THE ALL BLACKS

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11933, 13 September 1924, Page 10

THE ALL BLACKS

TEAM PLAYS FIRSTf&TBH IN EN6LAND TO-DAY PORTER AND HIS MEN WILL DO THEIR BEST COMPARISONS WITH 1905 RECORD WORTHLESS Nineteen years ago, almost "to a day, the famous All Blacks played their first match in England, and made the first mark of that phenomenal record which is remembered and admired in every Rugby-playing country of the ' Empire. To-day the All Blacks of 1924. begin their tour of the Old Land. '' They will play the 'same country’s team, and naturally people wonder how their performance will compare with that of their predecessors. Such a comparison is not worth while. If the All Blacks should win to-day by 15 points to nil, against the S 5—4 score of 1905, it would be foolish to say that the 1924 team is not as-good-as-the “Originals’-were. Devon County may be stronger and in better training to-day than their predecessors of 1905. The ground may be heavy. Innumerable other circumstances may make the comparison worthless. Let the team now in England be judged on its merits. If it should win the- majority of its matches, it will not be disgraced, for English Rugby to-day is reckoned very strong, and the opposition (although perhaps not in the .matches this month) is likely to be stiff. But if the New Zealanders win a hard match by 5 or 10 points they merit just as much praise as they are certain to receive if they put up . a cricket score against a weak team. The only match in which we are justified in hoping the team will do better than the 1905 men did is the Wales match. In New Zealand we can know-little, of the conditions under which the All Blacks will play, or the relative strength of their opponents.' But we do know that C. G. Porter will spend, the. last ounce of his phenomenal energy to win every game, and that the others in the team won’t need Jtny .instructions about how hard they are to play.

A WETftOSreCT PROGRAMMES COMPARED DEVONSHIRE'S PRIVILEGE. (By “Ponty.”) TB.%"AIP BlScks'*l924 tour Trill open at Dffronport Rectory field this afternoon, when Devonshire will face the New Zealanders in the- initial match, just as this famous football county did "19 years ago, against the great side r 7>F , ‘feos. N6'"more appropriate venue could iave been chosen. The 1905 team’s ipening match, was won against the men .of Devon and New Zealand’s overwhelming superiority (55 to 4) instantly kindled interest in the team’s prospect and personnel to a remarkable degree throughout the Kingdom. Besides which the establishment .of t-hfe original headquarters at Newton Abbot has definitely associated Devonshire with the glory of the All Blacks. EVERY FOURTH DAY. So far the fixture list comprises 28 games and the itinerary covers a period of 112 days, which works out at an average of one match every : ourtK <Jay. The 1905 intinerary , covered fr period of 107 days from the Devonshire match, on September 16th. to the French International on New Year’s Day, 1906. The approximate average was a match every third day. The British International followed each' other at weekly intervals, excepting'that Wales was played a fortnight after England. In every case a mid-week match had to be played before the fateful Saturday. IN. WALES. Glamorgan County was " met four jays after the Welsh International, and had all the players accepted the selector’s invitation it would really hava.conatituted a return, with Wales. Including.Glamorgan,, .matches,.against four of the strongest teams in the United Kingdom were played within fourteen ' days of the international-’ game; right 'at the end of the tour (the 29th, 30th, 31st and ,32nd matches). Outside the internationals the stiffest opposition- will be met with in Wales, end it is gratifying to note that the. Welsh International takes place on the 1-7th day from the Devonshire match Instead of the Sttst day as in the All .Blacks’ four” Tins gives the* 1924“teain a clear advantage of 'l4 days, and as all the Welsh matches do not come together, this fortnight’s credit is likely £o prove invaluable. -ENGLAND’S STRENGTH. The fact that England (holders of the-Blue Rihpndj has won the international championship seven out of the last nine seasons need not necessarily cause misgivings in so far as the lateness of the English international fixture is concerned. The tourists’ chief concern will be Wales and her cubs, and a clean . sheet in the principality would even compensate for a defeat by the - 'Boses. According to the law of averages, England is due for a win. liaviftg failed to lower the- colours of the All Blacks, Springboks C 1906 and 1912), Wallabies or the N.Z. Army fifteen. THE FIRST MATCH HOW 1905 TEAM PLAYED A BRILLIANT DEBUT, The experiences of the 1905 players ir their first match have been recorded bv "tKeif ' manager, Mr George H. Diybn, and they possess peculiar interest for New Zealand to-day. The team for the first match was composed as follows: Full-back—G. Gillett (Canterbury). Three-quarters—W. J. Wallace (Wellington), G. W. Smith (Auckland), H. Thomson (Wanganui). Five-eighths—W. Stead (Southland) J. Hunter (Taranaki).

