to be most potent. Writers remark on a good deal of roughness in the play due to absentminded exurbera.no© in exciting moments, and there is an evident desire to pass over and relegate to oblivion the painful incident in the final match. The papers, in bidding adieu, assure the All Blacks of the admiration and goodwill of the British public, which will look forward to the next visit. The newspaper Observer, in a leader, says: The All Blacks baffled all aggregations of Rugby talent encountered. Their physical fitness realises the highest traditions. They put their minds into their work. It is in this effect that the educational effects of the victorious tour will be most potent. (Received Jan. 5, 11.10 a.m.) ' LONDON, Jan. 4. The newspapers generally pay a tribute to the All Blacks’ unbeaten record. The Observer expresses the hope that they will soon return, and regrets a small section of spectators booing, which it says is most undesirable in contests between the Motherland and thq Dominions.

THE GAME DESCRIBED. LONDON, Jan. 3. , The All Blacks defeated England at Twickenham to-day by 17 points to 11. The weather was fine but dull and the ground was heavy. The teams took the field as follow : NEW ZEALAND. Full-hack. —G. Nepia. Three-quarters. —J. Steele, A. E. Cooke, K. S’. Svenson. Five-eighths.—M. Nicholls, N. P. McGregor. Half-back.—J. Mill. / Wing-forward. —J. H. Parker. Forwards. —W. R. Irvine, Q. Donald, R. R. Masters, C. Brownlie, M. Brownlie, A. White and J. Richardson. ENGLAND.

Full-back. —J. Brough. Three-quarters. —R. H. HamiltonWickes, V 7. G. Davies, L. J.- Corbett, J. C. Gibbs. Half-backs. —H. J. Kittermaster, A. T. Young. Forwards. —A. F.- Blakiston, G. S. Conway, R. Edwards, R. J. Hilliard, A. Voyce, R. Cove-Smith, J. S. Tucker and W. W. Wakefield. England, having lost the toss, kicked off against a fresh breeze, which blew diagonally across the ground. The kick went out of touch, and England, following up with a rush, Young all but got across. Cooke relieved the pressure with a. magnificent kick that landed over the side line far up the ground. The Englishmen, however, playing with extraordinary dash, shifted the game to midfield. There Davies broke through with a brilliant spurt and ran right to the New Zealand full-back, accompanied by two unmarked colleagues. it was a golden chance, but unfortunately Tor England it was bungled and Nepia saved the situation. At this stage the homeside were playing like men inspired. Their backs passed brilliantly and their ionvards dribbled and lieeled out magnificently. The All Blacks for a time were quite out-played, and only magnificent defence, in which Cooke particularly was a tower of strength, kept tlieir opponents out. Gibbs, the home threequarter, twice completely outpaced Steel, and was only pulled down just on the line. j A desperate fight raged among the forwards, England striving might and main to break through, and New Zealand as strenuously defending. Unfortunately vigor occasionally degene>ratea into heat, and following one warm encounter C. Brownlie was ordered off. This was only seven minutes after the start, and consequently New Zealand practically had to play the most important match of the whole tour with only fourteen men to fifteen, a very serious handicap indeed against an international side. Parker went into' the pack to replace Brownlie, and this, of course, had an unsettling effect on his colleagues, and probablv bad not a little to do with the fact that soon after England was able to draw first blo-od. The home forwards kept up a vigorous attack, wheeled a scrum in midfield, and then charged down in a body with the ball at toe. Tliev went clean across the line, and Cove-Smith raced Nepia for the ball, the Cambridge oracle .winning. • This score came after twenty minutes of most exciting and at times sensational football, and evoked a perfect frenzly of cheering from the enthusiastic onlookers. Brough, England’s full-back, failed to. improve the score.

England 3 All Blacks *. 0 Spurred by this reverse, the All Blacks brightened up, and forced the Englishmen back and back till _ they were pinned in their own territory. Then their formidable passing machine was set to work. Richardson started it, the ball going successively through the hands of M. Brownlie, Mill, Nicholls, McGregor and Cooke. The lastnamed handed it to Svenson, who crossed the line well out. Nepia. inade a snlendid attempt at goal, but failed to find the bar. All Blacks 3 England i - 3 Continuing to attack, there was some loose play, from which Mill whipped.

