EARLY STAGES OF TOUR

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 4 May 1935, Page 13

EARLY STAGES OF TOUR

PERSONNEL OF THE TEAM WELLINGTON DEFEAT TOURISTS PESSIMISTS’ LOUD ‘COMPLAINTS. Perhaps a reminder could he given, at the outset of the personnel of the team, which was as follows : Backs: V. J. Wallace (Wellington), E. T. Harper (Canterbury), E. E. Booth (Otago), G. W. Smith (Auckland), H. Abbott (Taranaki), F. Roberts (Wellington), R., G. Deans (Canterbury), J. Hunter (Taranaki), S. J. Mynott (Taranaki), J. W. Stead (Southland), G. Gillett (Canterbury), H. D. Thomson (Wanganui), D. McGregor Wellington). Forwards: D. Gallaher (Auckland), captain, W. S. Glenn (Taranaki), S. Casey (Otago), A. McDonald (Otago), W. Johnstone (Otago), C. Seeling (Auckland), G. Nicholson (Auckland), G. Tyler (Auckland), J. Corbett (West Cbast), F. Newton (Canterbury), F. Glasgow (Taranaki), J. O’Sullivan (Taranaki), W. MaekreL'l (Auckland), W. Cunningham (Auckland). The manager was Mr Geo. H. Dixon, and the coach Mr J. Duncan. The average age of the backs was 26 years, and of the forwards 24.5 years, the average weights being 12 stone and 13at. slbs. 'respectively. The height of the team ranged from (sft. 3in. down toi oft. Gin., the smallest man 'in that respect being Jimmie Hunter, and the tallest, G. Nicholson. The youngest member of the team was R. G. Deans, who had just attained his majority, while the oldest member of the side was G. W. Smith, who answered to 33 years. An examination of the team in respect to provincial representation, strengthens the opinion that football was in its heyday >in Taranaki in those days, for the province had no less than six representatives in the side. Nowadays it seems to bo a. difficult problem to secure one place for Taranaki, but that is by the wa.v. The pessimists were given room to voice complaints muito early in the his- j tory of the “Originals,” for before I embarking a., team from the Wellington province defeated an All Black side ini the Empire city by three points to nil. The provincial team played nine forwards, including two wingers, and only one five-eighth, the All Blacks playing the orthodox formation as it was until the abolition of the wing forward: a few years ago. A week previously the All Blacks had drawn with Otago and Southland It'—all, and again five days later had beaten Canterbury by 21 points to 3. In the match at Dunedin the critics conoi.dorod the Blacks lucky to escape defeat, while in the other match lino kicking by the rearguard seemed to be the deciding factor in. a win for the tourists, ft was obvious that certain faults would have to he collected and the experience trained even in the three provincial mat: bos played by the side before the departure for England was invaluable in budding D p°a combination which was later to prove almost second t.i none. The tour attracted the attention eventually of “Punch,” in. which was penned tho following: Cl) That the Antipodes can produce r. dozen better teams than the .italwart:: now tourinn- this country; (2) that the team at present engrossing attention was sent over for rest ancl change and is under orders to “go steady”; (3) that and are engaged in sedentary occupations down, under, but get a. little croquet on Saturday afternoons; (4> that the chilblain on 's little toe is progressin;z favourably; (5) t-liab among other things, the Maori landers are teaching os moderation in language, Mr Dixon, their manager, stating that so far he is satisfied with