" "Half-back—l). (Wellington). Forwards —G. Tyler (Auckland), A. H. Casey (Otago), W. Cunningham (Auckland), J. O’Sullivan (Taranaki), G W. Nicholson (Auckland). C. Seeling (Auckland), F. Glasgow (Taranaki), 0. Gallaher (Auckland), captain. •‘MODEST SELF-CONFIDENCE.” In view of the expressions of opinion jn some of the leading newspapers which were disposed to doubt our prospects of success, the prevailing feeling in the team was simply one of modest nelf-confidence (says Mr Dixon). Wo know our own strength, and were prepared for equal strength on the other side, but we shared the opinion of the public and the football critics that idle chances were fairly even. We were destined, however, to change our opinion before the first ten minutes of play had expired. DEVON SURPRISED. The New Zealanders started off the game with dash and brilliancy, and from the outset their forwards fairly smothered the Devonians, who appeared to be simply lost in the face of forward rushes, which they were wholly unable Co stop. That they were taken by surprise was evident from the start. Within three minutes of the commencement of play, the New Zealanders had scored the first'try of their tour. From a scrum, Roberts passed to Stead, to Hunter, and the latter, in one of his characteristic dashes, beat the opposition and crossed the line. Wallace took the first kick at goal, and converted. Shortly afterwards, Wallace ' kicked a, penalty goal from a difficult angle, and from that out the scores came thick and fastGREAT FORWARDS. ■ There was no. question that the New Zealanders were immeasurably the better side. The forwards set a great pace, packed solidly, and after the first few! scrums got possession almost invariably. Heeling out was sometimes a bit slow,, accounted for, perhaps, by the fact that tbe English pack twisted about a good deal. In the loose, too, the black forwards showed great form, following up, dribbling, and tackling magnificently. The line work was also good. DEVON NOT IN TRAINING. Barring Roberts, none of the backs had .any tackling to do, but all round they showed great pace and nippiness, their cutting tactics nonplussing the opposing back division, who were not too solid on the tackle. The Devon team had not been- together before and in a very short time were completely disorganised, the pace set by vur men being far too severe for them. THE 1924 TRAIL • ’ TWENTY-NINE MATCHES. The following ie the itinerary of the tour:—■ Sept. 13—v. Devon, at Rectory Ground, Devonport. Sept. 18—v. Cornwall, at Camborne. Sept. 20—v. Someset, at Weston. Sept. 25—v. Gloucester.' Sept. 27—v. Swansea. Oct. 2—v. Newport. Oct. 4—v. Leicester. Oct. B—v. North Midlands, at Birmingham. Oct. ll—v. Cheshire, at Birkenhead. Oct. 15— -v.' Durham, at Sunderland. Oct. 18—v. Yorkshire, at Bradford. Oct. 22—Lancashire, at Manchester. Oct. 25—v. Cumberland, at Carlisle. Nov. I—v. Ireland, at Dublin. Nov. s —v. Ulster, at Belfast. Nov. B—v.- Northumberland at Newcastle. Nov. 12—v. Cambridge ’Varsity, Nov. 15—v. London Counties, at Twickenham. Nov. 20—v. Oxford ’Varsity. •Nov. 22—v. Cardiff. Nov. 29 —v. Wales, at Swansea. Dec. 2—v. Llanelly. Dec. 6—v. East Midlands, at Northampton. Dec. 10—v. Warwickshire, at Coventry. Dec. ll—v. Warwickshire, at Coventry (second match). Dec- 13—v. Combined Services, at Twickenham. Dec. 17—v. Hampshire, at Portsmouth. Dec. 27—v. London Counties (second match). Jan. 3—v. England, at Twickenham. [Bettreea December 17th and 27th two matches may be played' in France.]

COLONIAL TOURS BRITAIN AND FRANCE GRAND SUMMARY.