By defeating All England by 17 points to 11, the All Blacks have completed the English tour without once having suffered defeat. Their magnificent performances on the playing fields of England will live in the annals of Rugby as the greatest so far witnessed.

the hall out on the blind side to Steel. By main strength and using his wellknown fending power, the West Coaster < bumped across at the comer. lhe crowd in the vicinity yelled loudly that he had been pushed into to-uch, but- the referee ruled otherwise and awarded a try. Nicholls made a magnificent kick, but it was not successful. All Blacks England ~T J .Very soon after this England were penalised for. off-side play in front of their own goal, which gave Nicholls an opportunity to add a fine goal. All Blacks 9 England ••• 3 . The New Zealanders had shown .a wonderful recovery of form, notwithstanding the loss of Brownlie. The English forwards were over-vigorous or over-anxious, and were penalised nine times in the first half, but there was no further score, the first spell ending: All Blacks 9 England —...... .. 3 On resuming, England found material help from the breeze, which was now in their favour, but- it made little difference to their opponents, who kept up the pressure for a long time and maintained the ascendancy. After a long spell of give-and-take play near England’s line, which no exertion on their part could clear, M. Brownlie forced his way over at the corner, and this time Nicholls .converted the try, with what is considered the best goaf of the tour. , All Blacks .:... 14 England 3 For a time the Englishmen seenned to have lost their dash, and were out of the picture. The ball was rarely away* from their territory, and in no great time White swung a long pass to Svenson. The Wellington crack took v it unfalteringly and dived across at the corner. Nicholls failed to improve the score. All Blacks 17 England 3 Play went on at a tremendous pa-ce, arid McGregor just missed getting across after a brilliant dodgy run in his well-known style. Cooke, when on the eve of scoring, lost a great chance by accidentally knocking the had on. Gibbs, who was the fastest man on the field, here came into ' the limelight again. Twice he electrified the crowd by wonderful running and short punting, but he was beaten by the bounce of the ball. The fluctuating fortunes of a magnificent game kept the crowd on tenterhooks of expectation. Undeterred by the heavy score against them, th© Englishmen seemed to get their second wind and made a great hut not complete recovery. Spurred on by a continuous roar of cheering, they started an overwhelming rush, which ended dangerously .near the New Zealand line. Here a scrum took place, and several All Blacks being palpably off-side, a* penalty was given ■ against them, from which ‘ Corbett, a three-quarter, dropped a very fine goal. All Blacks 17 England 6 England kept up their onslaught, and Nepia was frequently called on to defend. Kicking with superb judgment and length, he staved off a number of dangerous situations. Just on time, however, England’s plucky play was rewarded by a further score. HamiltonWickes secured the ball from a patch of loose play, and after a sensational run reached Nepia, with Kittermaster, a half-back, in 'attendance. The latter took his pass safely, and scored under the posts amid the wildest excitement. Conway had no difficulty in converting..

All Blacks 17 England U The whistle went soon after, with. England still making tremendous endeavours to even up the scores. It was *, fitting conclusion to a game which will go down as one of the most memorable in Rugby history. There was no doubt the All Blacks forwards were materially affected by C. Brownlie’s departure, but they rose to the occasion in a truly magnificent fashion, and gave probably, the finest, exposition of the tour against the most formidable opponents they have had to meet. Richardson, Whit© and M. Brownlie., wpre always conspicuous. The New Zealand backs were shaky at the beginning, but when they got into their stride they thrilled the spectators by brilliant handling and running. Cooke, except for two mistakes, played a masterly game both in attack and defence, combining with Nieholls in dazzling fashion. The latter was brilliant in the. initiation of passing movements', besides exhibiting wonder-, ful accuracy in finding touch throughout. Svenson, who scored two of the four tries, was consistently good. Nepia gave a practically faultless exhibition, and was specially applauded by the crowd in acknowledgment of his wonderful record in playing in every match of the tour. Mill, at half-back, was both skilful and sound. The tackling on both sides was deadly. The English hacks committed the fatal mistake in the closing stages which has been so often commented on in other matches of kicking into touch far too often, and thus wasting valuable time with a long score against them. Both sides lasted out a most strenuous game wonderfully well. Richardson informed the Press Association it was the fastest game of tho - whole tour. LONDON, Jan. 3. In anticipation of the long expected meeting between the All Blacks and England’s international representatives' there were unprecedented scenes at the Twickenham ground. Queues formed early in the morning, some spectators arriving before dawn and thousands were already waiting ' for 'admission when the gates opened at eleven o’clock, while an hour before the start every inch of the unreserved space was occupied. Notwithstanding the gloomy prophecies by English experts as to the result the crowd was heartened by England’s magnificent response at Melbourne'to

