ALL BLACKS Close on Army Trail

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6634, 13 June 1928, Page 8

ALL BLACKS Close on Army Trail

O.ES. FIFTH GAME BOTH TOURS

“Sporting” Flutter at Bloemfontein A Shade of Odds on the Services

(By Ponty.)

When the 1928 New Zealand Rugby Union footballers step Out on to tho Kroonstad ground this afternoon, they will again bo f Allowing in the wake of their illustrious predecessors, the New Zealand Mastery Services, for on August, 6, .1919, Jimmy Ryan-and Co., went into action against Orange Free State for tho fifth match of tho Array tour of South Africa. At this stage one hardly dare phophesy that the present All Blacks will make as light work of the opposition as- did the side of nine years ago; for although the score at one stage stood at 5—5, Only one point in favour of the Service, half-time was called at IF —5 and no side at 16 —5 (two goals and two tries to a goal). Jockey Ford was the initial scorer, followed by Alfic West, then S. D. Mentz converted a try scored by J. Serfontein of O.F.S, A try by Percy Storey, goaled by Nuts Hazoll, completed the half-time tally. Very late in the second spell, while the defenders stood stock still waiting for a high kick to bounce out, Moke Beiliss arrived —from nowhere as usual—to calmly pick up the tall, when it refused to go into touch, and plant it in goal for his friend West to add the major points < -- To-day’s match, however, is against the County clubs, the provincial flutter with the Orangemen not taking place until July 28, on tho Ramblers’ field, at the capital, Bloemfontein, More Innovations.

tho 1924 Briiusners were twice “counted out.” Country winning 6—o and the State 6—3. Yet Transvaal could do no better than a 12—12 draw against Cove-Smith’s combination, wuich even downed the proud Western Provinces, B—6, in tho Anal engagement of tnc tour. It is for these reasons that nothing much more than a bare New Zealand victory should be anticipated this afternoon. Betting in Favour of Army To hark back to 1919, readers will bo tickled to read that “punting” on the game was indulged in, ana to-, paper which is tho authority for tho statement summed up tho prospects in the best New Zealand turf stylo:— “Betting on tho field was the order of the day, the odds being on the whole in favour of the All Blacks. The general opinion was that tho Free State backs were good enough for the New Zealand backs, but some doubt was expressed as regards the efficiency of tho forward line. Tho game -was one of forty minutes each way, but no fear of the Free State men giving in was entertained, as the recent train- 1 ing had made the players fairly fit. ’ ’ j Oh! priceless! Surely tho wicked Orangemen didn’t fracture the laws of profcsslonisra by putting their chosen in camp? “Finding tho Line.”

In Saturday’s article it was shown how Transvaal adopted New Zealand tactics, and on the Band the experiment was considered so successful that the rest of the Eugby organisations of the Union of South Africa were exhorted to go and xlo likewise. It was at Johannesburg on August 23, in the tenth game, that tho Transvaalers fielded a winging-forward and a 2—3—2 serum. But tho Orange Free Staters, nearly three weeks earlier, had introduced variations to the orthodox South African formation, though nothing very radical was attempted. In all probability some of the shrewd heads from the neighbouring province across the Vaal witnessed the Bloemfontein engagement, and who knows but that tho outcome was the adoption of the New Zealand scrum formation by Transvaal. It is surely not difficult to read between the lines of the following extract from a Bloemfontein newspaper that, had there been a return Army game at the Eamblers, something as drastic would have been “tried” by the Free Staters as the Homig -Brownlie -Nicholls -M'Gre'gorStewart stunts at Kimberley and JbV; hannesburg:— It is in the forward line, however, that the Free State failed, - and the New Zealanders took good care to make, the game as much a forward One as was possible The visitors were superior both in tho scrum and the loose. At first the Free State tried t t c 3—4 formation, thus ■ enabling State to play the eighth forward outside tho scrum, later tho 3 3 2 scrum, but the latter manner of scrumming was ultimately dropped in favour of the former, although neither of the formations could counteract the clever, neat and energy-saving formation of the All Blacks. The hope of the Free State to push the opposition scrum off the ball was immediately proved to have been a false one, for tho diamond formation w-as too strong to be pushed away. It is the case with which the All Blacks broke round the scrum that told on the local forwards, for when the New Zealanders came round in that way there was no st oping them. So that’s that! Not a Bad Little Side. The outstanding performer on the Orange Free State side, was wing-three-quarter E. E. MeHardy, who seven years previously had brought fame to his province by his selection as a member of the 1912 Springboks, who won all five internationals in Great Britain and France by 104 points to 8. MeHardy stood Oft 2in. in his stockings,'and tipped the beam at 13 stone —a fairly useful type of winger! Bloemfontciu critics while freely admitting that the better side won, wore of opinion that the margin was “rather -wide.” What their grounds were, at that stage of the province’s history, it is difficult to imagine. They had only twice met touring British sides, though they had made Morrison and Smythc’s men play for thcii lives —running the 1903 team to 16—17 and the 1910 fifteen to 9—12, Whether Free State Eugby benefited by the Army invasion or not has never been chronicled, but the fact remains that

