INTERNATIONAL RUGBY.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 2560, 18 December 1924, Page 9

INTERNATIONAL RUGBY.

£ll Blacks Trinmphal Tour.

NEW ZEALAND DEFEATS

IRELAND

(BY R. A. BYERS-BARR. SPECIAL PRESS REPRESENTATIVE, ALL BLACKS IN THE BRITISH ISLES.)

The triumphal tour of the All

Blacks of 1924 4'a the British Isles

marks another epoch in the history of Rugby, and such history as Rugby ever knew. The New Zealanders have

triumphed over every team in England, Wales and Ireland, to date, in

successive victories,, -culminating m their defeat of the Irish Internationals at Dublin on Saturday, November Ist, after a great and gruelly game. The first Test match must ever be memorable for the magnificent display of the Irish forwards the first spell, when they fought every inch of ground, stemming the repeated a - tacks of 4he All Blacks, saving their line by stern defence. Irish forwards have ever been famous for their dash, devil, flair and danger, in their desperate dribbling rushes, staggering the defence to the last line. The All Blacks of 1905. on the same ground,, Lansdowne Park Dublin, submitted to the shock or the Irish forwards in that groat game, twenty years ago. It was only istory repeating itself when the All Blacks of 1924 were 'subject to the same dashing, desperate, and dangerous dribbling rushes of the Dish International forwards in the test of the British Isles tour. The All Blacks of 190 a, like the All Blacks of 1924, by stem defence,, with tenacious tackling, stemmed the tide of attack, survived the rush, and the onslaught—steadied and flung hack the counter-attack, sweeping the Irishmen off their feet, to penetrate the last line, culminating in the scoring of sensational tries. The original All Blacks defeated Ireland, on a fast, dry ground, by 15 points to nil. The second All Blacks defeated Ireland, on a sodden field, and a treacherous turf, handicapped by a heavy wet balk, by 6 points to nil. The conditions were all against the New Zealanders iti the momentous first spell, with a strong breeze against (them and a heavy rain driving in their teeth.. The 1924 AH Blacks not only’ fought the Irish International team but they fought the Irish blizzard, on a flooded field, treacherous as an ice ford, dangerous to a degree! The modern New Zealand forward docs not readily adapt himself to such steadying influences, as was only too well demonstrated in the opening matches of the team against Devon, \3omerset and Gloucester, when the state of ground and ball were equally shocking and distressing. The elements play a prominent part in the game, rain reducing the most brilliant side to the level of mediocrity.

“The All Blacks thoroughly deserved their victory. They gained it in weather conditions which were amazing, if not unprecedented —conditions, which from their own point of view, could not have been worse.” Such is tho statement of Colonel Phillip Trevor, C.8.E., who has an intelligent regard of tho game, and whose opinion I offer 'no excuse for quoting further.

“Strangely enough, during nearly all the first half the ball was practically dry. Anyhow, there was no mudlarking—a fact for which the length of the grass was perhaps responsible. About five minutes prior to half-time the wind dropped altogether and the flags hung limply on their stems. Then rain again set i'n and the wind changed. At first it blew at right .angles to the field of play. Later it veered right round and blow once more at the backs of the Irishmen. It increased (and so, for the matter of that, did the rain), and at the end of the match was blowing harder than ever. So the New Zealanders had it against them practically all the time, plus the disadvantage of a greasy a'nd sodden ball, Just when they had reasonably hoped for a dryone. In the circumstances they did quite well and won, as I ventured to predict they would win. “There was no scoring in the first half, and it was then that the Irish made the mistake of hot exploiting their back division. I have shrewd suspicion that the New Zealanders designedly let them get the ball in (his half. They did get it fairly often, anyhow, but the temptation of the strong wind was too great to be resisted, and they “fell for it.” Huge kicking by their backs put the New Zealanders co'ntinually on the defensive, but only after a very long time was the hopeful and expectant crowd made to realise that pressing is not scoring. The Now Zealand defence hold and never looked like giving way. Yet t,here was every reason why the Irish three-quarter line should then have been used. The occasional glimpses we got of it in attack were favourable, and once it seemed a certainty that T. Hewitt would score. He played well until he was unluckily hurt, but on this occasion he hesitated. “The New Zealanders themselves during this period made no attempt to open up the game. They were evidently waiting for change of ends. How were they to guess that after half-time the rain would come up again and the wind again help their opponents? It was very early in the second half that the one try of the 1 match was scored. The big Brownlie was given the ball, and using his physical strength he burst through. But he did not presume on his initial success. He tossed it to the attendant Svenson, who did the rest. A little later Mr A. B. Freethy (who, by the way, was at his very best as a referee in this game) was compelled to penalise one of the Irish forwards for culpable off-side play, and Nicholls then ■kicked a penalty goal. That forward, by the way, o'n more than one occasion sacrificed Judgment to impetuos-