Australia's’ record test cricket score, which it was hoped might be an omen of equally good fortune in the lootball arena, and the spectators were rn extraordinary high spirits. The conditions for the match were very much better than anticipated. The day was dull, but rain held oil. and the ground, sodden oy pierioim rain, dried rapidly, though it was stilt on the heavy side. Doth teams received a rousing welcome and cheers were renewed in tremendous volume when the Prince of V, ales appeared, accompanied bv Prince George. The Prime Minister (Mr. Stanley Baldwin) was also present and he officially received the two teams on the ground. There was a record attendance of fifty thousand. 'Hie match will always be remembered for the ' sensational punishment of Cyril Brownlie, wlm was ordered oh eight minutes after the start of the game for retorting to the referee, who had previously cautioned him for usipg his fists and knees in the scrums. The incident followed a scrummage in which Yoyce, of Gloucester, was hurt in the mouth.

The Englishmen, in the opening stages, showed such surprising dash that the All Blacks hardly saw the, ball. The crowd of fifty thousand was watching the home side’s first successful aggressive movement and there was a tumult of excitement as Corbett and Davies crossed the A.ll Blacks’ line unopposed. Suddenly there was an unforgettable silence’ the crowd realising that something was amiss and that the whistle had previously been blown. Then Brownlie separated himself from the group' in obedience to the referee’s gesture and walked dejectedly head down fifty yards to the exit under the Prince of Wales’ and Mr. Baldwin's box. It was a most unexpected and tragic moment in classic Rugby, and the crowd, unaware of the nature of the offence, felt that it marred the glory of a. triumphal tour at the climax and later they showed exaggerated generosity iu cheering the New Zealanders’ prowess. His comrades were grievously discouraged and lacked zip. The Englishmen bungled three distinct onslaughts before they gained their first score by Cove-Smith, ft was not till half an hour had elapsed that the All Blacks got really into their stride and took advantage of the strong wind. There was constant scrummaging in the second half, in which the Englishmen got most of the ball, wheeling the scrum cleverly. After the All Blacks had secured a lead of fourteen points the crowd showed irritatioH and loudly expressed their indignation at what they considered the New Zealanders' deliberate dwadling in bringing the ball into play. In the last twenty minutes the Englishmen again overwhelmed the All Blacks and after Kittermaster’s try, there was again an uproar at the visitors’ slowness.

At the outset England attacked, but a free kick relieved the pressure five minutes from the start. England continued to press, but met wonderfully sound defence. England s forwards scrummaged splendidly and several penalty kicks were given against New Zealand. After a quarter of an hour Yoyce secured from a scrum and kicked past Nepia, and Oove-Sirntb dashing up scored a try for England wide out.

Five minutes later England were penalised near half-way. Nepia took the kick and the ball went very close to the goal post. The tourists continued to press. Steele attempted to drop a goal, but missed. Again England were penalised and Nepia, found couth within a few yards of the 'home line. Fierce scrummages ensued, but Young cleared. Faulty handling let the Ail Blacks in and after much scrummaging on the line Cooke flung out to Svenson, who scored wide out. The New Zealanders played up with determination, and from a serum near the home line Steele went over at the corner. Just before the interval Niehoils kicked a penalty goal. fin mediately after the resumption Corbett, with a clever kick, carried play into the New Zealand half. The English forwards, sti'lL scrummaging finely, kept up the pressure, and occasionally the home backs got going, but they were never allowed to make much ground. The game veered round in favour of the visitors and ten minutes from the resumption M. .Brownlie crossed close to the corner flag. The place kick was most difficult, but Niehoils, with a grand effort, con verted the try.