One more quonaiion before reading a iittlo homily to tue memuers or tuai austere ana—as a coronary—unimaginative cororio governing Dominion Eugby, tho NZ.iv.i-'.Lf. executive: — I* ‘Every forward is a splendid tackand speed appears to bo one of the requirements for a forward, beCuuso tuo All iiiacKs’ pack were as spccay as their backs, if not more so. The New Zealand backs, on tho other hand, wore disappointing, O’Brien, at fullback, was a veritable stone-wall, and saved remarkably w T cll. The handling of the other backs (P. W. Storey, B. W. Bobcrts, W. A. Ford, J. Kyan, J. C. McNaught, and D. McK. Sandmann) was bad, and they lacked sorely in initiative. u Except for the kicking of O’Brien ’ and Koberts, their touch-findipg was faulty. Had it not been for .the fact that the forwards always came to the assistance of the backs'-the' latter would prove a source of danger to the team almost as frequently as an asset. ’ ’ ->v,vlf--ovor a rearguard was damned with 'faint praise that Free State journal siixcly got tho measure of the Army backs. Now, from what little we know of the games already played ou the -our of the 1928 All Blacks, it is fairly, .oyident that tho New Zealand vanguardsmen are being run oil their feet. The big forwards —obviously yet well -above their “ring” condition—were done to a frazzlo in tho Capetown Club’s ’disaster; and, while Lilburnc was nervy, Tindall, the Springbok custodian (he -was one of tho fly-halves of the 1921 South Africans) was kicking like a champion, finding the line in a style that enabled his forwards to conserve their energies, while the All Blacks’ viuiguardsmcn were getting much the same kind of assistance from behind as the Army scrummagers did at Bloemfontein.

If the Army backs, who had never played amended rules, could not nurse tho men in front by decent line-kick-ing, how can the New Zealand Eugby Football Union expect the 1928 forwards to be any better treated. Next time an international tour is mooted, for tho love of Mike abandon for a season at least innovations, which have no place in the rules as interpreted in the country to be visited. Backs unable to kick into touch with anything like a consistent length should really bo disqualified for international Eugby yet for the 1928 jaunt to Africa the rearguard was chosen without its members being called upon to demonstrate to the selectors that they could kick a football well enough to enable their forwards to live for more than sixty minutes of a strenuous contest, and any authority on Eugby will toll you that the “kick into touch” amendment has almost eliminated the good old honest Bcrummagcr so essential to the 2-3-2 formation.

This little chat on the first Orange Free State engagement wa n practically completed before the article published on Tuesday, in which criticism was levelled at tho N.Z.E.F.U. and its chairman of selectors. Hence there is no use further pursuing this line of argument, except to cry as Ponty did last year—alone in the wilderness at that —“For mercy’s sake don’t do it again! ”