Captains: (11 »• Gallaher, (2) P. Roos, (3) Dr H. M. Moran, (4) W. A. Miller. (5) J. A. Warbrick, (6) Jas. Eyan, Petone. LESSON IN TACTICS AUCKLAND AND WELLINGTON FORWARDS WIN BATTLE. The Auckland-Wellington match provided an interesting spectacle for the tactician, if he were a student, and it also provided sound evidence of lack of intelligence on the part of the Wellington team. It was Auckland’s game from every point of view. Their forwards dominated the struggle, set out to keep play tight, and succeeded. No one knew, prior to that match, that the Auckland forwards were so good as they proved to he. TOO POWERFUL. They were too many for the home pack, which had ehown its weakness in the struggle with Taranaki, and the Wellington men were held in or about their own quarter for most of the match. Sheer superiority in their forwards gave Auckland the game. Strain as they might, the blacks could never evade that serried Auckland phalanx, or break their formation. Save at rare intervals the play was never open. AT THEIR OWN GAME. And why was it not so? Because the Wellington team gave Auckland every assistance to play their tight game. The youngest player would hare said that Wellington had one chance, to open up play. Why was the hall not thrown well out from touch in the line-outs? Why did the Wellington men passively play Auckland at their own game? Something was the matter with the ordering 6f the Wellington tactics. PENALTIES THAT CAME NOT. Of course, Auckland received a certain amount of assistance from (the referee. The mere observer should leave well alone on the football field; but on Saturday there was one thing which was evident from any part of the field. This was that the ball was being held in those rucks, and being held aB a matter of policy. Mr Bradley must have known this; but in a manner inexplicable when sefbeside his usual excellent refereeing, he not only permitted this to go on, permitted the “rough-ups” also to continue long after there was any hope of the ball emerging; but ordered a scrum instead of awarding a free-kick against the offending side when there obviously was cause for one. FORWARDS THE WEAKNESS. Wellington needs more forwards and better. The combination of a backline which is as good as any which has represented the city since the war, and which was obviously superior to both sets of backs which it has met so far, will otherwise be set at nothing. And as the selectors do not seem to have found the forwards, unless the packs in the south are weak, or the Wellington hackline decides to play the open game, we may not hope for a successful tour. THE WING FORWARD SHOULD HE BE ABOLISHED? CONFERENCE IN OTAGO. Following on the request of the. Otago University Club, the executive of the Otago Rugby Union is calling a meeting of club delegates and referees to discuts the • question whether the wing-forward shall be abolished in local football. I do not enpgose that the meeting will get anywhere (says “Full-back,” in the “Otago Daily Times”), because it could hardly be expected that we should abolish -the wing-forward in Dnnedin and other provinces should play him. I, personally, never did view the play of tne wing-forward with favour. This, however, by the way. What I consider the Otago University Club should have done, however, was to have asked the Referees’ Association direct to meet delegates of clubs. INTERPRETING THE RULE. The referees could then have been asked to interpret this rule, under the heading “illegal charge”—“not in a scrummage wilfully obstructs his opponents’ backs by remaining on bis opponents’ side of tbe ball when it is in a scrum'nage.” Where is the “opponents’ side” of the ball ? Does the rule mean that the wing-forward can only advance to an imaginary line drawn between the two sets of hookers. Keen students of the rules emphatically claim that it does. The Dunecin referees to-day rule, however, that no matter where the ball is in the scrum, the wing-foi-ward can follow it through as long as he keeps behind it. If tbe rnle actually means that a wing-forward can only go as far as his own hookers. and no farther, till the half-back gets the ball, the wings of the winger wiil be severely clipped. I understand that this is the way the rule is inteiproted in New South Wales. DOES THE “MIDDLE” SHIFT? A ruling by the New Zealand Referees’ Association has a direct bearing on. wing-forward play. The rule reads. . . . “The ball being considered as the middle of the scrummage.” If the ball is the “middle” of the eoiummage, then of coarse the “noodle” keeps shifting, and the wing-forward can follow the ball through anywhere. One authority on the rule states without hesitation that the ruling of the New Zealand Association is wrong, and that the “middle" does not shift. The “middle” is an, imaginary line between the two seta of hookers, and beyond this the winger cannot proceed till the ball has come ont of the scrum. The referees, however, have been asked to attend the proposed meeting

to discuss wing-forward play, and they will be given the opportunity to answer this question. A DISPUTED TRY AUCKLAND’S QUIBBLE. The Auckland players showed a curious ignorance op the rules in their contention concerning Lang’s try in the match on Saturday. They did not dispute that the -try was a fair one, Goodacre, the full-hack, himself admitting that he had not forced the bill. But the northerners held' that the try was scored the moment that Lang put his hand on the ball. A FORCE P This is obviously absurd. Were it so, every tione that the ball is kicked: over the goal-line a.r.d a member of a> defending side picks it lip a force down would have to be ruled. This happens a dozen times every match, and particularly noteworthy is the case of an unsuccessful shot at goal followed up by an enterprising torward. Many times a member of a defending side will retrieve the ball, and commence running upheld. NUT TILL THEN. Should ho see the attacker too close! he will touch down. But not until he touches down will the force be allowed. To foroe a ball and to pick a ball up are different matters, and it is surprising that senior players should advance such a quibble.

P. w. L. D. For. Agst. 1. All Blacks, 47 1905 33 32 1 — 868 2. Springboks* 1906 29 26 2 1 608 87 146 1908 4. Springboks, 31 25 5 1 438 441 101 19X2 27 23 3 120 107 ii 2 2355 381 5. N.Z. Natives 1888-89 6. N.Z. Army, 74 49 20 5 394 188 547 107 1919 38 33 2 3 232 189 33 10 3296 676