the financial aspect of the tour, and is inclined to think it will be selfsupporting on an average “gate” of £603; (6) that the “Silverleaves” are sensetivo to our climatic conditions and England may win in a fog; (7) that history repeats itself; and “Scots wha hae wi’ Wallace bled” are not unlikely when again brought in contact with him, to renew this painful experience. FIRST MATCH AT HOME: Tlie. first match played in England, was that against Devon, on September 16, 1895, and all the eyes of the Rugby world at Home were on this match in an endeavour to gauge the possibilities of the side which had come so far. The match was played at Exeter in the presence of some 6600 ponple, including many New Zealanders, who had journeyed from London, and when the team took the field, were given an enthu.sia.stio re-, ception. The match was considered of such importance that certain of the la lger sporting papers sent special critics to witness the match. The All Blacks won by 55 points to 4, which was a phenomenal score, but was greeted by the critics with the answer, “wait till they meet so-and-so.” Trios in the match were scored by Smith (4), Wallace (3), Hunter (2), Nicholson, Glasgow and Stead one each. All the goals wore kicked by Wallace. One critic penned the following: “1 left the ground with a sense of disappointment at the display of the New Zealanders, simply because, like others who had made the journey, to Devonshire,.: I Jiod gone down with the expectation of seeing something I had never seen before—.something entirely now in systems. .... Devon played like a fourth-rate side and all New Zealand had to do was to go ahead and score.”

Such was an example of the English criticism, but before the tour was much farther advanced the tune, had to bo changed considerably, and all made an admission that the AH Blacks wore all that was claimed for them. Tho team then went on to defeat Cornwall by 41 points ta nil, and after this match the critics grudgingly admitted that the result of the first match was not a “fluke.” However, they tackled the problem from another angle, and aired their views about the. wing forward, who was, they stated, not a, person to be encouraged, as he was offside most of the game and his frank disregard for the rules was almost amusing. Bristol was defeated by the same margin as Cornwall, the Home side being quite outclassed from beginning to end. There was very little comment on this match as far as the merits of the team were concerned,i the critics confining themselves: to the wing forward and Ins game as it aj>peared to them. At Northampton, the.heme side put up a, stubborn resistance for the first quarter of an hour, but thereafter wore not in the picture, ancl their line was crossed eight times, the final score being 32 points to nil, Criticism of this match was reasonably fair and | impartial. For the first time cn the tour, perhaps, mention was made of tho size of some of the members of tho team, one writer remarking that although the All Blacks packed oneman le-s in tho scrum than the homo side did, there was sufficient weight to hold them. LEICEST LR DEFEATED.

Hie mat'.'i at Leicester was witnessed by 13,060 persons, and the homo ■side was defeated by 29 points to nil. For the first half-hour the Leicester men held their own excellently, and the colonials were unable to penetrate the defence, but toward* the end of tho spell the visitors livened up and ret a fast pace lc scare 10 points before- half time. Simon Mynott played a brilliant game, and scored two magnificent tries in quick succession. Wallace was in good form and piloted the ball over tho bar five times out of six attempts. Gallaher was again sorted out for special mention, but one writer stated that he was not so objectionable

in his methods as one was loci to expect. The team then journeyed to London for their first match in the “hub of universe,” defeating Middlesex by 34 points toi nil. Johnson, Hunter, Wallace and Seeling each soared one try, and Smith ancl Deans two each. There was. a large gathering of Now Zealanders• present and the team was given a most enthusiastic reception. The home side included six internationals and some hopes were entertained from this quarter, but none was able to crass the Blacks’ line. There was a decided change in the tone of the criticism after this match, and a general disposition on: the part of writers to concede the fact, that the colonies were tactically superior ’in all departments. One cartoonist in the “London Opinion” asked for a “giantkiller,” and in: his cartoon labelled that person “Wales,” a prophecy which came .true, later. For the "first, and almost oul.v time of the tour, the colonials’ lino was crossed the following Saturday, when the team mot Durham, the player in question, Olairkson, being regarded as something in the nature of a. national hero. The previous season Durham had won the English county championship, and being the centre of an enthusiastic Rugby district a hard game was anticipated. Jimmy Hunter .scored a try. within the first four minutes of the game, but at half-time the score was curly 6—3. No .sooner had the second spell ended, however, than it was seen that the All Blacks were on their mettle, and the home fifteen were kept continually on the defen-1 sive, being pressed hard for the great-1 or part of the spell. Four tries were scored in the match, and of these “Wallace was responsible for three, while ho converted two of them. L T p to this match the AilL Blacks had scored 247 points and had only seven .recorded against them. A feature of the match was the fact that the All Blacks .seemed to be able to push the home forwards wherever they wished.