ity and did his side disservice in consequence.

“It was in this half that the Irish policy was again at fault. Before tho ball got slippery and sodden, and when the tlirf was firm, their backs declined to attempt bouts of passing, but when owing to bad weather, it needed super-Welshmen to do this kind of ■thing, they attempted it. Needless to say, these attempts never looked like succeeding, and we who watched thorn were .amazed that they should have been made. Certainly the New Zealanders were relieved in more ways than oho by them. Throughout the match their pack had to work its hardest to cope with the really fine pack opposed to it, and jileasantly surprised were some of ns to sec the Irish forwards last so wonderfully. They had a'bad ten minutes in the second half, and I thought that I was hearing their swan song. But I was wrong. They found their voice again and finished on their top note. Most of them were very good indeed, and Clinch was best of all. He played a really fine game, and his judgment never failed him. Greatness of Nepia, "As a physical tussle between two teams as well endowed with pluck as with thew and sinew the match was a real treat, and the tackling of both teams was magnificent. It must have been something of an experience to the New Zealand giants, Brownlie. Parker and Cripples, to bo overthrown as they were. Yet they had the satisfaction of retaliation. But it was all physicalism of the best kind all open front work. The match will not be remembered for its finesse. The Irishmen attempted ’none, the New Zealanders deferred their efforts to use wile and guile till the conditions of play should be propitious, and, as I have said,, they were never propitious. “The star performer of the match was the New Zealand full-back Nepia, and in the first half in particular, when half a gale blow in his teeth, he was a model of strength and accuracy. Some of the catches he made (and lie never missed one) would have made a good juggler turn at a music-hall. His gathering of the ball was faultless, and his screw kicks into touch against the wind had also a touch of jugglery about them. But for this really wonderful performance I should have been inclined to give Crawford pride of place. The time has not yet come for Crawford to retire. 1 do not ever remember seeing him play bettor than he did on this occasion. Once it looked as if the fleet Parker had got by him. Crawford made desperate efforts to get alongside. He just failed. So ho dived, and successfully,, too, for Parker foundered. “It was not a match which lent itself to description in detail. Its thrills were few, and so were its actual incidents. Once the Irishmen were awarded a penalty kick, which ought to have produced a goal. Once Cooke dropped tho ball just as he was crossing the goal line. Once Svenson failed to score by about eighteen inches. Cooke played extremely well, so did Nicholls, while Dailey had a gruelling time of it, and came out of the ordeal with great credit to himself. “And what chance it may be asked, has England, Wales, or France of doing what Ireland has just failed to do? My answer to that question is,

“It all depends on the weather.” Bad •weather undoubtedly takes CO or 70 per cent, out of the sting of the attack of the New Zealand backs. They are not by any means the equals in this respect of some Welsh divisions of the past, nor are they the greatest tackling backs I have soon. But this latter consideration I do not, in 1924, rank high. If you got seven trios, and your opponents three, you score a fairly substantial victory. The New Zealand forwards go on improving and the Irish pack which has just put up such a fine performance against them may be pardoned if they indulge in a little self-congratulation.”