Tim Now Zealanders continued to attack, and I {'i chard son gathering the ball in the loose managed, although collared, to pass it to Svenson, wiio scrambled over. New Zealand being penalised Ha.inilton-'YYickes found touch well tip the field and a. minute later a. capital passing movement by the home backs saw Gibbs racing away in grand style. He kicked ahead and an exciting race ended, resulting in favour of Lite., visitors, who just managed to touch down. Another penalty was awarded England, but Brough missed the kick. Gibbs- again got away and ran splendidly, but linishod with a kick ahead over the line and Mill just managed to touch down, saving a certain try. Then from a penally Corbett kicked a goal for England. Shortly before the end England were hard pressed on their own line, hut Young, started a passing, movement which ended in Kiltermastor’s try under the Inir. 'England, although they lost, linishod strongly. The referee, Mr. A.. Freethey, of Wales,’ states that he ordered if. Brownlie off for deliberately kicking on the log an English forward who was. lying face downwwrcis on the ground. Mr. Freethey adds that h« had warned each side generally three times and therefore was obliged to act drastically.

ENGLAND’S BEST TEAM. LONDON, Jan. 3. There was a tremendous traffic block at Twickenham, despite the most elaborate precautions. The police diverted traffic through ex-King Manoel’s and other neighbouring estates. Many motor cars failed to reach the ground. The All Blacks introduced a new war cry: “We are about, to slaughter our enemies.” A wag on the grandstand retored with- the Latin quotation. “Those about to die salute you.” The visitors had a gruelling encounter with what is admittedly the best team Britain has ever sent into the field. No more remarkable demonstration has! been seen at Twickenham than that on the occasion of the first try. The crowd rose as one man with a crescendo of cheering, and the confusion lasted five minutes while hats mid sticks were being recovered, Nepia was again the idol of the crowd, His line-kicking was magnificent, and he was always pushing in the -thickest of the fray. After the match he said : “Gee, it was the .fastest game ever. That fellow Gibbs runs like a hare; I could not catch him.” The All Blacks have abandoned their intention to fly to Paris owing to the gale. ALL BLACKS BETTER TEAM. LONDON, Jan. 2. Colonel Philip Trevor, writing in the Daily Telegraph, describes to-morrow’s

match as historic. He says everyone takes it for granted that the New Zealanders are the better team. He criticises the failure to arrange more trial matches prior to the selection of the English team. A lew weeks ago it might have been said that the English forwards would have most of the play if the ground was wet,' hut after the New Zealanders 'match at Blackheath mud cannot claim to be the only factor by which the nonfavourites could win. They can only win by the adoption of the New Zealanders’ own game of instantaneous and unexpected attacks, developed apparently out of nothing. (Rebutting the charges of malpractices made against the New Zealanders, he savs lie has seen them sinned against as often as sinning.

BROWNLIE’S POSITION. CHARGE DENIED. LONDON, Jan. 3. Some members of the New Zealand team state that Brownlie was not the aggressor, but that he retaliated when stniek by a player who had been previously warned three times. The' King was kept informed telegraphically of the trend of the game. The first arrival was a woman, who appeared at the gates shortly before dawn. Large parties of Scotsmen who had been denied the privilege of seeing the visitors in Scotland made long journeys to London. There, was also a big party of English residents in Paris who Braved the Channel gales in order to see the match. The Sunday Express says Mr Freethy, the referee, after the match said : “J - have for a long time admired Brownlie’s play. I spoke to both captains before the match, and emphasised that they must impress the players to keep their tempers. I warned two players on either side, and gave two general warnings to The teams before | ordered Brownlie off the field. It hurt me very lunch to do this, but T. felt I had no alternative.” Brownlie said: “It was a piece of sheer ill-luck on my part. I found myself involved in a series, of minor retaliations, and was unfortunate to he dropped upon as the second man in the affair. I am most sorry that this happened, in the last match, hut I do think another man should have gone off the field besides myself. Nevertheless, there is no ill-feeling.” Wakefield, the English captain, said he witnessed the incident, hut he preferred to say nothing. He had formed his own conclusion. The Sunday Express adds that the members of the All Blacks agreed with the facts stated by the referee, but maintained that one of the English forwards had been repeatedly off-side. The Central News Agency says it was evident that the incident still rankled at the dinner at the Cafe Royal, when both teams were entertained by the Rugby Union. Mr S. S. Dean, the manager of the All Blacks, declared that in the team’s opinion the referee made a mistake. Brownlie appeared to feel his position keenly, and he emphatically denied that lie was guilty of the conduct attributed to him. Interviewed after the match, Y akelield said: “We were beaten, but not disgraced. Another 10 minutes might have tolcl a different story. Anyway, I would like to meet the All Blacks again. Brownlie has only himself to blame. He was cautioned twice or thrice for swinging his arms and legs about and persistently playing the man instead of the ball, and the referee finally caught him tackling a man five yards from the ball. We won’t stand that behaviour from any team. It is not football. It was clear the referee had put his finger on the source of the trouble, because after Brownlie’s departure there was not a single untoward incident; the game was beautifully clean, hard, fast and enjoyable.” Other English players expressed the opinion that the referee might have refrained from the dismissal of Brownlie until a later stage and given another chance. One said: “It would have been unfortunate if we had won seeing that the All Blacks were playing a man short.” An Englishman who was beside Brownlie commented: “Brownlie foolishly gave back chat. That settled it, and the referee pointed to the pavilion.” Mr Dean was visibly affected. He said it was a regrettable incident in the most important match. He declined to comment, apart from . saying that he saw a. little bit of temper in the opening stages on both sides. He added: “England surprised us the way they got off the mark, going great guns. The speed and accuracy in passing and the strong kicking of their three-quar-ters was remarkable. Luckily for ns England did not make better use of their chances in the first 10 minutes.”