63 POINTS TO NIL. Playing at Hartlepool on the followng Wednesday, the All Blacks scored Che highest points in any match they played in England when they defeated the home fifteen by G 3 points to nil. The opposition was completely demoralised, partly due tci the fact, said the critics, that the side adopted tho formation! of the All Black;,’ rearguard, instead of sticking to the formation they were used to. Over twelve thousand people attended the match. Wallace converted eight tries. Jimmy Hunter soared four tries, “Bunny” Abbott 3, Roberts 2, Smith. 2, and Deans, Stead, O’Sullivan and 1 Wallace one each. Glasgow converted one of the tries. I The team then went on to North 1 Shields, where they met and defeated Northumberland by 31 points to nil. It was predicted that Northumberland would make a. good showing against the All Blacks, but the predictions were not realised. The visitors rattled on 22 points before half-time and then, although they met with a more concentrated opposition, penetrated the defence three more times before the final bell. Jimmy Hunter was the out-i standing player in the New Zealand side, and scored four tries, making the openings for several more. Three of these tries by Hunter were classed by the English critics as brilliant (f-! forts. The match was played in bois- J terous weather before 10,000 persons. In commenting on the match, a writer in tho “Athletic News” facetiously remarked that there was already some talk of putting up a tablet in. Durham Cathedral to Clarkson, the North County player, who was the first man to cross tho All Blacks’ line in England. He said this as a modicum of comfort to Northumberland for their defeat at the hands of the “Originals.” Strangely enough, at this time writers were already looking for a team to defeat the Blacks, and there was some talk of Scotland being that side. There were writers who claimed that the Scottish side would have been equally as successful on tour as tho All Blacks were, and that they would lower the unbeaten record. However, as events were to prove, Scotland were defeated' after being played at their own game. |

Gloucester were defeated the following week by 44 points to nil, those to score tries being Hunter (2), Wallace (2), Deans (3), and Smith, Glasgow and Seeling one each. Wallace con-; verted six tries and Gillett one. Before this match some correspondence appeared in the English papers alleging th.qt the New Zealanders had hitherto met only untrained amateur teams and urging the selection of the ( best Rugby players, regardless of dif- j ferences between the Northern Union | and the Rug\>y Union. To date Hunter j was leading in the number of individual tries scored with 19, Wallace he-i ing next with 11 and Smith third with i nine. The other Taranaki scorers were Mynott (4), Abbott (4), Glasgow (2) and O’Sullivan (1). The Gloucester match was productive of hard football, but was otherwise without incident. A big contingent of Welshmen was present, including the whole of the Y\ elsh Rugby Union committee. j SECOND SPELL DEBACLE. j I At Taunton two days later, the All Blacks met Somerset County, when they again added to their laurels by winning by 23 to nil. Most of the points scored were put on during the second spell, and evidently the home fifteen found that the first spoil had been too strenuous. After scoring eight points before half-time, the All Blacks made the pace much faster in the second spell and added 15 more points. Mynott and Seeling each notched two tries. The New Zealanders were not very satisfied with the results obtained from this match, and condemned the numerous changes which were made in the team. Roberts was. also badly missed from behind the scrum and many of the passes were ill-timed and badly connected. Mynott, just recovered from an attack of influenza, was not his usual dashing self. Several injuries received by the colonials during the match made matters worse. Devonport Albion registered three points against the New Zealanders, the score coming from a penalty goal in the last few minutes of the match. The All Blacks scored 21 points. The

side had been classed as one of the dangerous ones the All Blacks would have to meet during the tour, and a strong side was reserved for the match. At the last moment, however, Wallace was unable to play, and he was replaced by Mynott, who played first five-eighth, the three-quarter line being Thomson, Stead and Smith. The criticT of the “Plymouth Herald” said that the first minute contained* as much excitement as many a full game, the defence looking absolutely rotten when Thomson slipped through like an eel and scored his first try. Thomson scored two tries, Roberts, Nicholson and Gallaher one each. Gillett converted two and Cunningham one. The next match, that against the Midland Counties, was the 13th of the tour, but the only bad luck that occompanied this number was that the All Blacks’ line was crossed for the second time during the tour. The Midlanders copied a loaf out of the visitors’ book and played a wing forward, hut despite this change of tactics, they failed to hold their own. The team from the Midlands was as fully representative as possible, the selectors evidently being impressed with the All Blacks’ superiority over all the teams they lmd met to elate. Five tries were scored in tho match, one each to Smith, Hunter, Stead. Boberts and Mynott. Incidentally, the match was responsible fo recording the first placed goal against the All Blacks on the tour. The New Zealanders replied to the Midlanders’ tactics with a series of hurricane attacks, showing excellent combination in both attack and defence. Time and again they swept down the field, breaking down tho defence. "Wallace had not yet taken has place again in the team.

