Now I Remember

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 193, 30 July 1932, Page 1 (Supplement)

Now I Remember

Collison Lost The Game Australia’s 5-all Draw With 1907 Rll Blacks: Collision of Burge and Dix Gave New Zealand a Try. (By J. C. Davis, in the Sydney “Referee.”) While watching New South Wales putting up the weakest showing one has ever seen by the State team against New Zealand one’s mind drifted back to picture some of the terrific games between the All Blacks and the Blues in pre-war times. Some players in the latest New South Wales XV. seemed by comparison to be mere juniors indulging in a Wednesday afternoon game of Rugger. They played in a more or less inconsequential manner, as though team-work had never entered seriously into their thoughts. They had no realisation that success depends wholly on players co-operating as in a machine.

The first New Zealand team to come to Australia after the memorable tour by the All Blacks to Great Britain, when they astounded the world in football, was that of 1907. They embraced a goodly sprinkling of the brilliant touring team and looked as fine a lot as any enthusiast could desire to see in action. New South Wades gave them a hot reception in the first match. They were hardly at their top, through rough seas upsetting them. But they won by 11 to 3, mainly through their backs grasping opportunities and turning them into tries, whereas the home

men, trained to the moment, were too prone to rush matters when a little care nearing the goal-line would have meant success instead of a knock-on or a pass’ forward.

The first three games were played in Sydney, with public interest at fever heat. The first attracted 52,000 people, and the second, on the Wednesday, in which the tourists were defeated sensationally by 14 to nil, 21,000, while the third match against Australia on the following Saturday drew 49,000. It might have easily eclipsed the State match attendance but for the public feeling that Australia was not equal to New South Wales at the time, not-that the players from Queensland *ere not good ones, but that their presence weakened the combination. Australia lost that game by 26 to fi, the All Blacks covering themselves with glory. The New Zealanders were managed by Mr Edgar Wylie and captained by James Hunter, with W. J. IVallace

vice-captain. They went north to Queensland, twice defeated the State, 23 to 3 and 17 to 11, and then Australia by 14 to 5. On their return to Sydney for the third Test, and their final appearance in Australia, the AU Blacks found a controversy raging ament the personnel of the Australian team. The New South Wales authorities realised that if they were to win combination of the highest possible order must be their keynote. So they determined not to break up the New South Wales combination, and selected the entire fifteen, Queensland not having one representative. The decision was I thought, wise.

Thirty thousand people turned out, and a fine day and dry ground greeted the teams. Peter Burge led the home team and after a tremendously fast and vigorous first half the interval camo without score. The home forwards were Tommy Barnett, Tom Griffin (hooker), and J. Rosewell in the front row, Pat McCue and Peter Burge second, and Norman Row. Jim Hughes, and A. B. Burge in the back row. They were a set of forwards with tremendous sting, virility, and pace. Among the latest N.S.W. forwards W. Cerutti alone compares with about five of these men. They played together like a pack of hounds, and stood up to everything. Wood’s Backing Up. New Zealand played their customary pack of seven forwards, with George Gillett a most versatile wing-forward. George had played Australian Rules in Victoria, and was particularly adept in handling, kicking, and in placing his punts. The seven were A. H. Casey, A H. Hughes, in the front row J. O’Sullivan, of Taranaki, W. Cunningham, the tremendous Aucklander, who scaled 14.10, as lock, and G. W. Nicholson, of Auckland. The back row pair were W. Johnstone and A. H. R. Francis ,both tremendous fellows, quite on 14 stone, and great all-round forwards. It will give an idea of the fire of the home forwards that day when they not only held the New Zealanders in check, but now and then got the best of them in a torrid struggle. The game was swinging on hard cud fast, with Australia slightly the better side. The New Zealanders could not get their famous back combination into action, and the forwards could not open out from scrummage, line-out, or ruck. Well into the second half a blind-side movement near the twentyfive originated by Fred Woods, the scrum-half, saw Bede Smith shooting straight and drawing the defence from the wing. Boxer Russell, to whom he sent the ball, ran straight at “General” Booth, the New Zealand fullback, and drawing his tackle, whipped the ball to Fred Woods, who had backed up, to dive over in the corner. Dally Messenger, with one of his brilliant acute-angled kicks, landed a great goal.

The game went on at a terrific clip, with the New Zealanders fighting for their lives. They were getting the worst of it, and the referee, C. E. Morgan, was penalising the home team, mainly because of off-side in the fierce forward rushes. The Blacks had been often seen in magnificent form on attack, but in this match, bottled in their attack, they were just as superb in their defence. They tried the highkicking for the follow-up, when they found their forwards beaten, but Billy

Dix, the home full-back, was very fss| and sure in his catching.

The New Zealand backs tried aQ manner of means to open out with their attack. Fred Roberts behind the pack worked all his wiles, Hunter at five-eighth tried his corkscrew runs without avail; and Mynott, his mtt% was bottled quickly. Wallace and Mit* chinson iu the three-quarter line, wert slippery, and understood one andther perfectly. They tried cross-kicking. But none could do anything on attack owing to the excellence of the opposi* tion.

The odds were strong in favour of Australia. But with such a team as the New Zealanders weie you've got to wait until the numbers go up. This time something happened, which at ths time was tragic to the Australians. F. S. Fryer, with a left-foot punt from his left wing, about fifteen yards out* side the twenty-five, sent the ball high in the air down to Dix, within five yards of goal, and close to the posts.

No one was within 25 yards of him save A. B. Burge, then a colt. The big forward ran back and Colliding with Dix as he caught the ball, sent the full-back on to his back, while he himself fell sprawling to the turf, the other way. The ball was knocked from Dix and before either could get on his feet and get it the flying Mltchinson dashed up, fielded it, and was over the line in a flash. Not another player was within twentyfive yards of the three. Wallace converted it and the scores were level. It was a tragic change. New Zealand was lucky to get out of it so well. But the players freely acknowledged that they had never ran into such a hard team of Australian to beat as those of the two New South IV ales and final Test matches. To show "hat sort of fights they gave the New Zealanders it is only necessary to stat* that in the three games on the Sydney Ciitket Ground New Zealand scored 4 tries and 2 goals to 5 tries and 3 goals. The younger players of to-dav should take a leaf out of the book of the men of 1907, so that when they have to s ' e '', Zoi,land m *he up their minds that brilliancy and teatn-work of th* highest quality are essential.