MELBOURNE TASTE RUGBY UNION

NZ Truth, Issue 1233, 18 July 1929, Page 16

MELBOURNE TASTE RUGBY UNION

All Blacks Have Complete Mastery Over Australian Side

COMBINATION v. INDIVIDUALISM

(By Cable— From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Melbourne ..Representative). The Rugby Union game 'exists m Melbourne, but so far as the general public is concerned, it has little ; interest, and, as a natural consequence, few supporters. ... ..'•' The clubs that are m existence contain a strong leavening of New Zealanders living m the city, and though the encouragement offered is- paltry,- their inbred love of the f fifte^n-a-side;' game keeps them plugging on m the face of all obstacles that may arise.

A ; .-COUPLE .years, back an All Black. team was sent down from '".-. \Sydriey- for educational, but the opposition ; offered them, was puny hnd> h'eayy defeitwas inflicted. On this tour of the New Zealanders it "was decided to bring the tw"o teams up to something like equal strength by including a number of 'Sydney players, and' this ,m a large measure accounts for the good attendance that was present, on Saturday — 5000 is a splendid attendance for so little a known code. It was the first union game . played against an Australian side m Melbourne, but it was really a/ misnomer to use the title of "Australian" m connection with the vanquished. With, the exception of five Sydneyaiders the balance of the team was made up of Victorians, and m Victoria tlieVßugby union game has the same status" as the Australian rules have iti the Dominion. ;,But for the New South Welshmen it •would have been more of a massacre than a game. i The All Blacks demonstrated their unmistakeable superiority m every department of play, winning by a comfortable margin — 25 to 4. - The difference was that between a team kriit by close association and constant play into a machine-like movement and o.ne,' good individually, but poor as a combination. ; was this weakness noticeable m the scrums. There", the Ali : Blacks gained possession nine times' qut of ten, and m passing rushes there was rhythniv and understanding. V.On the yisitin§r~side there was always a. man toHake^ the ball when his mate was faced; v \yitlv,tro!ible-— the Australian backs were mostly ways m the wrong iplaceat the right time. There Was /too nvuch shoulder high and lob /passing, by the Australians, wh.ereas."t,he2M^orilanders sent the ball 6n' : walSt^higli; 1 >v S 'i The first/term^was stubbornly contested.^>y; tlie Australians, who tackled gamely, and ■,at'tU&:vinterval New Zealand: hadVa^lea,^ of .only seven points. The-vincidepil^of the spell was a mapnjficen£;fies' jg-oatl dropped -by the fullback^tTin'gfellaw. ; . was ; successful from •'. ;just' on.; : .thfe p : half>;way mark and

was m a manner reminiscent of the once great kicker, Dally Messenger. In the second half the All Blacks had all the best of the play, and towards the finish tries were obtained m rapid succession by a series of spectacular dashes, the fast pace set. having nearly run the Australians off their tost The ball would go right across the chain and then the determined running of Orenslde or Waterman could not be checked. , The working of the well-oiled ma-

chine was pretty to watch and the crowd did not hesitate to show its appreciation. Scorers for the winning- side were Grenside (two),. Waterman, Stringfellow and Lilburne. Cundy converted two and Hook one, while Stringfellow potted a goal. Australia's four points came from the boot of Burke, the full-back. Under the conditions it was hard to sort out the outstanding players of the All Black fifteen, and of the Australian backs Duncan, Sturtridge and Burke were called on for most of the stopping. The whole forward pack worked, if not with success, with a will, but they were as individuals, not as a team. |