SURREY ADDED TO' LIST. On the following Wednesday Surrey went down by 11 points to nil in a match which was played for the greater part in a heavy storm. The match was remarkable, said the manager, Mr G. Dixon, for the number of times tho whistle was blown, thirteen out ot sixteen penalties being given against the New Zealanders for free kicks alone, not to mention the number oi other times the whistle was blown. The newspapers published humorous accounts of the incident, heading then accounts with such lines as “Whistling Fantasy by the Referee.” The critic of the “Daily Mail” said, in his humorous account of the match that the referee was evidently under the impression that the public had gone there to hear him perform on the whistle. The finest artists were said to shut their eyes when whistling their hardest, he said, and judged on that hypothesis, the refere must have had his eyes closed for the better part oi the game. One young lady present asked her escort why the Now Zealanders were- not allowed to have a man to whistle for them, too. During the interval the referee was the recipient of many congratulations from musical friends on his magnificently sustained effort, though fears were expressed that the severe exertions he had undergone would tell on him in the second' half. So much for the humorous side of the encounter. The All Blacks’ rear division, 'considering the weather, shaped remarkably well. Roberts, Corbett and McGregor were the scorers, only one try being converted, that by Gillett.

The next match was against Blaclcheath, which was one of tho fixtures possessing tin unusual amount of interest, as the club held a prominent place among the English combinations. The side which met tho All Blacks included no fewer than eight internationals. The spectators, who numbered 15,000, were given an opportunity judging the New Zealanders on their merits, for they wore playing at the top of their form. The visitors quite outclassed their opponents and finished with the convincing score of 32 •ponits to nil. Wallace made his. return to the team and commemorated this by scoring a try within two minutes of tho start of the match. He followed this up by kicking a penalty goal and then crossing the line twice in quick Succession. McGregor scored two tries, while Glasgow and Stead score one each. Wallace converted four tries, so that he scored more than half of the total points scored. After this match the critics put the success of the All Blacks down to splendid organisation, perfect training, and attention to tactics. One international player referred to them as the finest team lie ever saw. OXFORD WELL BEATEN.

Forty-seven points were scored against Oxford University, which was the next match played. The match marked the passing of the 506 mark in the number of points scored by the team, on the tour. The Oxford pack •vn.s completely outclassed, a fact which became evident not long after the start of the match. Jimmy Hunter had a field day, and l scored five tries, the others being scored by Booth (2>, Wallace (2), Johnstone, McGregor. Roberts and Glasgow one each. Wallace converted three and Tyler one. The match was a very one-sided affair and may be dismissed at that. The team was entertained at dinner after the match at Trinity Hall by an exOxonian who had lived for many years in. New Zealand.

The sister university did much better and the All Blacks could score only 14 points against that team. The match was classed as the most exciting that had ever been witnessed in Cambridge. For tho first, half-hour the match was very even, the Cambridge tackling being excellent. It was not until the closing stages of the spell that the All Blacks were able to open their account, and this they did by Deans, and McGregor scoring tries near the corner. Play in tho second hall i was very similar, Cambridge giving ! the Maorilanders plenty of work. However the same pair scored tries again . before the final whistle sounded, and j the game ended 14—0. Wallace played as a five-eighth in this match, the three-quarter line being McGregor. Smith and Thomson. The best New Zealand back on the day was Deans, ■who was making his first appearance since the match against Somerset. His two tries were splendid efforts. Next week the remainder of the tour 1 will be reviewed.