PREMIER’S CABLE. WELLINGTON, Jan. 4. On receiving the news of the All Blacks’ final victory over England by 17 points to 11, the Prime Minister cabled as follows : “New Zealand sends its team wannest congratulations on its splendid unbeaten record. Boil voyage on (lie homeward - journey.— Massey.’l

COMMENTS ON THE PLAY.

(Bv Spectator.)

The report of: the match appears to amply .justify the remark by Nepia, “The fastest game ever,” and it. will go down in the aniials of Rugby as one of the most brilliant, and exciting. It was quite evidently a struggle worthy of the reputation established by the All Blacks, although it was not till after a considerable part of the match had elapsed that they got into their stride. But for this the most regrettable incident which ended in the ordering off of C. Brownlie must to some extent be responsible. Anyone who follows or has played the game can realise the effect sueli an happening would have. The result, too, must have been a. distinct handicap apart from the actual fact of losing one of the best forwards, for the placing of Parker, acknowledged as the sprinter of the team, in the scrum, not only weakened the pack, but. deprived the team of'a valuable factor both in attack and in defence. Several of the English backs are noted as remarkably fleet of foot, G.ibbs and Ilaniliton-Wickes in particular, and the former is reported as the fastest man on the field. Parker’s assistance would have been invaluable. With such fliers in both teams, the heavy state of the ground favoured neither. Had it been a dry ground the pace must have been even more markedly brilliant. Both teams were evidently out to battle their very utmost for the honour of the country they represented. It is not, therefore, surprising that play was most vigorous, too strenuous, but the referee distinctly stated after the match that there were offences on Doth sides before Brownlie was sent off the field. It was altogether a much to be deplored occurrence. It is a great tribute to the energy, decision and resource of the All Blacks that, playing one man short, they were

abl’e to score a win. Their play, when they settled down into their stride, was brilliant in the extreme, and their powers of attacking have never been shown to better advantage. They were up against the pick of the Old Country, men who were worthy opponents, and to defeat whom was a distinct honour. In that period of attack and in the latter part of the match when they were right up against it, their dour defence was worthy of the best traditions of Dominion Rugby. . The English backs proved, as was expected, a great company, more dashing in attack perhaps than solid in defence. Their forwards played a great game and proved their ability to secure .the ball and give their speedy backs every opportunity. But a paragraphin tlie report states that they did not in the later stages make as much use as they might of their undoubted pace and of the chances they had.

However, giving in all that may be urged for and against the match was evidently a great struggle, a worthy conclusion to a wonderful tour. The reserving of the matc-h against England, though somewhat .adversely criticised earlier, served to maintain interest right to the end. The 192-1 team, by its great performance, has falsified the somewhat adverse comments made at the beginning of the tour. The present team is the sixth to visit the Homeland from the overseas Dominions, and not one of them escaped from the Old Country undefeated. The following, is the record of Empire teams that have toured. England since ISBS: — , Points.

The captains of the teams were: — Maoris, J. Warbrick; New Zealand, D. Gallaher; South Africa (1906), Paul Roos; Australia, Dr. If. M. Moran; and South Africa (1912), W. A. Millar; All Blacks (1924), C. G. Porter,RESULTS TO DATE.

