SOLDIER FOOTBALLERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17294, 18 October 1919, Page 15

SOLDIER FOOTBALLERS.

♦ THE SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR. NATAL EASILY DEFEATED. 1 17 POINTS TO 3. i [FROM OUH OWN CORUUSFOVDENT.] i [TTROM OCR OWN CORISESFONTDENT.] , PTBTEKMAIUT'.JBURr.. Aug 29. I Before a record crowd of 10.000 peopU i the New Zealand Military team beat Natal at Lord's. Durban, on Wednesday, August ; 27, by 17 poinUi to 3. The weather \v as I all that could he desired, and the turf, con i sideitng it was the end of the dry winter i season, was good. The visitors had a : fin© reception. Association raCTter than ■ Ilngby has been tho premier Natal winter 1 ' gam*, but the latter will receive a great i' fillip from the New Zealanders' line exhibition. The teams »?evre :— New Zealand.— Fullback, J. G. O'Brien; thrccquaxters, L. Stohr, W. R. Roberts' | and I*. W. Storey; five-eighths, J. Ryan j , and W. R. Km.; halves, C. Brown andH. 1 P. Singh., forwards, E. W. Hasell, S. R. J Standeji, J. A. Bruce, E. L. Cockloft, A. Gilchrist, li. Fogarty, and H. G. Wit | tmctoa. " ; Natal. — F\iDba.ck, C. A. Barwell ; three I quarters, S. Atkinson. H. C. Deane, W. 1 C. Zellw, and C. C. Allan; halfbacks. \Y. I CUrk,»on, \V. Townsend, and J. R. Hard I ing; forwards. L. B. Siedl© (captain), A. p. Walker, H. W. Stockdale, J. Mc- j Donald, B. E. Vanderplank, W. Pa.\n. j jod V Alexander. Referees : Mr. S. A. Townsend. The New Zealanders were obviously the ! heavier and better trained of the two 1 tides. The New Zealanders were the first , to get going, and with f'X>twork carried : play into the- Natal half. Townsend cleared. Thrice in succession the visitors i rushed, but each time the home backs came . to the rescue. Hosell obtained, and with , Brace passing and repassing ensued. Then I Rvan rama in and threw out to Storey, who .-cored the opening try behind the post*. Stohr made no mistake in converting. Fourteen Points in First Half. O'Brien was tested, hut his kicking and handling was sound, and play settled again in Ratal's half. Hasdl was now pronun- : nent with dodging, and breaking away, nearly got through. The "All black had. obviously, the came well in .land, | Faa making brilliant runs and nearly getting through. A bhr rush was then launched, but Zeller cleared and, kicking | to touch put Natal in « better position But only* for a brief while. Roberts and S'orcv, with quick pasting, almost penetrated, but the reverse failed. htohr, making an opening, saw Fogarty touch down on the corner. Stohr. however, failed to convert. _ A->*ter a few individual attempts by trie ; visiters to get through, but which were ; held, Ryan and Brown irot going, passing j to Fea, who very cleverlv turned the ball over to Storey. The latter jumped as the i full back tackled and fell over the line. ; The kick failed. By good touch-kicking , play was brought into the New Zea- : landers' half. 'It was. however, but a . temporary invasion, as Storey with a kick forward, rushed for the ball and scored a | brilliant individual try after sprinting 50yds. Natal were attacking in the twaatv-ire when the whistle blew for half-time with the "All Blacks" 14 points to 0. Improvement in Home Side's Play. The resumption saw a vigorous attack by Natal, but support was lacking. This half saw a marked improvement in the play oi Natal. The New Zealanders tried to open np the game, but the Natal kicking and rushing broke through the defence. Stohr and O'Brien failing to gather, Siedle and Harding rushed for the ball and had real hard luck in not scoring. The combination of the visitors was perfect, and their three-quarter movements seemed to dazzle the local backs. The hopes of the crowd, long subdued, rose at last as Walker and Stockdale dashed dewn the field, carrying the game into the "All Blacks' " twenty-rive. Many an opening, though, wa-s missed by the local backs. For quite five minutes play prevailed in the visitors' twenty-rive, but the defence was too strong. • Barwell then fielded and dropped for goal, ju.-t missing the pot' Soon afterwards the Natal threes I. 'sed alone the line, Allan being the hnal recipient, and crashed over. The kick failed. Natal kept, up the aggressive, and [day at this stage, was very fast. O'Brien was kept at it,'but he rose to the- occasion. Th» award of a penalty raised the siege, Barwell missing. Ryan made an opening, soon after parsing to Storey, who wa* fast away, then was tackled, "and just fail >d to cross. But Fogarty was there, and before, a. rally could h,. made he scored one minute before time. The match ended with the .-cores at: New Zealand ... ... ... 17 Natal 5