THE SECOND TEST

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 17 March 1928, Page 13

THE SECOND TEST

GIANTS AT PLAY , On their way to Eden Park, Auckland, at tlie top of the top of the Dominion of what was considered, after 1904-5 and the Original All Blacks, to be the premier Rugby centre of the British world, went the invaders from the Union of South Africa, who, at the stopping places, defeated M’anawatu by three points to nil, Auckland by the astonishing margin of sixteen points, the scores being 24 to S; and then the lusty forwards of the Bay of Plenty gave their visitors the crown of victory with seventeen points to nine. It was a hard nut for the New Zealanders to crack and find a kernel. These Springboks were becoming altogether too consistent in winning.

The crowd at Eden Parle about doubled the Carisbrook gathering, but it was not a collection of sight-seers who went to see a team butchered to make an Aucklanders’ holiday; but it was the second big match, and New Zealand would win again. And this was in the August of 1921.

FIRST SPELL 5—5

Advantage of position came early to the home side, which heeled from the first scrum, the New Zealand forwards then making some ground with sharp dashes. A bit of pointing after Storey had put his side into position allowed Gerald Morkel to line very well at halfway and to nullify all the home play •np to the offside penalty. THE BOKS’ COLLARING. And here is the place to record that the South Africans collared top hole, and this was why Roberts’s fine opening to Storey finished at the side line and changed the complexion of the game. H. Scholtz was the leader of a rush which carried all before it back to the half-way flag. Again did Roberts handle, Badeley coming in and beating Meyer, but Steele was well and truly grassed by Zeller. “Boy” Morkel went through the forwards and the inside backs, and if Meyer had not dropped the ball he got from the “Boy” there would have been more trouble. As it was, the home men were in their own last stretch. The weight of the African pack gave them the ball very frequently, though their grouping of three-quarters made collaring them very easy. Van Rooyen was the man to put, his side on their toes; for this second row man of the forwards got the ball 'in a scramble anil ran hard to feed Clarkson, whose other centre handled last to score a try which was then assured. Full Morkel added the extra two points. South Africa 5. The first score of the game had come about twenty minutes after the. first whistle. SCRUMS TO AFRICA. The scrums were all to South Africa, so that they had the game well in hand. However, the Springboks’ passing went across the field very often, and their orthodox attack was readily smothered. Of course, where hacks are not outclassed there can he no scoring by regulation hand to hand transfers. Every try scored so far in tests had been* from the unexpected. Witness Van Rooyen’s opening, Mellish’s flash to the short side, Steel’s runaway from midfield. SCORES EVENED. The game went on with struggling of pack against pack. Wing three Morkel got a. loose hall, hut Steel heat him and got the ball to half-way. The Springboks were getting all the hall, and that was the biggest factor of their success. The unusual again came to pass when half Roberts got the hall in a loose rush. He dashed straight down field with Beilis tearing hard beside him, and Jug McLean, of Poverty Bay, coining in support. Beilis took the transfer well and crashed into Zeller. Ho dropped the bull and McLean snapped it up and scored. Mark Nicholl’s kick struck the cross-bar and went over. New Zealand 5, South Africa 5-

There’s nothing succeeds like success, and the blacks looked like scoring from a cross kick by Badeley, Steele failing to get the ball at a time when the defence was thin. At this part of the game the footwork of the Springboks was a treat to see, and only a little more control was needed to make the charges irresistible. Kingston, the New Zealand full-back, came out of the ordeal with much credit to himself and to Taranaki, his province. Then Badeley overran a pass and the green forwards went into the gap, Meyer coming in to despatch Sendin and H. Morkel on their way to the blacks line, Steele bumping the lastnamed out and Donald clearing the danger. Penalties were frequent and just, arid the South African punting was the more successful. New Zealand had a period of ground attack, during which Seri din was brilliant' in defence The forwards on each side were kicking too hard, though this was caused in great measure by the closeness of the /forward' struggle, every man putting every ounce into the work. The spell ended with the s ores 5 all. SECOND SPF.r.L. Soiltb Africa 0— New Zealand 5. Bneking had been Hie Springboks’ big stick during the first forty-five of a very even game, and il they could continue at the pace they could not lose exeorit from thei unexpected, provided that the excellent defence of their backs held any All Black passing that might come along, and that odd

hi"h punts did not do queer things. Still, the big Auckland crowd was confident of victory, but the people had reckoned without their host. HIS OWN BAQK. Roberts soon had his dummy bought by three opponents, but he could not get through—there were others that would not become purchasers. H. Morkel was penalised for holding on to stop a black forward rush, Steele making a poor kick into the i green, with Roberts to save a flood sweeping over his backs. Some transfers by each side found the New. Zealand men more effective, the South African handlers making too much across field and running themselves out of bounds. Storey was tested by the green forwards, and only a dead line kick saved the blacks being again scored against. OH ZELLER, The reaction of the visitors’ attack brought the home players right to the scoring corner, but Steele was too well marked to be in any sense dangerous. And then Zeller did the deed, of the day. Coming away from the loose, Zeller beat Storey very decisively. Had this brilliant wing three-quarter been attended by one comrade he could have passed for a certain try when Kingston got him just near the coveted line, and all the effort was lost, for Roberts came up fast and returned the ball to half-way. GREAT PACKS. The give and take after that was superb, any margin of difference being to the Africans, the weight of whose forwards made the strain a very severe one for the New Zealand pack. There were no pronounced weaknesses among the visiting backs, while a fairly* shaky back was in the black rearguard. "From each twenty to lialf-way the ball was lined with a regularity which might have been monotonous had not the players to be so very quick in getting in their kick, no beg pardon being given or asked for in the toughest of tough struggles. Very tight forward work and long shots hy backs wore the prominent points of the play. BOKS GET UPPER! HAND. The Wellington half, Roberts, topk it into bis head to lia\e a pot at goal and the Springboks promptly forced the iailure, and troubles came thick on the AIL Blacks. Kingston slipped and almost did the visitors score, Steele just kicking back to no man’s land. The live yards’ scrum ordered, and Steele had the chance to line his punt, but ho went infield to Gerald Morkel, and the victor of a hundred fights dropped a beautiful field goal. And oh, the hush! South Africa 9, New Zealand 5. Honours were very easy for the little rest of the game, each side handling well. The home hacks passed, but were compelled to kick, and Gerald Morkel put on the safety cap by lining at half-way. The whistle blew with the ball dead at neutral, and the South Africans were 9 to the New Zealanders’ 5, the better side having won in a match which was, without- exaggeration, a. battle of giants. GERALD P. MORKEL. The shock to New Zealand Rugby pride was very great indeed. Without the shadow of a doubt the win had been well earned. All the ball went to the visiting backs, and on the day Van Heerden’s pace would have been invaluable. The big man on the New Zealanders’ side was certainly the half Roberts, who, starved for the ball, got his backs’ work from odd chances in the loose. In tight work the green forwards excelled, and the fact that the black pack stood up to the work is very high praise. Taken one by one the' African backs were very sound, and Sendin was brilliant at times. The biggest honours of the day went to a man who might be accorded the Olympic crown for full backs, Gerald P. Morkel.