INDIVIDUAL SCORES. Following is a summarised record of scores: Goals from Other Potted

Dailey, Bndeley, McCleary, Munro, mul Harvey did not score. The results of international matches in the Old Country are as follow: N.Z. Native Team, 1888. Ireland, won 13 to 14. Wales," lost 0 to 6. England, lost 0 to 7. All Blacks,? 1905. Scotland, won 12 to 7. Ireland, won 15 to 0. England, won 15 to 0. Wales, lost 0 to 3. South Africans, 1906. Scotland, lost 0 to 6. Ireland, won 15 to 12. ’> Wales, won 11 .to 0. England, draw, 3 all. Australians, 1908. Wales, lost 6 to 9. England, won 9 to 3. Second South Africans, 1912. Scotland, won 16 to 01 Ireland, won 38 to 0. Wales, won 3 to 0. England, won 9 to 3. Second All Blacks. Ireland, won 6 to 0. Wales, won 19 to 0. England, won 17 to 11. It is worth noting that or the matches against England the matches in 1888 and 1908 were played at Blackheath, in 1905 and 1906 at Crystal Palare, and in 1913 and 1925 at Twickenham. •

P. W. h. T>. For Agsl 1888-89—Maoris .... 74 49 25 5 394 H'8 1905:06—New Zealand ... 33 32 1 0 858 47 1906-07—Smith Africa ... 28 '25 2 1 533 79 1908-09 —Australian .... 31 25 5 1 438 145 1912-13—Soul ii Africa ... 27 24 3 0 441 101 1924-25—New Zealand ... 28 28 0 0 654 96

Won by F. A. July 5 —N.S.W., 1st test N.S.W. 16 20 July 9 —Metropolitan N.Z. 37 5 July 12—N.S.W., 2nd test N.Z. 21 5 July 16 —N.S.W., 3rd test N.Z. 38 8 Sept. 13 —Devon N.Z. 11 0 Sept. 17 —Cornwall N.Z. 29 0 Sept. 20 —Somerset N.Z. 6 0 Sept. 25 —Gloucester —. N.Z. 6 0 Sept. 27 —Swansea —.... N.Z. 39 3 Oct. 2 Newport N.Z. 13 10 Oct. 4 Leicester N.Z. 27 0 Oct. S —North Midlands N.Z. 40 3 Oct. 11 —Cheshire N.Z. 18 5 Oct. 15 —Durham N.Z. 43 7 Oct. 18 —Yorkshire • N.Z. 42 4 Oct. 22 —Lancashire .... N.Z. 23 0 Oct. 25—Cumberland *.. N.Z. 41 0 Nov. 1 —Ireland N.Z. 6 0 Nov. 5—Ulster N.Z. 28 6 Nov. S —Northumberland N.Z. 27 4 Nov. 12 —Cambridge .... N.Z. 5 0 Nov 15 —London Counties N.Z. 31 6 Nov. 19 —Oxford N.Z. 33 15 Novi. 22—Cardiff: ...... N.Z. 16 8 Nov. 29 —Wales N.Z. 19 0 Dec. 2 —Llanellv • N.Z. 8 3 Dec. C —East Midlands’ N.Z. 31 7 Dec. 11 —Warwickshire .. N.Z. 20 0 Dec. 13 —Com. Services N.Z. 2o 3 Dec. 17 .... N.Z. 22. 0 Dec. 27—London Counties N.Z. 2S 3 Jan. 3 —England N.Z. 17 11 Played 2S, won 28; points for 654, against 98. ’

Player Tries Tries Goals Goals Tl. Nicliolls, M. 2 32 (5 2 90 Nepia, G, — 27 4 ' — Go Hart, A. H. IS 1 — — 5G Steele, J. 17 — — 1 55 Cooke, A. E. 10 — — — 48 Svenson, K. S. 1G — — — 48 Parker, Ii... 13 — . — ; — 39 Mill, J. 9 3 — — 33 Brownlie, M. 8 — _ — . 24 Richardson, J. 8 : — 24 White, A. 3 T — — 23 Lucas, W. 7 — — — 21 Brown, H. W. 5 o — 19 Irvine, AN'. It. G —r : — 18 Brownlie, G. J. . G — IS McGregor, N. P Donald, J. 5 4 — 15 12 Porter, C. G. 3 — 9 Masters, It. It. 3 — 9 Stewart; It. L. 2 — G Guppies, .L. E. 1 — 3 3 West, A. H. 1 *— — Robilliard, A. C 1 — 3 Paewai 1 — H 1' , 3